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How long do monitors last?

N

need4spd

Golden Member

On my kid's computer there is a 5+ year old 17" MAG Trinitron monitor with Diamond V550 16MB Vid Card.

I have the brightness and contrast almost all the way up...is the monitor going south?? Or is it possibly the Vid card. ( Or is it my eyes that are going south 🙂 )

So my question is...

how long do monitors last?
Any suggestions...?

Thanks..
 
aaaaageesss!!!

🙂

but, specially if they were cheap ones to begin with (i loath the day i bought "ILLUSION Technology Vision" monitor 😀) they start gettin darker and having other problems... ya can always take em in for a checkup but sometimes its so expensive it might not be worth it.

generally i tend to get sick of the small size of my 17inch at home compared to 21s at work and thats what will drive me to upgrade i guess.... ive had the 17inch illusion one for about 5 years now... and its still A-OK really (after 2 repairs...)

about your question... the monitor is goin south 😉 so take it in and find out how much itll cost to fix...
 
How long do they last? That depends. Some died < 1 year and one of my old monitors (CTX 17") still works since 1994.
 
Well, I would agree that in general they can last a really long time... however, what you have observed with the monitor getting darker is pretty common. The monitor will literally "burn down" in intensity, kind of like a really old light bulb. The display probably has years left to it, but losing some brightness is typical in older displays. It's probably more noticeable on the Trinitron because the aperture grill is darker to begin with (to my eyes at least).

For the record I have several monitors that have run for well over 8 years, on the other hand my top of the line 19" Trinitron had it's power supply go out right on the 3 year mark, definitely a disappointment as it was an $800 display when I bought it.
 
I have a 15'' Philips 105S, not TCO 97 or 99 certified. It runs without problems but I wonder if this lack of TCO certification means that I'm getting harmful ratiations or something. Should I change it just for this reason?
 
I have found the cable to be 'the weakest link' and its a pain to replace. Seen 3 monitors die after an average of 2-3 years.
 
While screens do sometimes loose their brightness and contrast over time, having the brightness and contrast turned way up on a TNT based graphics card is fairly normal. In normal 2D usage they are ever so slightly darker compared to other chips and their 3D was always darker than others.

You can always use the gamma control of the drivers to adjust the output from the card to counter either the effects of the monitor or program you are running.
 
How hard are you driving the CRT? i.e. how high is the contrast and brighness turned up?

How many times is it turned on and off a day?

Heat is the worst enemy of electronics especially tubes (picture tubes).

The solid state electronics and good for many years, except the capacitors which will dry out with age. The real problem is the tube, that gets weaker over time.
The pix gets darker, the colors goes out of balance, and the pix gets soft, either focus or the power supply goes bad.

Just because it was a expensive unit doesn't mean it would go south!
 
My Diamond Pro 2020U died on me a few days before the 3 year warrenty expired. Luckily I was able to get a replacement but still have to pay for the shipping (defective monitor back to NEC) charge.
 
i just replaced my 1992 Philips Magnavox yesterday with an NEC FE950+ I just needed a bigger monitor.

This may be hard to believe but put my 16i vis 1992 Philips Magnavox beside a brand new (ANY) 16i vis monitor and I will still choose mine. If someone has or had a Philips Magnavox they would understand.
 
Untill recently I had a 14" that date back to when 286's were still being sold and a 15" NEC that's 5-6 years old and still going strong. Replace only because of the size and how inexpensive the new ones are.
 
PC monitors usually last 2-3 years but apple mac monitors just last and last, I use a 20inch apple mac monitor with my PC and I've had it for years and it's image quality is still amazing!
 
The fact that it is an Apple doesn't really mean it will last longer. Just like Sony, neither are really any better than any other brand name TV.
Luck has more to do with it than anything else. Tubes are tubes, power supplies are power supplies etc.
ANY set will get soft with age!
 
nemisismk2,

You are pretty un-informed if you think that a MAC monitor lasts longer than a PC monitor... they are the same thing you doof, and most monitors can easily run for 5+ years same as a television.
 
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