PC monitor - how big is too big?

I was thinking of getting a 32" monitor for gaming/movies/browsing. I would be sitting up close to it, as well as away from it. Is 32" as big as one should go when purchasing a monitor, or is it easy to get used to bigger sizes such as 42"? Does anyone here prefer really big monitors for up close viewing?

My rule of thumb is as long as you aren't sacrificing quality for quantity or size, then by all means.

Depends how comfy you are with the Res, I feel with my 22 inch is too big, but only because is running 1680x1050, my bros 24 on 1920x1080 feels smaller or more right to the size despite the same distance between the person and screen.

How close is your close, I do think 32 is too big, perhaps you may want to op for 3 monitor set up.

To be honest, anything bigger than 22" seems utterly useless to me. I adore my 20" and don't want any bigger :)

That depends on how far away you sit and the screens resolution. Typical rule of thumb is 7" of screen size for every foot you sit from it. So, if you have a 32" screen you dont want to sit any closer to it than 5 feet at a 1920x1080 resolution. With resolutions higher than that it is a little more lenient. A 32" screen will have a good viewable distance of 5-15 feet.freesafety13

Agreed. I'm around 3 feet away from a 22" monitor, and that's comfortable.

I rock a 47" LCD that I use for everything. TV, PS3, PC. Wireless and a recliner. First class baby yeah

I rock a 47" LCD that I use for everything. TV, PS3, PC. Wireless and a recliner. First class baby yeah

Snotweasel530

i have a 22" viewsonic lcd, its about as much as you need, its only 1 foot infront of you, no need for anything else unless you have the eyesight of a mole

32'' is probably the biggest you'll ever want to have as a computer monitor. I think it would be too overwhelming with anything higher than that..My pc downstairs is on a 32'' and its really nice. My pc i use rite now is on a 22'' and i think the range that you shuld have as a computer monitor should be from 20''-32''

anything greater than 23" your are stressing your eyes.

anything greater than 23" your are stressing your eyes.

Blubadox

not sure if thats accurate, but it is a waste of electricity

[QUOTE="Blubadox"]

anything greater than 23" your are stressing your eyes.

chertoo

not sure if thats accurate, but it is a waste of electricity

Thats just an old wives tale, old Crt are monsters compare to lcd. The heat was immense too.

[QUOTE="Blubadox"]

anything greater than 23" your are stressing your eyes.

chertoo

not sure if thats accurate, but it is a waste of electricity

You don't watch your HDTV from 2ft away do you? Same thing applies to desktop monitors as well. Depending on the size of the monitor you have to take 5-10 min every 2 hrs. Try googling/binging eye relaxing techniques - it's very helpful.

22 inches is the sweet spot, in my opinion.

22 inches is the sweet spot, in my opinion.

73X

[QUOTE="73X"]

22 inches is the sweet spot, in my opinion.

nintendog66

"32 is way to big, you really shouldn't have to turn you're head to see, I find my 27 almost too big."
"My rule of thumb is as long as you aren't sacrificing quality for quantity or size, then by all means."

"To be honest, anything bigger than 22" seems utterly useless to me. I adore my 20" and don't want any bigger :)"

"anything greater than 23" your are stressing your eyes."

"I'm on the bigger is better side."Everyone

And again, that's what she said. =D God you guys make it too easy... You have no idea how much I have laughed at the comments when looking at them from a different perspective, except the ones that you know... talk about screen resolution and not leave it up to you to find out what you're talking about. Thanks guys for making my day :) lol

Now on topic, my 23.5" LG screen with 1920x1080 resolution is great, though I bought it at fry's and the Acer 24" next to it looked substantially bigger for some reason(probably the thinner bezels) and had much better quality, I think the bezel design affects how big you see your monitor for some reason. I went for this one because it has standard video ports to connect my Wii, and I'm regretting it because I don't use it anymore. Now for gaming a 1680x1050 resolution in a 22" is pretty much perfect, you get a big enough resolution for a great quality image and great performance. When I moved up to 1920x1080 it killed my performance with my previous HD 4870 which is the reason why I upgraded to the HD5870, so take into account what resolution you're getting as it must be directly proportional to your video cards performance.

To be honest, anything bigger than 22" seems utterly useless to me. I adore my 20" and don't want any bigger :)

Tezcatlipoca666

Personally I would rather stay in the 20-22in range, 1680x1050 seems to be a great resolution for gaming. I wouldn't want to go higher due to the amount of power graphics cards would need to run games at higher resolutions.General_X

I use to have my TV as my monitor, which is 32". It was awesome for about half a year, then It got old being able to see all the pixels lol. Its nice to have a smaller monitor, because it looks much better quality wise. I sat literally 2 feet away from my TV. At first it might make you dizzy, and give you headaches.

I got a 24" Samsung running at 1920x1200.

I don't think I would go much bigger. Maybe a 27". But I like to sit at a desk and I think a 32" is a bit too big for a desk.

42? 36? I just moved from a 17 to a 22.5 and i think it is HUGE! I have to turn my head to push the start button. Just by couriosity what will you do with a 42?

I'm thoroughly enjoying my 24" Widescreen Flatpanel Monitor from Dell.

28" @1920x1200 works for me.

To be honest, anything bigger than 22" seems utterly useless to me. I adore my 20" and don't want any bigger :)

Tezcatlipoca666

If you get a big monitor get a wirless mouse and keyboard so you can sit farther back. I don't think I would ever go above 21 inches while sitting right at a desk.

I got a 24" Samsung running at 1920x1200.

I don't think I would go much bigger. Maybe a 27". But I like to sit at a desk and I think a 32" is a bit too big for a desk.

Pirson

I use a panasonic 32" 1080p lcd as a monitor and have it a little over 3ft from my eyes thats the max size i would use at that distance any bigger would be to much. It's not as sharp as a regular monitor but the actually image quality in other areas is far above that of all but the most high end monitors. Games and Videos look fantastic on it and watching/playing from a distance is defiantly more enjoyable then on my old 24". Bare in mind you will have to calibrate the t.v as out of the box all HDTV look bad especially for computer use.