Need a LCD!!

deleted_acct · Post by **deleted_acct** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 11:19 pm

Yesterday went to the BattleShack for some lan gaming and about broke my back carrying my damn monitor. That SOB is ****ing heavy. IM getting me a damn LCD!!!!!!! Need some suggestions I cant afford nothing like a 21 or 23 inch

Shagster · Post by **Shagster** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 11:20 pm

NEC. get a 19" if you can afford. Never Ever go below 17" for a gaming rig

nepenthe · Post by **nepenthe** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 11:21 pm

I am receiveing an NEC 19" this week..... One cool monitor.

deleted_acct · Post by **deleted_acct** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 11:25 pm

HOLY ****! Them Biotches are expensive. Anyone want to buy me one hehe.Ill be your best friend.

Shagster · Post by **Shagster** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 11:26 pm

DO NOT by any means slack with brands names when you are talking about expensive equipment.

TRUST ME

nepenthe · Post by **nepenthe** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 11:33 pm

I have seen too many problems with off brands on LCD monitors. The NEC seems an excellent LCD monitor for the price.

I have three 21" CRT's in action. I need the the LCD for my family room system, which is meant to be discrete.

david

Immortal · Post by **Immortal** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 1:28 am

yeap.. don't be cheap on vital equip.... if I had money I'd get the best there is.. and if I don't.. I'll wait till I do..

smidley · Post by **smidley** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 2:03 am

With LCD's go with samsung... they're the best in mine and many others oppinion(s)

knightmare · Post by **knightmare** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 2:44 am

the #1 seller in japan, is now available here, not too bad a price,

i have done business with them before,

decent site [url=http:///phamcomputer.safeshopper.com/38/cat38.htm?646]lcd monitors[/url]

iiyama monitors specs look good, i saw a 288$ after rebate 17" lcd at office depot too...cant recall their brand tho

deleted_acct · Post by **deleted_acct** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 3:49 am

Ive heard lcd monitors are not good for gaming. Is that true? Also i heard they only run in one resolution so that means you have to run every game in that one resolution?

Immortal · Post by **Immortal** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 4:01 am

Originally posted by Chillinhh
Ive heard lcd monitors are not good for gaming. Is that true? Also i heard they only run in one resolution so that means you have to run every game in that one resolution?

With the new lcds... with sub 20 ms... or 25 response time.. there are no more ghosting which used to be a problem.. now it's no more...

they do have one natural resolution.. I think... however u are able to change it... I think... but it's best to keep it at that.... that's all I know anyways

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 7:00 am

Originally posted by Chillinhh
Ive heard lcd monitors are not good for gaming. Is that true? Also i heard they only run in one resolution so that means you have to run every game in that one resolution?

Let me fill you in on a few things, as I've spent a LOT of time researching LCD's because I wanted to (and did) get one last year.

First....LCD's are measured differently...the measurement is true viewing surface...so a 17" LCD is truely 17", compared to a CRT monitor where a 17" model may actually yield something like 15.6" viewable...so you can often compare a 15" LCD with a 17" CRT. I have an 18" LCD...which is pretty much like a 20" CRT.

The first generation LCD's (meaning, any models that came out before around August 2002)....were brutally slow for gaming. Response times around 40ms or so.

Late last summer, a couple of makers realized the gamers were staying away from LCD's (and gaming enthusiasts are a big market for monitors...since we often get new monitors nearly every 2 years).....so a few makers came out with that's been called "Second generation" LCD's. Response times in the 25ms range...which makes playing games pretty decent. Last fall I got a Viewsonic VX800, which is an 18" LCD. 25ms response time. Gaming is quite good. Yes you can notice it's a whisker slower (I can, many people probably cannot...cuz I'm picky)...but it's totally acceptable and playable. The first generation models were sluggish, totally unacceptable by me...yet many didn't really care.

This winter we've had a couple of makers make superfast LCD's. These monitors have 16ms response times...so far the only makers I've seen with this is Hitatchi, and Planar. Hitatchi has been written up at several sites....and is doing very well in the articles.

Read up on some of the monitor articles on this page....scroll down below into the "Monitor" section.

http://www.gamepc.com/labs/index.asp?bhcp=1

Samsung makes some of the best LCD monitors overall...quality, picture, etc...but they only have one or two models that are quick enough for gaming...that came out just last fall.

If I were to buy another one this week...I'd get one of the Hitatchi's mentioned on GamePC's site.

Also spend some time at Tomshardware...he is't well liked by many here...but he's unbiased on his LCD monitor writeups...and has several really good articles.

dj_tigger1982 · Post by **dj_tigger1982** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 8:38 am

LCD monitors and Gaming.....LOL

As some of the above posts have allready said do not skimp on quality, check out the max resolution and also the refresh rates.

My mate goes to a lot of LAN parties and decided to buy a LCD monitor and he attached his to the side of his case, soo that he only had to carry one thing, it was a kewl mod... but what he did not do was reserch the monitors for very long.

If possible read the reviews on the web, and if possible go to a computer store and see the monitors because altho they may sound good,..... they might not be.

Personally I do not like them cause they damage really easy, and they are prone to scraches and knocks and bumbs more than a standard monitor.We have them at our work and one of the girls actually cracked them by pokin the screen.. (nasty) Also some of the ones I have seen while @ a lan party are crappy and slow when playing games, maybe it is just cause the user has messed up the refesh rate .. I dunno

But on the pluys side..... Get a touch screen ONE......wohaaaaa

hAVE FUN

Brk · Post by **Brk** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 8:42 am

There are so many threads here at SG concerning this, and YOSc and I have "debated" back-and-forth on LCDs a few times.

True, the Hitachis have some of the lowest rise and fall times, but Samsung is king IMHO in overall quality of both build and picture. I've had a Samsung 181T 18.1" LCD for nearly a year now and I honestly do not notice "ghosting" when I play games (using either the VGA or DVI cable), even the frenetic FPS-type of games...but some people do, and that's when the lower pixel response times help out. The 181T has a response time of < 25 ms.

I think the overall important factor is not to give in easily to a cheap brand must because the price seems affordable. You don't have to spend $1000 by any means, but in my experience a knock-off or unknown brand only leads to abnormal amount of dead pixels and other screen problems, which usually translates to poor customer service and RMA policies.

Here is a response (copy-'n'-pasted from another thread) I wrote a long while back to someone looking to buy an LCD, tips that've helped me over the past couple of years:

------------

I'd like to offer some advice once you get the LCD:

1. Check the screen for scratches. There shouldn't be any, even if it didn't ship with an acrylic cover over the screen.

2. Once it's plugged in and ready and you've booted into Windows, head to http://www.monitorsdirect.com/toolkit/index.shtml and use the Monitor Toolkit. Check for bad (dark/black color) pixels. I believe NewEgg lists how many bad pixels are "acceptable" before it merits return. Basically, anything more than 1 is unacceptable in my opinion, but NewEgg and Samsung likely have a 5 or more policy. I've had three Samsung LCDs and I only had one bad pixel on one of them -- Samsung is a very high-quality product, of course. If you see pixels that are just a bit darker than the others, pressing GENTLY on the screen with a finger can "reset" the pixel and stop the problem. If you see any pixels that fade in-and-out, blink or strangely change colors (like bright red for no apparent reason, RMA it right away.

3. Samsung has a superior "Auto-Adjust" feature; if you change resolutions or whatnot, always run it afterward. Also, running it at 60Hz refresh at its native resolution will work great -- unlike a CRT, it's virtually impossible to notice the difference between 60 and 70 Hz on an LCD.

4. To protect your investment, I'd recommend getting a dust cover for the LCD for when you're not using it. The only place I've found that sells them for all sorts of LCD sizes is at http://www.ccwear.com/monitors.htm. I have one of these, and although it's a bit unsightly in terms of color, I think keeping screen dust-free is important, since it's unlikely you'll want to start having to scrub the screen down, even if "LCD approved" monitor cleaner.

5. This may sound obvious, but fill out and send in the warranty forms RIGHT AWAY, or do it online. I filled out my warranty registration online for my SyncMaster 181T and Samsung gave me a free 3-month extension on it for doing so. It may not work the same for you, but it is faster for sure.

6. Do NOT use any of the Microsoft "recommended driver updates" from Windows Update. They always screw things up royally. Use the ones directly from Samsung's website. I installed the drivers from Windows Update only to find that for some reason, my monitor was locked in Digital, even after removing it and reinstalling the old drivers. I couldn't see anything at POST due to the screw-up.

7. Enjoy that thing! The text crispness alone is worth the expense.

Ghosthunter · Post by **Ghosthunter** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 9:09 am

if you are a gamer and unless your old monitor sucks, and you have an absolute need to save space, then I would just hold off a few more years, by then the the technology would be much improved, and prices wil be much cheaper.

I ceurrently have a CRT 19 inch Sony Monitor, and the colors and the way the monitor runs is great. Maybe if ever this mornitor breaks I will look into an LCD, but for now why replace something that is not broken?

deleted_acct · Post by **deleted_acct** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 11:27 am

Well i was just looking for something lite for lan parties. And personally i dont like lcds that much because ive seen them and you have to sit just right to see them you cant be leaning to the side and friends cant look at it but its better than carrying a back breaker monitor like mine.Also i was probley gonna get like a 19 or 21 inch lcd which i read that they dont have any gamer lcds in big sizes so pretty much if i got a little lcd it would still not be great then if i got a big lcd it would suck?

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 12:10 pm

Originally posted by Chillinhh
Also i was probley gonna get like a 19 or 21 inch lcd which i read that they dont have any gamer lcds in big sizes so pretty much if i got a little lcd it would still not be great then if i got a big lcd it would suck?

GamePC did rate the 19" Planar pretty good for gaming...25ms response time. That's the same as most other makes 17" LCD's, such as Samsung.

http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content ... r19&page=1

Hitatchi's 18 incher LCD...ya read that article?
http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content ... lcd&page=1

LAN party travel is what I love too....nice and easy.

deleted_acct · Post by **deleted_acct** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 2:36 pm

Man this is really disapointing me i guess ill just have to stick with my back breaker monitor.

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Tue Mar 18, 2003 4:49 am

Originally posted by Chillinhh
Man this is really disapointing me i guess ill just have to stick with my back breaker monitor.

Uh.."WHY?" I'm never going back to CRT.

deleted_acct · Post by **deleted_acct** » Wed Mar 19, 2003 4:47 pm

Because there not good for gaming. Im testing a friends out right now and shoot when i scroll down surfing sites it blurrs up. Although its not a top of the line monitor and i realize that if i buy a hitache or planar it would be alot nice but there still not good enough for hardcore gaming yet.

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Wed Mar 19, 2003 5:17 pm

Originally posted by Chillinhh
Although its not a top of the line monitor and i realize that if i buy a hitache or planar it would be alot nice but there still not good enough for hardcore gaming yet.

I'm brutally anal and picky about my hardware (I work on computers for a living), and cannot count the hours I spend online gaming. Trust me, I can define hard core gaming going back quite a few years. If you saw a good current model LCD, you wouldn't be seeing blurring on just scrolling websites...that sounds like an old 40ms+ first generation model.

I have a high quality Sony Trinitron CRT", a high end Graphics series Viewsonic 19" CRT, a high end Graphics series Viewsonic 17" CRT, a Mag Innovision 17" CRT, and an NEC 15" CRT. I've always been brutally picky about my CRT monitors also...always wanting the higher end professional and graphics series, over the budget cheap models sold at typicaly computer stores...so I'm familiar with the best of CRTs. If I didn't like my LCD...I'd be using any one from my above collection as my main screen (because I run dual screen).

And I'm probably going to add that Hitatchi LCD to my collection soon...run dual LCD's for extended desktop.

Shagster · Post by **Shagster** » Wed Mar 19, 2003 5:21 pm

How is 30ms? Not for gaming though.

The Goog · Post by **The Goog** » Wed Mar 19, 2003 5:55 pm

Yes if you get a good LCD you most likely won't be going back. I know I see no visible blurring whatsoever on my Hitachi CML174B. DVD's and games are both smooth as silk in my opinion.

SG Broadband Community

Need a LCD!!

Need a LCD!!

#1 japanese model