Widescreen Gaming Forum

I have been saving up for the Dell 2405FPW, but I am only 15 and short on cash. I am not sure whether I should save up all the money to buy the 2405, then be broke, but with a great monitor, or just go for a 2005 and have money left over. The 2405 looks MUCH better from what I've seen, in not only size, but feautures as well. But there is a huge price difference. I currently have 400-600 bucks on hand and I am selling things on ebay, but next on my priority list is 2 GB of RAM because 1 GB is not cutting it any more and my 7800gtx's capabilities in BF@ have to be limited because setting absolutely everything to high takes up all of my RAM, especially with the bigger monitor.

BTW, I am currently using a very old 17" IMRI monitor that is terrible becasue I sold my dual 17" Acers.

Is there by any chance another monitor that would be a better bang for the buck?

In that sort of situation, where you're obviously gaming oriented, the 2005 will probably be better. Both are superb screens (are are many of the other widescreens available) but I'd go for the 2005 and have some cash left over.

I'm not really 'up' on all of the widescreens available now - I think the Dell's are still some of the best value ones. Coupons help even more, of course. ;)

You'll get a lot of arguments one way or the other here; every widescreen has it's supporters, and the Dell's are both very popular.

PS has a good point.

I voted other for HP L2335 becasue everyone just seems to forget about it :D. It is a good monitor :D.

But in your case I would listen to PS.

I just remembered - I will have an entire house full of stuff to sell on eBay next week (but at only 15% commission), so I will see if I can afford it after I sell that. Maybe I should ask for more % because 15 is very low for an eBay business.

i would stay away from the 2405 as it ghosts too much too enjoy fps games like BF2. I sent mine back and am looking for something else right now.

Check our sticky in the review section: Info: 2405fpw vs 2005fpw pros/cons/known issues

Also, there are excelent reviews of different other screens as well, where most fit into your pricerange.

Personally, I would advice you to wait a little since next generation LCD's are coming now, but if you need a screen now, go for the 2005fpw :)

Edit: Also check out Gilly's monitor list sticky on top of this page!

Other

HP L2335

Hp f2304

check out the nec 20wgx2 looks pretty good for gaming i.e - low response time

Another consideration is the Gateway FPD2185W. Seems to go on sale depending on where you look. Was $539 at Staples.Com, but it is back up to $599. It does not come with a DVI cable, so the monitor will cost a bit more if you need to purchase one. And if you decide to purchase an extended warranty, this will add even more cash to the total.

Advantages to this monitor is HDCP support (if you are not planning to buy another monitor for quite awhile), but also has some nice features related to HD (Farouda chip, etc.). Some have complained about banding issues, or how the monitor handles blacks, but everyone has their priorities. For me, the monitor is stellar. And is about an inch wider than the 2005FPW.

Based purely on cost, I'd go with the 2005. It is a nice looking monitor (had one at work for awhile) but have not used it for gaming. DougOfTheNorth's and Bongo's HP monitor recommendations are excellent ones, but I think their costs are outside your price range. If you want to be a bit more future proof (e.g., HDCP), the Gateway seems to be in the price range. The Dell 2405 (and soon to arrive 2407 with HDCP) are good deals for their size, but still out of the price range. To be honest, the 20-21" WS monitors seem to be just fine in terms of size.

I would recommend you go with a lower priced unit (20-21") and use the extra cash to upgrade your video to get best results (native res, highest settings, AA/AF.)

I have a 2405 and love it, but I was able to upgrade my machine to be able to run native res. Many people find out that when you go with any of the higher res units (1920x1200 or higher), it ends up costing you a lot more in upgrades to help support your new craving for running everything in native res at high settings.

:D