[PodMan]

Hi, I am looking to purchase a desktop LCD monitor, either 15" or 17". Can anyone suggest some tips on what to look for in an LCD monitor. I have a DVI output from my upgrade to a geforce4 last year. Any suggestions on which particular models and brands to look for and avoid? Thanks,

 

[Pepsione1]

I have a NEC 1760NX (17" black) and it was the top of the line when I bought it. I think its pretty good and I think the price's might have came down since last summer.

 

[erl]

I have a Hercules ProphetView 15" at home, and a 17" of the same brand at work. They've worked well. The 17" was in a round-up at Tom's Hardware fairly recently and got a good review. www.tomshardware.com is a good place for TFT monitor reviews.

A tip might be to see if you can buy it somewhere where you can return it no questions asked if it has any dead pixels.

Good luck!

 

[lan]

If you are into gaming then look for the lowest pixel response time (combined rise and fall values).

I like Samsung LCDs. They are usually innovators and have great colors, contrast, and brightness.

 

[Music Fanatic]

Quote:

Originally posted by lan I like Samsung LCDs. They are usually innovators and have great colors, contrast, and brightness.

I agree. The very best of their models are beginning to approach the level of plasma displays for home theater applications (although plasma is still significantly better.)

 

[SptsNaz]

Quote:

Originally posted by Pepsione1 I have a NEC 1760NX (17" black) and it was the top of the line when I bought it. I think its pretty good and I think the price's might have came down since last summer.

I have the same monitor. I got it around $340 after rebates from Staples a long while ago, but I believe they sell it on newegg for $400 with free shipping. This monitor is great - picture quality far exceeds what I expected, and after a short burn-in you won't notice the trails that most LCD's leave in games (its 16ms i think). Outrageously bright colors. Never found one dead pixel also. I would recommend it without any hesitation whatsoever.

EDIT: Holy crap the price flew to 500! Ahhh

 

[mbriant]

I'd been using 2 CRT monitors (with Photoshop) so when I upgraded my computer a month ago and decided to switch to 2 LCDs, I ran into a slight problem. My new computer had only one analog connection and one DVI. Along with the computer I purchased a Sony 19" LCD, planning to add a second matching Sony when finances permitted, assuming incorrectly it had both digital and analog connections. It turned out to onlly have an analog connection so that forced me to look for a second monitor with a DVI input. I was surprised at how many LCD monitors do not offer DVI connection. I decided on the 17" NEC 1760 NX and both it and the Sony are fine. The NEC is supposedly quicker and more suitable for gamers although I can't notice the difference. (except the 17" digital NEC was 1/3 the price of the 19" analog Sony)

I was lucky that neither monitor has defective pixels. I've been told that the manufacturers consider as many as 6 dead pixels as "non-defective" and therefore not covered by warranty, so the advice already given of buying from a store which offers a no-questions-asked return policy is good advice.

 

[traficante]

Keep in mind LCD look there best at there native resolution. Its important for you to go out and look at monitors of different sizes and see which one u like.

I prefer larger pixels thats why i like 15" or 19" LCDs. 18" and expecially 17" LCDs have pixels that r way to small. I dont wear glasses and dont want to in the future. You can try and use large fonts but its gunna make a lot of websites look funky.

Im just waiting for Dell to put there 19" LCDs on sale so I can replace my old 15" LCD.

 

[Vertigo-1]

Something to keep in mind if you currently wear corrective eyewear...LCDs and glasses might not mix too well. I found that out the hard way when I bought my LCD. I simply cannot keep my Viewsonic VP171s in DVI mode, as I get eyestrains and headaches within 5 minutes of looking at the screen. The image is simply too sharp, for lack of a better way to put it. Going down to analog softens up the image enough so that I can withstand it...which means I essentially just saved desktop space instead of really gaining the visual benefits of an LCD.

 

[oneeyedhobbit]

You can always up the font size--the laptop I bought for school has a 15 inch LCD, but the native resolution is 1600X1400--thats tiny! But, I've bumped up the DPI to 120 (instead of the usual 96) and that helps quite a bit.

P.S. I also wear glasses, FWIW.

 

[ls20]

lcd prices has been rising for the past year... quite ridiculous... ill hold out for a while longer

supposedly the panels are in shortage and a bunch of large taiwanese factories are about to open which would attenuate this problem and level the prices

 

[PodMan]

thanks for all the replies, guys,

I am going to look into the models mentioned but I am actually surprised at the prices. they are almost exactly the same as what I saw last year when I was just browsing around. perhaps I should wait a little bit, thanks,

 

[Snake]

Also remember that LCD's do not have linear gray scales nor color tracking. If you're moving over and doing a lot of Photoshop'ing there is an adjustment period where you'll have to learn about working around those visual issues to still get the results you desire.