How long will a good display last?

[djones148]

If I purchased a high end monitor like the NEC 2490, how long could I expect it to last and not become obsolete?

I've been planning a new system and debating whether its better to spend large amount on a monitor and relatively less on on the PC itself. I hate to spend large amounts of money on video cards, etc which depreciate in value so quickly.

 

[MrPibb]

Go for a good display. You will love it and it will last you well until... well, a pretty long time. Unless you get something now, and then a few years later want something even bigger. But I don't see that happening for most people. Not everyone needs or wants their desktop on a 50" HDTV, although some do it. A good 22" or 24" is the size to get right now, and can be had for $200 - $300. I'm sure it will last you until we put our desktops into holograms.

 

[toadeater]

The next tech shift in monitors is to LED backlighting. They are significantly better, but they won't obsolete a quality *VA or IPS panel, they use the same panels it's just the backlighting that is improved. OLED is coming after that, but that won't be very soon.

Get a quality LCD, because you'll be looking at it for a long time. Don't skimp too much on the graphics card if you plan on gaming though. And think about what you'll need to play games on a 1920x1200 monitor, you'll need a more powerful graphics card than with a lower resolution monitor.

 

[LittleNemoNES]

The market is not too old to prove this but '10 years' is thrown around a lot.
On a well taken care of LCD, the backlight would most likely give out first -- it can be replaced.

 

[dug777]

I'm still using my 21" Samsung CRT

 

[Lonyo]

I spent £300 ($600) on 2 17" LCD's 2.5 years ago, and still use them. I added a 20" widescreen to go with them ~1yr ago, for £150 ($300).
The thing with monitors is, even if you upgrade, you can still keep using the old ones in addition to whatever new stuff you buy.

 

[TC91]

most LCD's are advertised to last from ~40,000 to 60,000 hours, depending on the brightness setting. which should equate to around 10 years of usage.

 

[Zap]

It can take a decade or two to "obsolete" a monitor. Seriously, as long as it isn't broken a non-interlaced CRT SVGA monitor from almost 20 years ago will still work with a modern computer. The real question is... will you still want to use it after 20 years?