Hiyas again everyone.
Lately I've been thinking of grabbing a 17" LCD. At first, I was just hoping for a good pixel response time (16ms), then I started thinking about contrast and brightness along with DVI capability, and then viewing angle, and... well, now I'm just confused between which LCD better fits my bill. I'd like a monitor that's crisp and able to handle games, but the catch is that I'm a cheap person, and I was hoping to spend around only $400 on the monitor (not $450, and $420 is edging it). I've been perusing Newegg for a while now, and I could really use a few extra brains on a few monitors that I have been considering.
BenQ springs to mind, immediately because of cheapness. The specifications on the FP767-v2 seem pretty decent, and the handful of reviews that I've seen for it seem to be favorable as well. Also, BenQ recently pushed out a new 19" LCD and also a 12 ms display, so they don't seem to be the typical value brand for LCDs. On top of that, someone on these boards added that the BenQ FP767-v2 LCD uses the same AU Optronics panel as the NEC 1760V and Hitachi CML174 (both of which seem to have a fairly good reputation behind them). However, the BenQ FP767-v2 lacks DVI support, which sorta erks me. However, with Newegg touting it around $375, it's very kind in terms of money ( http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=20&manufactory=1583&DEPA=1&sortby=14&order=1 ).
Iiyama is another name that I've heard about. I'm looking at the Iiyama ProLite E431S in particular. To be honest, I'm not too familiar with them, but a few random online reviews seem to view them as a company with very stringent standards. It looks good on paper, and at $407, it doesn't cost too much either. My reservations about the company, though, is that I haven't seen too many people using Iiyama monitors. Also, while it sports a DVI plug, it doesn't come with a DVI cable, which squeezes out about $15 more. Third, the Iiyama uses a power block instead of a power supply integrated onto the back of the monitor. As a side note, the Iiyama is supposed to be incredibly light (as in, maybe it could substitute as an oddly shaped, heavier football).
Sony's SDM S-73 has also interested me. The numbers are on par with the Iiyama and BenQ monitors. However, like the BenQ, it is missing DVI support. The Sony SDM-S74 is supposed to add DVI capability with the DVI cord to boot. However, at Newegg, while the SDM S-73 costs $429.00, the SDM S-74 costs $450.00. Both prices, when factoring in shipping costs, border on my budget and, quite frankly, I'm waiting for someone to tell me that they're not worth it. Still, I have to admit, I like Sony's aesthetic design, for some reason.
NEC's 1760V has been around for a while, and the reviews for it have been pretty favorable as well. The prices for it, though, have been jumpy, and at $429.00, they're just as expensive as Sony's SDM-S73. Furthermore, the 1760V doesn't wield DVI functionality and its brother, the 1760NX, tacks on $50 for the DVI plug. Due to the price, I'm much more inclined to the BenQ, unless the 1760V is somehow exclusively better.
Hitachi CML174 has been out for even longer than NEC's 1760V, and I hear that they both use the same panel too. The Hitachi CML174 trumps the 1760V with DVI support, but I've heard that the DVI support is half-baked since users cannot adjust the contrast while in DVI mode, and also that the colors seem less vibrant in DVI mode. Priced at $419.00, it seems to lose against the BenQ and Iiyama offerings.
Oiy, okay, well, hm, to sum it up, I think I'm leaning towards the BenQ or the Iiyama, and slightly more towards the Iiyama because of its DVI port. It seems to do a good job of combining good performance with cheapness. If anyone has an Iiyama, any of the mentioned monitors, comparisons of DVI vs. analog, or anything that can be misconstrued as an experience with a 17" LCD, I'd greatly appreciate some shedding of light.
Thanks for reading and any forthcoming help.
--Garfield3d
Lately I've been thinking of grabbing a 17" LCD. At first, I was just hoping for a good pixel response time (16ms), then I started thinking about contrast and brightness along with DVI capability, and then viewing angle, and... well, now I'm just confused between which LCD better fits my bill. I'd like a monitor that's crisp and able to handle games, but the catch is that I'm a cheap person, and I was hoping to spend around only $400 on the monitor (not $450, and $420 is edging it). I've been perusing Newegg for a while now, and I could really use a few extra brains on a few monitors that I have been considering.
BenQ springs to mind, immediately because of cheapness. The specifications on the FP767-v2 seem pretty decent, and the handful of reviews that I've seen for it seem to be favorable as well. Also, BenQ recently pushed out a new 19" LCD and also a 12 ms display, so they don't seem to be the typical value brand for LCDs. On top of that, someone on these boards added that the BenQ FP767-v2 LCD uses the same AU Optronics panel as the NEC 1760V and Hitachi CML174 (both of which seem to have a fairly good reputation behind them). However, the BenQ FP767-v2 lacks DVI support, which sorta erks me. However, with Newegg touting it around $375, it's very kind in terms of money ( http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=20&manufactory=1583&DEPA=1&sortby=14&order=1 ).
Iiyama is another name that I've heard about. I'm looking at the Iiyama ProLite E431S in particular. To be honest, I'm not too familiar with them, but a few random online reviews seem to view them as a company with very stringent standards. It looks good on paper, and at $407, it doesn't cost too much either. My reservations about the company, though, is that I haven't seen too many people using Iiyama monitors. Also, while it sports a DVI plug, it doesn't come with a DVI cable, which squeezes out about $15 more. Third, the Iiyama uses a power block instead of a power supply integrated onto the back of the monitor. As a side note, the Iiyama is supposed to be incredibly light (as in, maybe it could substitute as an oddly shaped, heavier football).
Sony's SDM S-73 has also interested me. The numbers are on par with the Iiyama and BenQ monitors. However, like the BenQ, it is missing DVI support. The Sony SDM-S74 is supposed to add DVI capability with the DVI cord to boot. However, at Newegg, while the SDM S-73 costs $429.00, the SDM S-74 costs $450.00. Both prices, when factoring in shipping costs, border on my budget and, quite frankly, I'm waiting for someone to tell me that they're not worth it. Still, I have to admit, I like Sony's aesthetic design, for some reason.
NEC's 1760V has been around for a while, and the reviews for it have been pretty favorable as well. The prices for it, though, have been jumpy, and at $429.00, they're just as expensive as Sony's SDM-S73. Furthermore, the 1760V doesn't wield DVI functionality and its brother, the 1760NX, tacks on $50 for the DVI plug. Due to the price, I'm much more inclined to the BenQ, unless the 1760V is somehow exclusively better.
Hitachi CML174 has been out for even longer than NEC's 1760V, and I hear that they both use the same panel too. The Hitachi CML174 trumps the 1760V with DVI support, but I've heard that the DVI support is half-baked since users cannot adjust the contrast while in DVI mode, and also that the colors seem less vibrant in DVI mode. Priced at $419.00, it seems to lose against the BenQ and Iiyama offerings.
Oiy, okay, well, hm, to sum it up, I think I'm leaning towards the BenQ or the Iiyama, and slightly more towards the Iiyama because of its DVI port. It seems to do a good job of combining good performance with cheapness. If anyone has an Iiyama, any of the mentioned monitors, comparisons of DVI vs. analog, or anything that can be misconstrued as an experience with a 17" LCD, I'd greatly appreciate some shedding of light.
Thanks for reading and any forthcoming help.
--Garfield3d
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