Flatpanel Monitor - Advice needed

[Xepheus]

Hi all.... As you might have seen in another thread, I'm looking for suggestions for a groovy new computer system... This thread is slightly diffrent.

With my new computer I'm looking to get myself a new monitor, flatpanel, something around 19-20", and something that's going to be able to keep up with the fast refresh rates that my new system is going to be getting *fingers crossed*.

The problem is that I don't know anything about flatpanel monitors, and don't know what features to look out for to make sure I get a good one.

A friend of mine recently purchased a new computer, and got a flat panel monitor with it, but because it's not quite fast enough to keep up with the graphics cards (2 in SLI) and so has a really bad echo effect as he moves around (which gives me a bad headache).

So... what sort of features am I looking for in a new monitor, and can you make any recomendations of good companies to go with, etc?

thx.

 

[xane]

see also https://forums.freddyshouse.com/showthread.php?t=65825

 

[Poox]

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-4221&link_number=

Thats probably one of the best out atm

 

[Xepheus]

Thanks for the links... I see things such as '16mm' and '8mm' floating around, I assume this is the refresh time? And therefore the lower the better, right? What other 'buzz words' and features should I be looking out for?

 

[Jonty]

Hi Xepheus

The main things to look out for are:

• Resolution - The higher the better, in theory, although you'll need a powerful computer to play games at the highest resolution. Measured in pixels, flat panel monitors can work at resolutions below the 'native' (normal) resolution, but often the picture quality can be a little blurry.
• Brightness and Contrast - Again, generally the higher the better. Sony use a technology called X-Black which is amazing when it comes to such things, but it comes with a heft price tag. Just remember You can always tone down a good monitor if it's too bright 300cd/m² brightness and 300:1 contrast is around the norm.
• Response Time - The time in milliseconds (ms) it takes a pixel to change from one colour to the other (usually white to black, but some measure from grey to grey which often produces quicker times so beware of any such tricks). Generally anything at or below 16ms should be fine for games (4ms is the lowest at present, 8-12ms increasingly the norm). 25ms or higher may result in slight blurring during fast moving images (e.g. games or DVDs) but it is generally slight.

The Dell 24" monitor Poox linked to is about the best money can buy. It features a Samsung screen (high quality), an insane number of connections and even a memory card reader and USB hub. Other than that Samung, Iiyama, LG and a fair few other brands also offer very good screens. Expect to pay around £150 for a 17" LCD, £250 for a 19" LCD. Larger screens are available but expect the price to jump accordingly.

Kind Regards

 

[Cyradix]

I have the 20" version of the Dell and I'm loving it
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...y_id=6198&cs=19&l=en&Page=productlisting.aspx

 

[Xepheus]

Hi there, thank you for the info... I don't mind a hefty price tag on a monitor so long as I'm getting something of quality that would be able to last me a few years...

That dell looks interesting, but no doubt by the time I have the money needed, things would have moved on (even if only a little bit), but the info you've given me regarding things like the response time, etc.. should all still be relevent when I get that far.

Regarding the brightness and contrast, I see that you've given an example of 300:1 - but I've seen some people talking about 700:1 (i think), how does it work, the higher the number, the brigther it is? I've had monitors in the past that were just WAY too dark, so a nice bright one should do just the job

Again, thank you

 

[Jonty]

Hi Xepheus

Brightness is measured in candela per squared meter, cd/m². I won't profess to be an expert but I believe a 100W lightbulb emits around 120cd. But essentially what it boils down to is the higher the figure the brighter the display, and as I say if it's too bright (which they can be) you can always change the settings. A similar principle applies to contrast which is denoted as a ratio, but this refers to the ability to distinguish objects from the background. A really high contrast ratio should allow very dark colours and very light colours to still be perceptible from black and white instead of merging into one (particularly important when it comes to dark shades, e.g. shadows in DVDs and games).

As for future proofing, that Dell is about as advanced as you'll ever likely to need. The only thing on the horizon is the DisplayPort connection which allows for high-definition video and audio to be sent from your PC to monitor, included copyright protected material (a bit like the high-definition multimedia input (HDMI) for TVs and such). But this is all still a fair way off, as no PC components or monitors as yet support DisplayPort, and that kind of protected content is only really going to start when Windows Vista and the next Mac OS arrive next year at the earliest.

Kind Regards

 

[TdC]

hmm personally I think it's more the contrast than the brightness you should be looking at. sitting behind a tft is much more like sitting in front of a lamp (tanning lamp hehe) than a crt is. in a crt the inside of the tube fluoresses under the electron beam, while in a tft (iiyama calls them lcd, but ok) the backlight punches the colours through into your eyes (big IIRC there).

atm I believe that there isn't a tft that can beat a crt for colour richness and vibrantness. my gf calls my tft "dull" for this reason (pissing me off )

I've not had much sleep though, so may well be off on a tangent

 

[Jonty]

Hey TdC

You're no doubt right as ever I wasn't advocating one figure over the other, tbh I don't pretend to be that au fait with it all. Sony's X-Black/X-Brite technology seeks to rectify such problems by using two lamps, in contrast to just one, which together with various other features can help image quality a lot. Then there's the use of traditional manufacturer methods to just create a very bright, highly contrasted display. I've seen some now hit 1000:1 contrast, which must be something to be behold

Kind Regards

 

[TdC]

ooh that sony thing looks the shiznit though Jonts


*want*

 

[Ixoth]

I have hyundai L90D+ (19") I like it, its with 8 ms latency: http://graphics.tomshardware.com/display/20050215/lcd-01.html

 

[Clown]

I have a VAIO with X-Glass. Il est le sex.

 

[Xepheus]

I was wondering.... I've got £265 saved up so far.. and in a couple of weeks time that'll be over the £500 mark... do you think it might be worth buying a monitor now (to replace the old CRT one I have), then go for a monitorless option when I get the new computer.... or wait until I have enough saved up to buy both at the same time?

 

[Jonty]

Hi Xepheus

I'd personally wait until and buy both. Prices can only drop and newer products be released as time goes on, and buying a new monitor now probably won't be that bigger an advantage. But that's just me

Kind Regards

 

[Clown]

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=5463599#post5463599
Mmmm. This is nice.

 

[Xepheus]

Hi guys, I was wondering if you could give me some feedback on this monitor please?

http://www.lidl.co.uk/gb/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20051017.p.Targa_19_LCD_Flatscreen_Monitor_

Is it's spec any good? And is it worth the price?

 

[TdC]

a little low on the brightness and contrast mate (imo)

 

[Xepheus]

so you think the screen would be a bit dark?

 

[TdC]

no, I think the colour representation would be less vibrant than it could be. try and get the highest possible contrast that you can. the screen will be plenty bright as is, at least it will feel that way for the first couple of days

 

[Xepheus]

I've been looking around at other monitors and can see what looks like it might be a good one, can you give it the once over please?

http://www.pcnextday.co.uk/product_...65&group=MON19T&pgroup=MONTFT&ref_site=kelkoo

(Or suggest another one that's good around the £250 mark - mini of 1280/1024 and 8ms (plus whatever brightness and whatever you think is good))

 

[TdC]

I personally own this one: http://www.pcnextday.co.uk/product_...ductcode=2072-4050&group=MON19T&pgroup=MONTFT

on my recomendation others on this website have gotten the same one and are pleased with it. thing is, it's 40 pound over your budget. as to the one you indicated, in comparison to mine the 40gbp difference gets you speakers and more contrast/brightness. I personally don't use the speakers on mine, but in all honesty I think it could use even more contrast. that's just my personal feeling though. also I've never heard of AOC, but that's just me I guess. is there a shop near you where you could possibly try out some screens? that way you could get a really clear idea what you personally feel is decent brightness and contrast. remember that a TFT is sharper than a CRT "regular" monitor but the colours tend to be less vibrant (until you get used to it).

 

[Xepheus]

remember that a TFT is sharper than a CRT "regular" monitor but the colours tend to be less vibrant (until you get used to it).

That won't be an issue - my monitor is very much on it's last legs, it's very dark - plus, coming from a laptop, I'm used to flat panel monitors - just don't know a hell of a lot about them.

Thanks for the link, I guess I could head down to PC world or something, see what they have on offer (that's the only place I can think of that I could try them out, anywhere else you can think of?)

 

[TdC]

not me, sorry, I live in Holland and have no idea what shops are about in England