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2070sb vs GDM-F520

C

chichagof

n00b
Joined
May 14, 2013
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I want to purchase a CRT for 4:3 gaming purposes. I have a BenQ XL2420T, but for Counter-Strike 1.6 nothing beats CRT performance.

The 2070 is actually a rebranded HP P1230, and it costs $295 where as the F520 is listed at the same, but it's from craigslist. I'd have to pay shipping for both which would be around 70-100 dollars, but the F520 I can negotiate the price.

The 2070 comes from a certified HP reseller who has 4 HP technicians who refurbished it, the F520 is from a private seller. What do you guys think? what's a better pick?

I can also get a 930SB for 100 flat.
 
Seems a bit pricey to me. $295 total, or $295 + $100 shipping?

I'm not sure I'd trust any shipping method for CRTs, but if you can get some sort of guarantee from the HP reseller, both with delivery and any type of warranty on the thing (squaretrade, whatever), I'd go with the HP. But that's more or less because I expect most CRTs shipped will arrive broken.

I'd never trust any craigslist item without seeing it in person first.
 
Agree with wabbit, by default the GDM-F520, under nearly all circumstances.

Otherwise the 2070SB is high end as well. I've owned a few (got them from an office auction, low hours, amongst many other models). Never had a problem with any of them, but through research i found out that some of them developed a defect where the corners would go blurry.

The F520 doesn't seem to have any common defects. Insist on testing it first, but testing it with a laptop is usually not ideal (PQ is worse on a laptop VGA). See if the seller will allow you to drag your desktop, or use his desktop to test. Try to let it warm up a short while before testing. For $250-$300, that used F520 better be operating in perfect condition.

In the meantime, keep your eye on craigslist for other postings.

Curious to hear how it turns out, keep us posted.
 
All things being equal, I'd agree, and say go for the GDM-F520.

But unless I misunderstood his post, he said both monitors would have to be shipped. So I assume he is paying for something on craigslist sight unseen? I don't even trust craigslist people when I can see the item firsthand.

So if you can get the monitor locally, yeah, the GDM-F520 is better. But otherwise, if both are being shipped, I'd have a hard time recommending something from craigslist without seeing and testing it first.
 
yeah it's up north from me. the guy offered to post it on ebay as a one day, buy it now auction. the 2070sb is from a company in oklahoma. though air shipping would cost 252 dollars, so i offered to pay for UPS ground but that will nix the 90 day warranty. the 2070sb will be 100% guaranteed to work perfectly, the 520, which is through craigslist, is from this guys business. tough situation, i wish i could find a good crt that'll get 100hz when i play CS @ 800x600 here in los angeles, but that seems to be a tall order. granted, there is a FW900 on ebay in perfect condition, and it's local, but it costs 1000 bucks.
 
If you do decide to get the craigslist one, have him do the eBay thing. That way you should at least get some buyer assurance. Although if it arrives broken and he expects you to pay to ship it back for a refund, you are sort of doomed.

That's one of the other reasons why I am not fond of shipping CRTs. If the seller expects a return on a broken one, it ends up costing the buyer way too much just to get the initial money back.
 
As CRT tubes are ultimately consumable, how many hours are on these units? (Last F520s made by Sony in 2003/early 2004?)

(Haven't seen a NIB F520 for sale in some time. 2070s have shown up new more recently, e.g., this completed auction: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEC-Mitsubi...3878?pt=Computer_Monitors&hash=item232aa11036 Maybe nothing at the moment, but might still look around more for new...)

And another one!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEC-Mitsubi...8302?pt=Computer_Monitors&hash=item232b37951e
 
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As above, hours of use matters more than age. I've tried and viewed a number of CRTs in the past few years. The biggest problem for most was a lack of brightness. Some were so bad you'd need to be in a batcave to read anything on screen. The second issue was loss of focus, which again made using them uncomfortable.

Age isn't that important. My current display is a year 2000 Sony FW900 with very low hours. It's bright and text is crystal clear. I previously ran a number of these into the ground over many years, so know first hand how brightness and focus is lost with use.
 
chichagof said:
yeah it's up north from me. the guy offered to post it on ebay as a one day, buy it now auction. the 2070sb is from a company in oklahoma. though air shipping would cost 252 dollars, so i offered to pay for UPS ground but that will nix the 90 day warranty. the 2070sb will be 100% guaranteed to work perfectly, the 520, which is through craigslist, is from this guys business. tough situation, i wish i could find a good crt that'll get 100hz when i play CS @ 800x600 here in los angeles, but that seems to be a tall order. granted, there is a FW900 on ebay in perfect condition, and it's local, but it costs 1000 bucks.
Click to expand...

We have one GDM-F520 in stock fully calibrated and adjusted to Sony factory specs. PM me and I will give you additional information.

Sincerely,

Unkle Vito!
 
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