my 21" monitor just died ... need advice

[bisket]

my 21" dell monitor (D1626HT) just died, not an hour ago. :brokenheart:

it just blinks the orange light down at the bottom, on dell's website it said this is failure mode. i've had this monitor since the beginning of 1999. it'll stay on for 10min at a time and then just cut off and go to blinking orange, very frustating. so, that being said.

i need a new monitor, i believe.

my job, i'm a designer, i do graphic design all day, dealing with colors and web stuff, i also play some games, 3d shooters and command and conquer.

my 21" crt was awesome on color and great playing games. i would love to have a flat screen display, but i'm a bit nervous on color quality and image quality. my fav resolution is 1280x1024, or above.

i'm looking for something for around $400 bucks. back when i bought my dell monitor it was alot more expensive then that, but monitor prices have come down, considerably. i'm thinking a nice 19" lcd would do, but then those questions arise.

some advice.

thanks.

 

[murban135]

There are a couple of people with 20 to 22" monitors for sale in the "For Sale/Trade" section. I just bought a new 22" monitor from Azatek.com. They take monitors back that companies have leased and resell them. I got a Grade A Mitsubishi 2060u for $440 and it is in like new condition. Of course you could buy my old 19" cheap if you want. Welcome to Anandtech.

 

[Harvey]

If you think the CRT is still good, it may be a power supply or small component problem. If you are in a major city, there may be a good monitor repair place in your town. If not, shipping a large monitor two ways may cost more than it's worth, even after it's repaired.

Good luck.

 

[nRollo]

I don't think you will find a nice 19" lcd for around $400, especially for gaming.

On the other hand, you could get a OK new 21" monitor for around $460 shipped or a really good 19" monitor for around $400 shipped.

I would not buy a used monitor ever. It's the most important piece of equipment you have, and they get duller as they age. It's better just to bite the bullet and spend the money on this item.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Monitors have come down in price big time, but that's the for-public-consumption mass produced mediocrity like the (infamous) Samsung 955DF (nice for games, terrible for text).

Professional CRT monitors with (non-sh!t) geometry still cost a fair bit. They are worth it though.


I just picked up an el-cheapo off-lease Dell 19" CRT (Sony Trinitron .24dp) for like $100. The funny thing is, I got it because of all the monitors I looked at; 955DF, Viewsonic P95F+ (professional series my arse), NEC FE991, etc, the Dell had the best text at 1280X1024 and above. I was willing to shell out >$200, but alas none of those monitors were better.

Newer, cheaper monitors have GREAT looking colours and nice brightness, but the geometry leaves something to be desired (even on 'perfect flats') and text is abysmal (especially above 1024X768).

If I didn't have a 19" LCD as my main monitor, I'd probably shell out for a professional grade 19" CRT; I just can't stand the high-res text on these new (cheap) monitors.

 

[GeneralGrievous]

The Mitsubishi DiamondPro 930 is an incredible monitor. I am using a simliar one to that right now.

 

[konakona]

Originally posted by: Rollo
I don't think you will find a nice 19" lcd for around $400, especially for gaming.

On the other hand, you could get a OK new 21" monitor for around $460 shipped or a really good 19" monitor for around $400 shipped.

I would not buy a used monitor ever. It's the most important piece of equipment you have, and they get duller as they age. It's better just to bite the bullet and spend the money on this item.

couldnt agree more. practically each and every monitor i have owned all degraded in IQ at some point down the road...

 

[yhelothar]

Get the Viewsonic G220, should be within your budget.
I personally dislike trinitron tubes from my experience of numerous high end 21" trinitron tubes. They are near impossible to get uniform convergence, and the monitor blurs A LOT when the brightness/contrast is turned up.

 

[Cerb]

Scan FS/FT for a few days. Every now and then, somebody will have really good prices on monitors they just want to get rid of.