How big is your primary monitor?

Author: Richard Swinburne
Published: 21st June 2007
Comments (178) Stumble
Being a part of the bit-tech community is free! There's no reason not to.

Being a part of the bit-tech community is free! There's no reason not to.

In this week's poll, we'd like to know how big is your primary monitor?

At bit-tech we'll find it useful to know how many people have invested in large screens or still use small ones, this way we can tailor future benchmarking resolutions to be applicable to more readers.

Also, with the prices of TFTs dropping hand over fist in the last year or so, it'll be interesting to see how many people have plumped for an upgrade, or if you're still pining for that nice new Dell 30" one of these days...

Last week, we asked what colour PCB do you prefer? Over 76 percent of voters preferred a black PCB over any other colour - there's still time to vote though, so take the time to let us know what your preferences are!

Don't forget registration on bit-tech's forums is quick and best of all it's FREE... so what are you waiting for? Get on with registering and join in the fun!
Quote DougEdey 21st June 2007, 15:01
Do we have to wait for a poll on this one aswell?
Quote cpemma 21st June 2007, 15:02
Where's the poll? Poll or it didn't happen. :p
Quote Bindibadgi 21st June 2007, 15:03
JEEEEEZ Gizzus a chance you impatient gets
Quote DougEdey 21st June 2007, 15:03
Turns out Bindi is just slow ;)

What's with all these polls anyway Bindi? You guys getting a Market Research contract :p

I use a 2405 as my primary screen, and I'm considering a second or a 2707.
Quote atanum141 21st June 2007, 15:05
20inches wide is enough for me. Tho if i had the moneh a 27incher sounds like a monster.
Quote Fr4nk 21st June 2007, 15:07
2007wfp atm though come august I hope to have a 2407 wfp :)

| lolz
|
V
Quote DougEdey 21st June 2007, 15:10
20007? 200"? JESUS FR4NK! That's huge!
Quote kenco_uk 21st June 2007, 15:10
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fr4nk
20007wfp atm though come august I hope to have a 2407 wfp :)

woah there, nelly! 200"!? Did you have to take the roof off your house to get it in?

I'm happy with my 2005fpw.
Quote Glider 21st June 2007, 15:12
Since my laptop is my main PC atm, 15" :D
Quote Bindibadgi 21st June 2007, 15:17
Quote:
Originally Posted by DougEdey
Turns out Bindi is just slow ;)

What's with all these polls anyway Bindi? You guys getting a Market Research contract :p

I use a 2405 as my primary screen, and I'm considering a second or a 2707.

Just kicking the community up a notch. It's good to know for reviews so we can tailor how we write with what people most want or have.

We got nearly 450 replies to the PCB one so we're gonna try to do more :)
Quote Mankz. 21st June 2007, 15:36
Here at School I've got an absalutely brillian Viewsonic VX922, great for movies, CAD and Gaming.

On my new lappy, I've got a 15.4" Ultrasharp Dell screen, and on the old PC at home, I've got a 12" Acer CRT 'Gamer Station' that I won off PCZone in 01 or 02.
Quote Amon 21st June 2007, 15:36
21" CRT. It's 40 kilos and has bowed the surface of many a desk at LAN events...
Quote Mankz. 21st June 2007, 15:37
I remember when I won the 12" there was a 21" Iiyama that cost well over £700..
Quote kempez 21st June 2007, 15:38
24" ftw tbh :D
Quote specofdust 21st June 2007, 15:40
Another 21" CRT here. It may have an arse the size of J-Lo, but it's got a great front end(unlike J-Lo) and a great picture.

Only thing I'd change this for would be a 24" or larger widescreen LCD screen that cost a reasonable ammount of cash. So it ain't getting changed anytime soon.
Quote trig 21st June 2007, 15:48
17 inch nec multisync 70gx2 with opticlear at the moment...love it, but its too small and im too old. upgrading to a 22 or 24 inch widescreen soon...most likely 22 inch.
Quote Hiren 21st June 2007, 15:50
17" at home

20" at work

Hopefully getting a 24" at home soon.
Quote DougEdey 21st June 2007, 15:54
Save your £ hiren, 27" is only £40~ more.
Quote Hiren 21st June 2007, 15:57
Bigger pixels though. Also no 27" version of the monitor I want.
Quote Mother-Goose 21st June 2007, 15:57
I've got the 2407wp and I think it is the perfect size for todays computing requirements.
Quote DougEdey 21st June 2007, 15:58
Trure, but it's better for watching Hi Def movies in bed.
Quote Amon 21st June 2007, 16:05
Quote:
Originally Posted by specofdust
Another 21" CRT here. It may have an arse the size of J-Lo, but it's got a great front end(unlike J-Lo) and a great picture.

Only thing I'd change this for would be a 24" or larger widescreen LCD screen that cost a reasonable ammount of cash. So it ain't getting changed anytime soon.
Haha yep. These things are big, but they are deep; you'll need a desk that at least 2 feet deep without the rear hanging over the back while comfortably fitting a keyboard in front of it; and if your desk is against a wall or corner, you'll might as well use the desk from the side with the monitor on the other end... >:( I'm going to need a bigger desk soon as I might nick another one from work for a dual-screen setup (we've honestly got stacks of used 6FGp in the hallways) but these things draw over 100 watts of power each! On the other hand, colour accuracy and sharpness are undeniable.
Quote capnPedro 21st June 2007, 16:05
I'm using a 5:4 (I think) CRT. No idea about the model as it's graphic designer's screen I got from my dad's place of work for a tenner.

20" (diagonal) visible.
25.5" (diagonal) inc. bezel.

I like the beast but I'm thinking of picking up one of those fancy 30" Dell jobbies (just sold one of my PCs so it's a real possibility now :D).
Quote DAE_JA_VOO 21st June 2007, 16:10
I use TWO 22" Widescreen LCDs :D
Quote kempez 21st June 2007, 16:12
Quote:
Originally Posted by DAE_JA_VOO
I use TWO 22" Widescreen LCDs :D

I have a 24" and a 20", but it's not a competition :p
Quote Mister_Tad 21st June 2007, 16:18
I use 187" of screen real-estate at work, but its still not a competition :p
Quote DougEdey 21st June 2007, 16:22
But you're evil so it doesn't count ;)
Quote Firehed 21st June 2007, 16:29
I think I'm on a 17" right now at work (set to the wrong res, no less), but at home I could be on either a 15", 20", or 24", all widescreen (1440/1680/1920px respectively). But if it's about the way you're writing reviews/site layout, I never have my browser maximized. I'd like a second 24" but it's not happening until I get a Mac with dual DVI out (and a proper desk).
Quote Mother-Goose 21st June 2007, 16:35
187"? how many screens have you got connected to give you that?
Quote DAE_JA_VOO 21st June 2007, 16:42
Quote:
Originally Posted by kempez
I have a 24" and a 20", but it's not a competition :p

hahaha!!

Well, my phone has like, a 1 inch screen, so i win :P
Quote kempez 21st June 2007, 16:43
Quote:
Originally Posted by DAE_JA_VOO
Well, my phone has like, a 1 inch screen, so i win :P

Damnit Foiled!
Quote Paradigm Shifter 21st June 2007, 16:55
Quote:
Originally Posted by trig
17 inch nec multisync 70gx2 with opticlear at the moment...love it, but its too small and im too old. upgrading to a 22 or 24 inch widescreen soon...most likely 22 inch.
Do you want good colour reproduction? Because most of the 22" widescreens have panels that use 6-bit colour and dithering, rather than true 8-bit colour...

Happy with my 2405, but I'd like to get a 37" 1080p Westinghouse.
Quote mmorgue 21st June 2007, 16:55
Mine's only 21 inches.. But it's really thick...
Quote Hazardous 21st June 2007, 16:56
Quote:
Originally Posted by DougEdey


Save your £ hiren, 27" is only £40~ more.

Aye... but that's for the refurbished version you've linked to in the 'Bargain Bin' Doug... and not everybody is happy to buy refurbished units - with just a 30 day warranty ;)

It's more tempting to do so though, when you consider that a brand new 27" 2707WFP costs £615.00 / £722.62
Personally... I'd rather pay £160 more for two 24" 2407WFP's

But each to their own ;)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hiren


Also no 27" version of the monitor I want.

Which one's that then? The BenQ (with HDMI) perhaps?
Quote das_mod 21st June 2007, 16:58
my monitor depends on usage ...

30" is for when im doing graphics ... (PS work)

22" for browsing internet

19" for pr0n (not as easy to get caught, yet still enjoyable)

15" for burning music and checking F@H stats ... ;)
Quote DougEdey 21st June 2007, 16:59
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mother-Gooser
187"? how many screens have you got connected to give you that?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mister_tad

At work...

top far left 30" - Enterprise Controlstation full network view
bottom far left 30" - Veritas NetBackup admin console, ECS application desktop
left 21" - 3-4 Enterprise Controlstaion filtered network views
middle 21" - HP ServiceDesk, Internet Explorer
top 21" (above middle) - IT/Opera Message Browser
left 21" - Outlook, Mainframe TSO session, SSH windows, HP Omniback Admin console x2
far left 19" - 2x Mainframe console sessions

From an old thread about how you use mutliple displays.
Quote mand0 21st June 2007, 17:02
22" is the max I'd be willing to spend. It's dead sexy
Quote Jamie 21st June 2007, 17:02
Strike one up for 26"
Quote alextwo 21st June 2007, 17:10
20" wide 2007 here.
More than enough screen real estate for me (for now :D)
Quote bubsterboo 21st June 2007, 17:13
24" always makes a good display.
Quote Techno-Dann 21st June 2007, 17:14
17" here. But I have two of them.
Quote teamtd11 21st June 2007, 17:15
Quote:
Originally Posted by specofdust
Another 21" CRT here. It may have an arse the size of J-Lo, but it's got a great front end(unlike J-Lo) and a great picture.

And another here, my desk has to sit away from the wall at the monitor end to fit it on, and the desk is bending with the 30KG pressign down on it, but for £25 it worth not having any room to put a chair :D
Quote Dazmeister 21st June 2007, 17:16
22" Belinea widescreen for me! B)
Quote poenanie 21st June 2007, 17:17
19" normal samsung screen atm , saving up for a 22" widescreen to put in a dual monitor setup
Quote TGImages 21st June 2007, 17:17
Dual Dell 20Ws. One landscape, one portrait. And yes, I consider both to be my primary as I use both concurrently, many times with a single app spread across both.
Quote g3n3tiX 21st June 2007, 17:18
Mine is a 15.4" wide (laptop screen) but the resolution is HUUUGE @ 1680*1050 (for 15 inch it is huge)
(I put "other" in the poll)
Quote RedDethX 21st June 2007, 17:18
19" Widescreen, 1440x900 ftw >.>;
Quote thefriscokid 21st June 2007, 17:18
benq FP241W @ 1920 x 1200
Quote bubsterboo 21st June 2007, 17:19
Quote:
Originally Posted by thefriscokid
benq FP241W @ 1920 x 1200
Yeah!! Fantastic display
Quote mctigger 21st June 2007, 17:26
15" don't have room for a biggar one at the moment :(
Quote TheVoice 21st June 2007, 17:28
I've had my Samsung SM206BW 20" wide since the end of March. Had a Samsung 913N 19" standard before that so the size increase wasn't huge, but the actual resolution means I've got a lot more space on screen, which is very nice.
Quote ChromeX 21st June 2007, 17:30
15" of pure svga power!! Max res of 1024x768!!... whats that you say?... Oh wait this isnt the early 90's? So I take it your not very impressed? :(
Quote Hugo.B 21st June 2007, 17:33
Why do people like their square 19"screens?
I have a 19" widescreen, and know that they are much more comfortable.
And cheaper.


H.B.
Quote Tim S 21st June 2007, 17:35
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugo.B
Why do people like their square 19"screens?
I have a 19" widescreen, and know that they are much more comfortable.
And cheaper.


H.B.
I think it's the vertical height that's the problem for most... I'd need a 20-22" wide to replicate a 19" in terms of height. Of course, if I was gaming, I'd prefer a 19" wide over a 19" 5:4. :)
Quote Firehed 21st June 2007, 17:36
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChromeX
15" of pure svga power!! Max res of 1024x768!!... whats that you say?... Oh wait this isnt the early 90's? So I take it your not very impressed? :(
I've got a 15" flat panel floating around somewhere too (the one I mentioned earlier was my laptop)... nothing wrong with that. But SVGA is 800x600; 1024 is XGA.
Quote Hugo.B 21st June 2007, 17:40
Quote:
Of course, if I was gaming, I'd prefer a 19" wide over a 19" 5:4.
Any day, 16:10 is much more like real life.


H.B.
Quote lcdguy 21st June 2007, 17:43
i just have my 20.1" Viewsonic VX2025WM which does the job quite nicely.
Quote Kaboom22 21st June 2007, 17:43
3 X 19" on a Matrox Triple Head 2 Go

Windows sees it as one display and i treat it as such, so i voted other.
Quote JaredC01 21st June 2007, 17:43
30" Widescreen here... Really need to get a new graphics card to run most games at their highest setting... :(

Graphic Design does have its perks... :D
Quote Bluephoenix 21st June 2007, 17:43
2x 30" for me :D
Quote <A88> 21st June 2007, 17:46
15" widescreen on the lappy (which is my primary comp due to my inability to mod). Will probably expand to a 22" at some point though.

<A88>
Quote JCBeastie 21st June 2007, 17:47
Lovely 22" CRT, hate that flat stuff.
Quote tank_rider 21st June 2007, 17:50
Trouble with this is, that to determin the resolutions people run, you'll also have to ask whether they run a CRT or tft ;). I put 19", and that could translate to a resolution of 1280*1024 if it were a tft, but is actually being run at 1600*1200 as it's a crt.

Anyhoo, single liner is 19" CRT @ 1600*1200
Quote Zurechial 21st June 2007, 17:52
19" CRT - It needs a paintjob on the casing, but the image quality is excellent. :D
Quote Redbeaver 21st June 2007, 18:02
samsung 205BW :)
Quote leviathan18 21st June 2007, 18:07
24" here 2407
Quote aggies11 21st June 2007, 18:09
Using a 19" Vx922 which has been great for gaming in the last year.

I want to go widescreen eventually, however like Tim mentioned, I don't want to sacrifice vertical size, which means "22inch min. I also don't usually have high end graphics cards so 1920x panels are out of the question. It would seem then that 22" WS @1680 is the way to go.

However I'm waiting until the panels at that size/res improve (if they ever do) as the ones right now aren't too hot.

Aggies
Quote pendragon 21st June 2007, 18:13
24" 2407wfp at home :D ... but at work i'm stuck on a 15" Viewsonic VE155b
Quote BioSniper 21st June 2007, 18:13
17" here, I'm surprised so many people have the stacks of cash to just burn on the 24" screens tbh.
Quote Woodstock 21st June 2007, 18:30
the desktop 17" but the laptop i ordered has 15.4 wide, hopefully arriving tomorrow
Quote airchie 21st June 2007, 18:32
Had my Dell 2405FPW for yonks now and I still love it long time! :)
Quote Spaceraver 21st June 2007, 18:33
17" Phillips 170B4.. Want a 24" tho.. Goes better with the Aurora Case. That's huge by comparison.
Quote Darkened 21st June 2007, 18:35
Just ordered a 24" LG today, so it'll be here by next week. Until then I'll have to go by with 2 x 20,1" widescreen Belineas :D

I also considered a 26" acer, but my viewing distance is so small that I much rather take the 24" with the same resolution...

Darkened
Quote Delphium 21st June 2007, 18:36
42" Plasma, wide, as main
With also 3x 15"tft and 1X 5foot screen with projector, as secondry :D
Quote C-Sniper 21st June 2007, 18:38
ugh i got a 17" CRT that weighs a metric ton and is a pain to move around.
Quote beesbees 21st June 2007, 18:38
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugo.B
Why do people like their square 19"screens?
I have a 19" widescreen, and know that they are much more comfortable.
And cheaper.


H.B.

'Cos when surfin' teh netz, most webpages are longer than they are wide.
Quote Kenny_McCormick 21st June 2007, 18:46
19" wide, ACER AL1916W.
I like to say: born to be wide
Quote Buzzons 21st June 2007, 18:48
2004 and a 2007 , looking at the 2707 it seems to have far more connectors etc than the 3007 which is a tad odd.. hopefully the 24 and 30"'s will get the new connectors
Quote Nexxo 21st June 2007, 19:04
30" (3007WFP-HC) of screeny goodness. B)
Quote topher 21st June 2007, 19:23
30'' mofo's WHo rah!!!!
Quote PhillyB 21st June 2007, 19:31
42" Westinghouse LCD, 1080p baby!
19" VX924 too

at work I use dual 19" dells. to play WoW.
Quote severedhead 21st June 2007, 19:56
19" CRT. I feel all lame compared to the above :'(
Quote FIBRE+ 21st June 2007, 19:59
20" widescreen and a wee 7" for watching vids without clogging up my main screen.
Quote Tomm 21st June 2007, 20:09
Alas, only 17" CRT here. I'm living in the dark ages, but there's nothing actually wrong with it. Soon it'll die though and I can get that lovely 24" widescreen I need so badly.
Quote Fozzy 21st June 2007, 20:20
I have a 24inch screen but it's a crt and has roughly the same res as a 30" dell. Looking into a 42" Plasma.
Quote mikeuk2004 21st June 2007, 20:22
Samsung 46" 1080p LCD LE46M86BDX/XEU

I just binned my 19" IBM CRT and now use my Samsung LCD for my pc using DVI to HDMI with desktop at 1920 x 1200 and I am very surprised I can run CSS at this res too with a ATI X1600 PRO AGP.

On Stand before Wall Mounting

Wall Mounted

Can anyone explain why my TV is advertised with a res of 1920 x 1080 but then I set my desktop at this res I have a black border all around and to eliminate this I have to set my desktop to 1920 x 1200. I mean if my TV has a res of 1920 x 1080, then were do the extra 120 pixels come from on the vertical.
Quote DXR_13KE 21st June 2007, 20:26
still at 17'' crt... no money for bigger screen.... for now :(
Quote Amon 21st June 2007, 20:27
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeuk2004
Samsung 46" 1080p LCD LE46M86BDX/XEU

I just binned my 19" IBM CRT and now use my Samsung LCD for my pc using DVI to HDMI with desktop at 1920 x 1200 and I am very surprised I can run CSS at this res too with a ATI X1600 PRO AGP.

Can anyone explain why my TV is advertised with a res of 1920 x 1080 but then I set my desktop at this res I have a black border all around and to eliminate this I have to set my desktop to 1920 x 1200. I mean if my TV has a res of 1920 x 1080, then were do the extra 120 pixels come from on the vertical.
I believe they are truncated from pixel interpolation. So your television set is compressing the extra 120 pixels to fit in the available 1080. Similarly, most broadcast signals are not true 1080 resolution either, so they are expanded to compensate.
Quote careyd 21st June 2007, 20:30
how do I answer if I have multiple systems (11) all configured differently? what about the fact that several of them are dual-head 20"s while others are single 30"s?
how do account for a 50" plasma as a second head on one system but it's only 1366x768 resolution?
Quote GamingHobo 21st June 2007, 20:35
I'm on a 21" Samsung 215TW at home, which I'm very pleased with. At work it kind of depends, 20" wide and 19" 4:3 most of the time, but occasionally something better arrives. :)
Quote completemadness 21st June 2007, 20:36
How about people with dual head ? :o

Ive got 2x 20"
1 dell 20" (the early model) and a LG L204WT

I only use 1 while gaming though (the dell) except WoW where i enable both, or if I'm programming or something, which is what i bought the other screen for

Ive also got a cheapo AG Neovo 19" screen connected to my second computer, which is a media center PC, great for watching TV while playing games :)
Quote Hugo.B 21st June 2007, 20:46
Quote:
'Cos when surfin' teh netz, most webpages are longer than they are wide.
Maybe so, but wudjabuhleevit, you can get two windows on a widescreen side by side!


H.B.
Quote Veles 21st June 2007, 20:57
I currently have two 19" Sammy normal monitors (19" is too small fro widescreen IMO). I'm looking to replace at least one of those with a nice big widescreen monitor.
Quote Blademrk 21st June 2007, 21:10
1x20" 2005 Dell Widescreen on my main PC (15" secondary when I can find room to fit it)
17" CRT on my 2nd pc and either a 28" or 32" SD WS TV for the Wii browser (depending on which room it's set up in).
Quote Silver Shamrock 21st June 2007, 21:23
I have a 19" Wide but will be going bigger later this year.
Quote Bbq.of.DooM 21st June 2007, 21:26
11" widescreen crt.
Quote Tyr 21st June 2007, 21:38
Looks like most people have desktops, not really surprising as I suspect a great number are DIY.

17" Wide Notebook, same resolution as a 24" :)
Quote David_Fitzy 21st June 2007, 21:39
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bbq.of.DooM
11" widescreen crt.
I read through five pages thinking no-one's using smaller than I am but now my sob story is ruined.

14" Laptop. Actually come to think of it I haven't gotten higher than 1024x768 yet :(
Quote The_Beast 21st June 2007, 21:43
I'm pretty sure it's a 17"
Quote samkiller42 21st June 2007, 21:57
24" for myself, 2405 ;)
Though im going to try and get a 3007 later on.

Sam
Quote Neoki 21st June 2007, 22:03
Samsung R73 32" HDTV :D
Quote m0o0oeh 21st June 2007, 22:03
depends see... i got two projectors dual'd at my place, so something along the lines of 10, maybe 12 feet across?

Joe
Quote Tulatin 21st June 2007, 22:25
19" Wide as my desktop's current primary; looking at a 1680x1050 22"W, and eventually a 1920x1080 42"W. Laptop has a 15.4" 1440x900
Quote Tyinsar 21st June 2007, 22:36
Voted other:

Currently have a Dell 22" WS @ home BUT pre-ordered this: (link) :D

(I guess my 7600GT isn't going to cut it much longer :'( )
Quote korhojoa 21st June 2007, 22:45
19" is what i use as an external monitor for my 12.1" lappy, so that's what i selected.
i'm kind of sad that there are no laptop size choices.
Quote Ghys 21st June 2007, 22:47
19" CRT
Viewsonic P95F+-2 = best monitor EVER for FPS games (1280x960 @ 100'V'hz & 100'H'hz)


12" Wide on my XPSM1210
Quote Colossous 21st June 2007, 22:50