Community Corner

Got a new Laptop? Get a Monitor for it

Patch continues its holiday gadget gift guide with a look at the best monitors available.

Each Monday, Patch will be throwing some gadget gift recommendations your way. Your Gadget Gift Guide continues with a look at monitors.

Best movie-watching monitor: In an age of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, there's increasingly less of a need to waste money on channel packages for televisions. So if you're thinking of converting your laptop into something to work on by day and watch movies on by night, the Samsung SyncMaster S27B970 is your best bet. At $1,140, it's certainly not the cheapest monitor on the market, but this 27-inch screen offers "superhigh XHD resolution, a high contrast ratio, and deep, accurate colors," according to CNET.

Best value monitor: At $310, the 24-inch Asus PA248Q is a significantly more affordable monitor that doesn't sacrifice much in terms of what it offers. Its ability to swivel and its plentiful USB options make it great for office presentations, and because it relies on eco-friendly LED backlight, it's not a power drain. 

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Best gaming monitor: If you're interested in a monitor that will make your computer games look even better than any movie, CNET recommends the HP ZR2740w. For $700, the tech review site lauds the product as "the cheapest way to get an extreme-definition (XD) monitor onto your desktop." The 27-inch monitor isn't as slim and flexible as some others, but it makes up for agility in its extreme definition resolution.

Looking to buy locally? Check out these nearby electronics stores, but be sure to call ahead to see if they carry what you want:

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Abt Electronics
1200 Milwaukee Ave, Glenview, IL 60025
847-544-2877 

Best Buy, Niles

Target, Niles

hhgregg, Niles


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