Lcd-crt-dvi-vga-wtf!

[Smackedbygod]

Ok heres the deal, i got me a cheap LCD monitor from Medion. Not knowing how to judge between monitors i thought i was set with Medion. well no. I started playing a few games and soon came to realize what motion blur and ghosting was. I herd that some LCDs have a high responce time thus causing this effect. Also the fact that it only has a anolog input (VGA). witch my video card can support both VGA and DVI

Madion is about the sux0r when it comes to product info. so i have no idea what responce time this moniter can supply. And now i am unable to figure out witch speed i should get for a LCD.

I get so many mixed reviews on LCDs its driving me nuts. I found a 19in LCD with a 25ms. Some say that the moniter runs great running on 75hz w/ a DVI supported card. and having no problems with ghosting. But i end up reading other reviews saying that 25ms is just not fast enough, that stick with CRT or a smaller LCD with 16ms. But not totaly sure if a 17in is much diffrent from a 19in with a LCD monitor.

I had a CRT, witch i gave to my brother, its a great monitor but the thing is to bulky and heavy and making my desk warp so i had to get rid of it :-(.

I like LCDs in how they are so much thiner and how cool they look, but i dont know if there are any LCDs out there that can handle gaming. I need input. TEll me what you have and ill judge from that.

 

[MrGaribaldi]

Well, 25ms could be ok, but it depends on what is measured...

There are several ways to measure the speed, which makes it even harder for consumers to find out what LCD to buy...

One measures the time it takes to go from white to black and back to white again, which will show the slowest respons time for the screen (a good thing)...
Another way is to measure is from white to a grey colour and back to white, which will result in a faster respons time, as the pixel doesn't have to go all the way "down" to black and back again...

Another thing to look out for is that the 16ms which is often adverticed these days is only for some colours!
This means that the screen will be able to give you a 16ms respons time, but it'll only give you that time with certain colours

A couple of other things to look out for:

Contrast, try to get a screen with a contrast over 300:1, as that is supposedly the maximum limit above which we humans can see no difference...

Brightness, a higher numbers feels better to look at... This is especially true if you work/use the screen in a bright enviroment... Don't go under 220/m2 here...

Resolution, use the native resolution of the screen...
It migth take a bit to get used to, but it'll provide you with the best enviroment, due to the way the screen is manufactured...

Vsyn/Refresh... Just let it be at 60hz... An LCD screen doesn't flicker, so you don't need to set it any higher to avoid headaches...
You can use higher hz, but make sure that the screen has enough bandwidth to use it (if you're using Analogue)... If you're using DVI, bandwidht doesn't matter...

TCO, try to get the highest number possible (92, 95, 99. 03)

Also try to make sure the screen is ISO13406-2 certified... You can read more about it here...

I think this should cover most of the basics when you're going to buy an LCD screen...

Hope it helps..

[size=1]The information btw is taken from here, is written by oyvind_dale, and translated by me..[/size]

 

[Nic]

Stick to the top brands (Iiyama, LG, Samsung, etc.) and you wont go wrong. LCDs differ a lot in image quality (viewing angles, color, brightness, response times, etc.) and the specs don't provide an accurate way to judge the best performing monitors. Each manufacturer measures the parameters in different ways, so its hard to compare. Read reviews, visit your local computer shop to view some examples, and buy a good brand (Iiyama are my personal favourite - they haven't made one duff model yet - even the older models with poorer 35ms response times, show no ghosting or image blur in games - I own one) and you'll be happy as Larry. Don't go for cheap, unknown brands that use low grade LCD panels, as you'll likely be very unhappy, much as you already found to your cost.

 

[erickdj]

I have an LCD manofactured by NEC/Mitsubishi which works pretty good. I haven't seen an LCD with better picture quality or response time. It's the NEC LCD1760V-BK, it runs for about $430 at newegg.com, well worth the price I would say. I've played lots of games and DVD's, no ghosting at all. Paired with a Radeon 9800 Pro this thing kick's major @$$. Here are the specs on the LCD taken from newegg:

Panel Type: TFT Active Matrix LCD
Native Resolution: SXGA 1280x1024
Pixel Pitch: 0.264mm
Brightness: 260cd/m2
Contrast Ratio: 450:1
Response Time: 16ms
View Angle(Horizontal/Vertical): 140° / 140°
Input Connectors: 15-pin D-sub
Features: TILT: 35°, SWIVEL: 140°
Dimensions & Weight: 14.7" x 15.1" x 7.7" (WxHxD) / 12.8 lbs.
Manufactory Warranty / Phone No.: 3 Year Parts, Labor and backlight

 

[agissi]

A 17" LCD is the size (viewable) of a 19" CRT. 19" LCD is the size of a 21" CRT (again this is viewable area). I have a Samsung LCD moniter that has a responce time of 20ms and it looks great in games. A tad blurry if your really concentrating but nothing to make me take it back. It was $460, got it on "black friday" for $250

 

[Smackedbygod]

Ok, cool, thx alot guys. i think what ill do is got to best buy and see if they have eather Iiyama, NEC or Samsung and ill take a look at them myself. But ill keep your guys advice in mind. Thanx agin

One other thing, Does DVI help prevent ghosting, cus from what im hearing is that the pixels just have a fading effect between on and off

 

[MrGaribaldi]

DVI doesn't stop ghosting... It just removes the need for your graphics card to transform the signal from digital to analogue, and the screen from transforming the signal back into digital....

Ghosting is when the pixels is having trouble to change from one colour to another fast enough....

So if you get a screen with a fast enough responstime, you wont' have a problem...

 

[Didou]

Originally posted by MrGaribaldi
Ghosting is when the pixels is having trouble to change from one colour to another fast enough....

It basicly looks like motion blur.

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Viewsonic makes great LCD displays too. I have vp201s and I can't imagine going back to CRT now

 

[ak_in_charge]

Originally posted by Mictlantecuhtli
Viewsonic makes great LCD displays too. I have vp201s and I can't imagine going back to CRT now

I have to agree. The viewsonic monitor is tight. Great quality!!
I also just got one and I love it...Its the way to go.