Computer upgrade dilemna(s)
 

I use my computer for work(word processing, internet surfing etc.) and to unwind a bit after work playing Unreal and other games over the internet. I also watch DVDs from time to time. I have a Viewsonic 19" CRT that I want to upgrade to a 19" LCD. I have heard that people with 19" LCDs have noticed some "lag" problems while watching videos or playing fast paced games because the response times on the 19" LCDs are not fast enough yet to prevent flickering.

I would like to know if any of you out there with 19" LCDs have noticed this lag problem while gaming or watching videos as compared to the CRTs. If not, what kind of LCD are you using and are you otherwise completely satisified with it?

Many thanks in advance!

simple Get a HIGH quality LCD and you will not have the problems with ghosting and such, But CRT's will still be better, But LCD's are getting up to a spot where you cannot notice it anymore. ( In my personial useage that is.)

I play a fair bit of Neverwinter nights / Dungeon Siege - both look pretty good on the LCD I just got. It is a 17" Acer AL1711 - the picture is really good.

Did you know the viewing size of LCD screens is bigger than CRT? - so the 17" LCD is much bigger viewing area than CRT...

I don't really know much about LCD screens, or how they've advanced, but the ones in our
school Library are fairly new, but to me, just don't have the same sharpness as a CRT monitor
(if those are Tube monitors, I don't know the technical terms either.) If it were me, I would
just upgrade to a nicer looking 19" Tube monitor, flatscreen/Trinitron - especially if you like
to play games, plus, if you have a nice graphics card, you can up the refresh rate to unbelieveable
speeds that I doubt you could do with an LCD.
My friend is using one, and it looks 1000x better than his laptop LCD screen, although, I
do love LCDs when playing MUDs or viewing webpages, makes fixed-width fonts look nice. :)

I love my little 15" Viewsonic- would rather have a big 19" CRT for approx the same price, but space requirements mandate that I use an LCD. It gets the lob done, but from time to time I do see flickering- in certain games, if I move my mouse around too fast- but I am not sure if that's my video card or my monitor (I'm leading towards the former).

I have a 17" LCD with a response time of 16ms, and I can't tell a difference, and I play Counter-Strike very often. I love LCDs...I'll never use a CRT again.

Sony SDM-S74
Get that.
17"
1280 by 1024 resolution
DVI/VGA output
16ms response
Best monitor ever.

I'm not quite sure how there could be a lag problem because LCD monitors don't refresh the same way CRT monitors do. Also LCD monitors don't have pixellation problems since they don't use pixels.

If there is any lag I would almost think it would be more a function of the video card than the monitor.

Not true.
LCD monitors have a refresh rate, usually 16ms or 25ms, maybe higher. With 16ms refresh rate, you will not notice any "ghosting" but you possibly notice a tiny but with a 25ms refresh rate while watching a movie or playing a game.

belkins. if your look closely at your LCD screen. you will see little squares called pixels. thats where the term dead pixel came from....

16 ms or less you probably won't notice the difference..
CRT is still better but you won't notice it.

I'd always heard that you could zoom in on something on a LCD screen and not loose resolution because LCD screens didn't use pixels.

Is that incorrect?

Samsung makes a model 193P that has a refresh rate of 20 ms where as all other 19" models that I have seen are mostly 25ms or greater. Since I really don't know much about LCD screens, I would like to hear from the people that have used them for viewing videos and/or gaming and get their thoughts and opinions on 19" LCDs and its performance, or lack of. The problem is that I really don't to drop 700-800 bucks on a LCD and wish I had my CRT hooked up instead. I know 17" and smaller are fine for videos/gaming etc. because of their higher refresh rate. I have a 19" now and would like to stay with that size ecxept it being an LCD.

Thanks

LCDs have pixels. That is why that have "native" resolutions. if a LCD monitor is setup for 1280 by 1024, at 1024 by 768, the screen will look fuzzy.

Just look really really closely at a LCD monitor.

What is this "ghosting" that you mentioned in your reply.

simpatico, i would consider the dell 2001fp. i personally do not own one but trust me, they are considered one of the top lcd monitors. if i had the money, i would buy one in a sec..

specs:
20.1", 1600x1200, thin bezel, 16ms refresh, 400:1 contrast, and 250 cd/m^2 brightness.

reviews:
http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=1918&p=14
http://www.firstadopter.com/fa/archives/000004.html

if you wait. you can get a really good deal. heres an example that just expired recently. taken from SD.
"Another price drop. Dell Home has the Dell UltraSharp 2001FP 20.1" LCD Monitor for $899 - auto 20% off - $45 off $450 coupon 9NT6ZXD1$6QW29 = $674 w/ free shipping. No tax for some states."

Yep it's a fact, crt monitors are superior to lcd in price, color, motion, and contrast. lcds win the exterior aesthetic contest and that's about it.

Yep. Unless you can find an LCD with a refresh rate under 20ms then it's useless. The ones with great refresh rates are $300 for a 17". When you can get a 17" CRT for $85, it's hard to justify an LCD!

-Lasereth

look for an lcd with a response time of 12ms at the most 16ms though a 19" one will be pretty expensive.

Like Lasereth said, it's hard to justify spending that amount of money on an LCD when you can get such quality from a CRT. Personally, I won't switch until the price comes down (more) and the quality goes up.

Chris

I have to disagree when it comes to LCD response time

I have a daewoo 17" LCD. Not sure what the response time is, but I got it almost 2 years ago, and it wasn't very expensive, hence, not a great response time. It's 1280x1024 native resolution.

I played the hell out of max payne, and I have to say, all the talk about games losing so much on LCD, must be from people just talking specs, and not actually dealing with actual gameplay. I don't have an incredibly discerning eye, so maybe I'm not the best judge, but I don't think it was that negatively affected. Put it this way, there is no way I'd go back to having a 19" CRT monster on my desk, to trade the game looking a little better.

My 0.02.

I own the dell 2001FP. I LOVE it. it is huge, and i have no ghosting what so ever. The colors are briliant, and games work great. I play a lot of Doom3, RTCW, counterstrike, and UT.

If you watch the timing at the dell site, you can get a heck of a deal.. a lot of the time youcan get it for 25% MRSP, and that makes the cost like 720 bucks... great deal!

Bill

I guess i should read what is posted right ahead of me...

I agree with Xepidemic... and i do own one. I wish i had the mony for 2

Bill

I think the current best LCD is the Samsung 712N with DVI. But CRT's are still good since LCD's are still expensive. I use a ViewSonic P95f+ at 1024x1280@100Hz and it is good for Text and Gaming. The only think I like from LCD's are that there small and this so it wont take as much space.

NavySEAL,

I must agree, I had that exact same monitor, P95f, and i too, ran it at 1024x1280. It looks and works very well. I must say, however that if one wants a large LCD, then the dell is a great option.

cheers

Bill

on the topic of the dell 2001FP, i currently have a 19" dell CRT and a 17" samsung LCD, if i was going to go back to a single screen I would be looking at getting the 20" dell, is my faith justified or is there anything else to rival it?

I can second a 2001 fp, but I prefer my samsung 213t more for some reason. It's what I game on.

I have both LCD and CRT monitors...and unless you're willing to fork over the huge bucks, I'd stick with the CRT.
The thing that annoys me the most with my LCD is the contrast ratio...it's really tough to play games when you can't make out the details in the shadows (crucial for some games).

I generally find LCDs to be easier on the eyes. Well, for web browsing/word processing anyways....games can be a lil discomforting. They're well known for causing far less eye damage than CRTs (if the lcd is of good quality).
They're also great power savers :)

If your going to get an LCD make sure it has DVI instead of Analong.

Good LCD's are as good as any CRT. Look for the smallest dot pitch number and the largest screen you can afford and make sure you save some cash for a really good video card. Digital input is much better than analog.

I currently use two Philips 200P3 LCDs. The specs are as follows:
Resolution: 1600 x 1200 pixels
Response: 16 ms
Brightness : 250 cd/m²
Contrast ratio : 400:1

If I were a betting man, I would say that the Dell 2001fp is made by Philips. The great thing about this monitor is that it has the following inputs:

*RGB
*S-Video <----Use this to play PS2 at work and no one is the wiser (I keep it locked in my desk!!!)
*DVI-Digital <----Recommend!!!
*Dsub-Analog

but make sure that you have a video card that will support the 1600X1200 otherwise you will have a really big grainy picture.

Lots of experienced people in this thread with some great ideas. Just what I was looking for. I now think I'm leaning towards the Dell 2001fp after reading your inputs and a couple reviews from some tech websites. Thanks all for your help! Now...does anyone know the correct lottery numbers for tomorrow nights Texas lotto :lol:

Great stuff, let us know how you get on (and I seriously doubt you've ever go back to CRTs after some LCD loving :) As for the lotto numbers...I can give you the winning Lotto numbers for over here (NZ), trouble is the draw was last night and the highest prize we ever get is like 10mil (peanuts I know).

I will attempt to sum up a lot of the recommendations:
Connections: Make sure you get DVI-output; the clarity is amazing
Resolution: At least 1280x1024, 1600x1200 is nice, but the price jumps dramtically.
Response Time: 16ms and under is strongly urged.
Size: 17" and up
Brightness: 250cd/m
Contrast: at least 400:1

Keep this in mind: Statistics are nice, but try previewing the monitor, if at all possible.

I bought this on Newegg.com and have been thrilled with it. High definition videos look AMAZING on it.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...006-080&depa=0