Ebay vs AccurateIT for CRTs?

D

DirectXtreme

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Having been fed up from using a laggy LCD with horrible contrast ratio and color to play games, I'm looking to buy a CRT monitor to play my games as I find them to deliver the best combination of low response times, color accuracy and vibrancy, contrast ratio, etc. Thing is, no one makes them and I've been looking to buy one for below $100 and I've seen two models that I want:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Compaq-P910...er_Monitors&hash=item1e6b9f9d84#ht_500wt_1287

http://www.ebay.com/itm/22-Philips-..._Monitors&hash=item5648b07311#ht_10953wt_1270

Both of the links lead to Ebay listings, but the Philips has been refurbished by a company called AccurateIT and the Compaq is used. Which one would be the safer bet? What are your experiences with used and refurbished CRTs from these sites (including shipping)?
 
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I never bought from AccurateIT before but probably would go with them over a used (and sight unseen) monitor from someone else.

I'd first recommend looking at craigslist or freecycle and see if anyone is trying to get rid of any CRTs. Downside is that you have to go to some stranger's house, and it may be a pain too (literally), as lugging 21-22" CRTs around can be somewhat hernia inducing.

I got a good deal on a pair of 21" CRTs from craigslist ($20 for both w/ VGA cable), and got a small Sony trinitron for free from freecycle once. I see listings all the time, so if in no rush, you may find something cheap or free. For price comparisons, most decent 21" models (trinitrons or aperature grill) can be found on craigs for no more than $50-$75 (usually less). You'll find insane people trying to sell their 17" CRT from 2002 for $250, but that isn't that common.
 
Neither, if it can be avoided, unless you live near the ebay seller for local pickup and testing.

As Nameless mentioned, try Craigslist or a local recycler. You get to see and try them out ahead of time.

Stay away from anything that's too blurry or too bright (common issues with CRT's). Mitsubishi's and NEC's sometimes go permanently blurry, especially in the corners, whereas anything with a trinitron tube can develop brightness problems.
 
i will never go back to crt

try using a NEC wuxi 2690 and calibrate it with the eyeone.
Way better then any CRT. I will sacrifice response time for sharpness and clarity. Every other monitor ive seen i.e. best buy all junk
IPS is the way to go .. i have 2 NECs now calibrated and they look identical next to each other .. The spectraview software is great

i have a flawless 21" Silicon Graphics trinitron G520
will sell it to you for 300.00 shipped.. It will cost me 100 bucks just to pack and ship it.
 
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UnrealCpu said:
i will never go back to crt

try using a NEC wuxi 2690 and calibrate it with the eyeone.
Way better then any CRT. I will sacrifice response time for sharpness and clarity. Every other monitor ive seen i.e. best buy all junk
IPS is the way to go .. i have 2 NECs now calibrated and they look identical next to each other .. The spectraview software is great
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Depends on what your priorities are with picture quality ...if Black levels is one of them then IPS will only further enrage the OP.
 
Well good luck finding a CRT that is flawless. Id still take a NEC 2690 Spectraview calibrated monitor over any CRT. Yes you wont have the deep blacks of a trinitron which is the best out there or the response times but id rather sacrifice that for sharpness, clarity, larger screen, less weight and power. The OP needs to get a good IPS screen and calibrate it before jumping to a CRT. Games are meant to be played at 60hz anyway. I have owned several plasmas and to me my NEC monitors do a fantastic job for computer use. i have 52" of realestate 3840x1200 on my desk both calibrated and dual screens look fantastic. If the OP is a fanatic id just go out and buy a Panasonic 42ST30 or 50VT30 and just plop that on his desk then buying a old CRT if he is looking for better blacks or response times.

opps just read the OP thread, yeah get the phillips . You dont want to spend more then 100 bucks. BTW If you want black levels you will need a trinitron CRT .. My 60" ST30 has better blacks then both the monitors you listed on ebay.
There is no such thing as a perfect computer monitor yet.. LCD is a flawed technology.. and its probably next to impossible to find a CRT that is flawless.... Even if they were flawless personally i wouldnt want to be running 2 FW900s or even one on my desk. i cant even think about have a 100+ pound monitor on my desk ... its 2012 not 2006.
in 3-4 years OLED when they become affordable they will finally de thrown everything. Till then id save up and just go with that junky phillips on ebay or buy a really good IPS and calibrate it with the eye 1.
 
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Vega said:
Games are meant to be played at 60Hz? lol
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60FPS/60hz.. You think todays games are designed and meant to be run at 120FPS? 120hz is designed for 3D that is why we are seeing these new Computer 120hz LCDs. BTW good luck getting those Frames. The only purpose to run higher then 60hz/60FPS is if you are a FPS competition guy. Other then that i personally could care less as all 120hz monitors suck compared to a good IPS screen. Like i said the OP should just go for the phillips , he only has a 100 bucks

LOL
 
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UnrealCpu said:
Well good luck finding a CRT that is flawless. Id still take a NEC 2690 Spectraview calibrated monitor over any CRT. Yes you wont have the deep blacks of a trinitron which is the best out there or the response times but id rather sacrifice that for sharpness, clarity, larger screen, less weight and power. The OP needs to get a good IPS screen and calibrate it before jumping to a CRT. Games are meant to be played at 60hz anyway. I have owned several plasmas and to me my NEC monitors do a fantastic job for computer use. i have 52" of realestate 3840x1200 on my desk both calibrated and dual screens look fantastic. If the OP is a fanatic id just go out and buy a Panasonic 42ST30 or 50VT30 and just plop that on his desk then buying a old CRT if he is looking for better blacks or response times.

opps just read the OP thread, yeah get the phillips . You dont want to spend more then 100 bucks. BTW If you want black levels you will need a trinitron CRT .. My 60" ST30 has better blacks then both the monitors you listed on ebay.
There is no such thing as a perfect computer monitor yet.. LCD is a flawed technology.. and its probably next to impossible to find a CRT that is flawless.... Even if they were flawless personally i wouldnt want to be running 2 FW900s or even one on my desk. i cant even think about have a 100+ pound monitor on my desk ... its 2012 not 2006.
in 3-4 years OLED when they become affordable they will finally de thrown everything. Till then id save up and just go with that junky phillips on ebay or buy a really good IPS and calibrate it with the eye 1.
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Thank you all for the input. There is no perfect display in general, but I find CRTs to be the best at small screen sizes. I'd buy a plasma, but I sit too close to my display to be gaming on a 42"+ monster. And I'm only spending $100 on an older monitor because if I get screwed over, then it's not by too much. Personally, I don't think digital displays will have the versatility of CRTs until 22" QFHD or UHD OLED displays are mainstream (A 22" 1080p screen still does not pack enough pixels to make them inperceptible to my eyes). Also, my eyes aren't sensitive to flicker at 60 Hz as I run at Compaq CRT @ 720p60 side-by-side with the LCD. The reason I wanted the Philips and the other Compaq is because I could do an EDID override to get them to display 1080p (my current CRT's horizontal scan frequency is not high enough to run 1080p60, and the monitor doesn't play nice with 1080p30).
 
I definitely understand wanting to have a CRT for black levels, ghosting, response, etc. I've just recently moved away from them myself, and i still have 4 sitting around. I replaced them with 120hz LCD's because I just got tired of the 4:3 screen and having to letterbox for 16:9 or 16:10 ratio. The picture is too small, and playing 4:3 limits the FOV too much for me. I did have a W900 widescreen, which was great, but it crapped out on me :-( The FW900 is perfect if you can find one, but shipping these things is a gamble-they have a good chance of being destroyed en route. If you do get one, pick it up yourself. Speaking from experience, it is a sad, ugly moment when you realize your "new" FW900 arrives in pieces. UPS is unbelievably brutal on fragile things, and freight shipping is way expensive.

I personally could never tolerate 60hz on an LCD, but you may want to consider a 120hz panel if you have the rig to push 100+ frames consistently. 60hz is way too laggy with vsync, and without it the tearing is an annoyance I can't get used to. The overall effect of the 120hz is very CRT like, but still the viewing angles and black levels are poor. I think they are a good compromise, as there is nothing perfect out there. I'm not convinced that games are "meant" to be played at 60hz, though. Higher is better. After running 120hz locked, you'll never want to see 60hz again.
 
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I've had four FW900's come in now from across the country and they all arrived perfectly. The key is packaging. If you let your typical lazy retard package a CRT, it will be ruined. If you even follow simple packing protocol like liquid foam and a strong box it will be fine.
 
salty said:
I definitely understand wanting to have a CRT for black levels, ghosting, response, etc. I've just recently moved away from them myself, and i still have 4 sitting around. I replaced them with 120hz LCD's because I just got tired of the 4:3 screen and having to letterbox for 16:9 or 16:10 ratio. The picture is too small, and playing 4:3 limits the FOV too much for me. I did have a W900 widescreen, which was great, but it crapped out on me :-( The FW900 is perfect if you can find one, but shipping these things is a gamble-they have a good chance of being destroyed en route. If you do get one, pick it up yourself. Speaking from experience, it is a sad, ugly moment when you realize your "new" FW900 arrives in pieces. UPS is unbelievably brutal on fragile things, and freight shipping is way expensive.

I personally could never tolerate 60hz on an LCD, but you may want to consider a 120hz panel if you have the rig to push 100+ frames consistently. 60hz is way too laggy with vsync, and without it the tearing is an annoyance I can't get used to. The overall effect of the 120hz is very CRT like, but still the viewing angles and black levels are poor. I think they are a good compromise, as there is nothing perfect out there. I'm not convinced that games are "meant" to be played at 60hz, though. Higher is better. After running 120hz locked, you'll never want to see 60hz again.
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I see where you're coming from. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. on my 17" CRT letterboxed is a little too small, but it's playable. A 22" CRT should fare significantly better at 1080p, even if its letterboxed. The thing about the 120 Hz LCDs are that they are all TN panels and they look horrible in my opinion. Everything UPS delivered to me has worked to this day except for a used LG drive I bought.
 
It is too bad that the 120hz ones are TN panels, and that's a trade off that's very difficult to endure for CRT users. I also have a 1440p cinema display that I use for work, and occasionally for games. MUCH nicer PQ than the 120hz but I find the smearing effect of the IPS disorienting for games with a lot of fast motion. Wish I could combine them :).

Despite having the smaller picture, the CRT beats them both in blacks and response time. Plus, it was nice having multiple native resolutions back when I was rocking a weaker video card. I do miss that, but oh well. Keep in mind also that a 22" CRT only has a 20" viewable screen area due to the fact that they count the unseen part of the tube in the measurement. I used to run my 22" viewsonic at 1920x1200 @ 85hz letterboxed and it wasn't too bad. Probably about equal to a 17" widescreen monitor. Awesome and smooth picture though!

I have never had any issues with Ups concerning anything except CRT monitors. They Are both heavy and delicate, which is a bad combination. I have received a total of four severely damaged monitors via ups. The last one had fragile written on every side of the box, and I watched the delivery guy roll it end for end up my walk before i realized what it was. They pass through too many hands for there to be much individual accountability, and all it takes it one drop from waist height to wreck it if it is packed poorly. I guess all I'm saying is make sure you're getting a heck of a deal, or it is insured to your advantage if you do get one shipped.
 
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I have a crappy camera but in person it looks a whole lot better
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i love this new setup
 
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UnrealCpu said:
60FPS/60hz.. You think todays games are designed and meant to be run at 120FPS? 120hz is designed for 3D that is why we are seeing these new Computer 120hz LCDs.
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That makes no sense at all! You have no idea what you're talking about. And you can post nice pictures of your LCD setup, but it won't change the fact that their contrast ratio is poor, blacks are terrible gray, they have input lag, smear everything in motion, are limited to one resolution and display at max 60 fps and do a crappy job at achieving even that.
 
Just to get back on topic this is not a lcd versus crt thread, this is a where to buy thread. I personally would advise against ebay, I got monitors in horrid condition off ebay, with a singular company it's a little better. Return policies are better laid out.
 
Meeho said:
That makes no sense at all! You have no idea what you're talking about. And you can post nice pictures of your LCD setup, but it won't change the fact that their contrast ratio is poor, blacks are terrible gray, they have input lag, smear everything in motion, are limited to one resolution and display at max 60 fps and do a crappy job at achieving even that.
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How you like those viewing angles in the pictures

I got the ATW Polarizer
spectraview calibrated , i dont see any poor contrast.. I have a panasonic plasma calibrated ST30 60" tv downstairs , i have no complaints with this setup. Blacks, grays, motion, whatever looks fine to me. Way better then any CRT i have owned. btw i might change the native res for one game once a year other then that it still looks good. I dont see 120hz a option for me for another 3 years until OLED comes out and video cards are at least 2-3 generations of my GTX 570. Now if they made a IPS/LED with 120hz yeah id be interested. 120hz TN sucks.. they make a 16:10 120hz screen yet?
 
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UnrealCpu said:
How you like those viewing angles in the pictures

I got the ATW Polarizer
spectraview calibrated , i dont see any poor contrast.. I have a panasonic plasma calibrated ST30 60" tv downstairs , i have no complaints with this setup. Blacks, grays, motion, whatever looks fine to me. Way better then any CRT i have owned. btw i might change the native res for one game once a year other then that it still looks good. I dont see 120hz a option for me for another 3 years until OLED comes out and video cards are at least 2-3 generations of my GTX 570. Now if they made a IPS/LED with 120hz yeah id be interested. 120hz TN sucks.. they make a 16:10 120hz screen yet?
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How about a 85~100hz IPS 2560x1440?

Catleap Q270: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1038448768#post1038448768
 
I just checked back on this thread, and I can't but help find it amusing.

Someone asks for opinions on where to purchase a CRT, and for some reason UnrealCpu feels a need to not only state that his LCD setup is superior, but post photos, state it's next to impossible to find a flawless CRT -- yet still offers to sell his 'flawless' CRT at the bargain price of $300...

I want to followup and state I agree with suiken_2mieu about shipping through eBay. I assumed you meant local pickup only. For anything that is shipped, including AccurateIT, make sure they have decent insurance against anything broken during shipping.

Also wanted to point out that for Freecycle, you can put up a want post, state what you are looking for, and perhaps you'll get lucky and someone will respond. I just had someone reply (for a post I put up) that they had two high end 21-22" NEC CRTs that were used for video editing, that he's been trying to get rid of. I'll see how decent they actually are later next week, but if nice, they should get me to the OLED age. I've seen people giving away 21" G series Sonys on Freecycle too, in the past. Never know... could be a free gem out there.
 
Namelessme said:
I just checked back on this thread, and I can't but help find it amusing.

Someone asks for opinions on where to purchase a CRT, and for some reason UnrealCpu feels a need to not only state that his LCD setup is superior, but post photos, state it's next to impossible to find a flawless CRT -- yet still offers to sell his 'flawless' CRT at the bargain price of $300...

I want to followup and state I agree with suiken_2mieu about shipping through eBay. I assumed you meant local pickup only. For anything that is shipped, including AccurateIT, make sure they have decent insurance against anything broken during shipping.

Also wanted to point out that for Freecycle, you can put up a want post, state what you are looking for, and perhaps you'll get lucky and someone will respond. I just had someone reply (for a post I put up) that they had two high end 21-22" NEC CRTs that were used for video editing, that he's been trying to get rid of. I'll see how decent they actually are later next week, but if nice, they should get me to the OLED age. I've seen people giving away 21" G series Sonys on Freecycle too, in the past. Never know... could be a free gem out there.
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Thank you. As Nameless and suiken pointed out, isn't an LCD vs. CRT thread people, this is just a thread asking which is a reliable site to buy a CRT monitor for those of us who prefer them over LCDs. The deal on the Compaq on Ebay disappeared, so I only have the Philips on AccurateIT. However, I think I saw see a local computer store selling old CRTs as I was coming home, and I'll check it out tomorrow if I can. I also asked my neighbor if he knows any local places where I can get CRT monitors. He said no, but to my luck, he said gets them all the time from people and will bring them to me when he receives another one. I want to check out that Freecycle site, seems interesting. And Unreal, I said in my original post that I'm looking to buy a CRT below $100.
 
I signed up for freecycle a few years back. I was surprised how many people had CRTs to unload, I picked up few that way. Great fun if you are a hoarder like me. Mostly they were pretty used up, but I still have a little Gateway trinitron from that time that works well.
 
The main thing is LCD's blur. Still photos of static wallpapers aren't going to show anything regarding that. I own a 60hz 2560x1440 ips (without scaler), a 120hz 27" TN, and a 22.5" viewable widescreen graphics professional CRT (FW900). Vega has also had most types of gaming monitors - more than me. They all have tradeoffs. 120hz TN less blur, ips nicer imagery and unifomity on a high ppi large desktop real-estate but blur considerably more. VA panels benefit from better black levels but usually suffer tradeoffs that make them a poor choice for gaming too. CRT is the only one that doesn't blur on fast FoV motion. I'm liking my 120hz TN at high fps lately though too.
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. I've had two monitors from accurate IT, one was from their ebay warehouse store years ago. It was a fw900 in "A" condition and I got several years out of it. It died after being left turned off in storage for a year, and moved around a bit. I recently ordered another that was "as is" pretty much - a refurb "B" grade. It arrived packed well and intact. It has a very slight and short veritcal hairiline scratch on the ag coating, non-central, and a few nicks on the bezel but it works great. Well within the grade it was described as cosmetically. I think vega said one that he got recently was blurry or something though, you would have to ask him. Two orders in 5 years isn't really a lot go on, but I've been pretty lucky with them personally I suppose.
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Owners of BOTH 120hz monitors and 1440p+ monitors
 
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i got a FW900 for free its down in my basement .. I ordered a device to fix the G levels or whatever to link to the port on the back of the monitor, never got around to it. Ill even through in the device to link to the software... I am going to throw it in the trash, or recycle it . If anyone wants it ill sell it for 20 bucks pickup only........does 180hz refresh.
Also my SGI G520 still runs good , great blacks, i tested it the other day.. Looks good when you move your windows very fast no blur.. Although text and icons look small and and somewhat blurry there is no real estate to play with but you might be used to it .

Since i did rethink the price and it was high , id like to sell it for 100.00 if someone was willing to pick it up.
heroes of might and magic III and IV look spectacular at 1024x768. Other then that i think i am going to go watch my 60" plasma ST30 calibrated with DNICE settings from the AVS forums. I am looking forward to the new 2012 panasonic models for plasma.. Just got Street Fighter X Tekken
now imagine playing that on a 21" 4:3 screen lol
Did anyone catch my corsair K90 keyboard in the pictures? lol
 
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UnrealCpu said:
i got a FW900 for free its down in my basement .. I ordered a device to fix the G levels or whatever to link to the port on the back of the monitor, never got around to it. Ill even through in the device to link to the software... I am going to throw it in the trash, or recycle it . If anyone wants it ill sell it for 20 bucks pickup only........does 180hz refresh.
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Damn you had me going for the FW900, but I'm 16 and I live on the east coast, 1,700 miles away from where you are. How much will it cost to ship an FW900?
 
DirectXtreme said:
Damn you had me going for the FW900, but I'm 16 and I live on the east coast, 1,700 miles away from where you are. How much will it cost to ship an FW900?
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like it probably cost me 120.00 bucks

I dont even know where to find the right monitor support to cusion the monitor. Yoou wouldnt want it anyway the black levels needs to fixed throught the device i bought using the software and it doesnt look at as good as a good NEC or HP IPS screen. Id go with that phillips on Ebay. Just make sure when you get it or sign for it open the box and plug it in.. and just pray that they will warrenty the monitor and shipping back to the company. btw this monitor Takes like 30 min just to warm up
 
UnrealCpu said:
60FPS/60hz.. You think todays games are designed and meant to be run at 120FPS? 120hz is designed for 3D that is why we are seeing these new Computer 120hz LCDs. BTW good luck getting those Frames. The only purpose to run higher then 60hz/60FPS is if you are a FPS competition guy. Other then that i personally could care less as all 120hz monitors suck compared to a good IPS screen. Like i said the OP should just go for the phillips , he only has a 100 bucks

LOL
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LOL...what game ISN'T competition? Yes, for fun, thus friendly competition. Most people don't play FPS to get rolled, even casually. And after shelling out $300 for the latest video card, how does that make them feel when they're stuck at 60hz/fps with video lag twice as slow as their opponents' just because their DISPLAY can't pony up?

120hz for 3d, sure...but you don't think manufacturer's haven't been hearing it from all the casual gamers who are incessantly annoyed by tearing? They just don't want to spend the $$$ advertising it because a) the people who want 120hz for 2d already know b) they'd be admitting they've neglected the community for the past 12 years c) have handshake deals with game manufacturer's pushing the latest hardware requirements/video standards (3d)

gl hf lo3
 
Yea, so I replied without reading the rest of the posts. I just bought a dell trinitron (sony) 21" for $40 off of CL. Use search tempest or some other CL search if nothing comes up in your default location. Fortunately for me, I live a densely populated area (between philly/nyc) so there are lots of alternative CL listings.

The thing is a beast for sure, but my accuracy in quake live has sustained 40%, constantly topping the server. That's good, real good. AND, I was afraid of power consumption, but my brute zr24w (24" LCD IPS) was consuming 125w where as this shaves it down to 120w...
 
53880 said:
LOL...what game ISN'T competition? Yes, for fun, thus friendly competition. Most people don't play FPS to get rolled, even casually. And after shelling out $300 for the latest video card, how does that make them feel when they're stuck at 60hz/fps with video lag twice as slow as their opponents' just because their DISPLAY can't pony up?

120hz for 3d, sure...but you don't think manufacturer's haven't been hearing it from all the casual gamers who are incessantly annoyed by tearing? They just don't want to spend the $$$ advertising it because a) the people who want 120hz for 2d already know b) they'd be admitting they've neglected the community for the past 12 years c) have handshake deals with game manufacturer's pushing the latest hardware requirements/video standards (3d)

gl hf lo3
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Neglected LOL LCD/LED is a flawed technology... It will never compete with Plasma. The only reason they are finally doing something is because Panasonic is coming out with better plasmas every year. The company already made back is money with this technology and is just waiting for the right time to release their own version of OLED 3-4 years from now. Try uping the Frames per second at 16xFSAA 32X CSAA @85-120hz see how far that gets you at 1920x1200 or 1080. Like i said it will be 2-3 years before video cards release a good enough solution and even then games will always be at 60fps. btw what 300.00 video card at 1920x1200 or 1080 with full FSAA is NOT going to net you 60FPS in battlefield 3 or any DX 11 or future 12 games.
 
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53880 said:
Yea, so I replied without reading the rest of the posts. I just bought a dell trinitron (sony) 21" for $40 off of CL. Use search tempest or some other CL search if nothing comes up in your default location. Fortunately for me, I live a densely populated area (between philly/nyc) so there are lots of alternative CL listings.

The thing is a beast for sure, but my accuracy in quake live has sustained 40%, constantly topping the server. That's good, real good. AND, I was afraid of power consumption, but my brute zr24w (24" LCD IPS) was consuming 125w where as this shaves it down to 120w...
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wow a whole 5 watts lol , and you lot 4 inches of screen real estate , got a big bulky monitor on your desk and now you can squint when surfing the net. Why dont you just upgrade to a 42" ST30 panasonic plasma and use that for gamming. Hang it on the wall, it will destroy all computer LCDs out. You can watch movies, play xbox, and surf the net on a huge screen. I think that uses about 143watts..
 
I was merely pointing out that the watts were comparable. I'm aware new/most lcd's are very efficient, some going down to the 20's. Size is irrelevant when the focus of the argument is performance. I have a corner desk...with an LCD a huge portion of desk was just collecting dust. Now I at least have something to fill it with. I don't have to squint because I don't wear glasses. AND, because of the lovely CRT I can work on my monitor tan from the glowing radiant abundant bright light beaming at me! :D

When I become ceo of a fortune 500 company and can afford to blow money on weekend trips to the playboy mansion in my maserati, then I'll think about shelling out 4 bills on a plasma screen...until then I'll keep saving money skipping tanning booths and dumpster diving older, superior, faster technology that keeps up with my supernaturally fast eye rate. You irate?
 
53880 said:
I was merely pointing out that the watts were comparable. I'm aware new/most lcd's are very efficient, some going down to the 20's. Size is irrelevant when the focus of the argument is performance. I have a corner desk...with an LCD a huge portion of desk was just collecting dust. Now I at least have something to fill it with. I don't have to squint because I don't wear glasses. AND, because of the lovely CRT I can work on my monitor tan from the glowing radiant abundant bright light beaming at me! :D

When I become ceo of a fortune 500 company and can afford to blow money on weekend trips to the playboy mansion in my maserati, then I'll think about shelling out 4 bills on a plasma screen...until then I'll keep saving money skipping tanning booths and dumpster diving older, superior, faster technology that keeps up with my supernaturally fast eye rate. You irate?
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4 bills is that like 4k? Because you can get a 50" ST30 for 799.00
 
Sry, meant 10 bills, = $1000. Still learning pimpspeak. Ain't that shizzle still only 60hz, unrizzle?
 
If you have the room to set it back far enough and can deal with the general presciptions and warnings ~ methods of avoidance and windowwashing vs image retention issues, a plasma might not be a bad choice as an additional screen for gaming and movies. The backlight strobing 10x per screen update gives it much closer look to crt than lcd does in regard to motion from everything I've read. However it still has 60hz at the input in the back, it just strobes the backlight 10 times per screen update. So you are only seeing max of 60 screen updates per second, "duplicated" through strobing. Which is still nice vs blur if you don't end up seeing trails or artifacts due to it. I think some of the smallest modern plasma models are 40" (or like prev poster recommended 42") andcan be quite pricey for the best of the smaller ones. I wouldn't use one at anything near desk distances or it would be eye-bending. Maybe around 4' + away. People like me who have a whole room for their pc more or less and have the pc desk facing out from the corner rather than against the wall like a bookshelf might be able to get away with it. but I would guess that most pc gamers don't have a lot of room to set their monitor back very far.
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A properly functioning graphics professional fw900 crt at 85hz or higher doesn't make you squint. They are much better than a run of the mill ct. They have no input lag, and they have no blur at all. Since there are so many tradeoffs, I have a 2650x1440 ips and a fw900 crt, and testing a 120hz tn. The 120hz is pretty good when I have my fps high. I haven't decided if I will sell it yet or not. I have to test my fw900 with lcds on the sides in eyefinity for awhile before I decide what I will keep as my main gaming display.
.. In regard to squinting again, if you mean font sizes, I love my 2560x1440 at 108.8 ppi 27". The 27" 1080p 120hz's text and screen elements look "jumbo" next to it. Of course setting a plasma back far enough would essentially shrink your ppi to your persepective some. It would still be a large ppi but up close would be ridiculous. Closer 37" + screens at desk distances result in eye bending to the periphery, and large pixels.. plasma would likely have an aliased look when too close too . I also have a 17" 1080p laptop with a very high ppi, I think 129.xx ppi .. and my tablet is even higher. I'll be running my fw900 at 1080p and around 100hz by the way, which is around 97 ppi I guess.

Pixel densities

4.3"....................960 x 540.........256.15 ppi.....0.0992 mm <- droid x2 phone
..
(LG Quad full HD)
26.5"................3840 x 2160.......166.26 ppi ....0.1528 mm <-- 166ppi quoted resolves to 26.5"
27"...................3840 x 2160.......163.18 ppi.....0.1557 mm <-- may not be viewable size if ppi quote is accurate

10.1"................1280 x 800.........146.55 ppi....0.1783 mm <- tablet
17"...................1920 x 1080.......129.58 ppi....0.1960 mm <-- laptop

22.5" (24")........2304 x 1440.......118.13 ppi....0.2150 mm <--- FW900 widescreen CRT max rez 22.5" viewable (80hz) ..
27"...................2560 x 1440.......108.8 ppi....0.2335 mm
30"...................2560 x 1600.......100.6 ppi....0.2524 mm

22"...................1920 x 1080........100.132 ppi..0.2530 mm
20.1"................1680 x 1050..........98.4 ppi ..0.258 mm

23"...................1920 x 1080.........95.78 ppi....0.2652 mm <-- 60hz/120hz
24"...................1920 x 1200.........94.3 ppi....0.2692 mm

24"...................1920 x 1080..........91.8 ppi....0.2767 mm
19"...................1440 x 900...........89.37 ppi....0.2842 mm
27.5"(28")........1920 x 1200..........82.33 ppi....0.3085 mm
27"...................1920 x 1080.........81.59 ppi....0.3113 mm <-- 60hz / 120hz panels

---Too Large for a Desk, greater viewing distances suggested ----
36.4"................4096 x 2160.......127.22 ppi...0.1997 mm <--- Eizo FDH3601 4K2K 16:9 , release est. $36,000 usd (VA panel?)
42"...................3840 x 2160.......104.9 ppi....0.2421 mm <----LG Quad Full HD IPS, 42" tv version
85 "...................7680 x 4320......103.67 ppi...0.245 mm <--- Sharp 85" 8Kx4K VA
30"...................1920 x 1080.........73.43 ppi...0.345 mm
32"...................1920 x 1080.........68.84 ppi...0.368 mm
37"...................1920 x 1080.........59.54 ppi..0.4266 mm
40"...................1920 x 1080.........55.07 ppi...0.4612 mm
42"...................1920 x 1080.........52.45 ppi...0.4843 mm
 
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I went to that store and they had a Viewsonic P95f+ that could do 2048x1536 and a DELL Trinitron, but unfortunately neither of them were for sale, only these crappy DELL e773c's (which are no better than my Compaq) were :mad:. Looks like I'll have to get that Philips or hold off on it in search of a better deal on what I'm looking for.
 
I was just searching Craigslist and I found a Mitsubishi DiamondPro 2070SB-BK in an area literally ten miles away from me. I heard this one is a top of the line and its selling for $100.
 
I think that is one of the higher end models -- good find.

A couple of tips when CL hunting (or at least what I've done): ask for a back history of the monitor a little. Was it used in an office? Was it used for a couple of years then put in storage for the last 5+ years? Make sure you can try it out before purchasing, try different resolutions, different refresh rates. Check lagom or any calibration sites, if there is internet access.

Check the manufacturing date on the back. If I remember right, 2000-early 2004ish may be the high point for aperature grills. Once you get to 2004-2005, I read they sort of skimped on quality. Although for a higher end model, perhaps they'll all be good.

Also don't be afraid to haggle. If the ad has been up for a while, the seller may be willing to sell for considerably less. Especially if you are there and ready to buy. If you make a lower offer, worst case is he'll say no, and then you can offer his asking price if you want.
 
Well, if its worth 100 salamies, go for it. I read somewhere on here that diamond pro is a trinitron slightly tweaked somehow (maybe 1 tube for the color gamut vs sony's 3 for RGB?). Some people will tell you mine, a dell ultrascan p1110, is unreliable or this and that but it's totally gnarly.

Diamond Pro = Diamondtron = Trinitron

You gotta at least bump that price down 20 bucks. Depending on how long it's been posted and the feeling you get from the dude when you show up, try to get it for $50 IMO. Seriously, there's practically no demand for these. If the dude's a good seller he'll tell you that he's gotten a lot of responses...which MAY be true, but so many people flake out on a purchase like that, especially when it's that high. Also, that thing is such a freaking eyesore for the person who wants to unload it that getting a person to the point of showing up willing to take it should make them cut their "losses" just to get rid of it.
 
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