LCD vs CRT

[bobpensik]

Hi everyone,
Well i just recieved my 12inch PB!!! YAY and am loving it, but i had always intended to buy an external monitor just for easier viewing and whatnot. So my question is as follows...

I only have at most about $300 CAD to spend on a monitor and i am debating which way to go, i would love the small size of an LCD but it is much more expensive and i would only be able to afford a 15inch so i would not get any increase in screen real estate really but i know that it would be nice to go that way. My other option is a 17inch or possibly 19inch refurb CRT, that way i get much more screen but the things are so huge and from what i have read harder on the eyes after long periods of reading and whatnot. But the price is much cheaper. I would buy a LCD refurb if i could find one, but they are much less common.

I am a university student in general science right now, and enjoy doing multiple things on the computer at once, like music, internet, word processing, etc but i am not heavly into graphics or anything really, just once in a while as a hobby (Just to give you an idea what i use my comp for)

So any suggestions what i should do??? and if so any reccemondations on the brand of monitor i shoudl get.

Thanks for any advice and feedback

 

[Doctor Q]

The tradeoffs between LCDs and CRTs have been discussed in a number of threads here, and you can do a search to find them. In your case, since you are on a tight budget, I suggest getting a large CRT so you have lots of real estate (without using miniscule fonts) when you are at your place of residence. You can use both the PB screen and the CRT, then disconnect and go to school with just the PB.

Eyestrain with a CRT? Probably not if you get a tolerable CRT with a high enough refresh rate. It helps if you pick a resolution that uses the highest refresh rate supported, rather than use the highest resolution it supports. And you are young, so your eyes are probably in top working order anyway!

 

[MoparShaha]

I was in a similar bind a few months back. I got a new Power Mac and was deciding betweena 17" LCD or a 21" CRT. Even though the resolutions differ between my case and yours, same principle. In the end, I decided to go for the CRT. Not only was it cheaper, but I love the screen space. My old computer was an iMac, 1024x768 resolution, and I couldn't stand it. With OS X, everything looks so much bigger. It just wasn't a high enough resolution. Now with my 21", I run 1600x1200 at 85Hz and can't believe the difference. Go with the CRT, you'll be much happier using your PowerBook, instead of being happy with the way your desk looks .