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Recommend me a good 19" CRT monitor.

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Originally posted by: Naustica
Originally posted by: g33k
Originally posted by: Naustica
Originally posted by: g33k
Ok its been about two weeks that Ive had the Samsung 997DF. I am pleased to say that it is indeed a good monitor. I am playing games at 16X12 and it looks great. For text it pales in comparison to my LCD, but no surprise there really. This screen is perfect flat and with a little patience, I was able to get the geometry to near perfect. I picked this monitor up at my local fry's b&m for about $200 after tax. The Samsung was cheaper than both the NEC and Viewsonic. The Samsung also has better specs than either of its competitors. For anyone in the market for a new 19" CRT, I highly recommend this monitor.

The screen is not perfect flat. Check the corners. They put a flat glass in front of the curve glass to give the illusion of being flat.





Well it isnt "perfect flat". I should rephrase my last post. It has a very slight curve and it is very hard to see. The so called perfect flat's such as the Viewsonics have geometry problems, and I think Samsung did a nice job with the trade-off. In any case the Samsung has a .20mm dot pitch, which is better than any of it's current direct competitors.


I see you fell for Samsung's .20mm dot pitch scam. Yes it has .20mm dot pitch. But that's only for horizontal. Most manufacturers list diagonal dot pitch and not horizonal. Samsung is one of the few companies that list only horizontal dot pitch. The diagonal dot pitch on that Samsung is not .20mm. It's more like anywhere from 23 1/2 to 25mm.

I'm not saying your monitor is bad by any means. It's just that you get what you pay for.

The Viewsonic has a .21mm horizontal dot pitch and a .25mm vertical dot pitch. The NEC lists a .25mm horizontal dot pitch, and the NEC lists no vertical. The IBM lists a .25mm dot pitch and they don't say whether its horizontal or vertical. The Samsung still has better specs than all of these.

If you can show me a better CRT monitor for under $250 that is not a refurb please post one. As far as I can tell it is the Samsung 997DF.
 
Originally posted by: g33k
Originally posted by: Naustica
Originally posted by: g33k
Originally posted by: Naustica
Originally posted by: g33k
Ok its been about two weeks that Ive had the Samsung 997DF. I am pleased to say that it is indeed a good monitor. I am playing games at 16X12 and it looks great. For text it pales in comparison to my LCD, but no surprise there really. This screen is perfect flat and with a little patience, I was able to get the geometry to near perfect. I picked this monitor up at my local fry's b&m for about $200 after tax. The Samsung was cheaper than both the NEC and Viewsonic. The Samsung also has better specs than either of its competitors. For anyone in the market for a new 19" CRT, I highly recommend this monitor.

The screen is not perfect flat. Check the corners. They put a flat glass in front of the curve glass to give the illusion of being flat.





Well it isnt "perfect flat". I should rephrase my last post. It has a very slight curve and it is very hard to see. The so called perfect flat's such as the Viewsonics have geometry problems, and I think Samsung did a nice job with the trade-off. In any case the Samsung has a .20mm dot pitch, which is better than any of it's current direct competitors.


I see you fell for Samsung's .20mm dot pitch scam. Yes it has .20mm dot pitch. But that's only for horizontal. Most manufacturers list diagonal dot pitch and not horizonal. Samsung is one of the few companies that list only horizontal dot pitch. The diagonal dot pitch on that Samsung is not .20mm. It's more like anywhere from 23 1/2 to 25mm.

I'm not saying your monitor is bad by any means. It's just that you get what you pay for.

The Viewsonic has a .21mm horizontal dot pitch and a .25mm vertical dot pitch. The NEC lists a .25mm horizontal dot pitch, and the NEC lists no vertical. The IBM lists a .25mm dot pitch and they don't say whether its horizontal or vertical. The Samsung still has better specs than all of these.

If you can show me a better CRT monitor for under $250 that is not a refurb please post one. As far as I can tell it is the Samsung 997DF.


All 3 other monitors you listed besides the Samsung 997df have .21mm horizontal .25mm diagonal dot pitch. Like I said, listing diagonal dot pitch is the industry standard, not horizontal pitch. Samsung does not publish diagonal dot pitch, only horizontal dot pitch. Why? Probably to sound like they have really superior dot pitch when in fact they don't. That said, we can only guess as to the diagonal dot pitch of the Samsung 997df as Samsung doesn't provide this info. If I had to take a guess, it's probably around 24mm. The reason is that this CRT is Shadowmask and usually Shadowmask has slightly lower dot pitch than AG based monitors.

Better new CRT monitor for under $250? Well if you had asked me around 6-12 months ago, this was an easy answer. NEC DiamondPro 930SB. It retailed for $320 but with Dell deals and coupon it was easy to get it for under $250 shipped. But unfortunately, pretty much all Diamondtron AG monitors have been discontinued like its brother Trinitron.
 
That is one of the real problems CRTs are being discontinued because alot of people are moving toward LCDs, the NEC FE991 which is a great $250 moniter is no longer possible to find. The only way manufactures can make money on CRTs are low end moniters (which arn't much better maybe worse then an LCD) or the really big expensive moniters. This leaves those in the middle in a lurch because if you want a CRT you need to buy a crappy one or buy one that puts you way over budget. Hopefully LCDs get alot better very quickly so those of us who like CRTs but can't find a decent one can get a LCD for a similar price without comprimising on quality.
 
Originally posted by: fierydemise
That is one of the real problems CRTs are being discontinued because alot of people are moving toward LCDs, the NEC FE991 which is a great $250 moniter is no longer possible to find. The only way manufactures can make money on CRTs are low end moniters (which arn't much better maybe worse then an LCD) or the really big expensive moniters. This leaves those in the middle in a lurch because if you want a CRT you need to buy a crappy one or buy one that puts you way over budget. Hopefully LCDs get alot better very quickly so those of us who like CRTs but can't find a decent one can get a LCD for a similar price without comprimising on quality.

I'm still waiting for LCD prices to go down tremendously before I start to invest in them.
Right now it still ain't cheap.
 
I agree with the other posters who complained about the 997DF. The first piece, had terrible text display problems and was usable at only 1024x768 or max. 1152x864. Huge screen curvature, uneven brightness and horrible moire. Geometry was also impossible to set. The colors were good however.

The replacement was slightly better, but not by much. I finally returned it and am waiting for my LCD now. Theoretically CRT do seem to have an edge, but with good CRTs no longer available and LCD tech catching up, I guess it is only a matter of time before CRTs will die out, both in the monitor and TV markets.
 
Ok I'm not starting a new thread, but I need a new 19" CRT as well. I DON"T KNOW WHAT TO DO.


This LCD revolution is killing me. I can't find any CRT's, let alone any recent reviews. It seems all the Grade A Crt's have been phased out. I can't find a monitor with 100% good reviews. Even this mentioned 997DF Samsung is being bandmouthed.


I don't want an LCD because they are more expensive for less, the reponse times are a killer (Unless you spend even more money on a lower ms), and I like having multiple resolutions to pick from, the native on LCD's really scares me.


Basically, my current NEC Multisync 97F has gone haywire. There is a shrinking distortion in the right hand side, and the monitor loses power every so often. This all occurs at 1280*1024, 1024*768 is fine, but I don't like that resolution. Higher resolutions have gone crappy.

I would like a great new CRT monitor. However, everything I find has mixed reviews.

I was looking at these, but how am I to know if they are any good.


ViewSonic G90FB
SAMSUNG 997DF
SAMSUNG 990DF

I have looked at the NEC, but the good Diamond Pro's are gone, leaving the world with Mutlisync's and Accusync. I wouldn't touch another one of these every again. The NEC people referred me into a $200 repair on my Multisync after the monitor failed 1 year after the 1 year warranty. I can't honostly touch another NEC again.


Can you guys please please help me out. My eye balls are bugging out as I write this post, just looking at this screen.



Tons of remarks like this:

For the price it's a pretty good deal.

Throw me off. So am I getting a good monitor? Or am I getting a pretty good monitor? A piece of crap? What else is there, or am I forced to get an LCD with shadowing, and a native resolution for hundreds more than a CRT.

Do they make good CRT's anymore. What has the world come to? (Scream)
 
FWIW, I've owned several ViewSonic monitors, and I've always been impressed with their color depth and linearity. Just as important, when I needed their tech support, they were really on top of their game.
 
So the G series? The A series?

Well earlier in the post someone shunned the G series in favor of a P series that they dont' make in 19"

And I just read another post that said the A series goes blurry after 6 months.

Why is noboby even making CRT's anymore, and where the heck are the reviews.....It's LCD this and that. What am I to do? Am I doomed to native rez and ghosting?

Places like anandtech haven't reviewed any crts in ages, and the selection at newegg of Crt's to LCDs in extremely favored in LCD's. Am I missing something? LCD still has the high price/ghosting/native res?

The biggest push away is the native res.....do the monitors freely interopolate now? I know they now have 4ms and 8ms LCD's to fix the ghosting. You still can't pick your resolution though can you?

What do you use?
 
don't get the "a" series, they fail after a few months. if you don't mind not running your desktop at above 1024x768(blurry text), the g90fb is a good monitor. it doesn't have the realistic look of a aperture grille model, but the colors are great and i prefer it for gaming due to the dot pitch.
 
I have been running the 997df for about a month now. It's great! Believe me if I didn't like it, I would of taken it back to fry's before the 30 day return policy expires. I bought this monitor mostly for gaming and some DVD movie watching. And for these purposes it is superior than my 25 ms LCD. Color reproduction is excellent on the 997df. Text and 2d apps of course look much better on my LCD.

If you can afford an 8ms LCD then I would say buy one. If you're like me, and on a budget the 997DF is a good deal for $200.
 
So are you saying that an 8ms 19" would work for me? The Hyundi 8ms 19" LD90+ got tomshardware.com editor's choice and has something like 200 good reviews on newegg.


However, what about resolutions? What happens if I want to play at 800*600. What happens if I HAVE to play at 800*600 because that yields more acceptable FPS. I usually never play at 1280*1024, but usually play at 1024*768 for newer games. So what about that?


Also what about the Max Res of 1280*1024? So these 19" LCD's can't go any higher? So this throws out all SLI rigs, because it just doesn't matter? What that about?
 
Your questions point to all the inherent flaws in current LCD technology. If you have the budget, get a 21" CRT. It will cost you about $400. They just don't make the abundunt choices in 19"crt anymore. The only practical choices are the Samsung's or the Viewsonic's in 19".

If you do consider a 21" CRT, know that they are monsterous. Its a great screen, its just enourmous, bulky, and weighs a ton. I used to have a 21"Dell Trinitron before selling it to a freind. They are just to large and heavy for my taste.
 
Basically I'm shooting for a 19". No bigger No smaller.


EDIT::::

Screw it. What was I thinking? Do I really want only one resolution? Let me think about that? Hell no I don't.

Guess I'm looking at a Samsung or a Viewsonic G series. Don't know which to pick. Is the Samsung's slight non flatness a problem?


The only "practical" choices? Does this mean the monitor's aren't any good? What?

Also, What's the best way to configure a monitor? Like get the brightness and the contrast just right.
 
My dell p1110 21" flat screen crt is perfect, and i purchased it for around $200. It's great for watching movies. You can buy one in excellent condition off ebay anywhere from $200-$250 with shipping. It is heavy and bulky, but cmon how often do you plan on moving it around? How much would a 21 inch lcd cost? Too much! And 17" is way too small for a desktop. Get 21" crt.
 
Originally posted by: ncasebee
Basically I'm shooting for a 19". No bigger No smaller.


EDIT::::

Screw it. What was I thinking? Do I really want only one resolution? Let me think about that? Hell no I don't.

Guess I'm looking at a Samsung or a Viewsonic G series. Don't know which to pick. Is the Samsung's slight non flatness a problem?


The only "practical" choices? Does this mean the monitor's aren't any good? What?

Also, What's the best way to configure a monitor? Like get the brightness and the contrast just right.


I meant practical as in the best monitors to buy brand new in 19". If you want to buy a refurb that is something else. You can buy a 21" CRT refurb for around $200. Of course you take your chances with those. I would certainly hate to pay for return shipping on something like a bulky, heavy 21" CRT monitor.

As to the curve on the 997DF, it is very slight. If someone upthread didnt point out to me, that it was curved, I would not have known. The geometery is good with this monitor. From what I've read from users of Viewsonic's perfect flats, is that they have a hard time with the geometery. The viewsonic's 'probably' have better moire than the samsung though.

What I think you should do is go down to you local B&M electronic superstore and pick up both the VS and Samsung and then keep the one you like and return the other.


 
That is not a luxury I have. I have to get it over the internet.

I think I'm gonna go with the samsung.

Looking at the specs on the Samsung. I don't think you can get any better. All the stats are in it's favor. Plus you get a config disc with it to tweak everything exactly, including Moire I think. I don't think I can lose.

How is 1600*1200 at 74 Hz?
 
The 997Df can handle 1600x1200 @ 74hz. At this resolution, windows icons and text are too small. You can increase font size through windows though.

I like playing games at 1280x960 @ 85hz. I like the higher refresh rates, less eye strain. To get rid of jaggies and increase sharpness, I just crank up higher AA and AF. And I don't have to tell windows to display big fonts.
 
I am going with the Black/Silver Samsung 997DF......I hope I made the right choice. That LCD will float in the back of my mind forever, but I still don't think an LCD would be right for me. I do alot of gaming. Plus a constant 1280&1024 in all my games......my computer couldn't keep up.

Plus, I'm getting it from Circuit City for 171$+Free Ground Shipping. That's a hell of a deal. Ordered! Guess I'll see how great this monitor is in 3-9 days.

I was gonna get it from Newegg.com, but there it would have cost me 230$. I thought I could wait a couple days longer for the saving of $60.

Don't let anyone buy anymore NEC Multisyncs with the one year warranty. K? Hehe

How does the manufacturer warranty work? Is it from the time the monitor was built? Or from the time you register, if you register.
 
That's an awesome deal for that monitor. I bought mine for $200 after tax and I had to drive to the store and get it ($5.00 in gas 😛).

I' m not sure how the warranty works, I never registered. For gaming you should be happy with that monitor. The only area the monitor can be improved upon is moire. But it certainly wasn't enough for me to return it.

I can relate to you thinking of going with an LCD, but I didn't want to shell out 2X the money right now. Especially when this CRT suits the bill just fine. 😉
 
I don't know


I'm returning it. Too many geometry problems.

Or should I get a warrenty on it? Samsung does offer an advance warranty replacement option.

I've been looking at my options. There aren't any apeture grills any more. The only one on Newegg.com is a 20", and I don't want one, nor could I afford one.

Now that I'm examining my packaging, I think that Circuit City sold me a damn return. No wonder they returned it. The packaging has been ripped in some places, that I do not remember doing. I carefully unpackaged my monitor.

I'm going the Warranty route. I might still be able to get a good replacement monitor. The warranty replacements are refurbs but I guess I initially payed a refurb price. ($170 Shipped for a $210 monitor.)

I guess I'll see how my replacement is when it arrives. I opted for the advance replacement option.
 
If you are looking at the 955DF, I would suggest not buying it. I've had mine for 3 years and it's good most times. However, the refresh rates are god aweful..I'd look into a viewsonic product...
 
Well, I got the replacement and it's worse than the one I currently have. The focus/blur on the replacement is god awful. On the replacement, a huge blur/focus error is present in the middle of the screen. I am just gonna pack it up and send it back. Well, I guess now I know why people like LCD's so much.

Still have a monitor that I'm not really satisfied with, but I guess that's how it goes. 🙁
 
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