Computer monitors

looking to buy new monitor. hard to believe good 19" CRT can be had for $185. seeing interesting LCDs in $350 range. but prices go much higher. bigger range on LCD monitors. so whats the sweetspot in LCDs? experiences? hot brands?

I’m not an expert on LCDs.

I just bought my first a month ago. 19 inch BenQ. I got lucky, only one burnt pixel. I’ve heard that 4 is about average. From that standpoint, it seems like BenQ is a pretty decent brand.

The downside of mine is the response rate. 25ms. When doing most work it’s fine. When I’m in a 3D modeling environment and I’m moving a model around, it drags. I’m not sure what would be the better rate to have though.

From people who are experts, I’d love to hear more.

heard about lag. but for gaming. not doing 3D. this monitor wont replace my 21" CRT. but wanted it for backup. mostly its for use w Office. maybe some photoshop work. havent decided. i have an old PS 5.0 freebie came w scanner could load onto it.

just saw Toms Hardware has recent 19" review. will read now. http://graphics.tomshardware.com/display/20050110/index.html

[edit - adding couple more links. comparing 19" CRT w both 17" and 19" LCDs. is desk space worth 2x’s the price? wondering.

http://graphics.tomshardware.com/display/20041123/index.html - 17" LCDs
http://graphics.tomshardware.com/display/20020319/index.html - 19" CRTs ]

I got used to the lag after a week. Even with gaming (although all I ever play on a PC is Need for Speed).

I think CRT v. LCD is really up to the person. I wanted the flexibility of downsizing my desk soon, and reducing my use of electricity. Also, that damn 19" CRT was one heavy mother. I nearly broke my back hicking it back down stairs from my apartment.

I’m looking to go LCD in the future as well. My 19" just takes up too much desk space in my cramped apartment. I don’t do much gaming any more, so lag isn’t that big of an issue. Price, however, is an issue for me right now.

I know what you mean about the weight of CRTs - I herniated a disk in my back last year moving a monitor.

i figured 19" was light. my 21" seems heavy. when i moved here i carried it in my car (no box for movers). was in temp housing. key card entry. holding that thing in one arm beginning and end was tricky. the 21" is maybe 85lbs. whats the 19"? dont want to move a big CRT again. dont want to keep the box.

I’d definitely say go lcd. I always read about how crt colors are better etc, but my 17"mac lcd has much better colors than any other crt I’ve actually had or used before which tend to have a slight blue or green tint to them, must come from age.
You definitely appreciate the light weight when moving and rearranging, and the fact that it takes up nil space on your desk, no annoying hum or headaches from the refresh rates, and you can have it close to you without worrying about that nasty halo I’ve heard about.
Make the change!!! Not too sure about good brands outside of apples, but I think you can check the specs on their site and find others that have similar specs for cheaper.

“no annoying hum or headaches”

overlooked. good reminder. thanks.

I bought a 17" viewable LCD some time ago and hated it. I sold it on ebay and even had change for a brand new 18" viewable ViewSonic graphic series CRT. It is much better.

The only advantage of LCD is its compactness and lightweight. If I do photoshop work, I will want to use a CRT. If I am building something in CAD, I prefer LCD.

I like Samsung as a brand for LCDs I am working in SyncMaster 170MP, (17") zero dead pixels as far as I can se (and I’ve been looking a lot).
Also I think it’s 12ms response. (there’s a 6ms for grey colours response LCD but don’t remember which screen it is, search engadget.com for LCD)
Samsung also recently introduced the ZERO DEAD PIXEL policy.

Oh and the thing I like about mine is that it’s also a PIP tv tuner (as well as full screen TV) but I mostly use it in the lower right corner while I render.
And the sound is decent, well for the size anyway.

“If I am building something in CAD, I prefer LCD.”

why?

I prefer LCD in general, not just for CAD.
There’s less eye strain on LCD I find. You don’t get those horizontal scans with low refresh rates. (even with higher refresh rates sometimes).
I find the images sharper and I have no distortion what-so-ever.
Use up less electricity.

The only advantage i’d see for the CRT is colour corectness, but then again, neither of my PCs (and monitors and printers and scanner are colour calibrated)

Update on my last post, just found a dead pixel. But it wasnt there a month ago, my monitor is a year old.

I guess LCD gives more crisp lines. I like to work in wireframe in Alias, so LCD monitor will give me nice crisp lines… just something easier on the eyes. It’s the same as working on paper documents. LCD tends to display text better as compared to CRT.

If you don’t care about the accuracy and contrast of colors, then LCD is a good choice.

I’ve been using a Dell 19" for 2 years at home. I can’t complain, I like everything about it. We just got some 21"s in the office, let’s see how those work…

how about monitors w built-in speakers. i have a Cambridge system but its staying 21". would need speaks for the other machine. nothing special. basic sound. anyone have experience with built-ins? like them?

Nope, don’t like 'em. Most have speakers as an afterthought (crap sound quality).

I prefer to pick my own speakers.

As with most built-in monitor audio, most PC speakers are also crap. The Logitechs have decent drivers in them but only at the top end. If you want decent fidelity in a pair of speakers, go at least M-Audio BX-5. Even better, don’t use the on-board sound.

:)ensen.