Which high-end monitor?

[Papineau]

Ok, so I'm (almost) ready to cough out my tax return on a new monitor. I'll move at the same time, and I'll have more room than here. I'm currently using a Viewsonic PS775 1600x1200@75Hz, and I'm looking forward to something better. It will be used mainly for desktop use, but CAD/CAM, games and the occasional DVD are not excluded.
I don't use the USB hub included with my current monitor, so it's not a criteria in the choice of it's successor.

I'm looking at the following monitors:
Viewsonic P225F
Nec Multisync FP1355
Nec Multisync FP1375X
Sony G520
Sony F520 (much pricier)
Samsung 1200NF
Hitachi CM823F

They are all the top of the line (or almost: Sony has some even higher-end models), costing around US$ 900. So it's not something I want to do without checking first.
If you have some experience with one of those models, please share it --- it will be appreciated. Or if you have some other similar models that I missed.

Thank you for your time!

 

[oLLie]

Is Mistubishi still in the high-end display game? I thought I always heard good things about their monitors.
Maybe you should look into that huge 24(?)" Sony Monitor , I think the only thing I didn't like about it was it
said .27mm diagonal pitch , oh and the enormous price.
Bump for you, I'm interested as well!

 

[Gosharkss]

My Monitor slector tool may help you sort out all the specs. It allows you to compare these side by side.

 

[Papineau]

oLLie,
Mitsubishi seems to have joined their monitor operations with Nec's, hence Nec-Mitsubishi. Their current (still under the Mitsubishi brand) is rather limited, but they have one indeed: the DP2060u.
I skipped over it on the first time because the comparison matrix I saw on their site mentionned a 240VAC input, so rather unusable here. But upon closer examination, it accepts 120VAC also.
Link: Mitsubishi DP2060u

So that makes 8 models to choose from.

I noticed Tom's has a lineup of 19" CRTs. I checked it, but as:
1) I want a 21-22" monitor
2) different models from the same line of one manufacturer can have some big differences in appreciation,
I don't think it can help me much.

Gosharkss,
Actually it's not only a matter of specs. It's more for the feeling, or some other things which are not expressed in the specsheets.
And since I live north of the border, I'd prefer a dealer which is on the same side as me (especially for shipping purposes). The ones I listed I know I can order them from a local dealer.

 

[tejboy]

You can't go wrong with a sony

 

[godscorn]

<< You can't go wrong with a sony >>


The only thing to watch for in the Sonys are the Trinitron models. They tend to have the thin wire 1/4 of the way from the bottom and top of the monitor. Not a defect, but somewhat annoying on white backgrounds....they perform nicely though...

 

[Cosmo3]

Sonys are nice but if you have a problem teir customer service sucks, no Sonys for me because of that if I pay that kind of money for a monitor I want service. I was going to get the Hitchi 823 but after reading some customer reviews on Cnet I decided not to go that way even though I have had a Hitachi 19in monitor for over 3 years and it has been great. The NEC 1355 is great and the NEC people are very nice. I called tech support to check them out and they were very nice, I even called them toll free on a Sunday and they were very helpful, try that if you have a Sony. I did alot of research and ended up with the NEC 1355 and I have had it about a week and it's not moving from my desk, no way. The 1355 and the 1375 are about the same except the 1375 has a little higher scan rate and it has a extra digital input on it, I asked NEC if the picture was better with the digital input and they were honest and said no. The Mitsubishi is about the same as the NEC 1355, same tube and case but it has 2 inputs on it so you could hook up 2 computers to it but other than that they are the same. I have a ATI radion 8500 hooked upto my NEC and I love this thing. You can get some good deals at Dell right now and they have free shipping. Oh the Samsung looks nice but it also had some bad customer reviews on Cnet and the cheaper NEC 1250 seemed to overall have better reviews so I figured the 1355 should be that much better.

 

[TechMasterChen]

I've heard nothing but praise for the Sony monitor's, they always get the top ratings in all the mags.

 

[nicowju]

I'm pretty happy with my G520 running @ 2048x1536

 

[Papineau]

Well, everybody seems to like Sony (except Cosmo3). It had a small something (brand recognition?) going fot it for me too, along with the Viewsonic. I'll try to find some reviews of each of them before I choose the one I'll buy.

With my luck, it'll take 2 months to get it (still waiting for an Asus A7M266D from 2 different vendors)...

 

[Gosharkss]

No matter what monitor you are interested in it is always a good idea to call and e-mail the technical support line of the manufacturer and reseller before you buy. First time how long it takes you to reach a human or an e-mail response and then ask them some questions about the monitor you are considering. You don't want to sit on hold; you want to talk to knowledgeable people. They aren't trained to "polish" the answers like sales reps might, but you'll get a sense for how technically competent and knowledgeable they are and how the company will treat you after the purchase.

Good Luck

 

[Cosmo3]

I didn't say the Sonys were bad in fact they have a good looking picture. I have read many post about poor customer service from Sony and I have had first hand experence with their poor service and if I pay that kind of money for a monitor I want good customer service. I used to work in service and that is very important to me and has much to do with the purchasing of produts that I buy.

 

[DrDavid]

well, my experience with samsung 1200nf is pretty disappointing so far; poor brightness and the focus isnt what i anticipated but that might have something to do with my standard gf3...

 

[gunf1ghter]

Yeah, I have always been impressed with my Sony displays... maybe not always the razor-sharpest for text, but color, brightness, etc, has always been top-notch.

The newest Sony's seem to be based on the Sony WEGA technology, saw the new 21" CPD-E540 in a CompUSA the other day and I was really, really impressed with it. Perfectly flat, supports 1600X1200 at 85hz (highest rez I would ever want to run)... nicest thing is that it's only $599 retail (with an easy AMEX Blue PM to $488). I think I'm going to pick it up today.

I tried an LCD and it was a big letdown, see my post on this for more information.