An alternative to a CRT for gaming...

[YavolGurrick]

Howdy.

I'm looking to take back some of my desk space and beatify
my beloved machine by replacing the CRT monitor with something
less, er, last millenium: a flat panel. Probably 17".

What should I take notice of when looking at the available models?
Price isn't an issue really, but image quality is. I'm especially concerned
about ghosting. And is it true that, in FPS games especially, a flat
panel monitor will give me a smoother motion because they generally
run at a lower refresh rates? (I run my CRT at 85Hz, but unless my
3D card can render 85 FPS then there's staggering.) Is tearing still
an issue also? (I.e., when vertical sync. is disabled.)

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[DaveW]

To avoid ghosting you want to buy an LCD monitor that has a rated "Response
Time" of 16 msec or less.

 

[Ruel Smith]

To avoid ghosting you want to buy an LCD monitor that has a rated
"Response Time" of 16 msec or less.

Check reviews, because rated times don't tell the whole story. Tom's
Hardware is a very good source. They've done tests where some monitors
rated specs were actually very conservative compared to true performance.
Other monitors didn't live up to manufacturers claims. To quote Tom's
Hardware: "We can't say it enough: Don't go by manufacturers' specs in
choosing an TFT display, which are often stamped by the innate optimism of
the Marketing department."

I've read many good reviews on Samsung monitors, but model choice yields
varing results. Choose wisely.