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General discussion

30 inch monitor worth it?

Jan 17, 2007 6:03AM PST

I'm going to be buying a new system and I'm considering a 30-inch HD monitor (either the Dell or Apple). I'm not a big time gamer, but I'd like to play GTR2 and FightSimulator if the graphics and display made it worthwhile. My question is, are the games supporting 30 inch widescreens or will I just see a "stretched" version of a 4X3 screen? Also, will my Windows Office screens be stretched as well? Thanks in advance.

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Here is my opinion of over sized monitors.
Jan 17, 2007 1:37PM PST

If you read articles about choosing the right TV, they recommend measuring the size of the room first. You cannot see the entire screen if you sit too close. The extra money spent is wasted as someone constantly turns his or her head to see the entire screen. I chose a small 27" TV rather then the 32" TV because of this problem. I think monitors have the same flaw. I use my computer mostly for typing and sometimes find my 19? monitor too large. Before you buy a monitor, experiment with ones at Best Buy, Circuit City or other electronic stores. Test each monitor by viewing it at the distance it will be used. If you cannot clearly view the monitor at that distance, why spend the extra money? Sorry, if this discussion was a little off topic, but I do not understand spending double the money to buy a monitor in which only half can be seen.

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Good info, but more questions....
Jan 18, 2007 12:27AM PST

I've read a number of articles that claim that the newer XHD monitors (those that resolve to 2560 X 1900) don't have this "too close to the screen" problem because of the very high pixel density. It has been described as wonderful - the viewer merely has to move his head around the screen to see all the picture, not move away from it. Obviously the bigger, higher resolving screen would be useful for games, especially driving/flying simulations, but the other added factor would be the ability to view 2 Windows on the screen next to each other (for example an Excel spreadsheet next to a Word page). I guess I'm just the type of person who hates to buy something not cutting edge, then regret it later. Like not buying a 8800GTX cpu now - you'd be out of your mind not to. I'd like to hear from some folks who have one of these 30 XHD monitors.