What do you guys think? My current LCD has DVI but this one does not. I have Clear Type enabled in WinXP and I absolutely love it.
Is it a good idea to go with the Samsung and analog or will I be disappointed and should look for an LCD that also has DVI?
You may find the following info helpful (it's from Microsoft's typography Web page and the ClearType link):
"ClearType works best with flat panel displays that have a digital interface. Check your flat panel display manual to see if you are using a digital input. If your display's video cable plugs into a standard VGA connection in the back of your PC, then it's probably not using a digital interface. Also, make sure your display is running at its native resolution. Check the display's user manual to find the resolution of the screen. If, for example, the screen is 1024 x 768 pixels, make sure Windows 'display properties' are set to 1024 x 768. In this example, if Windows display properties are set to 800 x 600 pixels, then the screen may rescale the screen, resulting in a blurry text and icons, regardless of ClearType being on or off. If blurriness persists, you might want to check with the screen's manufacturer to see if the display conforms to the ClearType hardware guidelines issued in April 1999.
For some flat panel LCD displays, we have also discovered display degradation associated with the use of extra long video connection cables."
It says elsewhere on the page that ClearType works well with any type of flat panel LCD display (including laptops). It just works better with a DVI display. It also works a little with CRT monitors, but the results aren't significant. You can find Microsoft's typography & ClearType page
here.
Hope this answers that question for you.
BTW, CTX monitors are not known for being of particularly high quality, although the specs of that one you have are surprisingly decent. Of course, there are other considerations not revealed by the specs on Newegg's site, such as the uniformity of the backlighting, how well the LCD panel handles moving images (and whether ghosting appears or not), color performance (which I would expect to be rather poor or mediocre on a CTX monitor), and other things. But that CTX's pixel pitch, brightness level and contrast ratio are pretty decent for an LCD monitor. I personally would be skeptical of a CTX monitor's expected lifespan, but it does have a decent warranty. I personally wouldn't buy an LCD monitor that doesn't have DVI, but that's just me. (The price differences are typically not that significant between analog & DVI monitors, so why go with just analog? Most good LCD monitors nowadays typically have two inputs -- one DVI and one analog.)
Incidentally, Samsung monitors are fairly ubiquitous -- you could probably find that model at Best Buy, CompUSA, Fry's, or another store and 'test drive' it in person before you buy. Personally, I'd look at Princeton Graphics, Planar, Iiyama, Philips, or another Samsung with DVI. And some guys around here swear by Dell LCDs. :Q Eizo Nanao makes beautiful high-end LCD monitors, but they're quite expensive (and not the best suited for gaming or motion video).
Good luck.
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