Help with Choice Of 19" TFT, I'm going crazy.

[Miseryrail]

I want a LCD screen and I don't want to hear about the CRT v LCD debate, I have an excellent 19" "IIyama Vision Master 1451" CRT which is going to be put to a computer I am building for my partner (I may keep it as dual screen). For my machine I definitely want a flat panel.

I play a fair amount of games so the response time is important, 12ms was the goal until the latest crop of 8ms appeared. The choice here appears to be the "BenQ 937S+" and the "Hyundai L90D+", and the "Samsung SM913N", 12ms choices would have been "Sony SDM-HS94P", "Viewsonic VP912Bs", "Viewsonic VP912B",

The problem is that I already bought a BenQ 937S+ and sent it back, now I am very worried about going through all that hassle again. I sent it back after 3 hours and got a refund. It was much darker at the top of the screen than at the bottom, by the time it got to the the taskbar it was quite washed out looking. No fault was found at the retailer (Digi-uk.com) but they gave the refund anyway (top marks to them). Maybe it was my video card (Sapphire 9800 Pro).

I can't bear the thought of making another impulse purchase and getting it wrong thats why I have been hanging out on this forum for a week. I am swinging very much towards the Hyundai as I have seen some very positive praise for it plus a fairly good test on "BeHardware". I need some feedback from users to overcome my prejudice about the Hyundai brand. I could also do with hearing from "BenQ 937S+" owners just in case my experience was untypical, I know that these screens are not all that common at the moment but there must be a few users out there. I am not keen on the "Samsung SM913N" as it has analogue only input and I don't see the point of this, I have DVI output so I want to use it.

Now the "BenQ 937S+" looked pretty cool, performed well and even the interpolated screen res's looked acceptable (not great but usable). Ghosting was non existent in the quick tests I did and no stuck pixels. So apart from the problem with screen brightness varying from top to bottom it was ok, are there any 937S+ users out there who can report whether this was a one off or perhaps a problem with my video card (Sapphire 9800 Pro). And their impressions of it.

I have pretty much given up on the 12ms panels since "Digi-uk" technical staff say that most manufacturers are now developing sub 8ms models. But you know how it is, when the 6ms second panels appear manufacturers will be working on 4 ms and then by the time you decide to take that plunge they are close to bringing out a new type of panel altogether. I want one soon so 8ms will do me for the time being.

Also if anybody wants my impressions of the BenQ fell free to ask I will try and oblige. though I am going away tomorrow (monday 14th Feb) for 4 days so don't think I am rude if I don't respond immediately.

 

[Taelvin]

Im also Interested in this information, right now for me its between the Hyundai L90D+ or the Viewsonic VP912b. But miseryrail i dont think that between 12ms and 8ms your going to be looking at to much of a "ghosting" difference, unless your eyes are really sensitive to ghosting (which is a personal thing) because from what i hear the 12ms VP912b has had no visible ghosting for many except the few who have those elite eyes. What ive been wondering is if the VP912b has better color production than the Hyundai, that might be good to know if its what is the cost between 8ms or 12ms.

 

[Mojo027]

I own a BenQ FP937s. I have owned it for... almost 1 month now I guess.

Overall I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. It's a really good monitor. So much sharper than a CRT. Mine did ship with one dead pixel which is kind of annoying, but I'm used to it now, it's not too bad. Since it's dead, and not stuck on white, it's barely noticeable on most sites anyways. Only if you're on a screen that is fully light colored.

As for gaming performance, it's really good. No ghosting at all as you mentioned. I normally play MOHAA, or CS:S. MOHAA has some issues, the blacks aren't as good as I'd like them to be. It is true that no LCD will have as good blacks as a CRT, because every LCD has a backlight which washes out black colors and makes them look brighter. But I'm 99% sure it's a settings problem, because I never notice the same problem in CS:S, which is about as dark. CS:S looks MIGHTY sharp at 1280x1024 I might add (native resolution). 1024x768 in that game doesn't look all that great, if you buy this monitor be sure your video card can handle 1280 x 1024 (that's why I'm buying a 6800GT soon, haha).

Mine doesn't have the gradient across the screen like you were talking about. I can notice what you're talking about, but that's only if I tilt the screen the right way. That's one of the faults of TN based panels, they have less than great viewing angles. But once you find a happy medium, you won't change the tilt on the monitor anyways.

Mine also has very minimal backlight leakage (just a ovalish shape in the upper right quarter of the screen). It's not very noticeable at all unless you're looking for it. Again I think I could minimize the effects with some tweaking as I never notice it in CS:S where as it's more apparent in MOHAA. I tried Doom 3 on the monitor, and it was apparent also. But Doom 3 got boring for me after a few hours so I never even play it anymore.

Like I said this monitor is great. The only reason I don't give mine 5 is because of the dead pixel and minimal backlight leakage. I would try it again, it is a heck of a lot cheaper than the other 19" LCDs I could have chosen from. Give the BenQ another chance and aim for a good panel.

 

[Miseryrail]

Taelvin, Their are quit a few posts on the 912B on this forum maybe they can answer your colour question.

I may not notice the difference between 12ms & 8 but what if I buy a 12ms panel only to find that I do!!!. Since 8ms is available thats what I will go for. The 912B seems ok but I have noticed a few complaints about the type of anti glare coating it has. I can't comment on this issue because I have never seen one working. One owner was complaining that the type of coating had been changed from the spec that he saw when he bought it. However most 912 owners seem happy with their choice. Apparently the XBlack coating on new Sony monitors is also very reflective and some people find it impossible to work with. The 937S+ I briefly owned had no problems with reflections but I also like Mojo027 noticed a bit of backlight leakage,

Mojo, I accept that viewing angle can do the gradient thing but it wasn't the cause of my problem, if I tilted it or changed viewing angle it just the difference in lightness between top and bottom stayed the same. I world have had to put the monitor on the floor and looked down from my cahir to equalise it. (no I didn't try that)

 

[shiznit]

i've been using the hyundai for 2 weeks now and its was the best $380 i ever spent. no ghosting, tons of features, and the dithering is very acceptable.