what to look for ina monitor?

[boutwell]

I have found Dell monitors to be of very good quality, and you are in luck!

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/ProductDetail.aspx?sku=20053YR&c=us&category_id=6198&cs=04&l=en&mnf=694&page=productlisting.aspx

The 20.1" Ultrasharp monitors are currently 20% off. You can get one for $440, within your price range.

I've had a Dell 20" for six years with not so much as a bad pixel, and I just upgraded to a 24" Ultrasharp.

Apple Cinemas are definitely better looking enclosures, but the insides are the same as the Dells, and the Dells can be had for $300-$400 cheaper.

[SanjayChand]

Panel type:

I prefer PVA panels. They have better color and contrast.
There are also TN-FILM panels that are good for gaming and IPS panels which I dont know anything about.

Samsung makes pva panels.


Response time:
the lower the better.
The absolute highest you should go is 16ms. This is bearable.
Try to go for 12ms or 8ms if you can find one.

Contrast:
atleast 500:1

brightness:
id say atleast a rating of 300. Maybe 250.

Make sure the stand is adjustable and that the monitor has DVI inputs as well as VGA.
Some can double as TV's and have extra inputs, like the new Gateway monitor and some dells.

[SanjayChand]

and btw , I recommend Samsung.

Ive heard Dells are DECENT if you happen to get one without a bad backlight.

Apparantly Dell's quality control with LCD's is horrid.
But thats just the word on the net.

[boutwell]

If Dell does have quality control issues, then I suppose I got lucky twice and received one of the quality monitors. No issues for me.

[DrQuincy]

I received this one yesterday:

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=3VCQ&CategorySelectedId=11109&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11109,40521&v=2#infoarea

Buy it! There is no other monitor for this price at this quality! It checks all the boxes: high contrast ratio, low dot pitch, low response time, etc.

We use Dell at work (and have had no problems) and the 20" one would be my second choice but I would rather this one any day. Any other monitor like this for this price won't be as good quality as Philips.

[storyForge]

Ok, so after some searching heres what i've come up with. I'd really like some input on people's opinions on each monitor as well as what is best. trying to look at response time, resolution, brightness and performance:

Sony SDM-HS95P (http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,120983,pg,1,00.asp)
NEC MultiSync 90GX2 (http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,124349,pg,1,00.asp)
SyncMaster 204T Black (http://pcworld.pricegrabber.com/search_techspecs.php/masterid=9482540)
SyncMaster 191T (http://pcworld.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=1358471)
Acer AL1951B LCD (http://pcworld.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=9885316)
SDM-S95DB (http://pcworld.pricegrabber.com/search_techspecs.php/masterid=9391647)

[kaiser_pro]

SyncMaster 204T Black 20"

the rest only do 1280, which is a waste for anything above 16" especailly if your going to pay more than $250 for them

[xLonewolfx]

if u working on art i recommand NOT to get LCD

since the color/light change from diffrent angle



i bought a sony 18, it was pretty nice, but i returned it the day after and got

19 LG crt

im very happy with it


i know its nothing special but still, i personaly cant work with LCD

[kaiser_pro]

does anyone make the CRTs like the illyama flatfronted ones?

they were awesome and have only been supassed by the really expencive dual-link LCDs

[storyForge]

I agree with the CRT vs LCD argument . CRT have better color and light. However I am a college student living in a small area and i Need to conserve space. CUrrently my topi pic is teh Acer. 1280 isnt perfect res for what i want, but it will serve me alright until I graduate and can afford a better monitor.

Thanks for the input guys :)

[xodibox]

iiyama is still making CRTs (one of the only companies still doing this it seems) and i would suggest getting one (a crt) if your plan on doing professional work on it.

for design work, your most important aspect is colour, animation is motion, both of which the LCD does not excell at. LCD's are getting better, but they still fall short of CRTs for colour accuracy, smooth colour/tone rendition, responsiveness and just about anything else you can think of.

The top end iiyama's (~$700 I think ...22") have hardware based colour adjustments that (if used with a calibrator, or painstakingly fiddled with) will give you near perfect accuracy and smooth tones.

unless you're investing thousands of dollars into an eizo CG, (and even then, it's up for debate) LCD's just don't have the fidelity to get smooth accurate colour across the range.

if your heart is absolutly set on an LCD, look for PVA panel, or failing that, at least 8bit.

[storyForge]

i swear i've seen pictures of professionals working on LCD monitors. I know color isnt perfect, but i'm only a college student looking to learn right now. I feel that a LCD will fill my needs pretty well until I am working at a professional level.

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