NEC 20WMGX2 - Thinking of getting a Sony GMD-FW900 instead maybe.

[pcslookout]

Originally posted by: hans007
i've got a 20wmgx2 and honestly its worth it compared to any TN panel.

all 22" panels and most of the newer 24" value monitors are TN. i had a 24" TN acer and it was horrible. the "move your head and it changes color dramatically" problem is especially bad on bigger monitors (since you'll probably be moving your head more on a 24" since its large.

I have no doubt it is. My problem is should I get this 20 inch lcd and only get 20 inch of screen space on my pc monitor meaning is it really worth going to a 20 inch lcd over a 19 inch CRT monitor ? Remember I get 18 inch viewable space on it so the lcd will only be 2 inches larger and wide screen instead. Will it make that big of a difference to be worth it? Or should I get a Sony GMD-FW900 which has 4 inches more viewable space and its widescreen. Has no problems that lcds do and I can drop down the resolution without effecting image quality where with the NEC I can't! I am stuck at that high resolution which some games don't support

Then again should i just wait and keep my 19 inch CRT and wait for better LCDs coming out or will none ever be as good or better than the NEC 20wmgx2? I am worried about it not being able to purchase it anymore if the other future lcds suck.

To be honest if I could get a 24 inch lcd or 24 inch viewable area crt I would rather get that because I think it would be more worth it upgrade from a 19 inch CRT. Though the problem is there are no good 24 inch lcds that are in the same quality group as the NEC 20wmgx2

 

[Tasiin]

One thing that you may want to keep in mind if you go with an FW900 is that the CRT may not be able to center a 4:3 image like a widescreen LCD can. I'm not sure if the Nvidia/ATI drivers will let you do that with an analog display, either. That means that you'll be forced to either stretch a 16:10 image on a game that doesn't adjust the aspect ratio or FOV correctly for widescreen, or stretch a 4:3 resolution on games that won't even let you select widescreen resolutions. Neither will look particularly great. I could be wrong about this and there may be some way to center the image, but I've never heard anyone with an FW900 talking about it.

deadseasquirrel: Just out of curiosity, have you ever had an opportunity to compare your 2070SB with a smaller Trinitron, such as a 21" one? I've heard some people swear up and down that the Diamondtrons are far better, and some say the exact opposite.

 

[deadseasquirrel]

Originally posted by: Tasiin
deadseasquirrel: Just out of curiosity, have you ever had an opportunity to compare your 2070SB with a smaller Trinitron, such as a 21" one? I've heard some people swear up and down that the Diamondtrons are far better, and some say the exact opposite.

The 2070sb replaced a working 19" Dell-branded Sony trinitron. Naturally, it was bigger, and that's always good. But it was also more vibrant, geometry was better, and text was clearer. But it was also newer than that 19" by a good 4-5 years, so that has to be taken into account.

For what it's worth, I also have 2 930sb's set up for 2 kid machines... so that should give you some idea just how much I love the diamondtrons.

I have my 22" connected right here next to my 37" Westy at the moment, and, although the Westy is enormous in comparison, the picture on the CRT definitely rivals it. In fact my wife says her photos don't look near as sharp on the Westy as they do on the 2070sb... I'm sure do to the pixel size.

I'm actually having difficulty deciding between the Westy and the 2070sb. My dad really wants to buy the Westy off me for what I paid, and right now, I kinda need the money more. The CRT has the flexible resolutions which I love, and I don't plan on viewing HD content or anything on the Westy... just using it as a PC monitor. So it seems like kind of a waste. But man oh man is it pretty. But it *is* father's day tomorrow... ugh.

 

[hans007]

ah i didnt realize his old monitor was an fe950+ since i only read the first post where he said 19" monitor.

i had a trinitron based kds 19 inch back in the day and a friend of mine had an nec fp950 (he used it up until about a year ago for his main pc, and it still is used for his server).

if you dont mind the desk space and electricity use difference i dont think its worth it to upgrade just for the sake of it.

 

[pcslookout]

double post

 

[CP5670]

The 20WMGX2 is probably worth a try. You can sometimes check them out at retail stores without buying the monitor, if you ask them about it. Circuit City used to carry the 20WMGX2, although I don't see any of the NEC LCDs on their site anymore. I think that may only be temporary, as NEC is trying to clear out stock of the existing GX2 monitors before they bring out the "Pro" line. I tried it out at a local CC and found it to be a far cry from my CRT in many key respects, but most people do find it very good for games.

If you want to go with a CRT, you might as well get one of the best, which are probably the FW900 and 2070SB that have already been mentioned. The FW900 is obviously larger and widescreen, but the 2070SB has higher refresh rates and the excellent superbright modes. The 2070SB is also easier to adjust if it gets unfocused over time. As for the whole Trinitron/Diamondtron thing, I never noticed much of a difference between them overall, even though the quality of individual units can vary a lot.

However, buying CRTs is rather risky these days. The extremely bad quality control during both Sony's and Mitsubishi's final production runs means that there is a significant chance of ending up with a dud if you get a refurbished or even a new unit. A lightly used one is probably your best bet, although even there, shipping damage can often put the tube subtly out of alignment. The best way to get a CRT is to do a local pickup if the option is available, since you can see exactly what you're getting and minimize the possibility of shipping damage.

One thing that you may want to keep in mind if you go with an FW900 is that the CRT may not be able to center a 4:3 image like a widescreen LCD can. I'm not sure if the Nvidia/ATI drivers will let you do that with an analog display, either. That means that you'll be forced to either stretch a 16:10 image on a game that doesn't adjust the aspect ratio or FOV correctly for widescreen, or stretch a 4:3 resolution on games that won't even let you select widescreen resolutions. Neither will look particularly great. I could be wrong about this and there may be some way to center the image, but I've never heard anyone with an FW900 talking about it.

I don't have one of these, but I'm guessing that you can center the image by just using the image size controls. Many non-4:3 LCDs can do this too if you use an analog connection. I use this method to get 640x480 without stretching for older games on my 90GX2.