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[Moogie]

Seems to be a lot of PC tech help here in Life Advice lately, eh? Well, I'm apparently not one to miss a trend, because today I woke up to a dead monitor.

The thing is almost a decade old, and hasn't had an actual power button per se for half that time. I also got it for free. So I'm searching for a suitable replacement, and I've narrowed the search down to 2... largely because these were the only two non-widescreen monitors under budget that I could find.

Seriously, why are square monitors so rare? I'm using my widescreen TV in the meantime and it is absolutely HORRIBLE to browse the web, read text (fucking blurry shit) or do any sort of graphics design/art. Mouse sales must be through the roof with all the worn-out scrollwheels these slim windows must produce. The colours are horrible for graphics design, too. Movies yes; actual PC activities, no.

Ok, time to stop ranting. Here are my choices.

Candidate #1: Dell P190S.
Lots of positive reviews and a price I just want to smother all over me with chocolate. It has some kind of magic stand that can rotate in all directions and swivel and also do the dishes, which is very nice. Refurbished only, but that's okay. The merchant has a stellar record. As long as I can get some sort of warranty with it, this is my current favourite.

Candidate #2: Acer V193Db.
Lack of reviews is worrying, but maybe it's just a new entry? This one has less power usage than the Dell. Also, it's a TFT, which Google leads me to believe is sharper and better image quality than a standard LCD. Then again, maybe the Dell is a TFT but just didn't specify that? I'm so confused. This one honestly seems like the better choice, but I'unno...

Both under £60, both 19", both good name brands. Which should I choose, and why?

Thanks!

[chaoticag]

Your first option seems better. Sure, refurbished only, but it's gotten more exposure, and you can expect it to be more reliable. It prolly won't last as long as your older monitor did though, but it's kinda expected nowadays.

Not sure how much more advice I can give on the subject really. It's bigger, it swivels, it's better documented, it's under budget, and all it needs is a warranty to fit what you're looking for. The other is kinda looking like a black box, and that makes me think it's not a product by their main lines. Especially since it came out 6 months before candidate one.

And well, I think widescreen monitors happened because of the theater experience. I haven't used a square monitor in a while, but there's more screen volume for me to read words on, and things seem sharp, but that's me. Might have to do with the limitation of cathode rays as well. There's prolly an interesting history there, but I guess we can chalk it down to marketing winning out.

[Moogie]

Ah... and here I was, swinging back towards the Acer due to it being a TFT. :/

Grr. If only there were a bigger choice. I've seen a few other monitors on Amazon US but for whatever reason they aren't available in the UK.