best LCD monitor(s) to buy - please help

A

Adam

Not sure what's the best newsgroup for this topic so here goes ...

I'm thinking about replacing my ViewSonic P815 monitor from CRT to LCD.
I'm always on the computer (working) so I need a nice setup.

So far, I've found good reviews on the following LCD monitors ...

1) Samsung T220 Black/Red 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor
2) Dell SP2208WFP Silver 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor

However, a dual monitor setup would be nice if the price is right.
Not sure what's the best size for this setup though.
I'm thinking of a dual 19"-20" LCD monitor setup since
a dual 21"-22" LCD monitor setup might be too much?
Also, some widescreen LCD monitors can be rotated from
landscape to portrait view, which would be perfect for
a dual monitor setup. Any recommendations on 19"-20" LCD monitors?

Any other suggestions?
 
A

Adam

Not sure what's the best newsgroup for this topic so here goes ...

I'm thinking about replacing my ViewSonic P815 monitor from CRT to LCD.
I'm always on the computer (working) so I need a nice setup.

So far, I've found good reviews on the following LCD monitors ...

1) Samsung T220 Black/Red 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor
2) Dell SP2208WFP Silver 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor

However, a dual monitor setup would be nice if the price is right.
Not sure what's the best size for this setup though.
I'm thinking of a dual 19"-20" LCD monitor setup since
a dual 21"-22" LCD monitor setup might be too much?
Also, some widescreen LCD monitors can be rotated from
landscape to portrait view, which would be perfect for
a dual monitor setup. Any recommendations on 19"-20" LCD monitors?

Any other suggestions?
 
D

dadiOH

Adam said:
Not sure what's the best newsgroup for this topic so here goes ...

I'm thinking about replacing my ViewSonic P815 monitor from CRT to
LCD. I'm always on the computer (working) so I need a nice setup.

So far, I've found good reviews on the following LCD monitors ...

1) Samsung T220 Black/Red 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor
2) Dell SP2208WFP Silver 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor
Click to expand...

An FYI...

If you get a 21" widescreen monitor you will have more area on the monitor
but the size of things will be smaller than they are on your 21" CRT. They
would be about the size they would be if you viewed them on a 17" CRT. To
get images the same size as on your 21" CRT, you'd need a widescreen monitor
that is 26"+ diagonally.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
 
A

Adam

dadiOH said:
An FYI...

If you get a 21" widescreen monitor you will have more area on the monitor
but the size of things will be smaller than they are on your 21" CRT. They
would be about the size they would be if you viewed them on a 17" CRT. To
get images the same size as on your 21" CRT, you'd need a widescreen monitor
that is 26"+ diagonally.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
Click to expand...


If you mean images appear zoomed in (or resolution is lower) on
widescreen LCD monitors, then that's a good point that slipped my mind.
In that case, it might be better to go with the following ...
However, a dual monitor setup would be nice if the price is right.
Not sure what's the best size for this setup though.
I'm thinking of a dual 19"-20" LCD monitor setup since
a dual 21"-22" LCD monitor setup might be too much?
Also, some widescreen LCD monitors can be pivoted/rotated from
landscape to portrait mode, which would be perfect for
a dual monitor setup. Any recommendations on
19"-20" LCD monitors with pivot capability?
Click to expand...

1) Dell UltraSharp 1908WFP 19" Widescreen LCD Monitor
2) Dell UltraSharp 2009W 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor
3) Dell UltraSharp 2208WFP 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor
4) Samsung 2243BWX 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor

Any opinions?
 
F

Franc Zabkar

Not sure what's the best newsgroup for this topic so here goes ...

I'm thinking about replacing my ViewSonic P815 monitor from CRT to LCD.
Click to expand...

I'm assuming that you will attach your monitor to a Win98 box, and I'm
also assuming that your video card is not the latest and greatest.

If so, then I'd be careful that any monitor I chose had a native
resolution that was supported by my card.

- Franc Zabkar
 
A

Adam

Franc Zabkar said:
I'm assuming that you will attach your monitor to a Win98 box, and I'm
also assuming that your video card is not the latest and greatest.

If so, then I'd be careful that any monitor I chose had a native
resolution that was supported by my card.

- Franc Zabkar
Click to expand...


I have the following video card ...
- ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB 256-bit DDR 8x AGP

It should work fine with the dual LCD monitor setup, right?

BTW, in case you're wondering why I'm thinking about
replacing my beloved ViewSonic P815 CRT monitor,
the bulky size (depth-wise) pushes the monitor too far forward or
too close, which is causing me to have nearsighted vision and
destroying my farsighted vision.
 
D

dadiOH

If you mean images appear zoomed in (or resolution is lower) on
widescreen LCD monitors, then that's a good point that slipped my
mind. In that case, it might be better to go with the following ...
Click to expand...

No, I am talking about the vertical dimension of the screen. A 21" wide
screen monitor will have a smaller vertical dimension than a 21"
non-widescreen monitor.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
 
A

Adam

dadiOH said:
No, I am talking about the vertical dimension of the screen. A 21" wide
screen monitor will have a smaller vertical dimension than a 21"
non-widescreen monitor.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
Click to expand...


Oh, yes, I'm actually comparing the dimensions right now.
CRT monitors are more square while
widescreen LCD monitors tend to be more rectangular.
But, even within widescreen LCD monitors,
the difference can be significant. For example ...

1) (W=17.43"; H=17.3") Dell UltraSharp 1908WFP 19" Widescreen LCD Monitor
2) (W=18.62"; H=17.08") Dell UltraSharp 2009W 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor
3) (W=20.13"; H=18.12") Dell UltraSharp 2208WFP 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor
4) (W=19.9"; H=14.78") Samsung 2243BWX 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor

The dimensions of the Dell widescreen LCD Monitors are
more square (which is good, I guess) than the Samsung.
I'm not sure whether the dimensions include the case enclosure or not.
 
S

Sunny

Franc Zabkar said:
I'm assuming that you will attach your monitor to a Win98 box, and I'm
also assuming that your video card is not the latest and greatest.

If so, then I'd be careful that any monitor I chose had a native
resolution that was supported by my card.
Click to expand...

2 Days ago I replaced my wife's 19" monitor and my 21" monitor
(HitachiCM771 and Hitachi CM813)
with :
a. Samsung 22" wide screen LCD - 2243BWX, and
b. Samsung 22" wide screen LCD - T220

The 2243BWX is running WinXP with a NVIDIA MX440 at 1024x768
The T220 is running WinXP and Win98SE with a NVIDIA 8500GT at 1024x768
(also Win98SE, using a 64Mb Voodoo V5 video card (KVM switch)

The LCD screens are actually the same vertical size as the 21" CRT
monitor.

Out of the two the T220 seems better, although the stand only has a tilt
function not swivel like the 2243BWX.

The T220 has no difficulty swapping between WinXP and Win98SE computers,
as it auto adjusts each time and the 2ms response time is far better for
flight sims than the 5ms of the 2243BWX.

Actually installing the monitor driver was far easier on the Win98SE box,
as it detected "new hardware" and three mouse clicks all was finished.
(The WinXP driver had to be installed as "change monitor driver", after
the XP auto installed a plug and play monitor with no on screen
notification) :)

Overall, so far, the T220 is brilliant IMHO.
 
A

Adam

Sunny said:
2 Days ago I replaced my wife's 19" monitor and my 21" monitor
(HitachiCM771 and Hitachi CM813)
with :
a. Samsung 22" wide screen LCD - 2243BWX, and
b. Samsung 22" wide screen LCD - T220

The 2243BWX is running WinXP with a NVIDIA MX440 at 1024x768
The T220 is running WinXP and Win98SE with a NVIDIA 8500GT at 1024x768
(also Win98SE, using a 64Mb Voodoo V5 video card (KVM switch)

The LCD screens are actually the same vertical size as the 21" CRT
monitor.

Out of the two the T220 seems better, although the stand only has a tilt
function not swivel like the 2243BWX.

The T220 has no difficulty swapping between WinXP and Win98SE computers,
as it auto adjusts each time and the 2ms response time is far better for
flight sims than the 5ms of the 2243BWX.

Actually installing the monitor driver was far easier on the Win98SE box,
as it detected "new hardware" and three mouse clicks all was finished.
(The WinXP driver had to be installed as "change monitor driver", after
the XP auto installed a plug and play monitor with no on screen
notification) :)

Overall, so far, the T220 is brilliant IMHO.
Click to expand...


That's great info! Thanks!

I'm finding that the pivot (rotation) feature might make more sense for
the more rectangular LCD monitors.
 
A

Adam

Sunny said:
2 Days ago I replaced my wife's 19" monitor and my 21" monitor
(HitachiCM771 and Hitachi CM813)
with :
a. Samsung 22" wide screen LCD - 2243BWX, and
b. Samsung 22" wide screen LCD - T220

The 2243BWX is running WinXP with a NVIDIA MX440 at 1024x768
The T220 is running WinXP and Win98SE with a NVIDIA 8500GT at 1024x768
(also Win98SE, using a 64Mb Voodoo V5 video card (KVM switch)

The LCD screens are actually the same vertical size as the 21" CRT
monitor.

Out of the two the T220 seems better, although the stand only has a tilt
function not swivel like the 2243BWX.

The T220 has no difficulty swapping between WinXP and Win98SE computers,
as it auto adjusts each time and the 2ms response time is far better for
flight sims than the 5ms of the 2243BWX.

Actually installing the monitor driver was far easier on the Win98SE box,
as it detected "new hardware" and three mouse clicks all was finished.
(The WinXP driver had to be installed as "change monitor driver", after
the XP auto installed a plug and play monitor with no on screen
notification) :)

Overall, so far, the T220 is brilliant IMHO.
Click to expand...


Regarding height/vertical size, I just realize that
the stand is included in the measurement.
This makes it tough to calculate which monitors will work best for
the dual monitor setup in the space that I have (~24" width is the limiting
factor).
 
J

Jeff Richards

You do not have to worry about how square or wide the monitor is, provided
that your display adapter card provides a mode that supports the monitor.
For instance, the common format of 1152x864 is 4/3 (nearly square) whilst a
display of 1280x720 is about 9/5 and distinctly rectangular. Matching the
adapter card abilities to the natural resolution of the screen is more
important than whether it's square or wide.
 
A

Adam

Due to space limitations (width-wise), I need to worry about
the width and height (side-to-side) of the monitor(s).
 
F

Franc Zabkar

2 Days ago I replaced my wife's 19" monitor and my 21" monitor
(HitachiCM771 and Hitachi CM813)
with :
a. Samsung 22" wide screen LCD - 2243BWX, and
b. Samsung 22" wide screen LCD - T220

The 2243BWX is running WinXP with a NVIDIA MX440 at 1024x768
The T220 is running WinXP and Win98SE with a NVIDIA 8500GT at 1024x768
(also Win98SE, using a 64Mb Voodoo V5 video card (KVM switch)
Click to expand...

Both monitors have a 1680x1050 native resolution, ie an aspect ratio
of 16:10. However, your card's aspect ratio is 4:3, ie 16:12.

It seems to me that you are missing out on a lot. For one thing, I
don't believe you can take advantage of XP's ClearType at non-native
resolutions.

Secondly, if your image is filling the screen, then the monitor must
be stretching the horizontal. This means that human figures would look
shorter and fatter.

- Franc Zabkar
 
S

Sunny

Franc Zabkar said:
Both monitors have a 1680x1050 native resolution, ie an aspect ratio
of 16:10. However, your card's aspect ratio is 4:3, ie 16:12.

It seems to me that you are missing out on a lot. For one thing, I
don't believe you can take advantage of XP's ClearType at non-native
resolutions.

Secondly, if your image is filling the screen, then the monitor must
be stretching the horizontal. This means that human figures would look
shorter and fatter.
Click to expand...

I had a quick try at 1680 x 1050, didn't bother adjusting the "window" to
fit the screen, when it looked like I needed a magnifying glass to read
anything :)

The Win98SE Flight Sims I play use 600 x 800 (a couple use 640 x ?) and
are actually Win95/DOS etc.

Have kept away from LCD monitors so far, because they were not fast
enough, however the 2ms Samsung seems OK.

Typing is as clear as the old monitor, and the "stretching is not really
apparent to my (old) eyes :)
 
S

Sunny

Adam said:
- (W=19.9"; H=19.19") ViewSonic P815 21" CRT Monitor
Click to expand...

Just went out and measured the old 21" monitor
Hitachi CM813 :
Dimensions : W 19" x H 20.5"
Screen : W 16" x H 12"
Samsung T220 :
Dimensions : W 20.5" x H 17.5"
Screen : W 18.7" x H 11.5"

The big difference is 5" deep instead of 19" and a vast drop in weight
:)
 
P

Patrick Vervoorn

Sunny said:
2 Days ago I replaced my wife's 19" monitor and my 21" monitor
(HitachiCM771 and Hitachi CM813)
with :
a. Samsung 22" wide screen LCD - 2243BWX, and
b. Samsung 22" wide screen LCD - T220

The 2243BWX is running WinXP with a NVIDIA MX440 at 1024x768
The T220 is running WinXP and Win98SE with a NVIDIA 8500GT at 1024x768
(also Win98SE, using a 64Mb Voodoo V5 video card (KVM switch)
Click to expand...

[snip]

This is a terrible waste of these monitors. Both should be able to do
1680x1050, and I have an old P2-400, with an NVidia RIVA TNT which also
does 1680x1050. While I understand further on in this thread you have
eyesight related limitations which apparently prompted you to set these
resolutions, your eyes will probably thank you more if you drive these
displays at their native resolutions, and perhaps play with the font-size
a bit...?

The other unfortunate part is that in my experience, Samsung's support for
other scaling-options than 'fill screen' (i.e. stretch all input until
they fill the screen). This will distort all signals you provide. More
'mature' displays allow you at least 'Fill to aspect' (which means they
stretch the input until they hit an edge, and then keep it like that,
filling up any left-over space with black bars. Finally, there's also 1:1,
which maps the input, on a pixel-per-pixel basis, to the screen, but at
low resolutions, you will end up with a post-stamp sized image.

Anyway, if you're happy with your setup, all the power to you, but be
aware there are probably other, and better solutions which let you use the
full resolution of the monitor, and provide less eye-strain.

Regards,

Patrick.
 
A

Adam

Sunny said:
Just went out and measured the old 21" monitor
Hitachi CM813 :
Dimensions : W 19" x H 20.5"
Screen : W 16" x H 12"
Samsung T220 :
Dimensions : W 20.5" x H 17.5"
Screen : W 18.7" x H 11.5"

The big difference is 5" deep instead of 19" and a vast drop in weight
:)
Click to expand...


Thanks!

The T220 does not pivot so I'm considering
it's bigger brother (listed in the PDF in the following URL) ...
http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/detail/spec.do?group=computersperipherals&typ
e=monitors&subtype=lcd&model_cd=LS22TWHSUV/ZA

The PDF is really nice since it also shows dimensions without the stand also.
 

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