Budget Computer Monitors X 2 for Coding

I am planning to buy 2 monitors to setup home office.
My work is mostly coding around 6-7 hours a day, with some few other productivity tasks(documentation, charts etc). I have worked with 1080p dual monitor setup at work and I want to setup something similar at home for working remotely. Gaming or entertainment is NOT going to be intended purpose for foreseeable future. Though, (as an ardent ozbargainer) I am looking for budget monitors which are light on my pockets. I know, I can find "amazing" monitors for $400+ but my budget is around $150-180 per monitor at max.

I need more content to fit on screen, so minimum 1080p on at least 21-inch screen. No curved monitors (tried once but didn't like those with 2 screen setup). I really need 2 monitors as I can use one for coding exclusively and other for referring docs (forums, specs etc). I need HDMI + DVI ports as my laptop has only 1 HDMI and 1 DVI outlet.

I found few online that fit my reqs- BenQ, Acer and ViewSonic. Any reviews on those? Or other suggestions?

Comments

  • +1

    I need HDMI + DVI ports as my laptop has only 1 HDMI and 1 DVI outlet.

    Are you sure you can use both at the same time?

    I found few online that fit my reqs- BenQ, Acer and ViewSonic.

    You're looking at pretty old technology with the 1080p, 21", HDMI/DVI - probably not much difference between them in terms of picture quality. I'm sure all of these brands have something at your price point of $15-$180. You can probably get 24 or 27" at that price, assuming they'll fit on your desk.

    The thing that I would look out for is height adjustment on the monitor stand (most low end monitors don't include it), but it's nice to have. Assuming you can't find one with a height adjustment, VESA mounting holes are nice to have as well, so you can use a dual-monitor arm to get them to the right height.

    Display Port input is also a nice to have - it should increase the resale value when you're ready to sell them.

    • I haven't used HDMI + DVI at the same time on my laptop yet, as I don't have 2 monitors yet. Thanks for the recs, I will look out for VESA.

  • +2

    Just to reinforce what salmon said - don't get a 21" monitor. I'm very sure no manufacturer has designed a new 21" panel in the past decade so you will be getting some very ancient screen tech from a 21" monitor. Stick to 24" 1080p or 27" 1440p.

    This monitor is a good choice and right in your budget (dont be worried about the kogan brand, the panel itself is sourced usually from LG or Samsung and just rebranded + reviews are really good)

    Kogan 24" FULL HD IPS 75hz Frameless Monitor
    its a 24" 1080p IPS panel @75hz and comes with a 75x75 standard vesa mount if you wanted mount it on a good monitor arm. Also frameless for a more seamless multimonitor setup.

    • This is a hell of a deal of you don't care about the response time (which shouldn't for a work monitor)

      Very thin bezels to, that'd be very nice for a dual monitor set up.

  • +3

    I'm a developer — been using 21 inch Kogan monitors; doesn't look like they sell them anymore but the 24 inch monitors look amazing: https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-24-full-hd-ips-75hz-frame…

    I have my monitors mounted to arms on my table: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/13-27-Dual-Arm-Monitor-LED-LCD-S…

    .. and then you're ready to roll!

  • What about picking up 2 U2417H from Dell outlet? Current price is $209 each, a little bit higher than your budget but they are great monitors.

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