Flat Panel Monitor. What should I buy?

[Akhen]

Actually Alienware does sell stand alone monitors, just usually more expensive than with a system: check it out (http://www.alienware.com/GearShop_Pages/Gear_Shop.aspx?CatId=1008)

[TraceR]

Looks like they only have one and it's a bit to expensive for me.

Here are a few I found on newegg that look nice. What do you guys think?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824116358

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824007050

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824014090

Those look any good?

One question I had is a lot of the monitors say the highest resolution they can get is 1280x1024. My CRT can get resolutions bigger than that. What gives? I don't need a screen res bigger than that, but I am curios as to why there is such a small limit.

[MadMax]

Looks like you budget is under 400.00??

Normally I would suggest the Samsung 213T, a 21" monitor. It's around 600.00

You can take gamble on Dell for their 20.1 " LCD and pray you get a good one. People who have a good one are happy with them, but getting a good one seems to be a matter of extreme luck.

[AngryScientist]

Get the Viewsonic. It's about the same as the BenQ (won't even talk about the Sharp) but it's approved and has more certificates lol. No, really, I've heard a lot of very good things about the Viewsonics.

edit: tho I just noticed the BenQ has DVI, while the Viewsonic doesn't have it. ..consider that as well?

[TraceR]

What does having DVI give me? Also what don't you like about the Sharp? I've heard good things about them. But I do like Viewsonic monitors though. I would really like an LG monitor but they seem to be quite expensive.

[MadMax]

What does having DVI give me?


Video cards are moving to DVI connectors. My last couple of cards purchased only have DVI.

[Mr. Neutron]

I have the Dell 24" widescreen (3 of them, actually) and have no problems with any of them, they were about $850 on sale a few months ago. I have the Samsung 213T which is also a great monitor and has dropped 50% in price since I got it 18 months ago.

DVI gives you a much better picture with no digital-analog conversion.

[lots]

Digital to analog will produce a reduce picture quality (just to point out)

Also, if you want any high resolutions on your LCD, you'll have to use DVI I believe..

[ianimate]

You absolutely need to consider getting one with DVI, i just got an Acer 17" with DVI and it totally kicks butt. The screen looks so much clearer and crisper, well worth investment

cheapo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824163129)

samsung (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001190)

acer (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824009044)

[kaiser_pro]

Digital to analog will produce a reduce picture quality (just to point out)

Also, if you want any high resolutions on your LCD, you'll have to use DVI I believe..

ironically its the otherway round, DVI only allows you to have a res of 1920X1080 or 1600X1200 (which is around 2 megapixels) so if you want 1920X1440 you'll have to use a VGA connector(also its mostly only analogue VGA monitors that support this perticular res)

if you want the SUPER 8 megapixel display you'll need dual link, which in effect is 2 or more DVI link bonded together, and for that you'll be needing a matrox, although nVidia do a twochannel dual link.

As to why you should get DVI: its millions times crisper

[TraceR]

I have a PNY GeForce 6800 GT graphics card. I think it has both a VGA and a DVI port.

[TraceR]

So it looks like the BenQ is the best choice now. Do you guys agree?

[TraceR]

I was thinking about what you guys said about using the DVI instead of the VGA connection. Since this is supposed to make a much sharper clear image, will the people who view my renders on VGA monitors see my renders as blurry or fuzzy? Since VGA is still the standard, I want to make sure people see things the same way I do.

[stephen2002]

A VGA connection on an LCD is not all bad. As long as they are running native resolution it is not going to be blurry or fuzzy. Most of the time VGA LCDs are good, but if you can get the DVI as it will be more "true" to your source.

I have a Viewsonic that has VGA and DVI input, for a while I was using VGA off of my laptop, then I got my desktop and switched to DVI. I would have to have them sitting side by side to tell the difference.

[Apoclypse]

I'm going to wait for those OLED's and PLED to start rolling in before I jump to a flat monitor. Those are going to rock.

[DJATOMIC23]

Got 23" widescreen SONY high def flat panel it great its got all the tricks eco lighting so it adjusts to your room lighting. even the SONY badge lights up if you want it to. also SONY get all the best grade screens so you wont get any dead pixels (i have none on mine) i had an apple 23" and it had seven dead pixels on it and it also did not show my bios screen when i booted my computer so i took it back! the Sony has a DVI and VGA port. it is a bit more cash but you do get what you pay for these days.


check it out.

ATOMIC

[TraceR]

Ahh ok. So do you think I should get the ViewSonic with no DVI, or the BenQ with DVI? They both cost about the same. I do plan to use 1280x1024 screen res by the way.

[deathman20]

Well I'd say DVI...

I had a 17" LCD and gotta say ya it was nice and clear with just plain VGA. But now I got a Dell 24" Widescreen, and it has both VGA and DVI, gotta say the DVI is much better then the VGA, even using the VGA monitor drivers using the DVI looks better then using VGA, even more so when it uses the DVI drivers. :)

[TraceR]

Will DVI give me as fast a response as a VGA when doing things like playing games?

[deathman20]

Will DVI give me as fast a response as a VGA when doing things like playing games?]

DVI/VGA has nothing to do with response rates. Its just how fast the monitor is rated to refresh the image. So yes, I currently using my monitor as a Gaming/3D Modeling one so its perfectly fine for that.

[irieken]

A VGA connection on an LCD is not all bad. As long as they are running native resolution it is not going to be blurry or fuzzy. Most of the time VGA LCDs are good, but if you can get the DVI as it will be more "true" to your source.

I have a Viewsonic that has VGA and DVI input, for a while I was using VGA off of my laptop, then I got my desktop and switched to DVI. I would have to have them sitting side by side to tell the difference.

Analog and DVI signals are like night and day, set to LCD monitors next to eachother, and you will instantly notice the difference. Just remember that an LCD panel will always look fuzzy if it is not displaying its native resolution, which may have been the case when you were using your viewsonic.

LCD displays are digital, but to be able to display analog signal they must re-digitize it. The most notable side-effect of this is a slightly fuzzy picture. I definitely recommend buying a monitor with a DVI interface, because DVI LCD monitors usually support both analog and DVI. If you buy an analog LCD display, you're stuck with analog forever.

These are two ACER displays on NewEgg which are under $300 and under the $400 price mark, and have been good for sub $400 LCD panels.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824009044
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824009050

[irieken]

Will DVI give me as fast a response as a VGA when doing things like playing games?

DVI is simply a digital method of sending a picture to the monitor. The monitor itself is responsible for the response time of its pixels (anything below 20ms should be fine for gaming).

The response time measures how long it takes for a pixel to change from one state to another (black to white). However, manufacturers are becoming very creative in how they calculate their response times, so it's a bit of a useless measurement (same with contrast ratios):(

The response time is not the refresh rate of the monitor. Most LCD monitors refresh at 60hz (60 refreshes per second), and some go into 75hz territory or higher. This doesn't matter though, because at 60, it's nearly impossible difficult to tell the difference. CRT monitors are usually set to refresh at 70hz or above, because of the strobing effect, not because it helps with maintaining the appearance of smooth motion.

I recommend buying a good DVI LCD monitor with a response time less than 20ms, and make sure that you always run it at its native resolution (SXGA is 1280x1024) to make sure you have a crystal clear picture.

[TraceR]

Still haven't purchased yet. Going to wait untill I have a little more cash. Been keeping any eye on newegg though just to see what they got. I saw this and thought it looked pretty good:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824112173

The only thing I am concerned about is the company. I have never heard of them before and so that makes me a little hesitant. Other than that it looks nice. It even looks better than the BenQ. What do you think?

[CyberGolem]

I have two Dell 2001FP's and have no problems with either. They have an excellent response time (15ms if I remember correctly, which computes to 60fps?) so games aren't a problem at all.

I'm a fan of Samsung just because of their quality in craftsmanship, plus you can count on their service should something go wrong since they value their reputation so much (can't say that for the other biggie's right now).

Funny you had mentioned the backwards compatibility of images (people with VGA viewing your stuff made with DVI). I wouldn't worry about it since it's usually the other way around as far as image decrepitude is concerned. Take a look at a regular TV signal on an HD system and you'll see what I mean. AS a matter of fact, all the stuff we produce in studio usually ends up looking better on the older TV sets... go figure.

Well, good luck!
—Chaz

[trid]

I really REALLY recommend the samsung 193P. Love it the second I got it. Loved it so much, that it had to be modeled. No ghosting, and it's crystal clear. Yes, it still is a bit pricey though but worth it.

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/7715/w00tmonitors1kn.jpg

[TraceR]

That looks nice. But I really can't spend much more than $300 dollars. So right now, it has to be either the Spectre or the BenQ. Both have DVI connections, 8MS response time, and are 19''. So I will go with either one. Which one would you suggest?

[Samurai Hack]

I purchased a Dell recently, the 1905FP. It's a pretty good 19" display that uses a Samsung TFT and I also like the fact that it has a built in powered USB hub. It also has Analog and DVI inputs and you can switch between the two with one touch. Dell has sales all the time so you just have to get them at the right time or check out pricegrabber. You can usually find it for under $380.

[motoxpress]

I have had very good luck with Dell LCDs. I have also know several who have gotten varuos sizes of Dell LCDs without a problem (24"-17"). One thing I can verify is that they will not hesitate to replace it if you have a problem. I had one monitor for over 10 months and somehow a dark spot appeared. It wasn't a dead pixel but more like something bumped it. Anyway, Icalled them and after suffering about 10 min on hold it took another 5 to get a new monitor shipped out for delivery the next day via DHL.

If you want a good monitor for a cheap price, check them out. There is always some kind of coupon or sale going on.

-gl

[TraceR]

K, I will take a look. I haven't had great luck with Dell's techsupport though. So it kinda turned me off on Dell as a whole. But I will see what I can find.

[scottsch]

I have had very good luck with Dell LCDs. If you want a good monitor for a cheap price, check them out. There is always some kind of coupon or sale going on.

There is a sale on this week actually, ending Sept. 21st. The 19" Dell Ultrasharp is $383. The 20.1" is $559.

Anyone care to comment on the color fidelity - is the color on these as accurate as a CRT?

[motoxpress]

There is a sale on this week actually, ending Sept. 21st. The 19" Dell Ultrasharp is $383. The 20.1" is $559.

Actually, you can get the 20" for $499 and free ship. PM me if you want the details.

Anyone care to comment on the color fidelity - is the color on these as accurate as a CRT?

Kinda realtive question. Not all CRTs are that accurate. I can tell you that you will need to calibrate using some kind of device either a CRT or an LCD if you are concerned about color correction or print work(and don't rely on Pantone like most).

Does it look good? Absolutely,. Is it accurate? I would say they are pretty good. I have matched my Dells and they took a fair bit of adjustment to get right. This only matters though if you are proofing and correcting. I would be using and external monitor for that anyway.

-gl


-gl

[TraceR]

On the Dell site, their 19" LCD was analog only...

[MadMax]

I'll save you the trouble here of dealing with PM's and secret handshakes.

Go to google, search Dell LCD coupons.

It took all of 10 seconds to find a number of Dell coupons, including the previously mentioned 499.00 deal.

If you miss it due to date expiration or First 1000 have already been redeemed, just check again in a few days. These things seem to be up on coupon deals more often than they are at retail.

If you miss one, it's a sure bet you won't have to wait more than a week for another deal.

Dell, bottom of page (http://www.justdiscounted.com/live_templates/relatedproducts_on_page.php?currentPage=129)

[TraceR]

I was reading PC World when I can across an add for this bad boy:

Acer AL1951B (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824009051)

I think this could be the one.

[GregHess]

Also stop by...

http://www.hot-deals.org
and
http://www.bensbargains.net

They routinely post dell coupons and deals. The Dell 1905FP is pretty much the exact same monitor as the Samsung 193P, just the bezels are different.

Review of the Samsung 193P
http://anandtech.com/displays/showdoc.aspx?i=2024&p=3

Here's a review of the 1905FP
http://www.anandtech.com/displays/showdoc.aspx?i=2332

I have two of the 1905FP's at work and wish I also had them at home. (Have a set of 191T Samsung's at home). They are great monitors. The stand is also height adjustable, and rotates horizontally and vertically (You can flip the monitors vertically if you choose to).

Wait and watch for deals, and you can easily pick the 1905FP up for less then 300 USD. The set here at work cost about 550 for both when certain dell coupons overlapped.

http://www.3dluvr.com/crossbow/incoming/1905fp.jpg
http://www.3dluvr.com/crossbow/1905fp.jpg

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