LCD vrs CRT

[brentsg]

as the starter of this thread, i thought maybe i should add another 2 cents. I used to run a sychmaster 19in crt like a lot of you probably did, and going cold turkey into an 1801FP from dell was rather a rough change....but since moving to my 2005FPW, with the widescreen and the faster response time than the 1801, ive gotten over it....

I can resonate with this. I tried going from a nice 19" CRT to the Dell 1801 and I could not do it. I was playing RTS games and when I would pan quickly the whole screen would blur and I got headaches. Also the contrast was sub-par. Ended up buying a 22" Mits CRT and it is perfect for gaming. Now, for everyday non-gaming use the 1801 was beautiful so with that and the nice form factor I missed it.

I look forward to trying a better LCD again sometime but it's hard to justify with my 22" sitting there.

B

 

[Jasonx82]

I have a CRT Sony G410R .24 120hz @ 1024x768 I love this monitor, I would go LCD after this only because CRT's are becoming a dying breed with fewer and fewer choices..

 

[darktiger]

I made the switch with a 23" HP, and love it....I love 1920x1200....

 

[theNoid]

CRTs are far better for gaming.

LCDs are far better for browsing the internet and looking cool.

 

[Netrat33]

CRTs are far better for gaming.

LCDs are far better for browsing the internet and looking cool.

That's not really true anymore. That's an old school mentality. That gap/difference has pretty much left the building.

 

[Dan_D]

RIght now I am using a NEC Multisync FP1370 22" CRT. I can do 2048x1536@75Hz.
I'm happy with it. At 1600x1200 I can do 100hz on this thing. What's also nice is I am using BNC to DVI cables which offer better color clarity than I got with a standard cable. And with the cable I am using I don't have to use an adapter for my DVI outputs on my video card.

Even so I'd really like to get a LCD as I do think they are somewhat easier on the eyes. There are a couple things holding me back.

The main reasons I don't have an LCD right now:

Native resolution: I want 1600x1200 at least. I can't do that without getting a 20" or better LCD which is alot of money. Should I for some reason have to lower my resolution to keep my quality high in a year or so for some new game, I want it to look good. So even if I bought the badass LCD, It would look like ass at a lower resolution.

Asstastic response times: Many nice LCD's still have a 25ms response time. I can see the ghosting effect on that. Therefore I can not tolerate that. 16ms response in many LCD's only adds to the cost. Plus local availability is important to me should I need to exchange it or in case it breaks. Very few LCD's at the local Comp USA and Best Buy's are the right size or have the right response times. In most cases they meet one of those two criteria but not both.

Reliability: CRT's last longer. The DOA rate on a new LCD panel is much higher than that of a CRT. Dead pixels can also be a problem as there has to be a certain amount of them before a manufacturer will do something about it.

So until some of these things change I can't see myself spending close to $100 for an LCD that could come close to replacing my bigass CRT.

I do love the clarity of an LCD and the lack of glare on most of them. I've done alot of research on the subject recently and can't bring myself to buy one. Even though I had the itch for one pretty badly lately. My monitor is older now and needs constant internal adjustments to stay looking good.

 

[Ludic]

You also have to take into consideration that the LCD's use less energy than their CRT counterparts, which, especially if you have multiple monitors, can save you on your electric bill over the course of the year.

 

[ZenOps]

LCD's power savings are a little bit overrated.

A 21 inch trinitron dual or ultrascan CRT monitor will consume about 120watts, about 1/3rd of what an enthusiasts computer base will draw. Regular CRT's will consume less, some older models will consume more. A 20 inch active matrix LCD can consume around 50 watts.

Noticable, yes... But most people are still better off just paying $50 more for a 75 percent efficiency or better powersupply if that concerned about saving power.

 

[burningrave101]

The Hyundai L90D+ and Samsung 915N are the two best gaming LCD's out there right now. I have the L90D+ with 8ms response time and i'm really enjoying it. I run a dual display with a Mitsubishi DP930SB as my second monitor which i only use for things an LCD lacks in such as watching DVD's.

Text and colors just look so much better on my LCD. And you dont have the stress on your eyes like you do with a CRT.

 

[CompuDrew]

I made the switch and I love the LCD.

 

[dgb]

Dead pixels can also be a problem as there has to be a certain amount of them before a manufacturer will do something about it.

Plenty of manufacturers have a no dead pixel policy...

 

[dgb]

Noticable, yes... But most people are still better off just paying $50 more for a 75 percent efficiency or better powersupply if that concerned about saving power.

That's assuming they don't have one allready...

 

[Roberty]

Picked up a 19" BenQ T903 LCD...

it does 1280x1024, honestly dont think I would ever go past that resolution, never did on my old crt anyways...

I used to think no one would ever need a higher resolution than 800x600 either.

22" Mitsubishi Diamond Pro here that I got free from a friend that was dead but still under warranty. Cost me $37 to FedEx it to Atlanta and get the replacement one I have now. Not gonna be switching to LCD ever probably. If a decently priced, thin, higher performance future monitor comes along one day, THEN I might be tempted. I have a huge desk so space isn't an issue with me - performance is.

 

[GlobalFear]

I run a dual monitor setup with a BenQ fp937s (lcd) and a KDS 19 CRT. I use the lcd for gaming and run full screen WMP visualizations and chat apps on the CRT. The lcd was much crisper and vibrant than the old CRT. No ghosting on the lcd either. (12ms)

 

[zandor]

Sony FW900 24" CRT running HL2 at 2304x1440@75hz = win

Hey! That's my line! (I've got one too. ) Nothing like mad high res for games. If it doesn't support 2304x1440, 2048x1536 or 1920x1200 will have to do. Failing that, they'd better at least let me have 1600x1200.

 

[ShuttleLuv]

I have tested an LCD recently and I have to say, they've improved ten fold. Compared to my old LCD this thing is miles apart. There is still blurring, if ever so slight, but not enough that it keeps me from a frag or two. Color is also good, though not quite as vibrant as a CRT. CRT's hold the color values more vibrant, while LCD's hold the color more crisp and sharp with good definition. All in all, I wouldn't worry. The major drawback for me with LCD's still is the fixed resolution. Other than this, they're great.

 

[Jasonx82]

Which Company? and in the United States?

Plenty of manufacturers have a no dead pixel policy...

 

[GlobalFear]

Which Company? and in the United States?

I believe dell does. (Atleast I thought so)

 

[corebreach]

I believe dell does. (Atleast I thought so)

Dell does not manufacture LCD panels, they just put them in a chassis along with other necessary components. I believe LG makes their LCD panels.

 

[brom42]

Dell does not manufacture LCD panels, they just put them in a chassis along with other necessary components. I believe LG makes their LCD panels.

Yes, LG does make them

 

[darktiger]

LCD's power savings are a little bit overrated.

A 21 inch trinitron dual or ultrascan CRT monitor will consume about 120watts, about 1/3rd of what an enthusiasts computer base will draw. Regular CRT's will consume less, some older models will consume more. A 20 inch active matrix LCD can consume around 50 watts.

Noticable, yes... But most people are still better off just paying $50 more for a 75 percent efficiency or better powersupply if that concerned about saving power.

I noticed a big difference in my electricity bill(non season releated), after I replaced 6 crt's with 6 lcd's, my electricity bill dropped $15-20 a month....Which is a savings of almost $200 dollars a year... Also I enjoy all the space I have gained....Games look just fine on my lcd's....

 

[ZenOps]

I find it hard to believe you can save $15 a month, my entire billable kilowatt/hour electricity monthly bill for a small condo is only $18 Canadian.

I run a 21" monitor here, assuming I leave it on 12 hours of the day every day it works out to be about 1 kilowatthour more than a LCD (80watts difference x 12 hours)
Assuming 365 days a year and 6 cents/kilowatthour, its ends up being about a $22 cdn difference per year. I consider myself to be a heavy, heavy computer user too.

Mind you, I do not have to pay extra for cooling because any extra heat the monitor creates is greatly welcomed (living in Calgary Canada, where half of the year its below freezing) Otherwise I'd just turn on a portable electric heater.

 

[EGGO]

Nope, haven't switched to a LCD yet, simply because I also do heavy graphic designing/webdesigning/3d animation/graphic art. =0)

 

[Pvt. Potter]

I find it hard to believe you can save $15 a month, my entire billable kilowatt/hour electricity monthly bill for a small condo is only $18 Canadian.

I run a 21" monitor here, assuming I leave it on 12 hours of the day every day it works out to be about 1 kilowatthour more than a LCD (80watts difference x 12 hours)
Assuming 365 days a year and 6 cents/kilowatthour, its ends up being about a $22 cdn difference per year. I consider myself to be a heavy, heavy computer user too.

Mind you, I do not have to pay extra for cooling because any extra heat the monitor creates is greatly welcomed (living in Calgary Canada, where half of the year its below freezing) Otherwise I'd just turn on a portable electric heater.

wow... im in california and mine is always around 200 bucks

 

[burningrave101]

Plenty of manufacturers have a no dead pixel policy...

Um not that i know of. Samsung is one of the few that have started offering a no dead pixel policy for the first 6 months and i dont think its available in the US yet.

I believe dell does. (Atleast I thought so)

Dell's policy involves you returning the LCD for whatever reason for a certain period of time although i'm not sure how long that period is. Its not really a no dead pixel policy. You'd be switching LCD's for a while if you wanted one with zero dead pixels because Dell LCD's are notorious for having dead pixels.

The Hyundai L90D+ seems to be very good at being free of dead pixels. I have zero dead pixels on mine.

http://www20.graphics.tomshardware.com/display/20050215/index.html

 

[Archer75]

I have the 20" Dell 2001fp LCD. Excellent monitor. Better than any CRT I have seen and the two Sony Trinitrons it replaced. Awesome monitor. No ghosting whatsoever. Not even alittle bit.

Most LCD's now have a response time of 16ms, which is perfect for gaming. And that dell and it's widescreen borther the 2005 go on sale quite often for about $550. Not bad for a 20" LCD.

 

[Dan_D]

I find it hard to believe you can save $15 a month, my entire billable kilowatt/hour electricity monthly bill for a small condo is only $18 Canadian.

I run a 21" monitor here, assuming I leave it on 12 hours of the day every day it works out to be about 1 kilowatthour more than a LCD (80watts difference x 12 hours)
Assuming 365 days a year and 6 cents/kilowatthour, its ends up being about a $22 cdn difference per year. I consider myself to be a heavy, heavy computer user too.

Mind you, I do not have to pay extra for cooling because any extra heat the monitor creates is greatly welcomed (living in Calgary Canada, where half of the year its below freezing) Otherwise I'd just turn on a portable electric heater.

Where I live I run the AC almost all day every day and I have a 22inch CRT. Plus my computer isn't exactly the most power effecient.

Yet my electric bill is only around $90 a month.

 

[fallguy]

I will never go back to a bulky, ugly, hot, heavy, and eye straining CRT again.

 

[Zoramac]

I will never go back to a bulky, ugly, hot, heavy, and eye straining CRT again.

ditto that,

the only crts i use are on my test/setup bench

 

[Syphon Filter]

I will never go back to a bulky, ugly, hot, heavy, and eye straining CRT again.

See i dont get that at all. As long as my CRT is running at above 72Hz refresh then I am fine. Most people complaining of eye strain, I believe, do not have their CRT's set up correctly.

 

[wtburnette]

See i dont get that at all. As long as my CRT is running at above 72Hz refresh then I am fine. Most people complaining of eye strain, I believe, do not have their CRT's set up correctly.

I completely agree, though I have to have my refresh up to 85hz before I don't get eye strain. From the LCD's I've worked with and used, I'd much rather use a CRT. I'm sure things will change in the future, but for now I still like CRT's better.

 

[darktiger]

I find it hard to believe you can save $15 a month, my entire billable kilowatt/hour electricity monthly bill for a small condo is only $18 Canadian.

I run a 21" monitor here, assuming I leave it on 12 hours of the day every day it works out to be about 1 kilowatthour more than a LCD (80watts difference x 12 hours)
Assuming 365 days a year and 6 cents/kilowatthour, its ends up being about a $22 cdn difference per year. I consider myself to be a heavy, heavy computer user too.

Mind you, I do not have to pay extra for cooling because any extra heat the monitor creates is greatly welcomed (living in Calgary Canada, where half of the year its below freezing) Otherwise I'd just turn on a portable electric heater.

Yes that includes the energy saved from not having to run the AC at 65°F. Because having 5-6 CRT's on at the same time for some LAN gaming, heats up a room very quickly. Plus that is your savings from 1 21"CRT. I had 2 19", and 4 17". So I would multiply that $22cdn by atleast 4. then there is the extra cooling I have to pay for (South Texas gets pretty hot, summers at 100-105°F).

 

[Tofu Drift]

Screen size matters a lot to me when I'm gaming. I could buy 2 quality 19" CRTs with the money I would spend buying 1 quality 19" LCD, so I decided to get a decent CRT. Maybe in a few years when LCD prices settle down and the better LCDs become mainstream technology, I will go for one of those to save some space on my desk.

 

[dgb]

Um not that i know of. Samsung is one of the few that have started offering a no dead pixel policy for the first 6 months and i dont think its available in the US yet.

Fair enough, last time I looked in Australia, Samsung, Benq (recently) and some other manufacturer were offering them.

 

[dgb]

Most people complaining of eye strain, I believe, do not have their CRT's set up correctly.

That may be true for the average person, but I think you are wrong on this forum.

 

[burningrave101]

See i dont get that at all. As long as my CRT is running at above 72Hz refresh then I am fine. Most people complaining of eye strain, I believe, do not have their CRT's set up correctly.

How exactly do you set up a CRT correctly?

A cathode ray tube is the same technology that has been used in TV's for years. It really hasn't changed much and its still hard on your eyes to sit and stare at all day no matter how high the refresh rate is.

LCD's which use liquid crystals are new technlogy and are definitely easier on the eyes.

One of the major reasons an LCD is easier on the eyes is the text on the screen is alot more crisp and easier to read. Its more blurry on a CRT which causes eye strain.

 

[Syphon Filter]

I am just saying that CRTs do not cause eye strain inherently. They only do this if the user has not set up the monitor correctly. By this i mean they have not set the refresh high enough. Or they are trying to use a resolution that is too high and therefore the screen cannot have a high enough refresh at said resolution. I have seen and used some of the more expensive LCD screens out there and I am sorry to say that none compare to a decent quality CRT. And the price difference is massive.

 

[fallguy]

See i dont get that at all. As long as my CRT is running at above 72Hz refresh then I am fine. Most people complaining of eye strain, I believe, do not have their CRT's set up correctly.

I had mine setup just fine. Playing in the dark, for a few ours, would strain my eyes. Or hours of other activities would do the same. Seemed like it was worse with a white background, like from Word or something.

I dont have that problem now.

Screen size matters a lot to me when I'm gaming. I could buy 2 quality 19" CRTs with the money I would spend buying 1 quality 19" LCD, so I decided to get a decent CRT. Maybe in a few years when LCD prices settle down and the better LCDs become mainstream technology, I will go for one of those to save some space on my desk.

? You cant use two monitors when gaming anyways, so that makes no sense. You get more screen wth a 19" LCD, than a 19" CRT. About 1" more.

 

[wtburnette]

Ya know, I'm curious why these things always turn into people trying to get other people to change their minds and see things "their way". Who gives a flaming piss who uses what? Some people use LCD's, some use CRT's, some use both. There's certainly no right or wrong answer here. Everyone has their own reasons for using what they use...

 

[Darth Bagel]

See i dont get that at all. As long as my CRT is running at above 72Hz refresh then I am fine. Most people complaining of eye strain, I believe, do not have their CRT's set up correctly.

i got horrible eyestrain from my crt, no matter the resolution or refresh rate. i usually ran it at at least 75, more likely 85 (cant remember, its been a while) and it still hurt, because i could see it flicker as it refreshed. 60 literally makes my eyes burn in a matter of minutes. ive talked to plenty of people that thought i was nuts for not liking 60. its a personal thing, your eyes arent going to be the same as anyone else's.

went out and bought an nec multisync lcd1765. best money i ever spent. sharp as hell, i can see no ghosting whatsoever. colors are nice and warm. probably not terribly accurate, but what the hell do i care? im an engineer not a designer. got another nec panel, but i kinda regret it. theyve gone downhill since i got my 1765.