Need a new monitor - 5 to 10k

BhargavJ

In the zone
Hello. The screen of my Dell Inspirin 3537 laptop has developed problems; earlier, there were vertical lines which went away on pressing the screen edges, now a large part of the left side is totally white.

The local computer guy I gave it to says it would be better to buy a monitor than to replace the screen as the laptop is pretty old and falling apart, and a new screen would cost around 4k. I've often thought of doing this, but thought that a new monitor would cost around 10k, but the shop guy says he can give me an HP ~19 inch monitor for 5.5k. I asked him to give the model no, but he hasn't done so yet. So I'd like to take suggestions from you all.

1. Budget?
5 to 10 k, the lesser the better.

2. Display type and size?

I don't know much about these things, but I think an IPS display, 1080p, and 19 to 24 inches.

3. What will the TV/monitor be used for primarily?

Mainly internet browsing, reading, watching movies (often 10bit HEVCs) and the occasional gaming, though the last is not important.

4. Types and number of ports required?

Dunno, but I might connect it to my old CPU. The Dell laptop only has an HDMI port, as far as I remember.

5. Preferred choice of brand?

No preference, but not a Chinese origin company.

6. Any TV/monitor in consideration?

None

7. Any other info that you want to share.

I do a lot of reading on the laptop so that's the main thing to consider.

If possible, please state what is different in a 10k monitor compared to a 5k one.

:)
 
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BhargavJ

In the zone
I'm thinking of one of these two:

Dell E2418HN - Rs. 8800

*www.amazon.in/Dell-23-8-inch-60-47...e2418hn&qid=1602603736&sprefix=dell+e2&sr=8-1

BenQ GW2480 - Rs. 9816

*www.amazon.in/BenQ-23-8-inch-Monit...ch+monitor&qid=1602603750&sprefix=benq&sr=8-3

The Dell one is 8bit, while the BenQ one is 6bit with FRC.

Comparison:

*www.displayspecifications.com/en/comparison/9eeb2b017

Any suggestions?
 
I'm thinking of one of these two:

Dell E2418HN - Rs. 8800

*www.amazon.in/Dell-23-8-inch-60-47...e2418hn&qid=1602603736&sprefix=dell+e2&sr=8-1

BenQ GW2480 - Rs. 9816

*www.amazon.in/BenQ-23-8-inch-Monit...ch+monitor&qid=1602603750&sprefix=benq&sr=8-3

The Dell one is 8bit, while the BenQ one is 6bit with FRC.

Comparison:

*www.displayspecifications.com/en/comparison/9eeb2b017

Any suggestions?
Comparison between: 23.8" Dell E2418HN, 23.8" BenQ GW2480

Both are good monitors. Many prefer Benq because of more connectivity options, headphone jack & built in speaker (not good quality but handy for laptop users). Don't expect any HDR playback. My Acer VG240YP has HDR but its terrible so most users don't use it.

The monitors you listed are 24" 1080p IPS panels, whereas ones you find for 6k would be 21" 1080p TN panels. TN panels are way inferior to IPS in terms of colours & contrast resulting in overall poor picture reproduction. Get an IPS monitor.
 
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BhargavJ

In the zone
I bought the Dell monitor. Later, I read a review by a user named Rahul Gupta who said that since the invoice doesn't contain the serial number of the monitor, there could be problems with claiming warranty. Is this true? Here's the review:

*www.amazon.in/Dell-23-8-inch-60-47...reviews&pageNumber=1&filterByKeyword=warranty

Another thing he mentions is that the warranty starts a few months earlier. I entered my serial number and found the same thing. Shouldn't the warranty start from the date of purchase on the invoice?
 

nac

Aspiring Novelist
Ask the seller to send an invoice with serial number. If they say it's not needed, check with dell customer care and register your product.
 
I bought the Dell monitor. Later, I read a review by a user named Rahul Gupta who said that since the invoice doesn't contain the serial number of the monitor, there could be problems with claiming warranty. Is this true? Here's the review:

*www.amazon.in/Dell-23-8-inch-60-47...reviews&pageNumber=1&filterByKeyword=warranty

Another thing he mentions is that the warranty starts a few months earlier. I entered my serial number and found the same thing. Shouldn't the warranty start from the date of purchase on the invoice?
I had this warranty problem with my Lenovo laptop bought from FK in 2013, I contacted FK support & they coordinated with Lenovo to change my warranty start date.
 
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BhargavJ

In the zone
I messaged Appario (the seller) and they asked me to send a picture of the serial no of the monitor. They haven't sent anything after this, but I think they'll send an invoice with the serial number in it.

@nac I did visit the Dell website but didn't understand how to register the product on the site. They have an option to transfer ownership, where they ask for the previous owner's details first, and I didn't know what to enter there.

If I don't do anything, the warranty will run from 10 June 2020 to 10 June 2023 (even though I bought it in October).
 
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BhargavJ

In the zone
Another thing, I need an HDMI switch. I have two laptops, and every time I want to use either of them with the monitor, I have to unplug the HDMI cable from one laptop and plug it into another. Can you give any advice on which one to buy. I've searched around and found that some need power from both sources (in this case, both laptops) to work. I need one where one laptop will be on, the other will be off, and still the switch should work.
 
Another thing, I need an HDMI switch. I have two laptops, and every time I want to use either of them with the monitor, I have to unplug the HDMI cable from one laptop and plug it into another. Can you give any advice on which one to buy. I've searched around and found that some need power from both sources (in this case, both laptops) to work. I need one where one laptop will be on, the other will be off, and still the switch should work.
Connect both laptops to the monitor & switch using monitor OSD.
 

nac

Aspiring Novelist
Don't know much about HDMI switch. Your monitor has multiple video input ports, you can use them.
Connect one laptop with HDMI cable and another laptop with VGA cable. And switch between them using monitor's OSD like Omega suggested.
What are the ports available in your laptops?
If both the laptops have only HDMI option, then you have to get VGA-HDMI adapter and VGA cable if you don't have one already.
In this case buy HDMI switch or VGA adapter and cable whichever is economical or you find it easier.

About registering your product, contact dell customer care, they will help you with that. I had good experience with their customer support.
 
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