• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

LCD or CRT? Followed by LCD suggestions

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
I was in the same situation, but after looking at my desk and how taken over it was by the CRT i boughtthis . An absolutely excellent monitor, it may not be a brand u have heard of but its great. 12ms refresh (on a 19"), 2h glare coating (i happen to love), and its a true 8-bit panel which most lcd's with a refresh rate of 12ms dont have.
 
I thought I'd put in my two cents....before I realized the age of the thread and the fact that you'd already decided to go LCD, I was going to say "If you're a gamer, CRT; otherwise LCD".

However....I don't really know now. I used a 2001FP on my computer for a few weeks last month, and it was great....until I tried to play some games. I am not exaggerating when I say that I almost could not tolerate the amount of lag/ghosting on the panel in fast-paced gaming. I was surprised, to say the least, given all the praise of the monitor I'd read on this forum and elsewhere for its "amazingly low 16ms response time". Suffice it to say that I'm on a 22" CRT now. However, I'm probably more perceptive/sensitive (call it anal if you will 😛) than most, because I can even tell the difference in smoothness when gaming at 85Hz/85fps and 100Hz/100fps.

However, if due to space requirements you don't have space (or don't feel like lugging a 65lb monitor up and down flights of stairs, which is completely understandable too), I'd still probably recommend either the 2001FP, or maybe one of the 12ms Samsung panels if you want a smaller one.
 
Originally posted by: DanDaMan315
I was in the same situation, but after looking at my desk and how taken over it was by the CRT i boughtthis . An absolutely excellent monitor, it may not be a brand u have heard of but its great. 12ms refresh (on a 19"), 2h glare coating (i happen to love), and its a true 8-bit panel which most lcd's with a refresh rate of 12ms dont have.
Click to expand...
That monitor really does seem excellent, and I found it on Pricegrabber for in the mid-400s. But I just can't see spending that much money for something that only has a one-year warranty. Too bad, seems like a nice monitor.

To SynthDude: I'm hoping I won't have a problem gaming on an LCD. I've been using 85 Hz on my CRT for a long time now, but I don't think I'm incredibly picky when it comes to framerates and stuff. And the few people here who DO have 25 ms displays have said that even those are fine for gaming. So hopefully I'll be fine with any 16 ms panel.

The 2001FP is just too expensive, however. With all of the $400-$500 offerings I can't see spending $800 on a monitor. As far as the 12 ms panels go, I believe they are only with the 17" models, and I'd really prefer a 19".
 
Can this be moved to Video so it can get more attention?

There is the 910T to consider. I'd have to decide if 25 ms is okay or not.

There are Viewsonics to consider. I'd have to decide if they're worth the price premium.

There is 6-bit versus 8-bit to consider. The FP931 is 6-bit. If we decide it's better to go with 8-bit then that eliminates that monitor.

This is really really tough.
 
I've got 910T recently, perfect for movies, not so great for games.
193P has a little better response time (20ms) and isn't much more expensive.
 
193P's out of my range, I think.

I can't believe how ridiculous this is. I've been reading lots of threads on here of people asking the same thing, which 19" LCD should I get, and not one single thread has a definitive answer in it. My mind is going bonkers, it's making me want to just keep my CRT and forget about getting an LCD until ONE WEEK before I go to college.

Here's everything my mind's thinking currently.

Is 450:1 decent or not? Is 250 nits decent or not? Is an 8-bit panel required or not? Would I be happy with 25 ms or not?

At the bottom of the price spectrum we have the FP931. But I still doubt it because it's 6-bit. Then I go up in cost a little more, and consider the FP937s. Awesome, but again the 250 nits question, and the viewing angles are low. Then I consider the VP912b. Seems great but expensive, so I wonder if it's necessary to spend that much. The 193P is also great, but again price, and I wonder if I'd prefer 16 ms over 20.

It's absolutely insane.
 
Originally posted by: archcommus87
Originally posted by: DanDaMan315
I was in the same situation, but after looking at my desk and how taken over it was by the CRT i boughtthis . An absolutely excellent monitor, it may not be a brand u have heard of but its great. 12ms refresh (on a 19"), 2h glare coating (i happen to love), and its a true 8-bit panel which most lcd's with a refresh rate of 12ms dont have.
Click to expand...
That monitor really does seem excellent, and I found it on Pricegrabber for in the mid-400s. But I just can't see spending that much money for something that only has a one-year warranty. Too bad, seems like a nice monitor.

To SynthDude: I'm hoping I won't have a problem gaming on an LCD. I've been using 85 Hz on my CRT for a long time now, but I don't think I'm incredibly picky when it comes to framerates and stuff. And the few people here who DO have 25 ms displays have said that even those are fine for gaming. So hopefully I'll be fine with any 16 ms panel.

The 2001FP is just too expensive, however. With all of the $400-$500 offerings I can't see spending $800 on a monitor. As far as the 12 ms panels go, I believe they are only with the 17" models, and I'd really prefer a 19".
Click to expand...

Tiger Direct has the gamer model, which is the same except it has the Yellow, Red, White inputs for a console, for $389. The one year warranty is pretty stiff but I can tell you its an excellent monitor.
 
I believe you, I do, but the one-year warranty kills it. I'll be a college student next fall, I need protection to bank on in case something dies on me.
 
Well guys I think I'm going to hold off for now. I knew the only reason I'd be getting an LCD was for college, but I decided to get it now since I will have other things to buy in the summer. But this is a very unsure product segment still and it's very hard to pick a clear winner. 19" LCDs are still growing very rapidly and are very far from perfect. And really, I still love my Philips flat CRT and prefer it for now, and in the summer things will be cheaper, new things may be out, it may be be easier to pick a flat panel. So I'll just save the money for now to make sure I still have it when the summer rolls around.

But at least I got some great base knowledge now.
 
I didn't read all of your posts here... but I read them in the laptop/SFF forum. My recomendation would be based on what kind of room you're going to have at school. My dorm room is on the medium to large size as far as college dorms go, but the desks aren't overly huge. They are plenty big for my powerbook (which I don't use an external keyboard for), a samsung 191t 19" LCD, 2 logitech speakers (of my 5.1 setup), and the control pod. That doesn't leave much room for work, but my laptop is easily removed when I need to use it for something that requires hand writing and a book to be open. I can tell you right now that most dorms, if they provide a desk, do not provide one of adaquate size to hold 2 CRTs even if they aren't huge 22 inchers. a 17" and a 19" would barely leave me room to put a keyboard on my desk (that's without my notebook). If you want to run that setup, I would recomend getting some floor plans first to see what kind of space you'll have. You might consider building a loft for your bed, and making a desk under it the whole length of the loft (easy and affordable compared to buying an LCD). You can make a really nice loft and desk setup for $250ish that will last you for years.

On the other hand, I would never go back to using a CRT. Quality LCDs are very very close in picture quality to a good (but abit cheaper) CRT. However, they are easier to move around, take home with you, etc... Also one LCD (my choice would currently be a dell FP2001 or the wide screan 2005) will give you enough resolution 1600x1200 for the 2001 that you probably won't miss the second monitor. They are also much easier on the eyes, which is something to consider especially because college students tend to use their computers for everything.

I'm a second year engineering student at PSU btw... so all of these things are based on first hand experience. I have quite a few friends that still use CRTs... they are all tryiing to get LCDs because of the space taken up on their desks by CRT monitors. LCDs just seem much more practical in the environment. Then again, I managed to fit a 32" flat screan CRT TV in my room under my loft... and a nice reclining leather 2 seat sofa for playing some quality halo2... so you will have soom room to play with.
 
I don't think I'll be having much space. I'm going to Grove City College and they have some SMALL dorm rooms. All the beds are bunk beds and are already in the room, so I can't do any sort of loft thing, as cool as that sounds.

I'm not even going to attempt to take a CRT. I KNOW how heavy this 19" flat screen CRT is. Not only that, but I can't be having too deep of a desk, so a CRT would just make everything jut out too far from the wall. So I without a doubt want an LCD once I go to school, just as you said.

However, I was going to go ahead and buy one now so I'd have one less big expense in the summer. However, due to frustration and lack of a clear winner (except for ones that cost $700+), I've decided to wait until summer to buy it. I still love my 19" Philips CRT, and perhaps it'll be easier (and cheaper) to choose a good 19" LCD in six months or so.
 
A consideration for those of you who are thinking of buying LCDs because you are going to college:

Instead of lugging your desktop system with you and spending $700 for a new LCD monitor, why not just buy a decent but cheap laptop with wireless enabled and leave the desktop rig at home?

Comes in handy for library research and paper writing-- Save yourself the aggravation of having to photocopy articles out of journals at the stacks and just bring a computer there. Better yet for those of you going to schools with WiFi support.

Just a thought.
 
I will be having a notebook, Grove City gives us HP tc1100 Tablet PCs. But I can't game on that, can't upgrade it. I want my desktop there.
 
Yah, but can you actually spare the time to game on your PC? 😀

Seriously though, in your case you do have the best of both worlds if the school is issuing you a laptop. Good on you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top