need new monitor

[MidNiteMysT]

ive been using this gateway vx900 crt monitor for a loooong time. i think its about time for a change. i have no idea what new monitor brands are good now, except sony. and which is better, crt or lcd? i dont care too much for the size of the monitor, i just wanna know if crt is better then lcd.
i peeked into another thread and saw L90D and 2005fpw were very high rated. are there other monitors you guys recommend like maybe a sony monitor? btw, i want 19 or 20" (19 is probably a lot cheaper so ill probably end up with the 19")

Thanx.

 

[Rage187]

2005fpw, yes a widescreen lcd>crt. and they are dirt cheap nowadays.

 

[MidNiteMysT]

what about the sony, syncmasters, and other brands? the ones i mentioned are the best (or very good) out?

 

[imported_Doughboy]

Definately get and LCD. it's much easier on your eyes (especially reading text).
If you play games...
Another thing to consider when purchasing a new LCD is the native resolution. I don't think anyone recommends using anthing but the native resolution for an LCD. If you purchase a 20+ inch LCD the resolution is likely to be 1600x1200. most 19" panels are 1280x1024. My point is, the bigger the resolution, the bigger video card you need to run the latest games. If your the kind of guy that plays the latest games and changes video cards once per year then a 1600x1200 (or bigger) resolution panel is probably what you want. If you go 2-3 years between rig builds, then the lower resolution panel will allow you to run newer game for a longer period of time with more bells & whistles turned on. Because of this I ALMOST regret my 1600x1200 LCD purchase... but it then again it's very nice.

If you don't game, it's hard to beat a 1600x1200 panel. lots of space.

Check this thread also (some good ideas):

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=31&threadid=1667052&enterthread=y

 

[MidNiteMysT]

but cant i just select what i resolution i want when i get the monitor? i can have 1280x1024 when i wanna have more stuff on and 1600x1200 when i get a better video card. and what does native resolution mean? im not very knowledgeable in the monitor screen. and yea, it is really annoying to read text on this screen. REALLY annoying actually. i def need a monitor with a lot less eye strain.

i see that the L90D is getting tons of votes. i never would have thought HYUNDAI would be a good monitor since their cars suck lol. guilty by association i guess.

 

[imported_itr]

read my sig =]

 

[MidNiteMysT]

well, now im wondering why its for sale lol. and plus i dont like to purchased used stuff from other people, i like to buy it brand new even if it costs $100 more. thats just the way i am.

 

[imported_itr]

sorry, my sig isn't quite specific. mine is a brand new and was received today. i would not purchase from me either if it was used for that price.

 

[MidNiteMysT]

im seriously considering the L90D since its highly recommended plus its at a good price. any thoughts on other brands?

 

[imported_Doughboy]

Originally posted by: MidNiteMysT
but cant i just select what i resolution i want when i get the monitor? i can have 1280x1024 when i wanna have more stuff on and 1600x1200 when i get a better video card. and what does native resolution mean? im not very knowledgeable in the monitor screen. and yea, it is really annoying to read text on this screen. REALLY annoying actually. i def need a monitor with a lot less eye strain.

i see that the L90D is getting tons of votes. i never would have thought HYUNDAI would be a good monitor since their cars suck lol. guilty by association i guess.

It would take a lot of words for me to fully explain why you don't want to use resolutions other that "native". the best I can do right now is: if the monitor's native is 1600x1200, that means it has 1600 pixels in the across direction and 1200 pixels in the up and down directions... basically, if your video card is set to 1600x1200 you get a 1:1 ration of signal to display (meaning everything is happy & crisp). if you set the video resolution at 1280x1024, the monitor still has the same 1600x 1200 pixels, but now your ratio is NOT 1:1. all letters and images have a terrible, distorted, fuzzy appearance. Go to BestBuy, CircuitCity or CompUSA and change resolutions on any panel to see for yourself. You may not think it's all that bad at first, but once you start using the monitor on a daily basis, you'll find yourself never using anything but the native resolution of whatever monitor you choose. no amount of graphic card bells and whistles can make up for NON-native operation. trust me, just plan on doing everything in native resolution. I highly recommend a 19" 1280x1024 if you don't want to be upgrading your video card to keep up with the latest game releases. I would compare it to buying a large house vs. a medium house. A bigger house is always nicer, but a bigger house will also cost more initially and the electric & heating bills will be higher to heat and cool the larger amout of square footage. the question is: is it really worth it to you to keep paying for the bigger house. the video card cost will be greater to keep a larger LCD running the latest game titles.

My friend bought a Hyundai L90D, his looks very nice in BF2 and it only had 1 half-broken pixel (it shows blue when it's supposed to be black, all of the other colors seem to work fine. a very minor flaw, barely noticable). this is a risk you run with any vendor, but it may be less of an issue for larger manufactuers with better quality control. If you can afford to pay retail prices at BestBuy, etc you can usually test the monitor in the store before you purchase it to make sure it doesn't have any broken pixels.

I typed way more than I intended too, sorry, but hope it helps.
Good luck.

 

[MidNiteMysT]

yea, im not one of those hardcore gamers who spend $300+ on a card. i have a geforce 6600 with vf700cu and im happy enough with it cuz i dont play too many games and half life 2 looks pretty damn good to me, and spending $150 extra for a bit better graphics isnt worht it to be. so i dont think ill be getting a dell because of its resolution based on the native resolution thing that you said. i thought of just ordering the L90D tonight, but then i figured, it probably wouldnt be shipped till monday so i thought ide just wait and read some more reviews and such till sunday night/monday morning is when i would order my new monitor. this monitor is killing me now that i know that you told me it sux for text cuz i noticed it before aswell. after reading for a while, it really bothers me. i cant wait for a new monitor now. thanx for the long reply, i always appreciate when someone takes their time to write a long descriptive reply like that. for the next two days, im gonna collect reviews on monitors and figure out what monitor i should get. im so damn tempted to just order the L90D from newegg and finish with it, but ill try to contain myself.

 

[MidNiteMysT]

i find myself going back on forth on the 2005fpw and the L90D.
2005fpw - $465
L90D - $330

both before shipping.
i just dont know what to pick! can someone help! i dont mind running 1600 resolution i think. i think my card might be able to handle it. but both are very strongly recommended monitors. i dont know how to decide. its not really the money im concerned with, its the performance of the monitor. but doesnt sony's monitors deserve some recognition? are they arent up to par compared with these monitors? im always a big fan of sony

 

[tuteja1986]

i would go L90D if you just want to play games on it but 2005fpw is what i recommend. Widescreen is much better for movies and ect and also you could hook up your XBOX 360/PS3 and play games at 720p easy. Anyways I own a dell 2045FPW and its is awesome LCD monitor. Now i just need to upgrade my X800XL to either 7800U or R520XL or 7800GTX or R520XT so i can use the high res without lowering the graphic details on my current games i am playing like BF2.

 

[graemenz]

Originally posted by: MidNiteMysT
i find myself going back on forth on the 2005fpw and the L90D.
2005fpw - $465
L90D - $330

both before shipping.
i just dont know what to pick! can someone help! i dont mind running 1600 resolution i think. i think my card might be able to handle it. but both are very strongly recommended monitors. i dont know how to decide. its not really the money im concerned with, its the performance of the monitor. but doesnt sony's monitors deserve some recognition? are they arent up to par compared with these monitors? im always a big fan of sony

I don't think monitors really have "performance" - there's like, "response time" and colour "quality" etc. If you read the reviews and comments here you'll probably see the 2005fpw is pretty much ok for games and is fine from all points of view. Don't know about the L90D. I suspect you can't go wrong whatever LCD monitor you get nowadays but one thing to note about them is pixel density and dot pitch. I have a 2005fpw and because of the low dot pitch, text looks a little smaller compared with the 17 inch LCD I have at work. The extra screen width is really great though but if you're not struggling to fit toolbars and pallettes on the right and left of the screen, you might not need extra width. A 17 inch or 19 inch at 1280 by 1024 gives reasonable screen width and because they are generally taller than the DELL 2005FPW, text looks bigger on them. Text on a 19 inch probably looks quite big. The 17 inch LCD I have at work is a low end Dell and when I first got it I didn't like it because the colours were a lot less vivid than the CRT it replaced - but now I don't care about the colours much and it has plenty of screen space for what I do at work.

With some applications you can select a bigger font etc to make text appear bigger (Mozilla is better than Internet explorer for this) but the text I'm writing right now is quite small and there's no options to make it bigger - even selecting "large fonts and icons" won't make any difference to this I suspect, but maybe text size doesn't bother you much.

If possible, get a look at both of the monitors you're interested in - or maybe get someone to email you a screenshot or something. Dell have a 30 day return policy I think so if you don't like it for some reason, I think you can just send it back if you don't mind the hassle - you probably won't want to part with it though, once you have it - same with the L90D I suspect.

BTW - the 2005fpw has fairly non-standard native resolution of 1680 by 1050 so you should probably make sure your current video card gives that option or find a driver for it that does. The 2005fpw also has some extra features you don't normally get, like "picture in picture" or something but I don't have a use for them at present.

Graeme

 

[imported_Doughboy]

currently your using a 16" (viewable) monitor, the step to 19" will be substantial. 19" panels seem to be where the knee in the price curve is at. also, don't rule out the Dell 1905FP. It's got a 20ms response time, 800:1 contrast ratio, USB ports on the monitor, possibly better looks, and maybe no broken pixels (better Quality Control, it's questionable) for $383.20. It seems lots of guy in the forum have these and seem to like them pretty well, i think the biggest thing the L90D has going for it is response time... if your not a hardcore gamer... just another option. My panel has a 25ms response time, it only took me about 1-2 weeks to get use to it. it's not that bad. I don't really notice it anymore. I would only slightly discourge you from the 2001FWP, because of the resolution. Text will appear smaller (thus more difficult to read) for 2 reasons: the higher resolution and the fact that the pixel size is .255 (vs. .294)... just another consideration. I'm sure you'd be happy with any of these monitors. it's come to a point where we're splitting hairs.

 

[imported_Doughboy]

graemenz beat me to the punch on the pixel size thing, but he's right.

one final thought: whatever panel you go with make sure it has DVI input & make sure your video card has DVI output.

Happy shopping

 

[Novercalis]

Alright for Video gaming and Video Editing, which Monitor to go for?

Also aint the Dell 2005 resolution at 16x10, not 16x12.
I thought the 2001 Dell LCD is aspect ratio 16x12.

widescreen: 16x10....
Correct me if im wrong, but had to point it out.

-----------------

Like I said previous, I am doing lots of video editing and uncertain now with the new standard VESA trying to pass, if it will affect the purchasing of a monitor now...
still. what LCD monitor is recommended.
I dont care if its 16x12 or 16x10.
As long as the price is within 500.

 

[MidNiteMysT]

im gonna try to maybe find these monitors, or at least just one of em in a store somewhere so i could see what they are like. its gonna be hard to choose.
does the dell have any ghosting at all? i barely play again games, havent played CS or HL2 in like 4 months. i only played the sims online which isnt exactly a high fps game. but ide still like to have the option to play a cool game or two. would the dell be a pain for playing games, or would it be ok?
this decision is gonna eat at me until i figure out which one i want lol. thats just how i am.

and since no body ever responded to my sony question, does no body like sony here? could i get some sort of response about sony monitors? are they not worth mentioning or something because i thought sony would be some worth considering. if no one responds about this, ill just assume sony isnt worth mentioning.

Thanx for your help guys.

 

[imported_Doughboy]

I am a sony fan too, but most reviews you see with sony monitors in them, don't seem to to very well usually (compared to others). I still like sony stuff, but I didn't really care for the super-glossy screen that sony's usually have. I have the suspision that light reflections would cause an eye strain. I perfer a panel with and anti-glare screen. But I understand that the sony's look really good and bright in the store, but your not likely to run the monitor THAT bright in your home... looking at a white web-page would seem like staring at a light bulb. I think they make them brighter so they stand out in the store when your browsing (personal opinion). If your curious about a specific Sony model do a Google search for it and find a review (I could be wrong about all of this). Personally, I had a really hard time not buying the Sony MFM-HT95 (I liked the built in tuner and dual functionality), but I glad I didn't. I like my panel very much, plus the Sony model was $800.

I just did a search: the cheapest (retail price) for a 19" Sony model is $500... even if they were better, I don't think that they're THAT much better.

I think I'd go with either the L90D or the Dell 1905.

as for ghosting on the Dell (20ms), I really think you'd be ok, but I've never seen one in action. if you don't want to risk it, go with the L90D and save $50.

 

[MidNiteMysT]

ok, then sony is out of the picture, im back to deciding between 2005fpw and L90D. im leaning towards the L90D because i wanna be able to play games really well and i never use my monitor for tv anyway, but it would be a nice feature to have and i think i might actually use it as long as i connect it. but ill give myself till sunday night to change my mind since they wont ship it out soon anyway.

 

[CP5670]

I actually think that Sony one looks quite good because of that coating, much better than other LCDs. The coating seems to give it better contrast and black levels.

 

[duragezic]

I don't know much about the L90D+ but it comes highly recommended and would arguably be better for games than the 2005FPW. However, as you have a 6600GT, I don't think you would have any problems running games at the 2005FPW's native resolution of 1680x1050. I have a 9800 Pro and still bought the 2005FPW because I don't game much anymore and what games I do play: HL2/CS:S and Guild Wars run acceptably at 1680x1050 (and my computer will only be getting faster in the next couple of years, a quality monitor lasts several computers IMO). Plus the Dell can unscale the image and display it at its true resolution with black bars around the sides. This is probably a handy feature but I haven't used my 2005FPW yet to try it out. I would spring for the 2005FPW if you have the cash, otherwise the L90D is no lesser of a monitor (well, widescreen is pretty pimp).

 

[MidNiteMysT]

actually i only have the 6600, not the gt. so it may be kinda hard for it to run native resolution on the games for the 2005fpw. i just really like the 8ms response time and all the great great reviews. but then again, wide screen is sexy and the tv thing would be kinda cool to have, i could watch and be on the comp which i think it kinda cool but i dont think ide actually ever use it. i keep going back and forth on this issue, i think about something good with the L90D then i think about the 2005fpw and the bigger screen and widescreen. thanx for all your posts guys.

i barely play any games anymore either, if i do, it would either be CS:S or HL2. but since i barely play, im thinking i shouldnt put much weight on the 20ms response time, although that seems pretty high compared to just 8ms.

and i dont think im gonna consider the dell 1905. i like the two im already debating on.

i know im gonna be happy with either of them. basically, i just dont wanna get one, and be like, damn, i should have gotten the other one instead cuz of this or that.

what does the dell have that the l90d doesnt except for the widescreen and tv input? does it have better colors and viewing angles or something? or is it just the bigger screen and wide screen format?

 

[MidNiteMysT]

and it possible to go over the monitors maximum resolution?

 

[MidNiteMysT]

ordered my L90D! i decided its not worth an extra $130 for the dell monitor. and plus i dont have a good enough video card to run native resolution on it. im sure ill be plenty happy with my L90D. Ill let you guys how i like it. Thanx for all your help guys.