move up to 1600x1200?

[QuantumPion]

I want to upgrade from my Samsung 997df 19" CRT to an LCD. I'm trying to decide whether to go to a 19", 5:4 1280x1020 LCD or a 20.1" 4:3 1600x1200 LCD. I will use it almost exclusively for games and my price range is up to $600 or so. Here are the pros and cons I've thought of:

1600x1200:
+much better dot pitch, sharper text.
+lots of desktop space
+larger screen
looking at the Samsung 204b

1280x1024:
+lower resolution, better frame rate for games
+less of a jump for getting used to from 1024x768
-5:4 ratio, less compatibility with games
looking at either the Viewsonic VX922 or NEC 90GX2

So which should I go with?

 

[cockeyed]

My guess is that most people will tell you to buy a widescreen since you play games. However, since you didn't mention widescreen as a choice, I would suggest that you also look at the 21" Samsung 214T, 1600x1200 24 bit color. It would be a bit over $600 but from all of the reviews I have read, it seems like it is one nice monitor if you want 4:3 ratio.

 

[Extelleron]

Which video card do you have? Is it powerful enough to provide a good gaming experience @ 1600x1200?

 

[Powermoloch]

Well, I can tell you that jumping from 17" to a 21 " screen is a BIG difference. Overall, gaming experience didn't change as much. But it's pretty nice to see things up close ^_^

 

[Noema]

Originally posted by: Extelleron
Which video card do you have? Is it powerful enough to provide a good gaming experience @ 1600x1200?

I think this is the right question to ask if you are planning to game at 1600x1200. If you have the horse power, go for it. Nothing beats having all that extra desktop real state. You shouldn't be able to game at 1600x1200 on stuff like Oblivion and newer games unless you have cutting edge hardware.


Otherwise, stay at 1280x1024.

 

[Navid]

When you play a game that supports widescreen, it is great. But, there are games that don't. Then, you need to hack it to get functionality. You can get those hacks from http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/index.php?title=Master_Games_List_-_A.

It is quite disappointing when you get a relatively new game and find out that it does not support widescreen (Battlefield 2).

 

[JBT]

Like the others said if you've got the video card to do 1600x1200 thats the obvious choice if you don't then just go with the 19".

 

[QuantumPion]

I have a 7900gt, however I do play Oblivion, which is on the edge of acceptable framerate (at max settings) at 1024x768.

I don't think I want a widescreen monitor, as I don't watch movies on my computer and am worried about game compatibility.