Newbie needs help in selecting a LCD flat panel

[transtec]

This is in relation to the following thread

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1147414&page=1

which is about buying a new PC and replacing my 5 year old PIII 800.

Well the monitor I currenlty use is a 15" CRT - Viewsonic e50. I want to go into a panel monitor with my new PC purchase. The thing is I havent used panel monitors before, altho I've seen many in action ( lying around on many tables ). Only thing I know is that they are very comfy for your eyes and take less space.

I need help selecting a good model. I've come up with a basic model from Viewsonic - VE710b Please tell me how this model would fare with my usage. I do not intend to game much altho I'd be using the PC for long stretches at times ( maybe coding and surfing the net ) thus am conscious abt my eyesight.

And also tell me about the pros and cons of using a 17" TFT panel monitor as opposed to a 17" CRT.
Would the TFTs that are in the market today be reliable as their CRT counterparts ? Would I be able to use them for atleast 3 years without any "dead pixels" or things like that ?

Thanx.......

 

[rvnguy]

transtec,

LCD TFT's are about the main stay for all laptops and have an excellent service record.

Dead Pixels is mostly a mfg problem so that if you don't have any initially you most probably will not generate them as a function of time.

I don't know the tech reasons for the following but it is what I have noticed over time. I had to get one of these as soon as they came out so have been using a Mitsibushi for about 6+ years.

No/less flicker, I do not notice any flicker on the LCD while it may be there it is not noticeable vs a CRT.

Of course there is the relestate issue that is much improved.

Instant on & wakeup.

The costs have improved to an extent on these panels to the point that if you use the PC alot I would at this time opt for a 19" panel and there are several price points for obtaining. Things to consider:

Resolution higher = better
Brightness: higher = better
Contrast Ratio: higher = better
Response Time: lower = better

If you have a DVI capable video card I would also recommend this as you interface.

Recently, I obtained 4 19" LCD's from this mfg and have been extremely pleased as they are brighter & clearer than others that I have, but there are many suppliers.

Sceptre LCD

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824112156

If you can view them locally I would suggest that you do this and compare as viewing habits/preferences are very personal and I only have my own for a reference.

Hope this helps you make this important decision as we tend to live with our monitors for a long period.

rvnguy
"I know everything..I just can't remember it all

 

[KevinADC]

Wether to use a CRT or LCD depends on what you do most. It would be good to do some research before buying anything. For about the same price you will pay for the 17 inch LCD you could probably get a 19 inch flat panel CRT. Do a google search for "LCD versus CRT" and read up as much as possible to decide which technology is better for you. Go to a store and use an LCD and then a CRT monitor, or use a friends LCD and see how you like it. If it were me, I would go for a 19 inch flat panel CRT instead of a 17 inch LCD within the same price range. A 19 inch CRT is big and heavy though. The ViewSonic Graphics G90F2 19 inch flat CRT is a nice monitor. Just really heavy!

 

[Nelviticus]

Just a small point - the viewable area on a CRT monitor is less than the screen size, so a 19-inch CRT will give you just over 17 inches of viewable area. This is because 19 inches is the size of the tube (diagonal measurement), some of which is hidden behind the monitor case.

With LCD monitors you get the full area, so a 17-inch LCD will have a 17-inch viewable area - quite a bit more than a 17-inch CRT. It would also weigh less, take up less room and use less power.

LCD monitors don't flicker like CRT ones do, due to the way they work.

Rvnguy's "things to consider" pretty much covers all the things you want to look for - high brightness, high contrast ratio (450:1 or better), low response time (16ms or less), DVI input (if your GFX card has a DVI output).

Regards

Nelviticus

 

[Frank4d]

A point worth mentioning is "native resolution". Most 17 inch LCDs are manufactured to operate at 1280x1024 or 1024x768 resolution. If you try to use any other resolution the display quality will usually be poor, especially text. So... go down to the store and look at a display set to it's native resolution and make sure you are comfortable with it.

 

[kmcferrin]

I can't emphasize Frank's point enough (though rvnguy is right on the money too). We use 15" (1024x768 native) and 17" (1280x1024 native) LCDs only at my place of employment, and while most people have no issues with the native resolution, there are some that do (especially vision-impaired users). We always turn down the resolution for these people, but the displayed image isn't nearly as sharp at lower resolutions.

Like I said, it's not an issue for most people, but for some it will be a dealbreaker.

 

[transtec]

Wow the prices are real hot for these gadgets in my community. Id have to spend almost US$270 for a 15" and US$ for a 17". I think I know what to do. Rather than spending that much money, Ill buy a 17" flat CRT for now and then go in for a LCD l8r next year. Prolly prices mite go down then, and from the balance of the budget I can include more useful gizmos to my new PC.

But for all the other prospective buyers Id say, u wont be disappointed if you go for the LCDs. It's the ideal display for heavy users, who spend a lot of time staring at screens. The display is real comfy and quite bright and sharp too. There aint a flicker at all, although ghosting would be the prob for serious gamers. All this I found out from goin to the stores and comparing the CRT that I have on top of my table and the LCD panel that was on display.

So thanx for all the posters, who showed up the differnces and techno stuff behind these gizmos. It never was a waste. But for now I think Ill settle in for the CRTs due to the load of bucks I can save on them.

 

[rvnguy]

transtec,

Thank you for posting back with your decision.

Flat CRT's are a good choice and more economical than LCD's.

If you Game and in the future are looking for a LCD, keep in mind the "response time" there are LCD's with as low as 6msec response. I have 12msec response and at this you should not see ghosting.

rvnguy
"I know everything..I just can't remember it all

 

[kmcferrin]

Not to nit-pick, but while flat CRTs aren't bad, over their userful life they are considerably more expensive to operate than a comparable LCD. While the LCD might cost from 50%-100% more, the LCD will draw considerably less power than the CRT and will therefore offer significant cost savings there.

Also a warning on response times, some display makers measure response time as grey-to-grey rather than black-white-black. Basically, going from black to white and back to black again is taking the pixel through it's entire color range, and it will take longer than any other color change operation. Grey to grey doesn't encompass all of the colors, so it should be faster than the b-w-b change. Therefore, if you measure a monitor's b-w-b time and the g-g time, the g-g time will be faster thant he b-w-b time. Many manufacturers advertise this faster number as the response time, because it looks better than the b-w-b time.

If you are really concerned about ghosting, you'll really need to see the LCD in person to tell how much (if any) exists.

 

[carpetbelly]

I used to run a duel screen flat screen CRT Dell setup (one 15" and one 17" both running at 1600*1200, yes a 15" at 1600*1200 and it was pin sharp!).

I have now sold those and purchased a widescreen TFT Dell 20" monitor and can honestly say it's the best pc part purchase I have made. The quality of the screen, no ghosting, the fact it doesn't turn my bedroom into a sauna like the other two did.

I would say LCDs are worth the bit extra you have to pay for them at the moment.