How do these LCD specs compare? btw. Dell and Planar

[jaggrey]

How do these specs compare? I can get the Planar 17.4" for $50 more than a Dell 17". Is it worth it?

Dell:
Screen Type Active Matrix - TFT LCD
Screen Dimensions 17 inches (17-inch viewable image size)
Preset display area:
Horizontal 337.92 ± 3 mm (13.3 inches ± 0.12 inches)
Vertical 270.34 ± 3 mm (10.6 inches ± 0.12 inches)
Pixel Pitch 0.264 mm
Viewing Angle +/- 80° (vertical) typical
+/- 80° (horizontal) typical
Luminance Output 200 CD/m² typical, 170 CD/m² minimum
Contrast Ratio 350 to 1 typical, 250 to 1 minimum
Faceplate Coating Antiglare with hard-coating 3H
Backlight CCFT (4) edgelight system

Planar:
Premium 17.4" viewable display area
Ultra-fine 1280x1024 maximum@ 60 Hz, SXGA resolution
Built-in 4+1 USB Hub
LCD panel:
TFT active matrix LCD (17.4" viewable)
True SXGA (1280x1024) with expansion support for 16.7 million colors
0.27 X 0.27 mm pixel pitch
400:1 contrast ratio

 

[Karaethon1]

The Planar is a lot better.

 

[jaggrey]

You know from experience or from the specs? If from the specs, which ones? I'm relatively new to the LCD scene, but I've gathered that dot pitch and contrast ratio are two things to be looking at.

 

[Karaethon1]

From Specs.

Here's what you want to look for (in no particular order):
1) Contrast Ratio - you want something like 400:1 or as close to that as possible
2) Brightness - the higher the better. try to get at least 220 cd/m
3) Response Time - Try to get at least 25ms or lower to avoid ghosting effects
4) DVI - also important to avoid ghosting apparently. The signal doesn't have to be converted from digital to analog, so things theoretically change faster
5) Viewing Angle - may or may not be important to you.

 

[vampiro]

I don't know if you have looked into Samsung, but I can vouch that the Samsung 770 TFT is an awesome display. If you are limited to those two howeve, I would go with the Planar.

 

[jaggrey]

<< I don't know if you have looked into Samsung, but I can vouch that the Samsung 770 TFT is an awesome display. If you are limited to those two howeve, I would go with the Planar. >>


That one is a little out of my price range. I saw that one at CompUSA today. Looks niiiice.

Thanks Karatheon. So in a word the Planar is worth the extra $50. Do you have an LCD monitor?

 

[jaggrey]

Also, is refresh rate important?

 

[Karaethon1]

I don't have and LCD yet. I've been searching for the last month or so (right after missing the 20% off Dell deal), and I'm waiting for another sale on something. I plan to get a monitor by Nov/Dec at the latest though, so we'll see.

As far as other specs to look at, don't pay attention to dot pitch. LCD's are completely different than CRT's in this respect. Mainly, you want to see the LCD's in person if possible before committing to buying them. Refresh rate is important, but I've never heard of anyone complaining about LCD refresh rates, even though they don't seem too good. What you want to do is use the DVI interface for your LCD so you can get the maximum and best refresh rate though.

Oh yeah. I'm basically either getting the Planar 17.4" or the Princeton SEnergy750 in case you're wondering. Big price difference though, so we'll see what happens.

 

[jaggrey]

I'm going to be running the Planar with my GeForce2 Pro card for right now. The monitor is breaking my pockets enough....I can't afford a DVI card right now (I'd be taking a step backwards getting a Radeon VE or something in that range from this one).