billege

Well shit.
I've had this KDS monitor for about 2-3 years. It's dying, because it's a POS.
My dad's still got a 10 year old 15" generic running on my mom's email box, but my 19" is losing a gun. The screen keeps flickering between the correct colors, and a sickley yellow hue. Okay, it's "been drinking too much coffee" piss yellow. What a wonderful shade to look at, you know?

So, I start looking at monitors. I can buy another 19" ("flat tube," of course)for right around $177 (sticking with safe "I know the brand name" types).

I can get a 17" LCD for about $270. I see 19 inchers around $375.

Complicating matters, is the fact that I can get a 21" refurbished Trinitron for $228, locally even, so no shipping cost. Warranty is good to go. Basically, it's a failed corporate model that sat on a guy's desk, acted up, was fixed, and is being sold for residual value, with a decent warranty.

Desk space isn't so much an issue as I'd just be happier without a massive freakin' monitor. I'd like the compact "el Neato" size of the LCD. What I don't like is the size reduction in screen area.

I'd LOVE to have 21" of screen space to play with.

I understand that the viewable image on a 17" LCD is not far from that of a 19" monitor. I'm understanding that if I did pay $100 extra for the 17" LCD, I'd be paying to save the on the bulk size of a CRT. Is that right? The trade off is simply cash for space? What kind of picture quality am I giving up/gaining?

I don't harldy play games, so pixel response time isn't much of an issue. I do occasionally watch movies on the PC, so I'd be happy if the picture was good. I'm stuck on the cash/mass equasion. Who can convince me to pay an extra hundred dollars for a smaller screen? Or, fifty dollars in the case of the 17" LCD vs. the 21" Trinitron.


Edit: On the off chance anyone's interested, it's the blue gun that took a crap.

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Rawb

Just on the off chance, on all of the monitors that I have had die, not a single one was the gun, it was always the cable. I have three monitors sitting in storage right now, not one can successfully display a full color image, except if you tweak the cable in just the right places on just the right angle when the moon is at full ascention.

Anyways, assuming that your monitor really is dying. I would go with the LCD, a 19" LCD is going to give you the effective screen space of a 21". If you notice on CRT's there is a big border (the bezel). CRT manufactures measure the size of their screen by measuring the glass in front, including whatever is sitting there behind the bezel, that you can't see. LCD's however, have to be more honest, there isn't anything really sitting behind the bezel (just metal, and stuff like that, but no LCD display sitting behind the bezel), so the screen size on an LCD is the real screen size.

The thing that might get you, is resolution, LCD's have 1 resolution that they work at (the native resolution), most of them won't even attempt to display above that resolution, and below it, they scale the picture up. The scaled picture normally looks fuzzy, and generally quite awful. So while on a 21" CRT you can get away with 1600x1200 (or maybe above), on a 19" LCD (espically at the prices you were listing), 1280x1024 is going to be your max.

Picture quality on an LCD is generally much better, I'm a software developer, and I wouldn't give up my LCD for anything (be sure to use DVI for the sharpest picture). When watching movies, some LCD's have a problem with black, there is generally too big of a dropoff between grey and black, which can normally be fixed by adjusting the brightness and contrast, but just a warning.

Lasereth

I wouldn't buy an LCD without a killer refresh rate even if I wasn't going to play games. LCDs with a higher-than-20ms refresh rate ghost during Windows browsing, not just games. I've also noticed the black/grey problem that aoeuhtns is talking about on more than one LCD. The LCDs are simply not capable of being at the same brightness/contrast level as CRTs. No matter how much I changed the settings, the LCD always had a dim, washed out look. All of these problems can be averted, but not without spending a ton of a nice LCD.

That being said, I'd buy the Trinitron with the warranty. Warranties rock.

-Lasereth

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bendsley

Trinitron tubes are spectacular. Sony hit that market right on the money when they released the Trinitrons. At 21" with warranty? Yeah, get the Trinitron.

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SiN

/me huggles her 21" Trinitron


quality is amazing, and I'd never want to go back to less than 1600 x 1200 again.

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sailor

Trinitrons are damn nice--I have two of them on my desk at home, and they are spectacular. Problem is they wont fit on my desk at school, so I have to go with an LCD. I havent noticed any ghosting or washed out colors, but then again, I dont play games all that often.

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Slarty Bartfast

I go to a place here in detroit called second wind pcs. they'll sell you a 19" trinitron off lease for like $120. I've bought two, friends have bought many, all quality units. Not sure about shipping. I think you can hit them at secondwindpcs.com or go a-googling.

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JustDisGuy

LCD's are way easier on the eyes for extended viewing. I'd never go back.

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merkerguitars

21 Inch trinitron user here too.....I haven't had a single complaint...

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