OT: Monitor Recommendation Wanted

Optiplex are Dell corporate machines and often made to a much
higher spec - durability and performance wise than their consumer
range. Which is more price sensitive although more bleeding edge.
Dell Optiplex towers are so tough you could drive a bus over them.
I actually dropped one down a flight of ten concrete steps, and besides a
crack on the bezel evertything - including 2 hdd's worked perfectly
afterwards.

Mitsubishi Diamond are M's version of Trinitron and are highly
thought of. Just adjust yours the best you can, have a good look,
then go down a PCWorld shed and try and compare them in your minds
eye. Do they look bleached out ?

It's your money and your judgement. If however you buy a TFT
get it home and are dissappointed by the comparison with what
you already have, then I wouldn't be that surprised.

The manufacturers and sheds are keen on pushing TFT as they're
smaller and lighter and thus easier to ship, stock, and display.
Its not just the customers who are attracted to the slim shape.

A middle to top-end 19" screen - using IPS technology - the
nearest equivalent in performance to a Diamond Pro or Trinitron
CRT, would cost around Ł350.

Norman Wells...

Thanks for that. It's very helpful.

Perhaps what I ought to do is make a big hole in the wall and push the
old Diamond Pro back a bit. Then I'd get the performance and my desktop
back!

michael adams

It's about time I entered the 21st century and ditched my CRT monitor
which occupies half my desktop, so...

michael adams...

It also offers variable brightness and contrast, a number of different

Ed Chilada...

As does an TFT?! Possibly there isn't the range of a CRT, but all the
range you'd ever want to use are there.

Ed Chilada...

I always use mine in native resolution, and when I had a CRT, I always
used the same resolution then. I don't know why I would want to change
resolution?

screen resolutions and probably has higher refresh rates than any LCD
monitor.

Ed Chilada...

Simply because TFTs don't need the refresh rates that CRTs do.

I just wondered if anyone here had any recommendations for a 17 inch LCD
computer monitor, and how much I should spend? Is quality still price

michael adams...

...

Go to a showroom or shed and ask them to display some pages of
text on the various monitors on offer. Read those pages and compare
the sharpness of those with you're used to on your CRT monitor
at home. Don't be bedazzled by the demo screens. If they can't or
won't display some text then go somewher else.

Ed Chilada...

In native resolution, I'd expect text to be the most impressive thing
they've got to show, especially when using a DVI input (not analogue
VGA). I think if you want to weed out the poor TFTs, then grab that
text window and scroll it up and down, fast. The poor ones with slow
rates will blur in a pretty ugly fashion. That said, I think most of
the ones you can buy these days have perhaps 15ms or less refresh
rates.

DVDfever Dom...

I'm tempted by this Dell 1907FP which LJM recommended a while back, but
I'm still umming and aahing as to whether I NEED it :)

That said, it's now reduced to just under =A3219 inc. delivery.

michael adams

Johannes...

Agreed. While you might swap out processor and motherboard, the monitor is
likely to be in front of you for next ten years. The quality is paramount.
Hence I rue the day I'll have to dump my Sony Trinitron CRT.

...

and how much I should spend? Is quality still price

dependent, or are they all pretty decent now? What should I be looking
for in the specification?

Ed Chilada...

Yes, it must be really tricky to find reviews of 17" TFT screens on
the internet.

Deano...

I would go straight to 19" displays.

I use a Samsung SyncMaster 913N (about Ł180) which is nice but no tilt and
swivel if that's important to you.

This one from Amazon has very good reviews and is only Ł139.

Depends what you need it for. If it's just for bog-standard use then these
are fine, if you have work-related requirements or gaming and viewing DVDs
is important, then look more carefully.

Johannes...

I'm in the same situation at home, but use a 19" at work. Try to get a 19",
because the fonts get smaller with higher resolution. 1) The LCD should only
be used at native resolution for best picture quality. 2) Yes, I know that
you can adjust the font size, but the choice is very limited and not ideal
for LCD.