Finally time for a new monitor; is the switch worthwhile?

T

TSx

Gawd
Joined
Jan 11, 2004
Messages
647
I've used the same KDS monitor since it was released years ago, however it's been doing the green flickering and fading, and it's just getting too annoying. My primary use is gaming, or working on user interfaces for gaming (World of Warcraft) so I'm in need of a good quality monitor that won't hurt my eyes if I'm sitting in front of it for hours.

Today a friend told me she'd pay the difference (~$100) if I wanted to go LCD instead of CRT; prior to her saying that, I hadn't even considered an LCD. I've only ever played on a few flat screens, and they tended to hurt my eyes. I'm sure they weren't high quality and this was also a few years back. I'm trying to stay in the ~$200-250 price range($300-350 for LCD). Below are a few of the monitors I'd been looking at, just wondering what you guys would pick.

This is the monitor I use right now: http://www.kdsusa.com/ProductDetails.asp?prod=25

CRT #1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824116281

CRT #2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824116282

LCD #1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824116355

LCD #2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001185

I've honestly never looked into LCD monitors, I always thought they were quite a bit more expensive. I know Viewsonic is one of the best brands for CRT, but how are they for LCD? The second LCD there was recommended by a friend who said it's the best one in that price range; adding that if I really wanted a good one I'd need to look in the $450-500 range at a Dell.

I use an ATI Radeon 9800pro, running at 1280x1024 resolution. I've changed from 65Hz to 85Hz and never noticed a difference, currently it's on 75Hz.

Appreciate any feedback.
 
Why not check this viewsonic :

VP191B :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824116277

Or its successor VP930B :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824116365

I'm currently scoping the latter out myself. The former got good reviews at Tom's Hardware for what its worth :)
http://graphics.tomshardware.com/display/20050526/index.html

I had the VP171B-2 and it was good for me , I saw no ghosting/blurring during gaming , it also got a good review or two (no links to them though) :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824116347

I lot of good is also said about two dell widescreen monitors ; the 2005FPW and the 2405FPW . Again the ol' monitor radar is checking out the 2005FPW :D

Hope all this helps
:) Caspanis
 
I saw those while browsing through a few other posts here, and the review on tom's hardware did say it was better...but it's also $100+ more. From my previous monitors, I've had to buy a new one ever 3-4 years due to them just dying from use, and I've heard LCD's don't normally last as long as CRT's so I didn't really want to shell out $450 for ~2? years worth. I could easily be mistaken though, and it could last a lot longer.

However I really still have no idea how even the VP191B or VP930B compare to one like the G90FB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824116282) in a CRT. If my primary focus is gaming, what differences might I notice between those two?
 
Ill sell you my ViewSonic 19" CRT A90F+ for $110 plus shipping. Its a kick-ass monitor. Only reason Im selling it is cuz I have to, I desperately need the desk space
 
caspanis said:
Or its successor VP930B :
Click to expand...
I'm interested in that monitor as well, but its 19.3in tall and (due to the overhang on my desk) cant get a screen taller than 18 and 7/8 in (and that would be scraping the underside of the overhang).
 
I'm mostly looking into LCD's since it would help keep my entire comp area cooler due to having a whole lot more air flow. It would also give me some much needed desk space back; however I still can't seem to find an accurate comparison between LCD and CRT for playing games or working on the comp (working on games) for extended periods of time.
 
Unknown-One said:
I'm interested in that monitor as well, but its 19.3in tall and (due to the overhang on my desk) cant get a screen taller than 18 and 7/8 in (and that would be scraping the underside of the overhang).
Click to expand...

I'm sure you're wrong about the minimum height, but if you'll hold on a couple of days, I'll tell you as mine will arrive on the 20th. I saw the specs at the ViewSonic site but it gives only a single height value, and bear in mind the stand is height adjustable. The 19.3 inches quote could be the maximum or average height, since the LCD panel's view area is quoted at 11.9 inches in height.

Albert
 
If your just playing MMO's like WoW. An LCD will beat great for what your looking for. If you do intend to play some FPS games then I wouldn't touch an LCD... unless you can stand ghosting or for some reason you don't notice.... ANYONE thats used a CRT for awhile in FPS games and cares about how well they play will not say an LCD doesn't ghost bad... I got an L90D+ , I heard it was one of the quickest LCD panels so it would be good for gaming. The ghosting isn't horrible but its enough to make me wanna go back to a CRT.

As for viewsonic, I have chosen not to even touch one of their monitors ever again. I don't even remember the model anymore but it was so horrible.... It looked like the antiglare coat had been put on like 4500 times. Text was blurry every where but the edges. I had tried 3 of the monitors and all had the same effect. Was like a p95f+ or something. HORRIBLE..

After all the monitor bullshit i've dealt with I think i'm just going to get the same cheap 19in. CRT my friend got for $160 on newegg that looks pretty good for $160. Some samsung.
 
OrAnGe said:
all the monitor bullshit i've dealt with I think i'm just going to get the same cheap 19in. CRT my friend got for $160 on newegg that looks pretty good for $160. Some samsung.
Click to expand...
I'm glad you can fit a 19in CRT on your desk :eek:
 
Unknown-One said:
Another bump, still waiting on Albert
Click to expand...

Sorry for the delay, but I was away.

The monitor arrived, and she's a beauty. I want a little more time with it before actually reviewing it and sharing my impressions, but so far so very good.

I was right about the height in any case. I didn't test the maximum height, as it seems irrelevant, but to answer your question on the minimum height, I lowered it as much as possible, and it stood at 36 cm or 14.17 inches. The stand is really a piece of work, and you just pull it up or pull it down and it slides/rolls up (i think there are small ball-bearings inside it) and stays where you let go.

Albert
 
I cant vouch for the G series from Viewsonic ... we have several 22" Gs at my work and they don't quite look impressive out of the box ... and they've been degrading badly over 2-3 year span. We've gotten two replaced, the blue gun was gone nearly entirely... Most stay on 18hrs a day tho!
 
Albert Silver said:
Sorry for the delay, but I was away.

The monitor arrived, and she's a beauty. I want a little more time with it before actually reviewing it and sharing my impressions, but so far so very good.

I was right about the height in any case. I didn't test the maximum height, as it seems irrelevant, but to answer your question on the minimum height, I lowered it as much as possible, and it stood at 36 cm or 14.17 inches. The stand is really a piece of work, and you just pull it up or pull it down and it slides/rolls up (i think there are small ball-bearings inside it) and stays where you let go.

Albert
Click to expand...
To late man, I already went out and bought a Samsung 930B. This thing is awsome :D
 
I agree, i went and bought a 930b earlier at best buy. I read a bunch of reviews and really didnt feel that this was any worse than anything else, and so far it looks pretty amazing. i have no real picture and video experiance but for the 300 i paid its well worth it IMO.
 
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