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What monitor should I get?

scem0

scem0

macrumors 604
Original poster
I can spend no more than $400 on a monitor, and I want to buy
one soon. I was thinking in the begiining of getting 2 $200 15in
monitors, but now I am on to 1 18in monitor. What do y'all think?
 
hm
i suggest you try to mooch one. One of my friends bought a dell ( I tried to make him want a mac but no) then liek thrree months later upgraded to a 18.1 LCD, and i told him that he might as well throw out the old 17in CRT. then i was like u know what i'll giveu twenty bucks. Boom, new monitor, i suggest u look into this method. They key is pointing out the need to upgrade.
 
You will not find a better monitor then the Lacie ElectronBlue 19" they have excellent support as if you will ever need it. I shopped and shopped and shopped for about 6 months and after reading everything and asking everyone for $400 or under (my price range too) there is no better monitor. My runner up was this.

Long story short I didn't sell my old B/W G3 and monitor so instead of spending money on a new monitor I stuck with my old B/W 17" Studio Display which is really a very nice monitor though I wish I had the screen space of a 19".
 
personally i'd go dual monitor; i find it more useful. it's a matter of personal preference-- most people here seem to go towards bigger monitors (or bigger dual monitors, rich bastards)...

pnw
 
Originally posted by paulwhannel
personally i'd go dual monitor; i find it more useful. it's a matter of personal preference-- most people here seem to go towards bigger monitors (or bigger dual monitors, rich bastards)...

pnw
Click to expand...

It seems to me that a lot of people get two small monitors because they think they're getting more. When in fact they now have to monitors that when added together have a lower total displayable resolution then a single monitor they could have gotten. This is the main reason I don't like LCDs. I have good eye site and there are a lot of good 19" CRT monitors out there that have a high refresh rate with resolutions near 1920x1440 or greater that I can see perfectly for $400 or less. To get an LCD with a vertical resolution of 1440 pixels takes huge buck. What's the use of being able to put two, three, or more pages side by side on your large wide screen LCD if you can only see the top third of the page?
 
I am talking exclusively about LCD's btw.
I use the computer hours and hours
every day, and the old CRT is getting hard
on my poor eyes (maybe that's why my
vision is getting worse.... 😱). So I assume
that that viewsonic was a CRT?
 
Originally posted by scem0
I am talking exclusively about LCD's btw.
I use the computer hours and hours
every day, and the old CRT is getting hard
on my poor eyes (maybe that's why my
vision is getting worse.... 😱). So I assume
that that viewsonic was a CRT?
Click to expand...


Ah, well you said $400 and that is what got people thinking LCD. You're not going to get an 17" or larger LCD worth having for $400. Don't you game a lot? Isn't that part of the reason you got the PC? If that's so I wouldn't get an LCD. Also I find I have little to no eyestrain with high end crt monitors. When I use someones computer where they got a CRT as a package with the computer (really crappy CRT) they kill me in minutes.
 
Having shopped around a lot for LCD's I
have found some great prices which I shall
post below:
http://www.accessmicro.com/productinfo.php3?ProductId=MONN21818G&AID=514076&PID=552179
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...E&SKU=m925-1800&sourceid=00375502147056230826
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2061654&sourceid=23729432463512348052
(almost got the microtec one [above])
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?id=1212&search=m925-1804
(the top 2 proviews)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2728791571&category=29503
(I am thinking really hard about getting this one)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2728547152&category=29503
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2728788891&category=29502
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2728739913&category=29503
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2728547152&category=29503
(might get this one)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2728442312&category=29503
http://dealmac.com/articles/49127.html
(I should have gotten 2 of these when they were out!)

I also just found this:
BestBuy - HOT! - 15" LCD flatpanel computer monitor $135, maybe
Click to expand...
from here
but I doubt that deal is still in effect. 🙁
 
Originally posted by scem0
I am talking exclusively about LCD's btw.
I use the computer hours and hours
every day, and the old CRT is getting hard
on my poor eyes (maybe that's why my
vision is getting worse.... 😱). So I assume
that that viewsonic was a CRT?
Click to expand...

I think your vision has being going becuase you've been living underground with poor lighting for so long...😉 So looking at any bright light source, the sun, Sauron's blinding eye, your CRT, must be very painful.
 
Re: What monitor should I get?

I would highly reccomend dual monitors. Aside from the cool factor if you use your computer for work or business there is a minimum 30% increase in productivity when you use dual monitors. This is fact supported by research. Sadly most companies think it is a luxury but should consider it a necessity. This more so now days with Adobe products and the like that have a lot of pallets. I have been using dual monitors since the 8100/110 was the hot machine of the day. (back when 88 megs of ram cost me a couple of grand)

Personally I will never purchase a CRT monitor again. I love the LCD monitors for the ease on the eyes and the desk space. Granted if you are working critical graphic color you need a professional monitor. I am no longer keen on Apples Studio LCD displays. My Studio 17 has already been replaced. I have a Formac 17" LCD at the office and find it to be the best LCD I have come across. Huge wow factor when comparing next to the Apple. I only do midrage color adjustment and the joy of working in Photoshop and using digital LCD monitors is having to turn OFF color management. Digital is a beautiful thing.

Now the budget concern is the sucky factor. LCDs on a buget does not seem to work well. Technicaly there is no reason for the huge price as it is now cheaper to make the LCD monitors than the CRT monitors. Oops did I suggest price fixing, hey I suppose if the oil companies, recording industry, gaming industry can do it I suppose the computer accessories industry should get in the game.

I would recommend at least a 17" CRT for you budget. A 15" CRT for a 2nd monitor is OK but you main montor should be large. CRTs are cheap now so you should be able to pick up a 19" for around your budget. Get a 15" second monitor later if you can. Working in graphic arts I have lots of older computers and monitors to pick from and I have found that the 20" Apple monitor gets old and dim just like the 19" Realisys the resolution and flatness of the screen are what makes the monitor usfull while it lasts.

We also have a 22" Studio LCD Apple monitor at the office. I regret purchasing it. The quality to price ratio was just not there. The screen real estate is great but the Formac monitor is just a better looking screen.

I hope I have helped with my rambling.

Thanks
Michael
 
I have a 21" Sony E500 flat-screen CRT monitor, and I stare at it 10 hours a day, and its fantastic. I got it used for 550 off ubid.com 2 years ago, and its the best investment I've made.. except for a few better ones.

Just get a hi-quality CRT, and your eyes will be fine. Perhaps its worth mentioning that I have 20/10 vision, so maybe that's why it doesn't bother me.
 
I will never leave the Trinitron family. I have used a lot of monitors but nothing pleases me more than a Sony Trinitron. And I spent probably 10 hours a day on my computer and eye strain is minimal. What could be causing your problems is the CRT you have now probably sucks. For instance, the old iMacs I could use for like an hour and then I'd have to take a break from the horrible pain it would cause my eyes. I am in the graphic design field and despite what people thing LCDs atleast in this field are not the way to go. Inconsistant color, harsh tones.. .not to say I dont love LCDs but unless you spend about 3 TIMES more than $400 your not going to get a quality monitor.
 
Originally posted by scem0
Having shopped around a lot for LCD's I
have found some great prices which I shall
post below:
Click to expand...

Wow, those are incredible prices. I had no idea 18" LCDs had gotten so cheap. I have a Cornea Systems 17" monitor that I am thrilled with. Definitely check them out. Then again, I got a "deluxe" model that also had DVI, S-video, and RCA cable inputs as well as coaxial cable input and a built-in TV tuner. I use it as a flat screen TV in my lil' studio apartment and it's freakin' dope. Especially with the cantilever wall-mount 😀
 
OK I'm gunna buy the Gateway 18 incher:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2728791571&category=29503

I don't like Gateway, but this monitor looks
pretty good, and has a great pricetag
that I just can't pass up.

$325.00 price
+$15.00 shipping
-----------------
$340.00

and it looks quite nice:
i-1.JPG


I will post my reaction when it is recieved.
Thanks for the help everyone! 🙂
 
Ugh, im having doubts. I don't like the
reaction time (35 milliseconds or the
contrast ratio (300:1). I really like the
stats and the looks of this monitor:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2728688673&category=41807
but not the price (keep in mind I am a 16
year old paying for his own monitor and
his own computer - I can only afford so
much... 🙁).
$424 after shipping

I also like this one bc it has great specs
(mainly resolution) but it is 17":
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2727697193&category=29502
$425 after shipping

This one is cheap, but not the best specs:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2728797920&category=29503
$385 after shipping

Okay after looking at those prices, I
have gotten back onto the Gateway.
It is a tiny bit less quality, but I'm
sure it will be good enough, and it will
cost me $45-$85 less than the ones
I posted above. I think it is a 350:1
contrast ratio too, not 300:1.
 
Originally posted by scem0
Ugh, im having doubts. I don't like the
reaction time (35 milliseconds or the
contrast ratio (300:1). I really like the
stats and the looks of this monitor:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2728688673&category=41807
but not the price (keep in mind I am a 16
year old paying for his own monitor and
his own computer - I can only afford so
much... 🙁).
$424 after shipping

I also like this one bc it has great specs
(mainly resolution) but it is 17":
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2727697193&category=29502
$425 after shipping

This one is cheap, but not the best specs:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2728797920&category=29503
$385 after shipping

Okay after looking at those prices, I
have gotten back onto the Gateway.
It is a tiny bit less quality, but I'm
sure it will be good enough, and it will
cost me $45-$85 less than the ones
I posted above. I think it is a 350:1
contrast ratio too, not 300:1.
Click to expand...

The problem with specs is they tend to be exaggerated. Take for instance ViewSonic. There LCD monitors should be the best on the planet with the specs they have but when they are tested in the real work it turns out they perform on par with some LCDs with half the specs. You can't buy an LCD site unseen. You have to see it in person to see if it meets your performance criteria.

Once again I ask are you going to use this for gaming?
 
No, not really. I play a game or 2 of SC
every other weekend. Mainly internet
stuff, word processing, and P2P stuff.
I just want an LCD because whenever I
go to someone's house who has an LCD,
I have monitor envy. I don't have monitor
envy for people who have high quality
CRT's though.

Also, whenever I go to a computer store,
I look at the LCDs a lot to see which ones
I like, to check the prices, etc. and when I
am done looking at the LCDs I sometimes
turn to the CRTs and I nearly blind myself.
They don't look like they flicker till you use
LCDs for a while. But looking at an LCD
and a CRT side by side is almost startling.
 
Originally posted by scem0
No, not really. I play a game or 2 of SC
every other weekend. Mainly internet
stuff, word processing, and P2P stuff.
I just want an LCD because whenever I
go to someone's house who has an LCD,
I have monitor envy. I don't have monitor
envy for people who have high quality
CRT's though.

Also, whenever I go to a computer store,
I look at the LCDs a lot to see which ones
I like, to check the prices, etc. and when I
am done looking at the LCDs I sometimes
turn to the CRTs and I nearly blind myself.
They don't look like they flicker till you use
LCDs for a while. But looking at an LCD
and a CRT side by side is almost startling.
Click to expand...

Sounds like for you it will work fine. LCDs do just fine for text and the like but for photo work and games they just haven't caught up yet unless you spend big big bucks. Also they have a very limited screen real-estate. I don't know about you but I could never go back to a screen with less then 1280x1024. My biggest beef is I want more vertical space. Screw this widescreen crap. Widescreens are for movies not for working.
 
The guy i'm buying the gateway monitor
from is only accepting cashier's checks
and money orders. This appears to be
the first product he is selling. Do you think
that this may be some type of fraud? How
can I be sure he isn't going to run off with
my money?
 
Originally posted by scem0
The guy i'm buying the gateway monitor
from is only accepting cashier's checks
and money orders. This appears to be
the first product he is selling. Do you think
that this may be some type of fraud? How
can I be sure he isn't going to run off with
my money?
Click to expand...

There is no way. Pass on it and find another deal. Personally on a monitor I would purchase it from someone or somewhere where I could return it near by if I had to. You could have a bunch of dead pixels or anything could happen. Most retail stores have a 30day return policy which you don't get buying it from a faceless person at an auction. Besides fraud is really high right now.
 
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