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Recently I've been thinking about getting a new monitor, and I've currently got my sights on the GATEWAY XHD3000. But before I get to that, here is a long-winded story about this:
So last year I showed up at university with my 20.1" ViewSonic monitor, which I've had for a few years now. I use it mainly with my laptop, and also connect my Xbox360 to it. When my roommate saw my monitor, and how I had it running dual-screen with my laptop monitor so that I could have my homework on one screen and a game or movie or something on the other screen, he thought it was pretty cool, so he went out and bought a 21" ViewSonic to run dual with his 19" non-widescreen ViewSonic. But after about a day, he decided that he didn't like how the two screens didn't have exactly the same height, so he went out and bought another 21" ViewSonic (he has a lot of money, and likes to flaunt it) to match the first one he bought, and he put his 19" monitor in his closet.
Anyway, the new term started this week, and I noticed that he has bought yet another monitor. This time a 25.5" Samsung T260HD, which he is running dual with one of the 21" ViewSonics he bought before. So now he has two extra monitors lying around in his closet... what a waste. Oh well. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous.
But then I took a look at my bank account, and did a bit of budgeting, and realized that I'm actually in a pretty good place financially (of course, this isn't taking into account the tens of thousands I owe in student loans, but I don't have to pay those off for a few more years).
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So anyway, here is my problem... Right now I'm stuck with my laptop, and it's a bit old. The video card is an 8600M GT, but I don't do much high-end gaming on it, so I'm not expecting it to be able to run anything at insane resolutions. The problem is, the only output is a single VGA output, and I'd need dual-DVI outputs if I wanted to run it at full 2560x1600. Also, since I only have one output, I'd have to stow away my current monitor, but whatever.
So I'd be capped at 1920x1280 with my laptop output. Would that look terrible, or would it be usable? I know with my current monitor, if you run it outside the native resolution everything goes to shit, but I hear the Gateway XHD3000 has a video processor to upscale it. So how bad would it be, exactly? My next computer will be another PC tower, and it will of course have a high-end video card that can run it at its proper resolution, but I probably won't build it until next year. My current PC could support it, but it's across the country and would cost too much to ship, so I'm stuck with my laptop.
I'd also be using it for my 360, and since it has HDMI, composite, component, etc. I could hook up my PS3 (right now I can only use my PS3 in SD since there are no VGA cables for it), Wii, SNES, and whatever else I have lying around, and I'd actually be able to go up to 1080p with it. Also, I'd be able to get rid of my shitty 20" SDTV which I only keep around for hooking up the consoles that don't connect to my monitor.
The only downsides are that I don't have anything that can run it at it's max 2560x1600 right now, and that it would be bigger, so it would be harder for me to move at the beginning and end of each term. But considering I wouldn't have to pay $80/term to put this crappy 20" CRT TV in storage between terms, I could use that money to have the monitor shipped to/from home each term instead.
So, opinions? I know it kinda seems pointless to spend so much on a 30" monitor if I can't run it in its native resolution right now, but I'm sort of looking ahead. I'm fine with 1920x1280 or whatever my laptop can output for now, as long as the picture is sharp while running outside of it's native res, and being able to hook up all of my game consoles and actually run it in 1080p is a huge plus. Also, considering the monitor is already bigger than the TV I'm using, I'd be glad to get rid of the TV and only have to deal with the monitor.
And how is the Gateway XHD3000? All of the reviews I've read say it's excellent, and considering it is only $900 right now, it is a pretty good deal compared to a lot of the other 30" screens on the market.
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