Sony FW900 just died. Suggestions for new Monitor

N

n370zed

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 21, 2012
Messages
450
So my beloved FW900 went to sleep this evening. Currently using my backup Samsung 245BW. I mainly game (Diablo3, GTAV, any upcoming Titles that might interest me) and watch movies. Ive been spoiled by the Sony so I dont know what to look for in an LCD. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Size wise I see 27" seems to be the norm. Anything bigger would be great!

*edit* Maximum $500 budget.
 
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my condolences, I hope it gave you a few good years :)

also might not hurt to post in the FW900 thread here - maybe it's salvageable?
 
Bought it used locally 6 years ago. I decided to tuck it away safely and just leave it be. Im anxious to see whats new on the scene.
 
If you've been using the FW900 for 6 years then it's probably going to be very difficult for any LCD to give you the same satisfaction. If price is no issue then I would recommend the Acer XB270HU, own one myself and by LCD standards it's almost perfect.
 
If you want CRT type quality for gaming purposes, then personally I would suggest the XL2720Z Benq, with version 4 firmware installed (make absolutely SURE it comes with V4 unless you plan on flashing it yourself, with Ubuntu). I went from a Dell P1130 CRT(basically a rebranded Sony G520 I think?) to an Asus VG248QE (Lightboost mode bought back the old CRT feel but the colors and gamma were AWFUL), then to a XL2720Z 27" benq with motion blur reduction. Felt even more like a CRT with much better colors/contrast but overdrive artifacts were pretty bad.


After someone dumped V4 recently, I buckled down and flashed it through Linux (a scary thing) and it turned the screen into a whole new monitor basically. Overdrive artifacts are reduced drastically and besides the "TN panel" drawbacks, it's basically a TN Version of a CRT. I couldn't be happier.

Since the FW900 was a 1440p CRT, ordinarily, I would recommend the XL2730Z, as that's an 8 bit TN panel instead of 6 bit+FRC and 1440p vs 1080p, however that panel is still too new, no one has done proper vertical total tweak testing yet (blur reduction is rather ugly without VT tweaks due to strobe crosstalk) , and there seems to be a 100 hz strobe bug (a workaround should be to use VT tweaks at 100 hz).. Ghosting during blur reduction seems to be the same as XL2720Z V4 firmware.

If you don't care about low/no motion blur gaming and only care about colors or blacks/contrast, then you'll have to ask the others. OLED is too expensive, so, maybe a VA or IPS panel.....

The problem with the Acer IPS gaming panel that people are recommending is, the blur reduction (ULMB) is Nvidia ONLY. AMD users can NOT use it. Benq blur reduction is monitor specific and can even be used on a console....
 
Wow thanks for the feedback guys. I'm not too picky when it comes to these kind of things. I just got really really lucky on Craig's list one afternoon when I found the Sony. I'm looking at the 27-32 inch 1440p monitors.
 
Rest in peace old tube

If you cant afford the Acer xb270hu, maybe you'd be happy with a qnix/xstar. Compared to the Sony my xstar obviously has ghosting (as will any monitor with no strobing feature), but you get the responsiveness of low input lag and 96hz+ refresh rate. Colors are great and on axis blacks are decent.

Another suggestion would be VA - inky blacks is a luxury. The Eizo Fg2421 is probably the most crt like monitor, but is 23.5", 120hz 1080p with strobing and over 500$. Somewhat related are the slower but larger 1440p VA monitors, like the BL3200pt or the 32" HP envy with the same panel - I'd love one of these for movies and non-shooter games
 
I beat rabiz! Buy another Sony FW900.

<350$ buys a new overclock-able Qnix QX2710/X-Star DP2710 PLS with <150hz PWM(Side Effects) =horrible motion clarity+high chance of visible flicker+possible health issues and awful build quality. The glossy Overlord Tempest X270OC costs around 500$ new shipped and should over-clock to 100hz. I have a custom matte AH-IPS version which over clocks to 120hz available in the FS section, where it might be possible to find a used glossy Yamakasi Catleap Q270 or PWM free Qnix/X-Star as well. It might also be wise to wait a month for the Asus MG279Q to come out. Best 27" 2560x1440 Monitors.
 
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Assuming that it isn't an irrepairable failure (i.e dead tube/gun(s)), I would definately have the FW900 fixed. If you want a LCD, keep in mind that the only ones that can come close to a FW900 are ones that you'll have to build yourself. Consider a strobed 1920x1200@240Hz IPS or a strobed 2560@1600@120Hz IPS, though the FW900 will still be better in terms of black level, contrast, and color depth. If you go for a LCD, make sure to put in the strobed backlight. If you don't know how to build a driver board and any other components that will be needed, then a LCD isn't a good choice for you and you would be better served by fixing the FW900.
 
NCX said:
I beat rabiz! Buy another Sony FW900.
Click to expand...

Fixing the FW900 or getting another one if it is irreparable is the best choice here, but I also gave options in case OP wants a LCD. Any prebuilt LCD, especially under $500, would be an enourmous downgrade from a FW900, but if you have the skills, it is possible to build a LCD monitor that comes close.
 
spacediver said:
uh no.
Click to expand...

CRTs are garbage

OP wait for the 144hz IPS MG279Q Asus in the next few weeks it will be out.

2560x1440 144hz is worth it


plus you will save over 253kw a year FW900 (170w full operational) vs LED 60watts which is about 40 bucks electricity savings. That is using your monitor 8 hours a day , 6 days a week about 110 watt savings

and alot less heat in your room and more space on the desk.

owned a FW900, threw it in the trash when it died, almost broke my back and pulled my hamstring the day i threw it in the dumpster. I laughed literately and walked away a happy man back in 2011.
got it for free
anyway my previous screens include
6 different panasonic Tv plasmas since 2006
2x NEC 2690s (sold) in 2013
and the sony G520 which i grew out of in 2007 got 2x NEC2690s CFL spectra-view .
Currently own
SGI G520 aka sony CRT in the basement collecting dust with dry wall mud all over it. Got some drywall texture all over it. Plan on cleaning it up and using for a DOS monitor if the capacitors haven't leaked by now im sure its about dead anyway.
2x yamakasi ds270s for PC gaming
1x vizio 4k LED "black levels are almost comparable to my 64" F8500" looks great for desktop use not so much for PC gaming . Does 4k at 60hz on a PC , consoles look great with no lag.
64" Samsung F8500 main theater TV
 
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n370zed said:
So my beloved FW900 went to sleep this evening. Currently using my backup Samsung 245BW. I mainly game (Diablo3, GTAV, any upcoming Titles that might interest me) and watch movies. Ive been spoiled by the Sony so I dont know what to look for in an LCD. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Size wise I see 27" seems to be the norm. Anything bigger would be great!

*edit* Maximum $500 budget.
Click to expand...

make sure you also save up for a good color meter like the i1display

own this one

X-Rite EODIS3 i1Display Pro


http://www.amazon.com/X-Rite-EODIS3...&qid=1430357163&sr=1-1&keywords=i1display+pro
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
@rabid
you realize that there are other things in this world than refresh rate right?
 
rabidz7 said:
While no LCD will ever outperform a good CRT, a strobed 240Hz 1920x1200 IPS is a lot closer to the FW900's quality any prebuilt option, which is what i meant.
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What you continually fail to realize is that you can't just drive up the refresh arbitrarily without taking into account the temporal dynamics of the pixel transitions. Sure, you might be able to drive an LCD at 1000 hz, but all this means is that the video signal is being updated every millisecond. It doesn't mean the pixels will be updated every millisecond.

Secondly, refresh rate is one out of many performance factors. What makes CRTs special and unique is not their refresh rates, but their lack of input lag, viewing angles, and contrast ratios.

This has been explained to you multiple times on multiple forums but the message isn't sinking in.
 
spacediver said:
What you continually fail to realize is that you can't just drive up the refresh arbitrarily without taking into account the temporal dynamics of the pixel transitions. Sure, you might be able to drive an LCD at 1000 hz, but all this means is that the video signal is being updated every millisecond. It doesn't mean the pixels will be updated every millisecond.

Secondly, refresh rate is one out of many performance factors. What makes CRTs special and unique is not their refresh rates, but their lack of input lag, viewing angles, and contrast ratios.

This has been explained to you multiple times on multiple forums but the message isn't sinking in.
Click to expand...

I understand everything you said. The 1920x1200 IPS panel has a 5ms response time, which is enough to do 200Hz. If you wanted to have a full 240Hz, you'd have to go with a 1920x1080 TN which is 1ms. The 1920x1200 panel is an IPS, so the viewing angles should be about equal, though it would loose out in terms of contrast and input lag.
 
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