A***** A***** 510 Report post Posted March 19, 2009 Looking for your input on either wide screen's or regular LCD monitors. This CRT is killing my eyes:-x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mod 135640 Report post Posted March 19, 2009 Going from CRT to LCD is a little odd when you go to a widescreen but you adapt after a few days. You will LOVE the widescreen! What to look for... Contrast Ratio 10,000:1 (or higher) Resolution 1920 x 1080 (recommended) Response Time 5 ms (or less if you play fast motion video games) Check your VIDEO card. Chances are if you have a CRT your video card is VGA. You will want to make sure your video card has a DVI cable or better yet a HDMI connector. If not you will want to buy a video card with at least a DVI connector. Some LCD's have VGA connectors but this is a analog signal so you will not want to use it. The picture will be sharper and more true with a digital input such as DVI or HDMI. I have a HP 22'' and I love it. It tilts on it's side so instead of a wide screen it's taller - this is great for reading cerb! but often I am too lazy to tilt it back and forth but I do use it for when I am doing word processing stuff and programming work. I also have a 28'' viewsonic and a 36'' viewsonic (I prefer the 22'' HP as the image is much sharper and the color is much more true and the hot spots are very noticable in the viewsonic monitors. (They fatigue my eyes) the HP has a GLASS like surface and is just very crisp and clear. I can use it for hours on end. My favorite LCD monitor so far is the SONY with the new BRAVIA Engine 2. The refresh rate is 8ms but it's at 120mhz (Not the standard this screen refreshes much faster as the normal is 60-85mhz for CRT's and other LCD's and HD tv's are usually around 100mhz so 120mhz is very fast and makes the picture that much smoother) - The SONY's with the BRAVIA2 engine are made primarily for a TV but it makes a amazing computer monitor if your looking for something high end and it's nice to be able to switch back and forth from TV to COMPUTER. Contrast Ratio 30,000:1 Native Resolution 1920 x 1080 (True 1080p) Refresh Rate 120Hz Response Time 8ms Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A***** A***** 510 Report post Posted March 19, 2009 Wow, thanks! That is alot of information, you should go into writing for a business ;) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mod 135640 Report post Posted March 19, 2009 I do write reviews for products and such I just can't link to the reviews from cerb ;) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
antlerman 17064 Report post Posted March 19, 2009 Mod has the numbers right on......I love my wide screen.......and I do heavy gamming on it so the speed is great........ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RubJunky 1954 Report post Posted March 19, 2009 True not all LCD's are equal, I have a dual set-up using VG2230wm's these are high end LCD's for graphic design work. They both run off a digital connection via the graphic card they are pricier then most but unbelievable quality. So as a note, you will see a hugh difference in colour, contrast, sharpness of text and images, but remember you must match then up properly with the right graphic card. By the way, you'll never find a good quality CRT, they are dinosaurs. hope this helps. rub. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buggernot 588 Report post Posted March 19, 2009 Something else you might want to consider is getting a laptop. The luxury of portability might be worth the extra $. But if you're content just upgrading the monitor, even a cheap LCD will do wonders for eye strain as opposed to any CRT. It's almost like going from staring at a strobe light to reading a news paper...really makes a huge difference and your eyes will love you for it! Posted via Mobile Device Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A***** A***** 510 Report post Posted March 19, 2009 Something else you might want to consider is getting a laptop. The luxury of portability might be worth the extra $. But if you're content just upgrading the monitor, even a cheap LCD will do wonders for eye strain as opposed to any CRT. It's almost like going from staring at a strobe light to reading a news paper...really makes a huge difference and your eyes will love you for it!Posted via Mobile Device I had a laptop and sold it, kind of building my own cheap system here. This crt is brutal though, even with my glasses my eyes hurt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A***** A***** 510 Report post Posted March 20, 2009 http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35696&vpn=ET.VX3HP.002&manufacture=Acer What do you guys think about this? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mod 135640 Report post Posted March 20, 2009 Before you order make sure you go into a store and compare it. I like a lot of Acer products (Lots of bang for your buck) but I am not keen on all the monitors they sell. We have a 19 inch Acer here at the office and I find it very dull... (Low Contrast and it's about 2 years old now) the one you spec out here however is 40000:1 contrast (That is really a big number for the contract level) so if you like how vivid the display is in person the price is right. My cons on the one here: -I hate that when you turn it on it displays the acer logo for a few seconds before allowing you to see the screen. -Low contrast (Dull) I would recommend going into bestbuy or futureshop (or any of those stores) and compare them in person side by side. The thing with LCD's is only a few companies actually manufacture them. Most of them are re branded. For instance when you buy a dell monitor it says DELL on it. The CRT's use to be Sony trinitrons (Very good monitors for crt's) but when they switched to LCD they mixed it up. For instance... BenQ (Of all companies - known for very CHEAP components) supposedly makes a dell 24" widescreen that gets excellent reviews (from what I have been told this is not first hand). I also hear most of the Dell monitors are Samsungs. I know the 19" ones from a year or so ago are for sure and LG I recall made the 18" option. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A***** A***** 510 Report post Posted March 20, 2009 More good ideas from you wonderful cerb members. Future Shop is run on commission, so I might be able to get a deal from them. Also, seeing is believing these days. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brandi 231 Report post Posted March 25, 2009 We don’t have a best buy out here it must be an east coast store. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mod 135640 Report post Posted March 25, 2009 Best buy and futureshop are the same company from my understanding. Best buy is more of the "Super Store" version. Even the websites were almost the same last year (I have not checked maybe they still are) oddly enough they do carry different prices. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
etasman2000 15994 Report post Posted March 25, 2009 Best buy and futureshop are the same company from my understanding. Best buy is more of the "Super Store" version. Even the websites were almost the same last year (I have not checked maybe they still are) oddly enough they do carry different prices. Same company different product offering, partly to avoid the price matching guarantee partly to cater to a different set of clientele. Future Shop sales obtain a small commission while Best Buy is straight salary. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A***** A***** 510 Report post Posted March 25, 2009 We don?t have a best buy out here it must be an east coast store. They are located on the lower mainlaind mostly, I doubt there is one up there where you are, which sucks as sometimes there are good deals. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest S****_Up Report post Posted March 25, 2009 They are the same company, but you can take advantage of Best Buy or Future Shop when their prices differ. Always check both for prices and go to the store with the higher price. They'll price match and give you 10% of the difference on top. I also check prices at local PC shops like www.rbcomputing.com or www.pccyber.com (here in Ottawa anyway) Best Buy will match their online advertised prices! Happy shopping ;-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RubJunky 1954 Report post Posted March 25, 2009 Don't ever buy from Future Shop or Best Buy. They have little or no support and try to get a refund or replacement on a lemon LCD. My best advice is to find a good local computer store, in these times they will price match and you get great service. I can name several here i Ottawa so give me email and I will pass on the info. rub Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A***** A***** 510 Report post Posted March 25, 2009 Good old Walmart came to my rescue today :razz: They have a 90 day return policy, it used to be a year, but that changed quite a while ago. Now all I have to do is unplug, pop off the case, slip it in, hook it up, and I am off to the races, LOL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mod 135640 Report post Posted March 25, 2009 Don't ever buy from Future Shop or Best Buy. They have little or no support and try to get a refund or replacement on a lemon LCD. My best advice is to find a good local computer store, in these times they will price match and you get great service. I can name several here i Ottawa so give me email and I will pass on the info. rub I have returned LCD's to futureshop in the past without issue. Never to best buy. Futureshop tries to sell you on the extended warranty (I always say no) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mod 135640 Report post Posted March 25, 2009 Good old Walmart came to my rescue today :razz: They have a 90 day return policy, it used to be a year, but that changed quite a while ago. Now all I have to do is unplug, pop off the case, slip it in, hook it up, and I am off to the races, LOL What did you end up going with Angela? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A***** A***** 510 Report post Posted March 25, 2009 What did you end up going with Angela? Started off at Walmart, I now have the ACER X223W, 22" widescreen, sold for $199.99, total price I think was $223. It was easy to set up, installed automatically, had no problem with "no signal" message. The only thing that sucks is the stand for the monitor, it's a bit wobvly, and not much you can do to adjust the height. I am not a hardcore gamer like some, nor am I "pro" such as our MOD, or people that need high resolution. This one is 1680x1060. All in all, I would recommend this one. Walmart for the price and return policy, it's 90 days, and beats most competition, no hassels. The CRT is going back to my neighbours, it was just on loan:lol: Popped a 512MB 184pin DDR1 400 chip into the slot, and I have also noticed the difference in start up speed. I now have a total of 1GB RAM. Bought it from a local shop for $39, yes I know the price is a bit high for that amount of RAM, but it was close, and if there ever was a problem, I could go back and talk to the owner. Next thing to instal is a TV tuner card, from Hauppauge. It's model 1201, bought for around $67 from London Drugs, I can watch both Analog, and HDTV on this system. Just one question, it states the min requirement for the TV card is 2.2 and this one is 1.8, would that make much of a difference? Should I NOT instal it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mod 135640 Report post Posted March 25, 2009 Just one question, it states the min requirement for the TV card is 2.2 and this one is 1.8, would that make much of a difference? Should I NOT instal it? You are referring to the GB/HR ratio? From 2.2 Gigs per hour and your card will do 1.8 Gigs per hour? This is substantially less so if it works the video image quality would be much lower. I would be surprised if HD TV worked on the 1.8 as it requires much higher bandwidth. Do you find the monitor a little dull in regards to the intensity of the colors? I am asking as it has a very low contrast ratio of 2500:1 contrast but the response time on it is 5ms so it should appear not as birght and vivid as other LCD's (and not true color - so gray's may appear bluish and stuff like that as it is a "Value" monitor). You should however be able to play video games on it as the response time should be fast enough for that. (I know you said you don't but if you ever got the urge you should have no problems with that screen) If you use the monitor for a few hours at a time one day let us know if it strains your eyes (Headache or soar eyes) that is a sign that the contrast ration is too low for extended use. I think I would have gone with a monitor with a HDMI connection and true 1080p as well if I was planning on using the monitor to watch TV but if your not concerned with HD and your fine with everything at a 4:3 (traditional aspect) ratio you should be fine as 1.8 gigs per hour is enough for that I beleive. Does the ACER logo appear when you turn the screen on? (I really do hate the acer screens for doing that - LOL - I am so impatient at times) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A***** A***** 510 Report post Posted March 25, 2009 You are referring to the GB/HR ratio? From 2.2 Gigs per hour and your card will do 1.8 Gigs per hour? This is substantially less so if it works the video image quality would be much lower. I would be surprised if HD TV worked on the 1.8 as it requires much higher bandwidth. Do you find the monitor a little dull in regards to the intensity of the colors? I am asking as it has a very low contrast ratio of 2500:1 contrast but the response time on it is 5ms so it should appear not as birght and vivid as other LCD's (and not true color - so gray's may appear bluish and stuff like that as it is a "Value" monitor). You should however be able to play video games on it as the response time should be fast enough for that. (I know you said you don't but if you ever got the urge you should have no problems with that screen) If you use the monitor for a few hours at a time one day let us know if it strains your eyes (Headache or soar eyes) that is a sign that the contrast ration is too low for extended use. I think I would have gone with a monitor with a HDMI connection and true 1080p as well if I was planning on using the monitor to watch TV but if your not concerned with HD and your fine with everything at a 4:3 (traditional aspect) ratio you should be fine as 1.8 gigs per hour is enough for that I beleive. Does the ACER logo appear when you turn the screen on? (I really do hate the acer screens for doing that - LOL - I am so impatient at times) Yes, the ACER logo turned itself on:roll: No probem with the colors from my eye's prospectives. As for the headaches, that CRT was brutal (could literally see the flickering) Hopefully this will help. For the 2.2 VS 1.8 I mean the processor speed. The TV card package had a minimum spec of 2.2 GHZ vs the 1.8 that I have Yah, I know some are literally laughing their asses off, but for what I need this computer to do (surf the net, make ads, etc) it just does just fine:lol: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mod 135640 Report post Posted March 26, 2009 Ah! It's a 1.8mhz computer and they are recommending a minimum 2.2mhz. That actually is not much different at all really. In fact if you benchmark a 1.8 to a 2.2 I doubt you would see much difference in them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A***** A***** 510 Report post Posted March 26, 2009 Ah! It's a 1.8mhz computer and they are recommending a minimum 2.2mhz. That actually is not much different at all really. In fact if you benchmark a 1.8 to a 2.2 I doubt you would see much difference in them. I took the tuner card back to London Drugs, didn't even open it. I am going to order a bare bones one from Tiger Direct for less than half the price. All in all this is a decent end user monitor, but for graphics and gaming, I would recommend you spend the max amount you can afford. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
