LCD Monitor Questions

[arynn]

My father is looking at potentially buying a LCD monitor.

What are the specifications of interest (i.e. supported refresh rates and resolutions in CRTs)?

Also, his video card does not have a dvi output (only the standard VGA[?] output).

Is there a converter that can be used? If so, is it worth it - or will the image quality be degraded significantly.

His machine is not used for gaming at all, so that is not a concern.

He has a Sony Vaio with a SIS 730S chipset.

Thanks.

 

[Nestle]

You should look for high contrast (350+) and if posible go to the store and check the monitor very carefully before buying because many of them have bad/stuck pixels. To check for bad pixels use black backround first, and then a light background.
Unfortunatly at most stores you can't really see the quality of the monitor because they use VGA spliters that degrade the quality.

 

[Jeff H]

arynn, as Nestle said, look for contrast ratio (300:1 or better), brightness, and pixel pitch. FWIW I've recently purchased two 15" LCD's, a Hitachi CML153 and a Samsung 151S. I bought the Hitachi for my mother in law, and was particularly interested in the built in speakers. The Hitachi is a solid unit, very stable on the desktop, and has a great picture. I bought the Samsung for my daughter to take to college next fall. I went w/ the Samsung for her based on my previous experience w/ Samsung monitors, and a couple of good reviews.

Comparably I like the look of the Hitachi better. The Samsung appears brighter, but washed out compared to the Hitachi. Also, the only negative I read in the Samsung reviews was stability of the unit as it sits on the desk. That isn't an issue w/ the Hitachi. FYI I bought both units from [L=Newegg.com]www.newegg.com[/i]. Their prices were tough to beat, and each monitor showed up at my doorstep w/i three days of ordering.

 

[stephpar]

wow....i'm surprised to hear that you'd prefer the Hitachi over the Samsung. I can't speak to what the Hitachi looks like, but i've seen the 151s and i thought the colours were great. Pu that together with the fact the response time is substantially better than the Hitachi and I would have thought the 151s wa a no brainer. It's so hard to know when you can't really compare in stores.

Steph

 

[Dufusyte]

Originally posted by: arynn

What are the specifications of interest (i.e. supported refresh rates and resolutions in CRTs)?

15" LCD's are usually 1027x768
17" LCD's are usually 1280x1024

Refresh rate is not a significant spec in an LCD; there is no flicker. Gamers may be interested in a low "Response Time."

Also, his video card does not have a dvi output (only the standard VGA[?] output).
Is there a converter that can be used? If so, is it worth it - or will the image quality be degraded significantly.

There is a converter/adapter type plug thingy you put on the end of the monitor's digital cord to make it plug into an analog vid card.

Or you could get an LCD with dual input, namely one with two interfaces: digital and analog

Or you could just get an analog LCD. Something like KDS' Rad-5 or Rad-7 is quite nice.

If the LCD is made specifically for analog, it might be a bit better than one that is digital with an adapter plug.

I've found that even the cheapest 15" LCD such as Envision's en1500 (or whatever it is called) has quite a nice picture if you adjust the settings nicely.

 

[Jeff H]

stephpar, out of the box the Hitachi had a much warmer look to it. The Samsung appeared washed out. Now, in all fairness I haven't spent any time w/ the Samsung adjusting settings, beyond some minor brightness and contrast tweaking. So, I'm not at any point near writing off the Samsung. It's just that my OOBE w/ the Hitachi was so good. And, for built in speakers, the Hitachi unit was better than I expected. Will the built-ins rival Klipsch ProMedias? Hardly, but for hearing Windows sounds they're more than adequate.

 

[badxcow]

i'm also on the market for an lcd, maybe you can find some helpful comments on my thread
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=27&threadid=785023

goodluck

bc

 

[Jeff H]

Linkafied:

badxcow's LCD thread

 

[rarotonga]

Hey Aryn,

Look for a three year warranty on backlight (most trouble prone area of LCD).

Look at the date of manufacture on the LCD panel usually listed on a decal. LCD panels have improved dramatically over the last 12 months so look for a unit no older than say - 6 months.

Look for at least 350:1 contrast ratio (Indication of newer & higher quality LCD panel).

Look for "Energy 2000" symbol/statement. (Again, an indication of the age of the LCD panel.)

DVI only panels are much more expensive than standard VGA and the output is of no discernable difference. Stay with with VGA for add'l savings.