Purchasing 19" monitor, suggestions?

[CygnusX1]

Hi all,

Looking into getting a 19" monitor. The interesting thing about purchasing a monitor is that specs mean practically nothing. Instead, I would rather rely on the experiences of people who have owned these monitors. Important to me is clarity, color depth, and eye strain after prolonged use (hopefully lack of). Having an image that fills the screen to the corners and doesn't take a lot of fiddling to get square is handy.

The obvious choice seems to be the Sony E400. However, for less money I can get a KDS, or CTX Trinitron screen or another "budget monitor". How do non-Sony Trinitron screens compare to Sony screens? What about the Lucky Goldstar 995E screen I've heard so much about? What about the MAG 800v or MAG's Trinitron monitors. Price does matter. I'm looking for a monitor under $500 and would love to get one closer to $300. However, I don't want to "settle".

Thanks in advance for recommendations/advice,

Mark.

 

[TheJackal]

I just got the KDS AV-195TF and it's simply amazing. I got a great deal on it for $315 because of a Staples screw up but you can still get it for around $400. I would definately recommend this for the money.

 

[Sugadaddy]

Viewsonic PF790 and Samsung 900NF are very good monitors, and don't cost as much as the Sony's.

 

[GT578]

SAMSUNG 900NF ......I tried using Sony E400, Viewsonic PF790 ...saw a bunch of KDS AV-195 at the stores..never really used it. ALL those monitors are pretty much the same...except I tend to like the tubes made by Mitsubishi because they seem more clear to me in terms of text...color depth and stuff like that...that's all really up to the individual. Let me say that trinitron based monitors.....FDtron and Natural Flats...they're at lot better for your eyes I think....and a plus is that samsung 900nf is around $400 ...not too expensive either.

 

[dadx2mj]

I have a KDS VS-195e and like it a lot. Many people complain about KDS having many defective monitors or monitors that die prematurly. This may be true but at least they are very good about taking care of their defects. I have had mine for about 6 months without any trouble at all. The picture is good and was easy to adjust and for the $299 I paid for it I think it is a great deal.

 

[CygnusX1]

Thanks for the input!

So that's two votes for KDS monitors. If the KDS monitors use Trinitron tubes, what is the advantage (besides having a well known name) of paying more money for a Sony? Anyone compare Sony with "knock-offs" side by side?

Mark.

 

[andri]

Get a monitor with a flat tube. You won't regret it. My vote would go to ViewSonic, either PF790 or PT795...

 

[Oyeve]

Any monitor with a trinitron tube IS a sony. Only sony make a trinitron tube. The only thing is the "other" electronics in the case. ie...transformer, PS, et al.

 

[LXi]

Are you forgetting the Samsung SyncMaster 900NF? Its cheap, it does higher reso/refresh rates than the KDS, and it's got BNC support.

 

[arthurb1]

ViewSonic PF series...I got an 815 21" from onvia...good packaging, I didn't have the problems of others...(screwed up pictures) (common to Sony and their $2 packaging around a $1500 monitor, whereas tis $800 ViewSonic had about $20 worth of Packaging...it was that expensive HD foam (the "wet" feeling stuff, not the dry stuff...if you know what I mean.)

 

[rabidsloth]

I have a viewsonic gs790 and i love it. My friend has the ps790, i payed $300 including shipping for mine and my friend payed over $500 for hers. I would say that there definatly isnt a $200 difference. plus the gs790 is alot shorter than the ps790 so if your looking for a 19 inch monitor that performs real nice, doesnt take up a buttload of space, is quality, and doesnt cost an arm and a leg, i would go with the gs790. The best place to get good deals on viewsonics is here:
click here for the best deals on viewsonics
anyhow good luck

 

[duragezic]

Try using the search tool on these forums for 19" monitor threads in General Hardware and Video. You'll probably find a lot, enough to narrow down your choices at least.

 

[CraigRT]

NEC Multisync FE950

 

[Colt Steele]

I would recommend a Sony G400, this monitor is a bit over your budget of 500, but I bought this monitor from Onvia a year ago for $530 shipped free. This monitor is great because it does 1600x1200 at 85hz, and its virtually flat. When I was comparison shopping, I was thinking of the KDS(AV-195TF), a Mitusubishi, and even the Samsung. I heard a lot of horror stories with defunct KDS monitors, and distortion with the Mitsus, and poor customer support from Samsung, and even blurry corners on Sony's. But my friend convinced me to get the Sony because of its specs and rep, and to splurge on the monitor is the most important thing, since I will have this monitor for YEARS, why not get a good one and spend a little more? I recommend you take your time and shop around since this is no small investment. I shopped around for like two months =], go to a B&M computer store and look at the displays firsthand.

Also, be aware that the Trinitrons have Lines on top and bottom, some are annoyed by it, I dont even notice it. To me, Trinitrons are more "crisp" then reg CRTs

-Colt

 

[zsir]

Here's my take......

If you're going to get a 19" flat screen, which I reccomend you do, you need to try them out for yourself to find out how anal you are or are not about display qualities.......

I unfortunatley seem to be overly anal..... :disgust:

Here's a list of what I've tried and my opinions......

First let me say that of these monitors I've tried, they all looked great when playing games or viewing images..... None of them had perfect geometry, but with the OSD controls I could obtain aceptable quality.... It has been kind of hard to get a square straight border and still have correct geometry in the center area of the screen with some of the monitors I've tried.

I perfer the AG tubes because they seem very crisp and vibrant and I like them better than the shadow mask tubes.....

KDS AV195TF...... I liked the color quality of this monitor better than the others I've tried.....It's very good at high resolutions.

The focus was off in the corners......This was most noticable while using IE 5.0...... I wish it had more focus/convergence controls especially the ability to adjust the corners.....Maybe they are not all like this but the one I had was....

NEC FE950....... I like the Diamatron tubes, the colors don't seem to be as saturated as the trinatron tubes but I still like them.....Text was blurry on the right third of the screen.....I could almost get rid of all of it with the OSD controls as this monitor has a lot of convergence/linerity controls but I couldn't get it perfect....This was annoying while using IE 5.0

Mitsubishi diamond plus 91......Same as FE950 except text was slightly blurry on the bottom of screen but not so much as to actually be a problem....Doesn't offer individual rgb adjustments....The fine picture mode one touch adjustment is actually kida cool....Doesn't offer as many control options as the FE950......This is a pretty good monitor

So the main reason I didn't keep any of those monitors was because while using IE 5.0 they each had areas of out of focus text....I tried them at resoulutions as low as 1024 and never at refresh rates higher than 75/85hz....I tried different levels of contrast/brightness......But as sharp and clear text was in most of the screen, there where parts of the screen where they 20-30% less in focus....That really bugged me.....This is with a V3 2000....

I'm either going to get a Samsung 900NF which I won't be able to return, and hope it's ok........Or try 1 more KDS.....


At this point I would even pay extra for a Sony, but I'm not convinced it's worth it.....The 900NF looks very impressive (LXi has convinced me) on paper.....Pixel frequency 240Mhz... and the vertical/horizontal scan frequency is a little higher than anything else in it's class....It offers a lot of convergence,lineairity, focus controls too....I don't know if it has individual corner purity controls (LXi ????) Plus BNC conector......So I will probably get one and stay with that....


So basicly, text quality/focus in different areas of the screen is the concern I have had with the monitors I've tried.....I thought they all produced beautiful images and colors....Text was very sharp and clear on most areas of the screen....The geometry issues I could get over....And I for sure can't go back to my 17" non flat monitor....

 

[Leo V]

Selling my Sony G400 after 9 months of usage...only to replace it with the 21" Sony G500! A work of art in quality, the Sony G-series has impressed me a lot. You can get monitors with Sony tubes from other vendors, but will you get the same quality tubes? Not according to many people. There are many awesome things about the G400, but perhaps the most outstanding (compared to competing models) is its brightness/contrast and color saturation. I've never seen such pure, bright colors elsewhere. Blacks look like the monitor is off. When I properly calibrated the monitor/videocard, I was able to distinguish adjacent shades of 24-bit true color!! (That is, 256 levels of brightness!!) Only the most sensitive equipment allows this.

Its other qualities--sharpness, flatness, high refreshrates (the G400 goes to 1600x1200 @87Hz and 1280x1024 @100Hz, BTW), low radiation emissions, etc. are also top-notch, but can probably be found in cheaper models--at least some qualities at a time But if you're as paranoid about damaging your vision as me (and I believe I have grounds for that), there is no compromising.

 

[zsir]

Leo V.....

You got me think'n WTF..... Spend a little extra and get the G400 or at least try one.....IF the text quality\focus is consistent across the screen I would consider it money well spent.....

A G500 huh..... Life must be nice How about a 18" LCD ????

 

[Midnight Rambler]

I've been through them all except the Samsung (owned other makes with DiamondTron though), and I'll say it again ... nothing beats the Sony.

It's unfortunate, as they command a premium price. But in return you get the best image quality, and especially the best focus and color saturation/purity. They also display the truest white of any monitor I've seen.

Not even other monitors based on the Sony CRT quite measure up IMHO. The closest competitor is the IBM P96, they are very good displays.

 

[Fingers]

I got a 19" optiquest for $260 and .24 dot pitch. Its got a really pretty picture,s o i would recomend any veiwsonic.

 

[zsir]

Midnight Rambler....

Didn't you have a bunch of problems during shipping with the Sony from Onvia?

Did they ever get that straightened out?

I would be buying from them....

 

[Sephiroth_IX]

I hate to say it, but i like the Mitsubishi high end monitors. They are beautifully crisp and clear. I like the Sony's just as much in quality, but there is something about the Mitsubishi's - shape, glow? I don't know - that keeps me preferring it. The Samsung 900NF also has a Mitsubishi tube/glow, and it gets my highest recommendation in this competetion. Price/performance, it is among the lead of the pack.

But hear this, before you keep looking into your monitors. If your video card doesnt have the colors coming out fine enough, the screen wont report them to your eyes. If you want the best performance at all times, all the way across the board, upgrade that V3 2000 to a G400MAX. The MAX outperforms any other Matrox offering, including the G450, and every G400+ Matrox beats the competition. If you want a double whammy in hardware image quality, go RGB out of the back of that g400max. Hell, with the MAX you could have TWO --count em-- TWO monitors running side by side.

 

[jimmygates]

The Samsung is great. Very bright monitor. I have to turn the brightness down to 60% or it would be too bright for my eyes!




-Jimbo

 

[Shockwave]

Got the KDS AV-195, schweeeeeet! I would definitely recommend it, but I would also highly recommend the Mitsubishi tubes too. Either Trinitron or Diamondtron, either way, you'll be basking in the radiation with a smile!

 

[hans007]

well if you get the kds av195tf, you'll have a sony tube, a KDS case, KDS electronics, KDS menu, and best of all KDS service which is light years better.(from what i've heard about sonys and personal experience with KDS) If you warm your christmas fire with flaming $100 bills, get a iiyama visionmaster pro 450 or a eizo, or heck just get the SGI 17" flat panel with the multi I/O box for $1400

 

[CygnusX1]

So after tallying all the votes the winner is . . . (drum roll)
The Samsung 900NF by one vote!

KDS AV-195TF ||||
Viewsonic PF790 ||||
Samsung 900NF |||||
NEC Multisync FE950 |
Sony G400 ||||

It was a close one with a three way tie between the KDS, Viewsonic, and Sony G400. This gives me a good place to start. I'm not ruling out any of the top 4 yet. I am getting a Radeon 64 DDR video card so the image quality, although not on par with the Matrox G400, ought to be decent. If you are interested I've put my system specs below. (The system I am building now.)

Pentium III 1Ghz, Asus CUSL2, 256 MB Crucial CAS 2 RAM, Radeon 64 DDR (w/TV out, OEM), Soundblaster Live Platinum 5.1, 3COM 905 network card, Panasonic 105S 16X slot loading DVD-ROM, 30GB IBM 75GXP hard drive, Lian-Li PC-60 aluminum computer case, QuietPC.com 300W power supply, QuietPC.com Molex processor cooler

Thanks for the input!

Mark.