Well, I haven't bought a monitor for my computer in many, many years. And I mean from the store. This one I have now I bought from a friend when he got a new one. Anyhow.
I'm seeing a trend. Everything seems to be widescreen. I used to find the concept of widescreen monitors annoying (don't ask; I guess I like squares) but I need to adjust I suppose.
In looking up monitors to buy I'm seeing things that I don't know anything about. Two things, specifically. First is the response time (usually I see 2ms or 5ms). I have no idea what this means, and was hoping to get educated on it.
The other thing is the contrast ratio. I don't know what 1000:1 means, nor do I know if it is good or bad.
I remember some years ago LCD being slammed as terrible monitors for gamers, but I have the impression that is no longer an issue.
So can anyone help me out to learn that stuff? And maybe toss me some suggestions toward brands or specific models? I've already gotten a lot of recommendations for Samsung from another forum.
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What are you going to use the monitor for?
My compy is used for gaming, if that's what you're wondering. I mean, I do other stuff too, but I imagine gaming pretty much marks requirements in the moderate range.
The response time is how fast the screen updates, and if it's too slow you could get ghosting problems because whatever your playing will be moving faster than the screen can update the picture. That being said, my friend has a monitor with a 15ms response time and he plays UT with a high fucking sensitivity no problems, so I doubt you have to worry whether it's 5ms or 2ms.
Contrast ratio is just how fucking crazy the contrast is. It's more of a personal preference thing I say. Almost any stores that sell LCDs will have some 3000:1 and 1000:1 monitors on display (I've even seen 5000:1, which is WAY too fucking much). Just go look at them and see what you like more.
Another thing is the type of panel the LCD uses, which can make a big difference in quality for anyone used to a CRT. Here's a link I found explaining them: http://www.pchardwarehelp.com/guides/lcd-panel-types.php
That being said, from the research I've done lots of people give positive feedback about BenQ monitors, or if you have the cash to blow, the NEC LCD2690 looks to be totally badass if you can find it anywhere.
Go to a store and look at some different monitors. Which ones have an acceptable black level? That's the best way to judge contrast ratio. The higher the number, the more "black" the blacks will be on your screen. Personally, I can't stand 1000:1. 5000:1 would be a sweet spot for me if I were a hardcore gamer.
Ah okay, that makes more sense. What i was seeing must have just been bad settings on the monitor, since the contrast on it looked way too high. I'm guessing that could easily be fixed in the monitor settings.
One thing I remember now is dynamic and static contrast ratios. I know lots of companies like to use the dynamic contrast ratio because it's like 4 to 5 times higher than the static, and then you have a bigger number that looks better to the consumer. So keep that in mind: a 1000:1 static is the same fucking thing as a 5000:1 dynamic (the math might be a little off there, but it'll be in that ballpark).
Before I bought that monitor I was using a 19" CRT by Viewsonic. I was pretty nervous about moving to an LCD and wasn't sure if I would like widescreen. That LG monitor is amazing, though. I've had it for 6 months now and I still sit back and marvel at how good it looks. When I make the switch to an LCD TV, I'm probably going to pick up an LG for that, too.
too much contrast or brightness maybe, but that should be variable on the display in question.
They work fine for gaming, in fact, they are a much better value.
I'm basically going to do a side-by-side comparison in a store or two between a TN monitor and S-IPS monitor, to see if I can note the difference. I'm a very color sensitive person.
If by better value you mean cheaper = sure.
If you mean a good ratio of quality product to how much you're spending = naw, no way.
http://www.anz.aocmonitor.com/lcd_monitor/416v.php
It looks nice, but I've never heard of AOC before.
I just purchased a Hanns-G from Newegg, and it's nice, decent contrast (1000:1), good response time (5ms), and 22" widescreen. Plus it didn't cost me too much. It can also run Counter-Strike 1.6 without a hitch, but so can a toaster oven. ;-) Anyway, I recommend it, as do several other Newegg'ers, it's at 5 eggs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254020
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!:
TN panels aren't necessarily bad. I got an Samsung 245B (24'') - Although it has a TN panel, the display quality is pretty good IMO. I don't see color banding, or artifacts while viewing different gradients and shades. The viewing angle is good for a TN panel - I don't notice huge color shifts even on such a big surface (aside from the usual slight brightness difference, while moving my head below or above the ideal viewing angle). But these is just my personal impression. Regarding cheap displays - other factors play an important role too:
For example: The evenness of the backlight. In my example it shifts at the border of the dsiplay area. Not noticeable while "a complex picture" is being displayed, but really noticeable if you have large patches of solid colors This would drive perfectionists nuts, but well - I rolled cheap and I get cheap and I was used to it from my previous screen.
Another point to look at, is how the screen displays non-native content. Scaling with correct aspect ratio is often neglected by cheap monitors. Stretching a 4:3 to 16:10 is horrible - 16:9 to 16:10 not so much, but you are still loosing fidelity and quallity because the scaler has to provide calculate additional picture information. If your graphic card (or software) can't do the job you are left with a horrible aspect ratio in most cases.
One problem I have with my screen is, that it can't display 1080p content from my XBox360. The dashboard complains that my device isn't 50Hz compatible (i thought that refresh rate isn't a factor for a digital signal I am at a loss here). At 720p the internal scaler can convert the signal to whatever is needed to display a correct picture. At 1080p the scaler is apparently overstrained and displays a whole bunch of artifacts. (The same artifacts appear on my other 21'' Samsung screen if I try to use a resolution which exceeds the native resolution of the screen - most likely its the same scaling technic at work there)
So, to sum it up, TN panels can be a good alternative, if you don't expect to much. Most of them don't make your eyes bleed - like some people want you to believe. But remember best features are found by the "next tier" displays which use VA or S-IPS technology, this also applies to the connectivity options of most displays, plus you get better picture quality / color reproduction.
I do have a question about widescreens though. I have an older XP rig with a 9700 card in it. Are there any problems running in widescreen mode using an older card like mine? I've read things that imply this is an issue but nothing concrete one way or the other.
I'm pretty sure it can handle up to 1920x1200 or higher
When I first made the jump from an aging CRT to a pretty decent ViewSonic panel, I was in the middle of Half-Life 2, and the dimly-lit basements of Nova Prospekt looked horribly gray at first. I almost returned the monitor until I moved a lamp so that the wall behind my desk was better illuminated -- and then it was fine. Soon, I saw where the panel really excelled, especially in color reproduction (the first time I saw the orange sunsets somewhere in WoW that I've since forgotten the name of, I was quite impressed).
Dark areas are just a native limitation of LCDs. Even my new Samsung TV, with a 10,000:1 contrast ratio and gorgeous color has to be watched with the lights on because it's just physically impossible for the technology to make as solid a black as a CRT.
PSN:RevDrGalactus/NN:RevDrGalactus/Steam
I don't have a problem during general use with my 9800 (the old ati one); I can't run most newish games at native resolution, though (but they still look decent enough)
I've been thinking about getting a:
-Dell 2007 WFP 20" (as its a non tn panel)
but for a bit more (£30 or so) or so more I could get a:
-Samsung SM245B 24" (tn panel)
So I need to know if getting the dell over the samsung is a dumb idea that I would endlessly regret, or vice versa.