So do I REALLY want to buy an LCD monitor?

[htismaqe]

Right now I've got a Dell 19" CRT. It's a hair under 18" viewable (diagonal).

I'm looking through the LCD monitors at NewEgg and have noticed a couple of things:

All of the LCD's only support up to 24-bit color. I guess the difference between 65 million colors and 16.5 million colors is probably negligible...

All of the LCD's have a max resolution of 1280x1024 or lower SXGA. This to me seems like a sticking point. Even though the CRT viewable is almost an inch smaller than a 19" LCD, I'm running 1600x1200 resolution on the CRT, making the effective viewable desktop space MUCH larger than the LCD would be capable of at 1280x1024.

Can anybody comment on this? I really want one, but I don't want to give up on image quality just to save desk space...

[Saulbadguy]

If you buy a larger LCD, you can get one that supports 1600x1200.

I have an LCD, and I'll never go back to a CRT. Much easier on the eyes, and the "auto image-adjustment" is awesome. No more fiddling with the controls to fill the screen.

I've always wanted to do dual 17" LCDs. For the money, I think it's a better value.

[Pants]

My friend has a decent LCD and I must say, it's quite nice. I'd got with an LCD if I had the money to buy a new screen. Just MO.

[Miles]

CRTs are more accurate at color and all that, but like Saul said, LCD's are much easier on your eyes. I would never consider switching back to CRT.

[htismaqe]

This is the one I'm looking at.

It's comparable with many of the more expensive units in the main thing I'm worried about - 16ms response time.

The one thing I don't understand is the view angle...I'm assuming that it indicates the angle to your face at which the screen looks best, so as close to 180 degrees as possible is best.

Most are 160-170, this one is 130.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...014-063&depa=1

[nmt1]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

This is the one I'm looking at.

It's comparable with many of the more expensive units in the main thing I'm worried about - 16ms response time.

The one thing I don't understand is the view angle...I'm assuming that it indicates the angle to your face at which the screen looks best, so as close to 180 degrees as possible is best.

Most are 160-170, this one is 130.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...014-063&depa=1

The extra room on my desktop alone is enough to make me switch. That and I'm sick of lugging around 80lb monitors.

[Saulbadguy]

http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...99292&pfp=hpf3

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...99292&pfp=hpf3

Thanks, but:

1) I don't like CompUSA.

2) I don't see the response time listed anywhere.

This is the one I'm looking at now:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...112-160&depa=1

[Saulbadguy]

I've never bought anything from COMPUSA, so I don't know.

Response time will only be important if you play games, IMO.

I have a Dell 1800FP. Here are the specs:
# Pixel pitch: 0.2805
# Viewing angle: 160 degrees total (horizontal/vertical)
# Contrast ratio: 350:1
# Response time: 30 milliseconds
# Brightness: 250 cd/m2

Response time of 30 MS, but I get NO ghosting or artifacting when playing first person shooters.

[Otter]

I don't view anything under (or over depending how you look it) 1024x768 so I can't comment on that but I can add:

Just purchased the below model from NewEgg and the image beats out anything I've seen so far, including CRT. No dead pixels and absolutly no ghosting during gaming (that was the biggest seller for me).

When I first set it up I had both the LCD and CRT next to one another the difference was night and day. I was wondering how the hell I put up with the CRT for so long. Sold it for $25 bucks 3 days later.

Anyway, here's the model feel free to ask any questions, I can test it or look it up before I post.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...006-077&depa=0

Oh, the desk space you save is amazing and when you do have to move it you can lift it up with one hand as opposed to "is my back gonna go out on the steps".

[htismaqe]

I'm definitely going to use it for gaming - 16ms or below is an absolute must.

I'm looking at the Spectre because it has S-video/Component inputs and I intend to use it with my PS2 and XBox.

[Saulbadguy]

Like I said, the Dell 1800FP I have has no ghosting or artifacting when playing FPS's.

I'd read reviews, and not always go by the listed response time.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

Like I said, the Dell 1800FP I have has no ghosting or artifacting when playing FPS's.

I'd read reviews, and not always go by the listed response time.

I read the reviews and lend them alot more weight than the raw specs.

But 30ms response time just ain't gonna cut it - my M-in-L has a Dell with 30ms response time and it ghosts when watching movies...

[KC Jones]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

I read the reviews and lend them alot more weight than the raw specs.

But 30ms response time just ain't gonna cut it - my M-in-L has a Dell with 30ms response time and it ghosts when watching movies...

The way I see it LCD screens are all about desk space and eye strain. If you want the same performance that you get out of a nice flat screen CRT, be prepared to spend a lot of money.