Buying a monitor

I need a HD monitor. I know there are other threads about this but the more I read them the more I seem to get confused.

-How can you tell if it is HD?
-What exactly is HDMI?
-Do I need HDMI?
-What is HDCP enabled and do I need it?


What do I need the monitor for?
-I have a blue ray drive and need a monitor to watch my blue rays.

I live in the UK and I've looked at play.com, amazon, pcworld etc but getting really confused :s

 

There are two "types" of HD 720 and 1080. this refers to the number of horizontal pixels ie a monitor with a resolution of 1900x1080 would be 1080p HD.

You will need a HDMI port on your graphics card to use theh HDMI port on your monitor.
Can you post your system specs and we can check if your gpu (Graphical Processing Unit) has the right port.

What size are you looking for?

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/Home/Product/41676/LG-monitor-22--widescreen-W2261Vp-glossy-black

This is a good size monitor for general browsing and games movies etc, (I have one)

This however does not require a HDMI connection so you could just (assuming you have one) use the DVI port on your graphics card. This will probably make things easier as more gpus have dvi instead of HDMI

Burrell

 

Ok here is the computer specs (BTW thanks for your quick reply):

Code:

Base
StudioXPS 8100 - Intel Core i7 Processor 860 (2.80GHz, 8MB)

Memory
6144MB (2x2GB) (2x1GB)1067MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory

Keyboard
Dell™ USB Entry Keyboard - UK/Irish (QWERTY)

Monitor
Display Not Included

Video Card
Graphics Card - Single 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTS 240

Hard Drive
2TB Dual Hard Drive Raid 0 "Stripe" (2x1TB - 7200rpm)

Microsoft Operating System
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit- English

Mouse
Dell 2 Button USB Optical Mouse

Optical Devices
Blu-Ray ROM combo (Blu-ray read only, DVD, CD read & write) (Win 7 Only)

Sound Cards
Soundblaster™ XFi™ Titanium PCIe card

Speakers
No Speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)

Shipping Documents
English - Documentation with UK/Ire Power cord

Gedis Bundle Reference
D02X8104

Standard Warranty
1 year of coverage included with your PC

Services and Support
1 year of coverage included with your PC

Order Information
Studio XPS 8100 DT Order - UK

Dell System Media Kit
Studio XPS 8100 Resource DVD

Thermal Cooling
95W Processor Heatsink

Accidental Damage Support
No Accidental Damage Support

Online Backup
DataSafe Online Backup 2GB 1 year

Call Dell Experts
One free Dell Expert call to help with your PC queries within 60 days of purchase

DataSafe
Datasafe Local 2.0 Basic

Microsoft Application Software
Microsoft® Works 9 - English

Protect your new PC
McAfee® Security Centre 15 Month Protection

 

As far as i can see from internet pics, the gts 240 has no HDMI connection so you will have to buy a monitor with a DVI connection.

The site i posted a link to is good for us Brits. They offer a FANTASTIC support service.

Also this one is cheap and has a wide range,

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/

Burrell

BTW nice pc!!

 

Thanks. I just wanted something that'll "last". (I use that word carefully because I know everything is already outdated ).

I saw this:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-034-BQ&groupid=17&catid=949&subcat=

Is that good value for money?

 

Well, the card you own should have an HDMI port according to this page, Dell says nothing about HDMI. it's the long, white rectangular connector to the right of the blue 15-pin connector, then you're OK. Most if not all video cards have HDMI these days.

Darn sweet machine man:drool!

 

That Monitor is FANTASTIC value for money, it has a high resolution and a very good contrast ratio. It also has a real smooth finish, itll look great along with that beast of a computer!

Overclockers are very good, they have reliable delivery and also offer tech support!

@auggie

dj has the nvidia version, which does NOT have the HDMI port.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_gts_240_us.html

Burrell

 

Jeez, I got screwed by all the terms too. Sorry. :-o I just looked on my TV(720p) and the HDMI is a small 20 pin connector. My apologies.

 

we all make mistakes!

 

Hmm ok, so I can definitely get that monitor from overclockers then?

I registered an account there already. I'll wait for the desktop to arrive before ordering the monitor (unless they appear to be selling fast), since they seem to have a next day delivery.

 

Yep, that will definatly work with your PC!

Burrell