Want to buy a new monitor
Hey, I'm looking to buy a new (or possibly second hand) monitor in England, I was wondering if people could recommend places to buy them. I would also appreciate advice on what features are actually worth extra cost. My only real interest is that the screen is around 17" or bigger, but I'm not very knowledgable about these things. Thanks a lot.
I say what I think. If you disagree, then that is up to you.
Which features you're looking out for depend on whether you're buying a CRT or LCD monitor. With a CRT, maximum resolution, refresh rates, and overall picture quality are main factors to consider. If at all possible, get one with PerfectFlat or similar flatscreen technology.
With an LCD, response time is incredibly important if you're a gamer (but if that's your primary computer use, I'd get a CRT anyway). The lower the response time, the better. A higher response time will result in what is commonly known as "ghosting", where the monitor's response time isn't fast enough to keep up with the high rate of movement on your monitor. This isn't as much of a problem anymore with newer LCD technology. Contrast ratio is the other major factor, and if you're not a gamer, it's your primary concern. It affects the clarity of your picture at different viewing angles. A higher contract ratio is better than a lower one (ie. 800:1 > 400:1).
If your an an area with lots of lighting flat screen moniters are very worth not having the glare. Mine saves my life.
...
Gamer = CRT
Non-gamer that has limited money = CRT
Non-gamer that has money to throw around = LCD
That's how it works. I have a 19" ViewSonic E90F+ and it's great.
Okay great thanks a lot, well from the sounds of it, I'll lean towards CRT any recommendations on where I can get one cheap? Specific models would also be welcome.
EDIT: Oh don't know if this is affected in the same way as games, but I use it a lot for watching TV/films etc.
I say what I think. If you disagree, then that is up to you.
Everyone = LCD in my opinion, but I'm not a huge gamer. I do play games sometimes and I don't notice any ghosting. LCDs are way smaller / lighter and thus way easier to move around, and they take up less desk space. Most importantly, you can stare at them for 10 hours at a time with eye strain. If you use your computer for long periods of time, LCD is the way to go for that reason alone. For long periods of gaming / coding, my old CRT monitor would cause extreme headaches and eye pain. I wouldn't ever by a CRT, not for a computer monitor. Maybe for a TV, but maybe not even then. My LCD monitor is the best computer investment I ever made, and it's not even a necessarily good monitor. The one and only bad thing about it is that it doesn't support resolutions above 1280x1024. But mine is old, and most people probably don't really need 1600x1200.
Refresh rates really count in graphic-intensive games like Half-Life 2.
The only online shopping I do is at Newegg.com. The prices are low, and the support and shipping are great. I can't recommend a site specific to the British currency, though.
I like www.dabs.com if you're buying online in the UK
And yeah, LCD is better if you use the computer for prolonged periods of time like me, I guess that's one of the few reasons I use my laptop for almost everything and hardly use my PC directly now, and only access that over the LAN
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