Old Sony Monitor: Is it any good?

[Marc]

I bought a used surplus Sony Multiscan 17SEII (model #GDM-17SE2T) monitor at work this week in the hopes I could get a cheap monitor for my upcoming computer build. Upon searching the internet it appears this monitor is still being sold new at some places for $600 - $1000. Since I only bought the monitor for $35, I'm thinking there must be some technicality to explain how I really am not this fortunate. After all, the date on the back of the monitor is 1996. Wouldn't a monitor model that old be obsolete?

[ZANEY123]

i paid 30 for my used monitor a year ago and i think it was already 3 years old to begin with,,works great for me..so if yours is working and you paid 35 for it you got a good deal..

Zaney123

[morriswindgate]

Part of the 17" Viewsonics we have here at work were made in 1995 and are still going strong. They are probably just upgrading to larger or TFT monitors and sold the old ones off. They use to do it here when the company bought the computers instead of leasing them.

[Tuf]

Old monitors aren't worth much because they are a gamble. But for thirty fives bucks it's worth the risk. Sony's are well made and in my experience can last five to seven years of 24/7 use if they are not abused. I can put it this way I would have bought it!

[glc]

I've dealt with lots of ancient monitors, and of all the brands, Sony seems to last as long as any. I have customers with 10 year old Sonys still going strong.

[Marc]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I hooked the old Sony monitor to my PC and it works well. The colors and details come across much better than my previous monitor. I notice details that I don't remember seeing before.

There were no problems getting the monitor to run.....I just hooked it up and upon the first boot, windows 98 asked for a driver for the "new equipment detected" and I let it grab a default driver from Windows.

I liked it so much and the price was so cheap, I was tempted to go back and buy another monitor. However, after coming to my senses, I realized I don't need another monitor (for now, at least).

[Tuf]

If I were you and you have space to store it I would be another at that price.

[Marc]

Originally posted by Tuf If I were you and you have space to store it I would be another at that price.

Yeah, I know what you mean. But I'm such a pack rat that I really don't have the room. I'm actually kind of proud that I was able to resist a temptation such as this one.

[Jerry Falletta]

When I built my new P4 system last year, I ran across a used/refurb Sony 20" monitor (it had the Sun Microsystems logo on it) for $135.00 at a computer show. Figuring it would be worth the price, and considering it had a six-minth warranty, I bought it, brought it home, and it worked right off the bat.

A few months later, it developed some distortion problems, so I returned it to the dealer at another show; he replaced it with another similar model and it is working perfectly.

Even if this one dies within the next year, it will not break my heart (or my budget).