Best Secondary Monitors for Small Desks Under €150

[dRic2]

Hi, I'm looking to buy a secondary monitor because I'll be working for some months on project and my laptop has a 13-inch screen. I'll be doing a lot of reading and a bit of coding so I'd like something that does not strain my eyes too much. Since I'm pretty dumb when it comes to technology I could really use some help.

1) Do you have any suggestion for the size? (my only limitation is that my home desk is pretty small, I think approximately 120cm*40cm)

2) Do you happen to know a particular monitor which has some good properties wrt eyes-straining? I really hate to work on pc for too long.

I don't really want to spend too much money, but I do have some savings so I would say 150€ is my maximum budget (would like to keep it to 100 though)

Thanks,
Ric

 

[Wrichik Basu]

Do you have any suggestion for the size? (my only limitation is that my home desk is pretty small, I think approximately 120cm*40cm)

For monitors, the bigger the better. Find the largest monitor that you can fit on your desk and budget.

Do you happen to know a particular monitor which has some good properties wrt eyes-straining? I really hate to work on pc for too long.

Nowadays there are monitors that are not reflective. My laptop and our desktop both have monitors that are not reflective. Somewhat like this:



On the other hand, our TV screen acts like a mirror: you can see your face and everything around you on the screen. These screens increase the strain on the eyes.

All my books are on my laptop, so I have to stare at the screen for long hours. I have a problem of not blinking my eyes frequently when looking at the screen constantly. So, my eyes were becoming dry. I visited an ophthalmologist, and he recommended eye drops that keep the eyes moist.

 

[dRic2]

All my books are on my laptop

It would be impossible for me...

 

[robphy]

If deskspace is limited, a monitor arm might help
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AI2YGK4/?tag=pfamazon01-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018MT6ZEK/?tag=pfamazon01-20
...just make sure that your monitor supports VESA mounting.

There may be deals around.
(A few months ago, I got this dual monitor stand for $20.
https://www.newegg.com/p/15Z-01XB-00047 )

 

[dRic2]

Thanks for the tip, I'll consider it in the future. But my current desktop is not suited for a set-up like that

 

[aindien]

I use a 24" Dell business monitor for that that sort of thing when I use my laptop.

 

[pbuk]

With a desk that size you are going to be pretty close so 24" should be plenty. I always end up buying iiyama but other name brands are OK.

 

[dRic2]

It's pretty much my maximum budget ( my poor savings... ) but I really like this one: LG 24MK600M. What do yo think? It seams to posses a "reading mode".

 

[sysprog]

edited out here due to LaTeX rendering error -- re-posted via edit in post #11

 

[dRic2]

@sysprog Thank you very much for checking it out!

 

[sysprog]

Wow $\LaTeX$ didn't render in my post (#9), but it did in this one $-$ I'm going try reposting the content in this post $-$

Having read the specs on the LG 24MK600M (at https://www.lg.com/hk_en/monitor/lg-24MK600M), and in view of your situation as described, I think that it's probably a good choice $-$ I saw a used one on ebay for $112 (USD) $-$ the seller (98% positive feedback >100k transactions $-$ I think of that as borderline) says it has a damaged HDMI1 and a good HDMI2 and is otherwise in good shape $-$ free shipping within the US $-$ don't know about international $\dots$ https://www.ebay.com/itm/LG-24MK600...hash=item23d5a5e000:m:mecymoVMCOy7uXmRkUoQgDQ $-$ in the US you can get a new one Amazon witha warranty for not much more, so a new one from somewhere would probably be the way to go $\dots$

ok so the same content rendered correctly when edited into this post $-$ @berkeman, I suspect a MathJax server error $-$ it persists through edits in post #9, but this post renders properly, so I think that probably a database has a field in error for post #9 . . .

 

[Nik_2213]

Have you thought of checking local thrift / charity stores ? I got two orphaned 17" flat-screens with stands and VESA mount holes for £ 10. Okay, they were £ 4 each, but neither of us had change from £ 10 note. I had data and power cables, just had to get short enough bolts to mount the DVI-equipped screen to monitor arm off the end of my desk...

Sorry, more untidy than usual due low-flying 'polter-cats'...