LCD Help and Advice

JavaFox

Hey. If you've talked to me at all, you probably know that I'm moving to the States soon. Into a dorm, no less. As such, space will be limited. Now I will find a place to put my PC -- everything comes secondary to that. If I have to shorten my bed with a saw, so be it. I'm not ditchin' my PC for anything.

One thing I can live without is a CRT monitor. The thing is, I know nothing about LCD monitors. What're things to look for? What are some good brands? Tell me why an LCD monitor looks blurrier with higher refresh rates..

Basically, any information or advice regarding an LCD monitor will be helpful.


Thanks in advance

MikeDaMan

You may want to view some of the FAQ's in this site http://www.unitedvisual.com/2faq/2faq1.asp The only bad thing I've heard and noticed is that Flat Panel LCD screens dont have as good picture quility when it comes to gaming other than that though..they look pretty nice in the regular windows desktop.

DallasStar

*LCD monitors can't offer the same type of contrast as CRTs because they have to constantly have a backlight in order to be properly seen. You should look for LCD monitors with a contrast of at least 350:1 (there are some that even offer 500:1, but they are $1000+ ). CRTs can usually do a contrast of 700:1 or more (just to give you an idea of the difference). LCD monitors usually don't look all that bad... they just can't properly display BLACK (it annoys me, but it might not annoy you).

Another thing you should look for is whether the monitor has a DVI input. These inputs, as you may already know, offer a digital signal to the monitor rather than an analog signal, so the picture quality is the best that it can be.

One thing that you should beware of is that LCD monitors MIGHT HAVE DEAD PIXELS!!! This is why it is essential to choose a good or reliable brand. Also, most stores won't accept returns on monitors with less than 6 dead pixels .

I don't know many brandnames for LCD, but I've heard very good things about Samsung... I'm guessing that the same brands that are known for quality CRT monitors are also good for LCDs .