LCD good for gaming?

M

Mike2007x86

Weaksauce
Joined
Apr 27, 2007
Messages
127
So, now that I got myself a up to date system I am seriously considering switching to an LCD, but I need to know two things.

I am looking at getting a 22" Samsung 226BW "S Model" which has 1680x1050 as the native resolution, but I need to know if it will render black vs a contrasted shade of grey.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT "Returned a new VX922 last year because of this".

Monitor story:
The last LCD I purchased was Viewsonic VX922 monitor. Sadly I returned it the next day because it would not show black inside games. What was supposed to be black was a dark grey with high contrast. Games have dark zones, black is definately needed inside games - contrasted shade of grey just doesn't look right!
Click to expand...

Preferences:
WS LCD good for gaming
Renders black correctly, instead of a contrasted shade of grey
Looks good at 1600x1200 games res

Normal resolution uses:
Games - 1600x1200
Desktop - 1280x1024
S-Video Out - 1024x768

Budget:
Up to $350.00

I'm totally new to LCD's and need to know how to properly choose one that will render black correctly and one that has no ghosting. Games are 90% of my PC use, with the other 10% for C++ and applications.

All help is appreciated

Thanks
 
And why would you play at 1600*1200 on a 1680*1050 monitor? And why a even lower 4:3 res on you desktop?

If you want all them 4:3 resolutions why get a 16:10 monitor?
 
I think you are setting goals that you can't meet at that price range. Sorry, but it's just like with a car: You can't say "I want a V12 engine, leather interior, and my price target is $10,000". At $350 your options are rather limited for a large monitor. You are getting a TN panel and that's just that. You either have to reduce size or increase price if you want a different one. Now some comments on features you want:

--If you want good 1600x1200 display you should get a 1920x1200 monitor. That will allow you to do 1600x1200 with no scaling. 1600x1200 on a 1680x1050 monitor won't work, it'll have to be downsampled which I don't think most cards do. You'll need to go with a lower resolution and stretch it up.

--Black is rather subjective. Real black is the total absence of light. However there's plenty of black stuff in the world that obviously reflects light, or you couldn't see it. In terms of LCDs, no panels have a 0 light black point, they all let some light through. If you want the best blacks you can get, you need a VA style panel (P-MVA or S-PVA). The cheaper TNs won't do as well.

--Desktop should always be run at the panel's native rez. Running it lower will do nothing but get you a worse image.

--Ignore all the crap on contrast ratios, the numbers are heavily BS'd and inflated.

So, for what you are saying you want, you need to either get a 1920x1200 widescreen or a 1600x1200 4:3. Nothing else is going to get you 1600x1200 with no scaling, and if you get something with less than 1200 vertical pixels, you almost certainly can't do it at all. If good blacks are your thing, then you need a VA panel. That makes your choices 24" widescreens or 20.1/21" 4:3s.

In the widescreen arena you can choose most any 24" panel and get what you want. I'd recommend the BenQ FP241W, that's what I got and it is great. However there are other options. Just make sure you get one using a P-MVA or S-PVA panel and you should be good. Way out of your budget though, $600-800 is what you are talking.

In the 4:3 arena the 20.1s are what you are looking at. Very few 21"s and they are pricey. Make sure you look at 4:3 20.1s and not widescreen as the widescreen don't do what you need. These ones DO have panels below your price point, however they are TN. Not a problem, but not going to have the best colours or black point. There are some with IPS panels for more which would give better colour, but poor blacks. Not sure any of them have VA panels, you'd have to check and they'd certainly cost more than TN panels.

So, what you really need to do is define your priorities, and then see what you can get. You cannot get a widescreen with the features you demand, for the price you want. Sorry, that's just life. Revise the budget or revise the requirements.

Also, please note, s-video isn't 1024x768, it's 720x480. Higher resolutions are just interpolated. For resolutions greater than NTSC/PAL standards, you need component transmission.
 
Just so you understand, none of the dekstop LCDs have a real native contrast ratio of over 1000:1. The ones with higher contrast ratios adjust the backlight if there is color brighter than a range to lower the brightness levels of all the remaining colors. Its an interesting trick but its fairly noticeable and annoying not to mention it doesnt work in many cases. For now, LCD contrast ratio is anywhere from 600:1 - 1000:1 for modern monitors. Anything higher is a 'dynamic' number - a marketing gimmick.

Sharp, Samsung and Sony are now making TV panels with over 2000:1 native CR (close to 3000:1 for the high end Sharps) with dynamic ratios of 15000:1. Just like with desktop monitor you are better off thinking of the native CR as the 'real' CR of the monitor / tv.
 
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