What Widescreen Monitor Size Should I Get?

Bigger screen does not mean better resolution.

Name: Larry Adams

I have been shopping around for a new screen for a while now because my LCD monitor I have is going out (the backlight is going bad, I think). At first I was just going to go get the same screen I had before but it looks like these new widescreen monitors are becoming standard.

Thanks,

Larry

I’m hesitant to recommend any particular size of a wide aspect-ratio monitor as the DPI can vary. I will, however, recommend a minimum resolution that you should get.

In my opinion, you should get a monitor with nothing less that a 1680 x 1050 resolution. The reason for this is simple: Most regular aspect-ratio 17″ and 19″ LCD monitors have a maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024. This means that you have 1,204 pixels to display with vertically. If you were to purchase a monitor with anything less than 1,024 vertical pixels then you’d notice the “shortness” you described.

Because of the height requirement, this means that you will more than likely have to get a widescreen display that is at least 20″. There are some 19″ models out there that sport the required res, but not all that many.

Currently, I own a Samsung 940BW, and while I am quite fond of this display its major shortcoming is the fact that it maxes out at 1440 X 900. There are little tricks that you can do (and that I would recommend regardless) such as putting your taskbar on the side of the screen, as opposed to the bottom. This frees up some vertical pixels and has the added benefit of efficiently using the extra horizontal space. Regardless, I’ve always felt a bit “squashed” by this display, and so I’m looking to upgrade to dual  Samsung 27-Inch Wide Viewing Angle LED Monitor
at some point.

A bit of advice for when you do go shopping for that new monitor: More inches does not necessarily mean more pixels. You’ll find that many of the screens that you see have the same resolution on them regardless of the fact that they have a couple more inches of size. For instance,  the Samsung 226BW (22 inches) and the 206BW (20 inches) both have the 1680 X 1050 resolution. In a nutshell, this means that the 22″ screen will simply display the same images larger, there won’t actually be any additional room.

These are just some things to keep in mind. You certainly don’t have to get a widescreen monitor if you don’t feel that you’ll benefit from it. There’s no reason to spend more money on something simply because it’s becoming popular. Many 4:3 displays are more than adequate for most people.