Help me decide which lcd monitor to buy

[mattevil]

I'm moving into a dorm sight unseen soon (transferring) so I've decided to ditch my crt in favor of something that might fit on my desk.

I'm looking for something in the 17-20 inch range and a maybe a dvi connection.
I first looked at the Samsung SyncMaster 173P but it looks like you have to have a pc to adjust brightness,contrast,etc.
I looked at apple's 17 inch display but it a tad expensive for something that looks like it's at end of life
the Formac Gallery 1740 looks pretty good but i'm having a hard time finding it for sale online.

So does anybody have any suggestions? I've been mulling over the three above but I'm welcome to any other monitors you suggest.I'd appreciate any replies because august the 20th is approaching all too fast.

On a sidenote this is going to be connected to a 2002 Quicksilver Dual 1 Ghz G4 tower with a NIVIDIA Geforce4mx card so will I be able to hook this up with DVI out of the box?This is my first lcd so forgive the ignorance.

BTW i did look at a couple of other monitor threads here but didn't feel they fit my question or were a little old.

[TreeHugger]

don't know too much about good lcd's but be sure to use froogle.com to find the best prices.

[Xenious]

For cheaper 19" or so VGA plug displays both NEC and Viewsonic make good ones. When I got mine for work last year it was about $600. The 19" NEC has controls via the monitor itself and has a pretty good lcd panel.

[themadchemist]

I LOVE my Apple 17". Bought it almost a year ago and it's definitely the best monitor I've ever had. Don't by the Formac. I've heard it looks quite cheap and the company itself is questionable at best.

I'm not sure about any other monitors. If you check CNET, Apple monitors have some of the highest ratings.

[Vector]

I would suggest the 17in apple. Its only 599 now and that is a good price for it. I bought one when they cvame out, and it is the best monitor that i have ever seen, with the exclusion of apples larger lcds. It has a very wide viewing angle and is very bright, brighter than most. I would not worry about the fact that it is at the end of its life. The monitor will still come with a warranty and its not like lcd technology has changed so much that it is suddenly out of date. I have been using mine for i guess 3 years and have no dead pixels. If i were going to buy another monitor i would be buying the $599 17in studio display. For the money it is the best quality lcd that i have seen.

[drlunanerd]

I'd recommend the Iiyama ProLite E431S.

Better image quality than the Apple 17". I've used both products extensively. The Iiyama is also much cheaper and has dual inputs - DVI and VGA, and will work with your Quicksilver.

[Vector]

THe Iiyama is nice, but dual inputs isn't really that big of a deal if he is using a quicksilver since a quicksilver has an adc input - at least mine does.

The viewing angles on the Iiyama are much smaller.

Iiyama - Vertical viewing angle 120 degrees, horizontal 140 degrees

Apple 17in studio - vertical viewing angle 170 degrees, horizontal 170 degrees

The Iiyama seems to have a slight advantage in candle power and brightness, but the apple display is plenty bright enough and i think its larger viweing angles are more important.

here are the specs on each:
http://www.apple.com/displays/asd17/
http://www.iiyama.com/default.asp (you'll have to go to the product page)

[2A Batterie]

make sure to use your student discount if you decide to buy from Apple. I believe the "17 is $100 cheaper if you do.

[drlunanerd]

THe Iiyama is nice, but dual inputs isn't really that big of a deal if he is using a quicksilver since a quicksilver has an adc input - at least mine does.

The viewing angles on the Iiyama are much smaller.

Iiyama - Vertical viewing angle 120 degrees, horizontal 140 degrees

Apple 17in studio - vertical viewing angle 170 degrees, horizontal 170 degrees

The Iiyama seems to have a slight advantage in candle power and brightness, but the apple display is plenty bright enough and i think its larger viweing angles are more important.

here are the specs on each:
http://www.apple.com/displays/asd17/
http://www.iiyama.com/default.asp (you'll have to go to the product page)

Er, hello? The refresh on the Apple 17" is rubbish - have you actually used this monitor for any serious work? Try ghosting windows for starters. Try playing a 3D game, you'll be sorry. Pixel response is far more important than viewing angles. I love Apple but one thing that's seriously overpriced and under-spec are their monitors. Don't be a fanboy and choose objectively.

[Rod Rod]

Er, hello? The refresh on the Apple 17" is rubbish - have you actually used this monitor for any serious work? Try ghosting windows for starters. Try playing a 3D game, you'll be sorry. Pixel response is far more important than viewing angles. I love Apple but one thing that's seriously overpriced and under-spec are their monitors. Don't be a fanboy and choose objectively.

3D gaming is serious work? Anyway window ghosting isn't nearly as bad once your display has warmed up. That's what I observed with my 23" ADC ACD anyway.

[plinden]

I'm moving into a dorm sight unseen soon (transferring) so I've decided to ditch my crt in favor of something that might fit on my desk.

I'm looking for something in the 17-20 inch range and a maybe a dvi connection.
I first looked at the Samsung SyncMaster 173P but it looks like you have to have a pc to adjust brightness,contrast,etc.
I looked at apple's 17 inch display but it a tad expensive for something that looks like it's at end of life
the Formac Gallery 1740 looks pretty good but i'm having a hard time finding it for sale online.

So does anybody have any suggestions? I've been mulling over the three above but I'm welcome to any other monitors you suggest.I'd appreciate any replies because august the 20th is approaching all too fast.

On a sidenote this is going to be connected to a 2002 Quicksilver Dual 1 Ghz G4 tower with a NIVIDIA Geforce4mx card so will I be able to hook this up with DVI out of the box?This is my first lcd so forgive the ignorance.

BTW i did look at a couple of other monitor threads here but didn't feel they fit my question or were a little old.


Much as I hate to recommend Dell, I recently bought a 17" Dell-branded LCD (1704FPW), which includes DVI and a four port USB hub, and I really do recommend it. It cost $300, including tax and shipping, but with a 30% off coupon.

It has only 25ms response time though, so if you /are/ into 3D games it may not be the best one for you.

[baby duck monge]

your gfx card does not have a DVI connection, unfortunately. though i would certainly recomend getting a display with dual-input in preparation of a time you might change cards or computers.

that said, i really like my new samsung 172x. i was using it on your exact setup until last week when i sold the comp. nice refresh. pretty decent color. tiny. not TOO expensive if you shop around.

and you were right about that other samsung - you need a PC to adjust the color.

i will also second the dell as long as refresh rate is not a concern for you.

[ScottDodson]

If this helps any...I own and use 2 apple lcd's that are the same style you are looking at for over 3 years now. Happy to report that I've never had a problem, no dead pixels, no fading, nothing...still as bright as the day I bought them. And they are left on typically 24 hours a day 5-6 days a week. They are one of the best purchases I've made to date from apple.

[lazyboy922]

I've been using the KDS rad-5 and rad-7. I love the look of them, and for a decent price, i think they are great quality.

[h0e0h]

I just bought a 17" SXGA (VGA) from justdeals.com (http://www.justdeals.com) and it is being shipped for 210. Its my first LCD as well and it was recommended for my doctor... so i said for the price... why not try out this LCD phenomenon...

[Xeem]

Er, hello? The refresh on the Apple 17" is rubbish - have you actually used this monitor for any serious work? Try ghosting windows for starters. Try playing a 3D game, you'll be sorry. Pixel response is far more important than viewing angles. I love Apple but one thing that's seriously overpriced and under-spec are their monitors. Don't be a fanboy and choose objectively.

I disagree. Apple monitors are of much better quality than the numbers suggest.

[Timelessblur]

I disagree. Apple monitors are of much better quality than the numbers suggest.


but he is right the apple 17 in is over priced for it specs. It pretty much just a rebagde LG monitor that has some wireing change (USB hub and power cord which is easy to do)

I paid 500 for my monitor and it is the apple monior just is has the LG name plate on it. (guess who made the 17 monitor panal....LG)

[freiheit]

I recently got a Samsung 710N -- it was on sale for $299 (I think it's usually about $349-379). My particular need is lower-than-native resolution (1024x768 is about my limit) and all the reviews I read said this Samsung has the best interpolation of any 17" LCD. I think they were right. I'm running quite happily in that res (native is 1280x1024 which just makes things way too small for me). It's also fast enough to not show ghosting when playing DVDs.

BTW, MacOS X has its own color adjustment utility which works pretty well. It won't change the settings OF the LCD, but it will nonetheless adjust to look right.

The 710N hasn't got a lot of bells or whistles (only VGA, not DVI, and no speakers or USB) but there are other 710 models which do include such things, if you can find them.

[hechacker1]

i have a samsung 710T.

The 710N is vga only.
The 710T has DVI and vga.

it is an awesome lcd monitor, i have yet to see one with better colors, brightness, and reponse time. I can easily game on this without any problems.

It does have one of the best interpolation, especially the DVI model because you don't even have to auto adjust, the screen is always perfectly centered (i guess any DVI does that). DVI is definately worth it over vga if you care about lower than native resolutions.

This monitor is also one of the brightest I have seen. I have to set the brightness to 70 and contrast to 60 or else it is WAY too bright. That is in full sunlight too.

If anything I recommend that you try to get a low response time monitor. This 710T has a 12ms response time. I see very little ghosting in games and none in movies. A big improvement compared to my older samsung with 25ms panel. It also allows you to read the text clearly (not blurring) while scrolling.

The samsung 172x is an older/slimmer model that is similar to the 710T/N. However, it uses a different panel that is more optimized for gaming. THe 710 is probably more on the side of accurate reproduction.

[hechacker1]

btw, i got mine from dell.com using an online rebate. I think I got it for 379 and free shipping, no tax. That was when this monitor was going for $500.

http://www.techbargains.com/

use this site for rebates. They update daily with different promotions.

[amacguy]

http://www.supertechstore.com

they have good deal on the samsung lcd TV monitor right now

[ravenvii]

I'd second the Samsung or Dell recommendations above. I have the Samsung 172T, which is pretty old right now, but a great screen for it's time, and still is. My school has tons of Dells, and have their 17" screen (the pro ones - you can tell by the Dell logo on the bottom, if it's in a yellow ball thing, then it's non-pro and crappy, but if it's just a white/silver Dell, it's good). And they're really nice LCDs, really thin bezels too!

And it's the 1704FPV btw, not W. Also do check out their 2001FP and the much-celebrated 2005FPW (if you have the money).

[CaptainCaveMann]

Not sure if its dvi, but Dell has an awesome wide screen monitor out right now. A lot of guys on this site like it. Plus its cheaper than Apples 20. ;)

[cluthz]

The DELL FW2005 (20-inch widescreen) is very nice and cheap too! (search around this board for info about discounts on it). And yes, it sports DVI, VGA and Video inputs

Samsung has other screens than the 173P (which is a nice screen, but no mac adjustments makes it hopeless). THe 172X and 710T is good screens.
I've got a Viewsonic 171S and its great (triple input (DVI + 2xVGA) and the best ergonomics on the market..) I also got both DVI and VGA cables in the bundle..
Its the first 8ms response screen on the market.
http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view.php?cid=5&id=1317
http://www.viewsonic.com/products/desktopdisplays/lcddisplays/proseries/vp171s/
http://www.trustedreview.com/article.aspx?art=950

[zyuzin4]

wow old thread...but i'll say you can get the Dell 2005FPW for 550 right now in the Small Business store which I would buy in a heartbeat at that price if I had the funds

[SPG]

wow old thread...but i'll say you can get the Dell 2005FPW for 550 right now in the Small Business store which I would buy in a heartbeat at that price if I had the funds

It comes up as $749 for me. Is there a coupon code that I need?
I'm actually looking for a new monitor and am on a tight budget (work machine).

[NCTRNL]

Go to the small business site and buy it from there...it's $549...I just got mine yesterday...and all I can say is HOTNESS!!!!! Well I just checked and it's back up to $749. Just keep your eye on their site. They discount stuff like crazy on there...

[absolut_mac]

Much as I hate to recommend Dell, I recently bought a 17" Dell-branded LCD (1704FPW), which includes DVI and a four port USB hub, and I really do recommend it. It cost $300, including tax and shipping, but with a 30% off coupon.

It has only 25ms response time though, so if you /are/ into 3D games it may not be the best one for you.

Here's another excellent deal, 17" Viewsonic for under $300. Like virtually all LCD's though, the response time is 25Ms.

http://shop2.outpost.com/product/4058842

[drlunanerd]

I disagree. Apple monitors are of much better quality than the numbers suggest.

Get a clue. Do yourself a favour and check out some real-world tests, don't believe manufacturers' claimed specs, Apple or otherwise. Yes this makes buying an LCD monitor tricky if you value high performance, but please don't start spouting subjective words like "quality" unless you can back it up with objective facts.

Fact: until the Alu. monitors, the panels Apple were using were last-gen. cast-offs from LG with piss-poor specs. compared to competitors' offerings at lower prices. Why didn't Apple publish full specs. like the pixel response time? Why do they still not do it for their laptops? Work it out.

I'll pay for Apple hardware, but don't take me for a ride with sub-par LCD panels at inflated mark-ups.

Try http://graphics.tomshardware.com/display/ for starters.

[zyuzin4]

Dell 2005FPW on sale ends soon. This is the cheapest I have seen it so I had to pick one up

$749.00 - 25% off
Code: 40F961WD2MTG0K

$55 off $475
Code: ZDCHTVW0BG390S = $506.75 shipped free.

[bigandy]

Sitting here using a brand new BenQ FP71G 17" TFT. It's stunning and goes well with the mac mini... 1280x1024 native resolution..

It's available on www.ebuyer.com if you're so inclined - cost us about £150 or so (US$300).

[dotdotdot]

All Samsungs are quality LCDs...

I'm using the 19" SyncMaster 910t, noticed the price dropped to below $500. Its relolution is 1280x1024, and pivots for word documents, etc. (Don't know if Macs can do this though)

Has two inputs and I have heard its one of the best monitors...

Type: Monitor
Screen Size: 19 inches
Native Resolution: 1280 x 1024 pixels x pixels
Aspect Ratio: 5:4
Video Inputs: None
PC Interfaces: Analog VGA, Digital (DVI-D)
Built-in TV Tuner: None
Rated Contrast Ratio: 1001:1
Brightness (Max): 260 cd/m^2

PROS:
Attractive price. Portrait mode. Screen settings can be adjusted from the computer keyboard. Generally good image quality.
CONS:
Weak printed documentation. Poor performance with analog signal in light-gray areas. Slow pixel response time. (MY NOTE: I don't think it has a slow pixel response time, and I also don't think the light-grays in analog mode are too bad... in Digital (DVI) there is nothing wrong with this monitor)
OVERALL:
The SyncMaster 910T is a thin-bezel monitor with some premium features, but it also has some shortcomings that take a little shine from its appeal.

PCMAG Editor Rating: 4/5: Very Good

[Bibulous]

get a dell - that said, all options are on the table

[jer446]

i love the way the apple lcds look, it would kill me to have like a powermac and then just have another companies lcd..

[Rod Rod]

i love the way the apple lcds look, it would kill me to have like a powermac and then just have another companies lcd..

It's really not that bad. Non-Apple monitors work too. I suppose it's all about your priorities. I'd rather have a DP G5 and a non-Apple display, than a single-processor Power Mac and an Apple display.

[iriejedi]

Great and cheapt 17inch - only has VGA - no DVI but an incredible refresh rate and I play Far Cry on my PC with it. Great for games and all that other stuff. That card I think has both VGA and DVI - personally I can tell the difference - but a true graphic artist misght. But for the price the 712N is a great deal.

Just my 2 cents


I'm moving into a dorm sight unseen soon (transferring) so I've decided to ditch my crt in favor of something that might fit on my desk.

I'm looking for something in the 17-20 inch range and a maybe a dvi connection.
I first looked at the Samsung SyncMaster 173P but it looks like you have to have a pc to adjust brightness,contrast,etc.
I looked at apple's 17 inch display but it a tad expensive for something that looks like it's at end of life
the Formac Gallery 1740 looks pretty good but i'm having a hard time finding it for sale online.

So does anybody have any suggestions? I've been mulling over the three above but I'm welcome to any other monitors you suggest.I'd appreciate any replies because august the 20th is approaching all too fast.

On a sidenote this is going to be connected to a 2002 Quicksilver Dual 1 Ghz G4 tower with a NIVIDIA Geforce4mx card so will I be able to hook this up with DVI out of the box?This is my first lcd so forgive the ignorance.

BTW i did look at a couple of other monitor threads here but didn't feel they fit my question or were a little old.

[Flynnstone]

What do you want to do with it?
It seems the faster the response the narrower the viewing angle.
I have a 20" cinema display. Stunning!
I have a 17" Viewsonic with a narrow viewing angle. I don't think I need to state which looks better!
If games is a big concern, then faster.
Otherwise I would look for wide viewing angles. Like about 170/170.

[YS2003]

I purchased the Apple 20" Cinema Display a few days ago. It is stunning. Sturdy structure with nice aluminum finish which goes well with my Macs. Very bright at the lowest brightness setting in my room. Wide screen format for better viewing. I looked at many LCD screens at stores such as Bestbuy, CompUSA, Circuit City. But, most of them don't even have his wide screen format. They look rather square (4:3 or a little wider than that) compared to the Apple Cinema Display.

It is pricy. But, I think you will get what you pay for.

[The Big D]

If you want a great screen with extra's, get yourself a Samsung 17"WS 730MW. This has a widescreen ratio with speakers buiit in and has two inputs, 1 x DVI, 1 x VGA, there is a radio + TV tuner + composite, S-video & Component video input and PC audio & stereo L-R.

If your in the states then it should cost you less than what I payed for it in Austarlia, $730.00(AUS). It has a great picture and even works with my old G3 350.

cheers.

[lncook]

I just got my Mac Mini and planned on getting a 17" display at Costco for the sick price of $269. When I got there, they only had the Princeton 19" at $350. The lower priced 17" was a web-only offer so in the interest of getting the hell out of Costco so that I could setup my Mini I bought the 19". So far it's been a great monitor (although I have to sit way back or I get mesmerized by the screen). I don't care about stats or the finer points of technical discourse over monitors. This screen just works well and is cheap. Once again, nobody can beat Costco for prices (and free food samples).

[Dont Hurt Me]

2 NEC Monitors, a Multisync LCD1935NXM & Multisync LCD1760NX. Both have Zero dead pixels. :D Its the first thing to look for. Both run at 75hz. no complaints. cheers ;)

[Stratification]

Ran across a very good review of budget monitors recently at Firingsquad. Mind you it is a game site, but they cover the range very thoroughly. That includes color response out of the box and when calibrated, response times, coverage of different LCD technologies etc. Well worth a look, even if you aren't a gamer.

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/budget_lcd_roundup_0405/

[e²Studios]

I bought 2 Sony SDM-S74 displays and i am absolutely in love with them :)

My displays (http://batou.org/gallery/displayimage.php?album=14&pos=10)

Excuse the mess :P