19" LCD Suggestions

[jeffy777]

Alright, I'm just jumping out of my pants with excitement: my wife has decided that I should replace the old CRT monitors for my desktop with new dual 19" LCDs!

The problem is I don't really know what to look for. I can spend around $200 a piece, so around $400 total.

I definitely don't want widescreen and dual connectors would be nice (DVI and VGA) so I can hook up a second PC, if need be.

Of course, I'll be shopping at Newegg, so here's what they have for non-widescreen 19" models:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...SubCategory=20

Here are a few I was considering, please let me know your thoughts:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009083
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824116011

They both have 8ms response time (seems to be the best for that price range) and a contrast ratio of 700:1

Thanks so much for all your help! I'd really like to place the order today because I don't know if I can wait much longer

[jeffy777]

This LG has a 1400:1 contrast ratio, but I think it only has one video input
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824005080

[cvrefugee]

Here you go

[TechZ]

IF you're going to game, DVI is a must, Analog for gaming is incredibly bad.

[Ultra_Kool_Dude]

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...580&adid=17662

[jeffy777]

Originally Posted by cvg

Here you go

So that's a good brand?

Originally Posted by TechZ

IF you're going to game, DVI is a must, Analog for gaming is incredibly bad.

Yes, I game and I'll be using DVI for that. The only reason why I'd want the second VGA connector is just if I need to occasionally hook up a 2nd PC to work on it for a friend or something like that.

Originally Posted by Ultra_Kool_Dude

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...580&adid=17662

WOW, that's a sweet deal. Unfortunately it's widescreen. But the 5ms is awesome....

[geeman]

Originally Posted by jeffy777

But the 5ms is awesome....

Don't look at response times. They are about as usefull as Watts when buying speakers. They tell you absolutely nothing. There are probably more ways to measure response times than there are manufacturers and also the response times is not the same in all situations. Some manufacturers have some response time boosting techs too in their monitors, they do reduce resoponse times but they also increase this thing called input lag (the time it takes your input to be drawn on the screen). So better just listen what other users have to say about the monitors instead of looking at specs.

[jeffy777]

Originally Posted by geeman

Don't look at response times. They are about as usefull as Watts when buying speakers. They tell you absolutely nothing. There are probably more ways to measure response times than there are manufacturers and also the response times is not the same in all situations. Some manufacturers have some response time boosting techs too in their monitors, they do reduce resoponse times but they also increase this thing called input lag (the time it takes your input to be drawn on the screen). So better just listen what other users have to say about the monitors instead of looking at specs.

Like I said, I don't know what to look for, so I appreciate the tips

Any more recommendations?

[Adunaphel]

Samsung 940BF

A bit older screen, but still one of the best 19" ones for gaming. It lacks the apple-like design of the newer samsung, but at least it still has buttons on it for adjustment (the newer ones don't). Good friend of mine has it, and i borrowed it once for a lanparty, and it is excellent for gaming.

Originally Posted by geeman

Don't look at response times. They are about as usefull as Watts when buying speakers. They tell you absolutely nothing. There are probably more ways to measure response times than there are manufacturers and also the response times is not the same in all situations. Some manufacturers have some response time boosting techs too in their monitors, they do reduce resoponse times but they also increase this thing called input lag (the time it takes your input to be drawn on the screen). So better just listen what other users have to say about the monitors instead of looking at specs.

The standard is black -> white response time. The time one pixel needs to go from bright white to all black. As there is no possible overshoot to this one, a lot of manufacturers use overdirve like geeman already said, which causes other transitions to overshoot, which causes flickering on your screen. Another symtom of the overdrive technique is that the difference in response time between some transitions gets larger than 1 frame in game or movie, giving you a very strange result. This is most noticeable when watching movies, but still pretty noticeable when playing games. Samsung and Viewsonic are two of very few manufacturers who managed to get low response times without overshoot and large dirrences in responsetime.

[jeffy777]

Originally Posted by Adunaphel

Samsung 940BF

A bit older screen, but still one of the best 19" ones for gaming. It lacks the apple-like design of the newer samsung, but at least it still has buttons on it for adjustment (the newer ones don't). Good friend of mine has it, and i borrowed it once for a lanparty, and it is excellent for gaming.

It does sound rather good....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001230

I'm just wondering if it's worth the extra cash. It's almost $100 more than the Hanns·G:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824254009

EDIT: actually, the Samsung is $20 off after rebate.....I just might get two of these babys

[jeffy777]

I read some reviews on the Samsung, and while it's great for gaming, the overall color performance is only mediocre.

So, I think I'm gonna get 2 of the Acers and save about 100 bucks

[geeman]

Originally Posted by Adunaphel

The standard is black -> white response time. The time one pixel needs to go from bright white to all black.

There are no standards. And black to white is considered the ideal transition anyway. Gray to white usually takes a longer time. Some manufacturers give their response times in black to white to black some give them gray to white to gray and some give as black to white, this list could go on and on. The point is that there are no standard way to measure response time and manufacturers probably lie a bit in their specs too.
Response times in all modern monitors are pretty much good enough. Input lag is the other thing you really should watch out. It's one of those undocumented features. The frames are kind of stored in a memory before they are displayed on the screen. This lowers response times because the monitor kind of knows what to draw next, but this has a huge drawback, the input lag. (That's how I understand it anyway with my little research I have done, might not be 100% correct). Input lag can be as high as 60ms.
More info on input lag

[cvrefugee]

Damn, these screens are getting cheap. I paid around $350 for my monitor back in the day. However, it was one of the first LCD displays to have an 8ms response time and it's part of Viewsonic's "Pro" series. Bitches.