LCD Monitor Advice

[Ginger Tosser]

Well, I was happy with my 17"CRT until I recently got a laptop.
Now I use the laptop more as the screen definition makes the CRT look well ****e.

Now is there anything wrong with these specs,

Max Resolution 1280 x 1024 / 75 Hz
Colour support 24-bit (16.7M colours)
Max Sync Rate (V x H) 75 Hz x 83 kHz
Response Time 20 ms
Image Brightness 250 cd/m2
Image Contrast Ratio 450:1
Image Max H-View Angle 160
Image Max V-View Angle 140

Is there anything i should look out for or avoid ?

I was looking around the ?300 mark.

Thanks

[Valken]

The response time could be a little lower but it's still perfectly fine for general use and casual PC gaming.

The other specs look fine.

The key to buying a TFT is to try before you buy. Some people end up disappointed when they don't.

[Super Stu]

Whichever model you decide on, connecting said display via VGA (and therefore not DVI) would be like using composite to wire up a plasma.

[rjpageuk]

I think thats slightly over-exagerating the situation.

I specifically bought a DVI compatible TFT because of comments like this, but I can hardly notice any difference - it is certainly not comparable to composite/rgb/vga on a plasma.

I can even connect using analog and digital at the same time and switch between the two, and I can still hardly see any difference.

[demon9k]

NO DON'T DO IT!

If you play games don't get an LCD they are mega pants. Stick with CRT, but make sure you get a good one. Its just far better quality.

If you just use it for general browsing then LCDs and TFTs are great because of the space they save.

I have had my CRT for over 5 years and new LCDs don't even compair in image quality, not by a long shot.

[NiceButDim]

I got this bad boy a little bit ago

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_TFT_Monitors_112.html

The "Hercules ProphetView 920 Pro DVI 17" TFT Monitor (MO-003-HE)". At ?350 it might be a wee touch out of your price range, but the picture quality is outstanding and I get no blurring at all during games. A think its a gazillion times better than my 19" CRT.

[Chaser]

My Hitachi 175 LCD is probably the best TFT out there. I had an Iiyama 19" crt, which was stunning, but made me dizzy. Since I got the Hitachi, I have felt much better and its picture quality is 98% the same as the CRT.

The only problems with LCD is the viewing angles, you have to look basically head-on and move it up or down to get the perfect picture. If you don`t adjust it to your preference, then it can look dodgy, but once set-up it looks just as good as a CRT.

My LCD is 16ms, which is as good as it gets for now. PC Pro have it on the A-List and basically said its as good as a CRT, bar a few problems with black, which is inherent of LCD technology, once again adjustments can solve this, but black will never be as definite as a CRT.

I say buy a 16ms LCD, made by a decent manufacturer and make sure the reviews are good. Lots of companies make really bad LCD`s, so shop wisely and expect to pay between ?300-400 for a decent 17".

[NiceButDim]

Yeah, my mate got the Hitachi Chaser has, and he really pleased with it as well.

Another point is to make sure you know the 'dead-pixel' arrangement when you order. Each retailer will have a different number of dead-pixels they'll accept before they'll replace the screen and you should find out what these are in advance.

[demon9k]

I had an Iiyama 19" crt, which was stunning, but made me dizzy.

Sounds like you didn't up your screen refresh rate. I basically set my refresh rate at 85Hz for all screen resolutions. I always got a headache before I found this option out, at 65Hz. I can go up to 100Hz on lower resolutions but it changes down to 85Hz on 1600*1200 so I just leave it at 85Hz.

[yashiro]

Well, I was happy with my 17"CRT until I recently got a laptop.
Now I use the laptop more as the screen definition makes the CRT look well ****e.

Now is there anything wrong with these specs,

Max Resolution 1280 x 1024 / 75 Hz
Colour support 24-bit (16.7M colours)
Max Sync Rate (V x H) 75 Hz x 83 kHz
Response Time 20 ms
Image Brightness 250 cd/m2
Image Contrast Ratio 450:1
Image Max H-View Angle 160
Image Max V-View Angle 140

Is there anything i should look out for or avoid ?

I was looking around the ?300 mark.

Thanks

The specs aint bad mate. What monitor are they from?

If you give us a short list we can argue the toss over which one is best.

Although I generally don't recommend this site: www.tomshardware.com has many TFT monitor shootouts. Well worth a read.

[Ginger Tosser]

Its a LG 1710B,
also looking at a Hansol H750 and may consider HP 1703 (if i can get one cheap from work).

Stu mentions the DVI input, do most LCD's support this ?

Thanks for all the advice so far

[yashiro]

DVI is totally digital. If your video card has DVI-out it's well worth getting a DVI monitor. (long beige socket usually, longer than your VGA out socket)

Most good TFT's these days will support both anyway. Try and make sure you get one that has DVI capability.

The image is just that tad crisper and you never have to adjust any settings, unlike VGA which often needs calibrating.

One thing to bear in mind is that TFT's really need to be run in their native resolution at all times. Anything below and the scaling makes things look nasty.

If gaming is an issue - can your PC cope with running games at 1280*?
It takes some serious grunt to run games at this rez. You could always just put up with the downscaling and slight blurring though.

[Ginger Tosser]

Your right about resolution looking crap, I see loads of customers running LCD's at the wrong res.

Anyway, gaming is not an issue with the current PC (PIII 1Ghz). The res of 1280 would be fine for my use. My current CRT (17", but only 15.9" viewable) runs at 1152 * 864 so it shouldn't appear too small.

I like the idea of borrowing one. We should be getting some at the office to replace our ageing CRT's. I may borrow one when 'working from home'.

[yashiro]

Aye, top skive that.. hang on I've said this to you before! 8)

Read tomshardware and have a google search. You'll soon see what's hot and what's not.

My TFT has a 17" 20ms HyDis panel. It's great for desktop stuff & movies.
I can tell it's a tad laggier in Quake3 than my crt but after a few hours I soon adjusted.

All in all I'd recommend one for anyone, if only to save your eyes from a slow baking via crt.

[Ginger Tosser]

I think one will be on the way soon, just need to wait on the end of (financial) year bonus