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Advice on 19" LCD

J

jscheiman

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 21, 2005
68
0
Phoenix, Arizona
To go along with my future PM purchase, I will need a monitor. I have a pretty limited budget for this and was at first just focused on CRT monitors. However after reading many posts I see a pretty good push towards LCD's. In either case I cannot afford a 20"+ if I wanted and have decided on 19", anything less is too small.

I've found what I think may be some decent 19" LCD's but am looking for some help. I'm looking for a reliable and semi-cheap monitor around the $300-400 range. I do create a large amount of graphics with Photoshop and Illustrator as well as do video in After Effects, so color and text clarity are pretty important to me.

I'm not exactly sure what specs I should be focusing on to help me determine which monitors are better than others.

The few that I have found near my range are the:

Dell 1905FP - http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...age=productlisting.aspx&instock=&refurbished=

Any of the Samsung 91x versions (910, 913, 915 V series or 912, 915 N series) - http://product.samsung.com/cgi-bin/...rs+and+Related/Monitor/LCD+-+Analog&pageNum=2

Any recommendations? I thank all you for your help!
 
With the following coupon code, the Dell 19" is $317

Dell Biz: Dell UltraSharp 1905FP 19in digital LCD monitor $317 shipped

Dell Small Business Electronics & Accessories have some new coupons on select Dell LCD monitors, all expires 3/23 11pm CST.

Updated code. 40% off Dell 1905FP LCD monitor w/ coupon code: 8KLZRXT4JNQW1N
30% off Dell 2001FP, 2005FPW and e193FP LCD w/ coupon code: HX91$1PHR0RR16

Dell UltraSharp 1905FP 19in Height Adjustable Digital LCD monitor for $529 - 40% off coupon = $317 shipped.
Click to expand...

So, with the coupon a new one is less expensive than that refurbished one.
 
So what are the most important features to look at with an LCD? The lowest response time, the largest viewing angle, high contrast ratio or high brightness?

What starts dividing the low end fair monitors from the mid to upper level good?
 
jscheiman said:
Wow, not a bad deal. I see however that promotion expires today! Do they run normal specials like this often?
Click to expand...

Pretty often. This is the third one I remember seeing in three months. I got my 17" Dell LCD with a similar 30% off coupon. It looks like Dell are aggressively chasing market share on almost everything, since they have so many 25-40% discounts.

I subscribe to xpbargains.com and get an email bulletin twice a week or so.
 
I say go for a samsung on newegg.com. I believe Apple uses Samsung panels in a lot of their notebooks and displays. My friend just got a 17" samsung, and it's amazing. Don't remember the model number, but I've never seen it before in stores. The frame around the screen and the casing was tiny and thin. Also, the hinge was almost imac like, and it allowed a good range of movement.
 
jscheiman said:
So what are the most important features to look at with an LCD? The lowest response time, the largest viewing angle, high contrast ratio or high brightness?

What starts dividing the low end fair monitors from the mid to upper level good?
Click to expand...

25ms is not that bad, unless you're big into FPS games. A good viewing angle would be something like 160-170 degrees (aka +-60 or more). I think high contrast is more important than high brightness. I think low end monitors have less of the above. Some of the upper level LCDs have more ports, maybe USB or Firewire hubs. Look to spend at least $300 for a good monitor.

If you could spare an extra $100, you might be able to get a Dell 20" (I've seen them go below $500 with coupon). As stated before, the 19" has the same resolution as the 17" (1280x1024). So really, unless you don't like the smaller size, you're still seeing the same amount of information. My friend just got a Dell 17" for less than $300 with coupons, which is nice.
 
If price is an issue, you should just consider buying a 17-inch monitor. I think you will find every 19-inch monitor has a maximum resolution of 1280x1024, which also happens to be the maximum resolution of every 17-inch monitor also. Thus, the apparent or effective screen size will be the same.

My advice: if cost is an issue, save a few bucks and buy a 17-inch. Otherwise, save up for a 20+ incher. There's a reason 20 inchers are more expensive than 19-inchers: you get an extra few hundred thousand pixels. The Dell 20.1-inch 2001fp has been $487 with proper coupons in the past.
 
How about the LG moniters? They look beautiful, and come in 17" and 19" models.

L1940P_lrg_lge.jpg
 
anubis said:
...Otherwise, save up for a 20+ incher. There's a reason 20 inchers are more expensive than 19-inchers: you get an extra few hundred thousand pixels. The Dell 20.1-inch 2001fp has been $487 with proper coupons in the past.
Click to expand...

So, where do you come across these promotonal coupon codes for Dell monitors. I see that they offer online discounts here and there but I've never seen the coupon code stuff.
 
jscheiman said:
So, where do you come across these promotonal coupon codes for Dell monitors. I see that they offer online discounts here and there but I've never seen the coupon code stuff.
Click to expand...


There are several websites with this info. I go to www.xpbargains.com
 
LCD 19 inch monitor

I just bought a mini-Mac as a learning tool. I like fooling around with different OS and finally Apple offered a machine reasonably affordable.

I had a wonder Hitachi 20 inch CRT that I paid over a $1000 for several years ago. I searced and found a 19 inch LCD I thought I could afford. It is a Sceptre Multimedia X9g. It is fast (12ms) and very clear. There were no dead pixels (yet). I never heard of this brand, but bought it on the strength of comments from customers on newegg.com. It is $346 today.

It works great with Half Life 2 and Halo. I have had it only about a month. I use a KVM switch between the Mac and my PC.
 
Samsung SyncMaster 910t for $409.97 (Amazon.com price)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Samsung help make a part of Apple Cinema Displays?

Samsung is a very underrated LCD company - its amazing but not as popular...

Anyway, this is a great monitor and has pivoting...

SPECS:

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
Supports: 2 Computers, Rotating 90 degrees (Includes Pivot Software)
Colors: Black, Silver
Included Cables: VGA, DVI

B00026IO0U.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

(Above: Earlier model, newer model looks better)
More images:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00026IO0U.01-A9B09ZK9BZJQ6.PT01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
 
I also vote for the Samsungs. I got a 191T (19") about 1.5 years ago. I love it. No dead pixels. Very good viewing angle. Very good color reproduction. Fast enough for games and DVD's. Dual inputs, DVI and VGA.

That last feature i have been using a lot on my new PB. VGA for the PC and DVI for the PB.
 
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