LCD monitors, which one to get?

[Powerstroke2000]

I have thought of getting myself a 19" LCD monitor, and have been checking out reviews and pricing but I'm still unsure of which way to go. Most seem to be keeping up with the others regarding the response time (most are 8 ms now) as well as contrast ratio, view angle and 1280 X 1240 resolution.
I'm not looking for the least cost option, but one that is going to give me the "test of time" meaning it will last for years without "issues". Or is this even possible with todays technology?

I also looked at the Dell line of LCD monitors, but do Dell monitors hook up to your average every day PC, or would it only work on a Dell computer? Most I talk to about Dell products have had pretty good luck, so it's just an option I'm looking at as their UltraSharp LCD's are reviewed well.

I've seen 19" LCD monitors for under $200. and they go right up into the high $300's, yet they all seem to have similar components with the above stats!
Is "Brand Name" got alot to do with making a good purchase, if so which are the ones I'd be better looking at, and are the non-brand name units (or ones I don't recognize) not worthy of a purchase?

How prevelent is the loss of pixels in LCD monitors? The odd one even in stores I've looked in have dead pixels. How important is a top end warranty with regard to LCD monitors?

Thanks in advance for any info/comments.

Dale

[Jeri]

It is my understanding that LCD technology will be changing *soon*. I hope someone more knowledgeable than I will comment on this. I think it has something to do with High Definition and/or Windows Vista. Because I believe this is true (even though the reason is foggy), I didn’t want to spend more than I had to now.

I went with the Dell – you can scroll down to that thread and see what I had to say about it. I believe for $219 (not sure what the current price is) the Dell is as good as (or better than) other LCD’s in the “budget” category – but offered *lots* of extras not found on the other LCD’s.

I just built my 2 home computers – the Dell monitors will work with any configuration. It even comes with both analog and DVI cables. I’m very happy with my 2 Dell 1907fp’s.

I was terrified of Dead Pixels – so I would only buy form a source that would take my purchase back. NewEgg (love them) only allows returns if you have 8 or more dead pixels. Yikes!!! I was not willing to take that chance.

CostCo.com now sells the highly rated BenQ LCD.

If I had more money to spend and didn’t believe the technology would soon be changing – I would have purchased the ViewSonic VP930b

[thefultonhow]

The "changing technology" is the move to HDCP, which will be required to view high-definition content on Windows Vista over a DVI port. If you don't plan ojn using your computer to play HD-DVD or Blu-Ray movies, though, you won't need HDCP. At this point there are very few monitors that support HDCP, and maybe one or two video cards.

If you're going to get an LCD I would strongly recommend one with DVI, as analog signals introduce interference and make for a fuzzier picture. DVI is a straight digital connectioon and thus provides a very crisp picture with no interference.

The Dell monitors will work on any computer. I have a Dell UltraSharp 2001FP that I've used on a homebuilt computer, a Dell laptop, and an IBM laptop over DVI, and countless other computers over VGA. Dell monitors are covered by Dell tech support when used with a Dell system, but their warranty is good no matter what.

The 1907FP is a pretty good monitor spec-wise. Some of the more expensive monitors beat it in response time, brightness, and/or contrast ratio, but you probably won't see a noticable difference. If you can afford it, though, and you don't play many games or have a powerful enough system to play at 1600x1200, I'd strongly recommend stepping up to the 2007FP (not the 2007WFP), as you will get 1600x1200 resolution, which is really nice to have. Remember to look for coupons to bring the price of the Dell monitors down.

[Jeri]

There are a couple of things I still do not understand about LCD’s.

1) Resolution. The native resolution (and therefore the recommended one for best picture) on 19” LCD’s is 1280 x 1024. I can not work at that resolution. The text is just too small for comfort. 1024 x 768 is best for me. What am I missing? Dose the general population really enjoy working at 1280 x 1024??? Or are we just talking playing games at this resolution???

2) Contrast. I do not understand why one cannot change the Contrast on LCD’s with a DVI connection. Why is this??? I think this is even touted as a benefit – am I right?

Anyone??? :-)

[peekaboo]

1) you should use the lcd at the native resolution and adjust the text size to your liking. you can do this by setting the DPI setting (in display properites ->settings->advanced->general) to whatever suits you.
you can also set the default font size in your browser to nice large fonts.

2) Dunno.

[jfk]

Originally Posted by Jeri There are a couple of things I still do not understand about LCD’s. 1) Resolution. The native resolution (and therefore the recommended one for best picture) on 19” LCD’s is 1280 x 1024. I can not work at that resolution. The text is just too small for comfort. 1024 x 768 is best for me. What am I missing? Dose the general population really enjoy working at 1280 x 1024??? Or are we just talking playing games at this resolution???

You can use the monitor at LOWER resolutions than what is native (although the text/images won't be quite as sharp), but you cannot use them at HIGHER resolutions than what is native for the monitor. You will be able to set your desktop for 1024X768, it just won't be quite as sharp.

[RJ]

Dose the general population really enjoy working at 1280 x 1024???

On a 19", definitely. The text on a 19" at 1280x1024 is very big.
1280x1024 is a bit small on 17" TFT. You can use lower resolutions, but they don't look as sharp due to interpolation, so it's best to use larger font, then.

2) Contrast. I do not understand why one cannot change the Contrast on LCD’s with a DVI connection. Why is this??? I think this is even touted as a benefit – am I right?

Depends on the model. I can change the contrast of my Philips 200P4MG .. I coudn't on my old Philips 150P. Dunno why, but it's not a general issue.

RJ

[sandmark]

on a new LCD monitor, I would like to upgrade to a 20" widescreen LCD,but as I understand, their resolution is usually 1680x1050. My existing video card (ATI Radion 9600XT) shows a maximum resolution of 1600x1200. Can I use a 20" widescreen with this video card? Thanks for any input.