Is this really true???

[Mac2004]

I've been shopping for a monitor and I was told today that the resolution of a CRT monitor is much better than an LCD monitor. Is this true?

I noticed that I can buy a 22-23 inch Sony or Viewsonic CRT monitor for about $600.00!! If I bought the Apple monitor I would be spending $2000.00 (and Sony and Viewsonic isn't junk!!!)!! I could save $1400.00 and get a much bigger monitor if I went the CRT way. I was told that if you have the room on your desk (which I have) that a CRT is the way to go as the picture and colors are much better. I want a monitor for photos, browsing the net, email, and word processing.

What do you think? Also, who makes the best CRT monitor (model number, etc.)???

 

[believo]

CRT monitors typically give a brighter, more attractive representation of color. LCD monitors typically give a more accurate representation of what color will look like when it's printed. I'm a graphic designer, I own a CRT because I can't justify spending that much money on an LCD that really doesn't have as many advantages to justify the price.

I've had good experiences with viewsonics.

 

[w00tmaster]

I've been shopping for a monitor and I was told today that the resolution of a CRT monitor is much better than an LCD monitor. Is this true?

I noticed that I can buy a 22-23 inch Sony or Viewsonic CRT monitor for about $600.00!! If I bought the Apple monitor I would be spending $2000.00 (and Sony and Viewsonic isn't junk!!!)!! I could save $1400.00 and get a much bigger monitor if I went the CRT way. I was told that if you have the room on your desk (which I have) that a CRT is the way to go as the picture and colors are much better. I want a monitor for photos, browsing the net, email, and word processing.

What do you think? Also, who makes the best CRT monitor (model number, etc.)???

CRTs are much more flexible in their resolution. If you do not run LCDs in their recommended resolution, the picture can look blurry or blocky. A 19" CRT can go up to 1600x1200 easily(you can actually push them above that, but I wouldn't recommend it), whereas you need at least 20" LCD to get that resolution.
LCDs eat up less power, are generally easier on the eyes, and make your desk look much neater. If you don't mind these drawbacks, go with a CRT, you are right, they are much cheaper for the size/number of pixels you get.

 

[Mac2004]

I agree

Yes, I was told that most graphic designers and layout people use CRT's instead of LCD monitors. If desk space is not an issue then I would think a person could get a much better and bigger monitor for 1/2 of the price. What's a good CRT monitor for an Apple G5?? (21-23 inch)

 

[Nspace]

I would never give my CRT up for an lcd. Basically cause anything below 1600x1200 seems giant to me since I have gotten used to it, and most lcd's dont show that resolution that nicely. I agree with the above.

 

[whitegold]

Advantages and disadvantages to either

To me the only real advantage to LCD monitors is their small size (and weight). And the "cool" factor.

They're VERY expensive by comparison. Their colour accuracy is excellent, but they're often "washed out" in colour. They are no where near as bright and vivid in colours as a CRT. They have a low refresh rate, usually making them unsuitable for many games, and also for DVD or movie watching.

They ARE getting better, and they ARE getting cheaper, but to me the technology is still getting there. I'm a graphic designer, and I use 2 x CRT monitors at work, though only 19 inch. Though at home I have been thinking about getting nice big (horribly expensive) LCD, as I don't have a lot of desk space.

CRTs are definitely the way to go for now, though give it a few years and I think the tide will turn. LCDs actually outsell CRTs now, though that statistic takes into account all the LCDs that go into laptops, which have sold very well lately.

Oh, and the original question, yes, CRTs really do have by far larger resolution. This monitor I'm using here (19" Dell) is easily capable of 1600 x something. I don't run it at that preferring 1280 x 1024, but it can do it. Finding an LCD that can do over 1024 x 768 can be tricky and expensive, though quite a few do 1280 over the 17" size.

Also important is that if an LCD monitor has one resolution, that's what it has to stay at. Anything other than their "native" resolution looks apalling. Which means if you buy a game that doesn't run well at 1280 and you turn it down to 1024x768, it will look pretty ordinary.

Anyway, that's my eight cents.

Matt

 

[whitegold]

Monitor

Oh, and for the record, go for a quality monitor, not a big one. A 19 inch Sony is a better buy than a 21 inch "Golden Duck" monitor.

I don't know who makes Dell monitors, it might be Mitsubishi. Whoever makes them, those are good.

Sony are always good. Look at things like the "dot pitch" and look at the price. Have a look around on the net and you'll see some good reviews.

Matt

 

[AngeredTree]

Oh, and for the record, go for a quality monitor, not a big one. A 19 inch Sony is a better buy than a 21 inch "Golden Duck" monitor.

I don't know who makes Dell monitors, it might be Mitsubishi. Whoever makes them, those are good.

Sony are always good. Look at things like the "dot pitch" and look at the price. Have a look around on the net and you'll see some good reviews.

Matt

I have a 19" Trinitron CRT that is branded by Dell, and it always served me really well...

 

[jrv3034]

Try the Mitsubishi DiamondPro 2070sb. Huge 22" CRT, very crisp screen, goes up to 2048 x 1536, but I typically run it at 1600 x 1200 or 1920 x 1440 for video editing. It cost me HALF the price of the 20" Cinema Display, and has a WHOLE lot more resolution and color accuracy.

The ONLY drawback is weight. It's about 60 lbs.!!! But if you have the desk space, you can't go wrong with it.

Here's a link:

http://www.necmitsubishi.com/produc...t=232&ClassificationFamily=1&Classification=1

I would strongly advise going the CRT route if price is in any way a factor for you. LCDs simply look sexy, but are WAY overpriced. Don't buy into the hype just yet... eventually LCDs will be the same price or cheaper, but not yet.

 

[Rod Rod]

another couple of good CRT options are the IBM P260 and P270.

I bought a used P260. it's a 21" perfectly flat tube. I run my PowerBook lid-closed attached to it. I get 2048x1536@60Hz, 1920x1440@75Hz, 1600x1200@90Hz and 1280x1024@100Hz. I run it at 1600x1200 and it's comfortable.

The P260 and P275 have dual inputs: one DVI and one VGA. the DVI input is different than DVI-I though, so you have to connect a VGA to DVI cable to run a Mac through the DVI input. the inputs are switchable, so whenever I get a G5 again I can run my PowerBook and it on the same screen, and just flip a switch to go from one to the other.

good places to find off-lease quality CRTs are azatek.com and accurateit.com