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HOT!? Mag 17-in LCD monitor for $444.99 + tax AR @ BestBuy (1/13 only)

T

theshamu

Senior member
Here's the deal:

BestBuy will have an instant saving of $50 off the monitor, plus there's a 10% off coupon for the weekend (1/11 - 1/13), plus a $50 MIR, so you pay $444.99 and tax in the end.

$599.99
- $50 IR
- $54.99 (10% off)
- $50 MIR
= $444.99 + tax 🙂

Here's the LINK.

Now, the question is, is this monitor any good?

 
SKU for this item is:

4238792 - $599.99 at the registers. Does not show a $50 IR today.

Is this monitor worth it?

-elf
 
That's a good price but note the obsolete analog input. You'll have a hard time finding a video card to work with one of these old monitors and even if you do, the picture will be kinda blurry.
 
Um, worms....every video card in the last 10 years has that analog connection. Many, such as my GF3, also have a DVI connection that would result in a better picture. My Samsung 170T (one of the best LCD's made) uses DVI, so I agree that it is a superior connection. However, you are incorrect in saying ANYONE would have a hard time finding an analog card.
 


<< That's a good price but note the obsolete analog input. You'll have a hard time finding a video card to work with one of these old monitors and even if you do, the picture will be kinda blurry. >>



What are you talking about? Correct me if I'm wrong, but almost all mainstream video cards use the 15-pin analog connection. It's the same connection used on CRT monitors and mainstream LCD's. The digital DVI connection you are referring to only appear on high-end video cards and high-end LCD panels.

If anything, given the video card you have right now (unless it's a top of the line GF3 or ATI card), you NEED an LCD with analog input.
 
Ok, to clarify, these Mag's only have the option of connecting via the older analog 15-pins? How much better does the digital connection anyways? I work with the 15" Sony LCD's and when plugging them into the analog they are a bit fuzzier than the conventional CRT's.

I do own a gf3 with a digi-out and would love to take advantage of that. Someone let me know because I'm wanting to buy this monitor tomorrow.

-elf
 
If you're working with LCD's that are "fuzzy," I suggest checking to be sure that the resolution and refresh rate of your video card are set to the EXACT resolution and refresh rate specified for those monitors. ANY variation makes them look like pure doodoo. I have a KDS Rad-5 -- one of the cheapest LCD's made -- and it looks fabulous. I can only imagine what a high-end one must look like!

BTW, the $50 instant savings is showing up now when you put it in your cart. I'm gonna wait a while longer myself. I think 17" LCD's are gonna be $299-349 within around 6 months.
 
LCD flat panels are made up of discrete TFT's to create the pixels you see on the screen. In order for the LCD to deliver it's sharpest image, you should run at the 'native' resolution of the flat panel, ie. so that exactly one pixel is mapped to one TFT. Thus, a 17" LCD spec'd at 1280x1024 for instance, really has that many TFT's on it! This is why every now and then, you get dead pixels (individual TFT's) because the failure rate per pixel is on the order of a few parts per million, which is insane.

Anything other than the native resolution and the LCD will have to map that lower resolution onto its TFT's, which result in something like an anti-aliasing effect that makes the image blurrier (or rather, 'smoother').
 
This THREAD @FW has at least two different scans of the 10% off coupons, so take your pick.
I've used scanned coupon before @BB, they took it without any fuss even though I overheard the manager muttered something like "this is from east coast" (I'm in midwest)...

 


<< I've used scanned coupon before @BB, they took it without any fuss >>



Just be aware that they are not supposed to honor scanned coupons and this is a hit and miss thing. My local BB stores won't do it. Good Luck!
 
I think I'd rather stick with a more major brand... I just got a Dell 1702FP from another hot deal post here for $575 shipped. Digital and analog, 3 year warranty, and it's a rebadged Samsung 170.

It is GORGEOUS connected to my ATI All-in-Wonder Radeon via DVI... almost like it better than my old SGI 1600SW.
 
sprog123: You are correct that virtually every video card in the world has analog output. If you want a DVI card today, you certainly have to search and pay. But the fact is, DVI is not just better - it's cheaper. Way cheaper. A DVI video card is not much more than a plug on a piece of fiberglass, and a DVI flat panel has a fraction of the circuitry of it's analog counterpart. Sure DVI is expensive now, but in a year or so the tables will turn, and quickly. Two years from now, when you need a new video card for the game du jour - chances are pretty good that the trendy card you want won't even be offered with analog output.
 
One word of advice, do not buy this monitor, it sucks crap. Everything is fuzzy and the colors are not brilliant at all. This does save a lot of space but not worth the money nor worth the picture quality. So everyone return your monitors if you have it.

I plugged into the analog of my gf3 and also tried the DVI converter, but your picture is as weak as your weakest link (analog from monitor). If anyone has any advice as to if I am connecting it incorrectly before tomorrow, then I might not return it.

-elf
 
fwiw, if the video card has a dvi connector, I believe you can use an adapter plug and still connect it to an analog monitor.

Meanwhile, if the image on the Mag LCD does not look good, make sure that you adjust the settings. Hit the AutoAdjust button if it has one, or play with the Phase etc manually via the onscreen display. Also, in Windows, make sure that the refresh rate is 60 hz, which is normally the best looking refresh rate for LCD's.

Analog LCD's should look very crisp if you adjust the settings correctly. I have worked with the cheapest 15" LCD's around (Planar and Envision) and they both were perfectly crisp text in analog.
 
Dufusyte: Some DVI/Analog combo cards can be configured to output either digital or analog through any connector. This is handy for dual monitor cards because both the VGA and the DVI ports can then be used for 2 DVI displays or 2 analog displays. The conversion plug just changes the wiring arrangement but does not do any A/D conversion - that is done within the video card. Future DVI-only video cards will lack the expensive A/D converter and thus will not have the ability to drive an analog display at all.
 
You were correct, I have to take back my ignorance on LCD's. I had the resolution almost to max of this monitor. I set it at 1024x768 and it is very clear now. Though I do not like running my monitor at such low resolutions as I cannot put more than a few windows open at once. It did change my view of this monitor though. Thanks again!

-elf
 
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