Looking for a good gaming monitor for my first build

[redboy]

Guys, i need some advice on gaming monitors. I'm not sure whether to get CRT or LCD, which one would be better for gaming? I know LCD is expensive, and i dont think i can drop more than $500 on a monitor.

Furthermore, i dont know what size to get, i've heard that one would need a 24" monitor to the get the most of high end cards like the 8800 (i'm planning to get either a x1950xtx or 2 x1950pro in xfire). I dont know how true this, so thats why i decided to bring this up.

As for which brand to get, i'm thinking of Samsung, they come highly recomended by some of the people i spokle to, plus i own one and it rocks! If anyone can recomend a different brand please bring it up.

 

[drummerdude]

definately get an lcd. dont bother getting an x1950xtx. an 8800gts 640mb out performs it and there is not need to spend that much on a dx 9 card. and from what i heard if your goin sli with two 8800gtx then you will need a monitor that big. viewsonic makes good monitors too

 

[redboy]

So you think LCD, huh? The problem is that 24" LCD is out of my league cash wise, they cost like $800, i was wondering if i could get away with something smaller like 22" or 23" may be, they cost a bit less. Also, i want to game in as high a realution a given game can support, and from what i can tell LCD doesnt support as high a resolution as CRT.

As far as the vid card goes, i really dont want to get that nvidia crap,even though they are currently ahead. i figure that either ATI card will last me a year to year and half until Vista and DX10 works out the bugs and more DX10 games ciome out, then i'll get the latest ATI offering. So this is already ben decided.

 

[combat_deity]

referring to 8800: "crap"

erm, whatever you say ;D

 

[redboy]

Well, what i mean is, i dont want to get it, i dont like their cards, i know that it is the best card in the world right now, but come summer R600 will wipe the floor with 8800, because thats just how it goes. You know as well as i do that technology goes in cycles: AMD was on top a year ago, now its Intel, ATI was on top until Nvidia released 8800, now they are the king, when ATI will releases R600 they will be king until Nvidia comes up with something else. And on and on it goes. Its just a matter of personal preference, and i prefer not to get Nvidia its as simple as that.

Now since thats out of the way, lets go back talking monitors, shall we?

 

[drummerdude]

theres no need to spend $800 for a monitor, go with the biggest that fits in your budget. a crt that size is huge. the only reason to get a crt is if you are doing a lot of work with photos and editing. (edit: monitor questions should be posted CE)

 

[redboy]

Well, if buying an LCD i think the best i can afford is this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001083

$339 for a 22", though the next monitor is 23" and they go for $700, isnt that a bit ridiculous $400 more for the next size up? The supported resolution on it kinda sucks too, only 1680 x 1050.

I also would like to explore my CRT options as well, what would be the optimal size for a CRt (if i were to get one) for gaming with high end vid cards?

 

[drummerdude]

this is the biggest newegg sells link
20in viewable screen

 

[darkstar782]

The 8800GTS 640MB wipes the floor with the x1950XTX and costs about the same, it makes no sense to buy an x1950XTX.

x1950XT is alot more reasonably priced, but even then the advantage of the 8800GTS is worth it for the small cost increase.

Saying "I just dont like nVidia" is silly, you are cutting your nose off to spite your face and just throwing your money away.

I'd come up with some monitor recommendations for you, but if I came up with a high quality 30" LCD for $20 you'd probably tell me you didnt like the brand...

 

[redboy]

Hmm, so for CRT 21" would be optimal, right? Perhaps i should look outside of newegg for more choices for both CRT and LCD? Also another question, in your link there were monitors by NEC and Viewsonic (which had a horrible review by the way), are these supposed to be good brands? The reason i ask is because i would like to have as many choices as possible when picking a monitor so i would like to include other brands, can you give me a few names that are good?

 

[drummerdude]

dont read newegg reviews and yes they are good brands. there really is no optimal size or resolution. its a matter of preference. heres a good thread that discusses LCD vs CRT link

 

[redboy]

The 8800GTS 640MB wipes the floor with the x1950XTX and costs about the same, it makes no sense to buy an x1950XTX.

x1950XT is alot more reasonably priced, but even then the advantage of the 8800GTS is worth it for the small cost increase.

Saying "I just dont like nVidia" is silly, you are cutting your nose off to spite your face and just throwing your money away.

I'd come up with some monitor recommendations for you, but if I came up with a high quality 30" LCD for $20 you'd probably tell me you didnt like the brand...

I already said everything i can on the subject of vid cards and i'm not going to repeat myself and start an ATI vs Nvidia arguement which has never led to anything but people getting mad at each other. Lets talk about monitors instead, if you have some suggestions i'm willing to hear what you have to say, if you dont, stop bringing up vid cards, i dont want to talk about it.

 

[redboy]

dont read newegg reviews and yes they are good brands. there really is no optimal size or resolution. its a matter of preference. heres a good thread that discusses LCD vs CRT link

Thanks drummerdude, looks like an interestingl ink, i'll need some time to read through the whole thing as it is very long. You are probably right about newegg reviews, a lot folks post them cause they have something to complain about, though i do use them as a general guide before buying things.

Any more monitor suggestions?

 

[petevsdrm]

I greatly prefer LCD monitors over CRT (just my opinion). LCDs have come a long way in the last year or so. I picked up this samsung http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001226
which has been superb. I replaced my samsung 19" CRT with it and there was really a huge difference in quality (and deskspace). The LCD you linked to is very similar to mine, with the obvious exception of being widescreen, so I would recommend that one.

good luck

 

[redboy]

Looks very nice, better resolutin than 22". Since you think 22" widescreen would be better, i should look for something in that size with the same resolution as the one you have. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[sailer]

From my experience, I like LCDs from Viewsonic and Samsung the best. But that's the way my eyes see the screens and may not be the same as yours. One major reason that I now buy LVDs instead of CRTs is that they are so much lighter in weight. A large CRT will put my back out of place. Ah, to be young again and have no back problems.

I'd also buy a monitor that is Vista certified. This may not seem important now if you're running XP and intend to stick with it for another year or so, but if you move to Vista and find out the monitor doesn't work right, you'll kick yourself as you go shopping for one that does work with Vista.

 

[Mobius]

CRT all the way. LCDs suck for gaming, if ONLY because running them out of their native resolution looks like crap. Plus, unless you spend a big wad, you end up with a monitor with a very low refresh (less FPS can be displayed), coupled with a less-then-stellar grey-to-grey time, and if you get good performance you buy low colour depth.

No, CRTs still spank the living daylights out of LCDs for gaming.

The casual, non-demanding, or non-expert gamer might not notice (or care) about the differences, but any discerning player knows: LCDs blow goats.

FYI: My development PC has 2 x 19" Viewsonic LCDs (2560 x 1024), and my gaming machine has 2 x 21" Viewsonic CRTs (3200 x 1200). They are all top-notch monitors, and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that the CRTs are far superior in every respect except geometry, power consumption and moveability. (21" CRTs are an absolute biotch to move!)

 

[petevsdrm]

Looks very nice, better resolutin than 22". Since you think 22" widescreen would be better, i should look for something in that size with the same resolution as the one you have. Thanks for the suggestion!

Widescreens don't come in 1600x1200, because of the aspect ratio. 1680x1050 is a very similar resolution with almost the same amount of pixels.
1600x1200 = 1920000 pixels 4:3 aspect ratio
1680x1050 = 1764000 pixels 16:9 aspect ratio
It would be hard to see a definitive difference between the two monitors resolution just by looking at it. I just prefer widescreen(16:9) cuz I think it looks better.

hope that helps

 

[redboy]

I dont think its only your eyes, i've seen both LCD and CRT image quality and LCD does have brighter colors and things just look better on it. After thinking about it, my only problem with LCD is that it supports smaller resolutions, but looks like there are monitors out there that do have higher resolution suport and dont cost an arm and a leg, like the one suggested by PETEvsDRM.

You bring up a good point about Vista, i actually wanted to ask about that. So i must have a Vista certified monitor to use Vista? Idont plan to switch to it at least until they release the first service pack in a year or more but still you are right, i dont want to wind up kicking myself for not getting the right monitor.

You are also right about CRT taking up space and being heavy, though i do have the space on my desk (4' L x 33" W) for pc and large monitor.

It looks like LCD is the winner here, at least i dont hear anyone saying anything good about CRT. I i'll start resraching LCD monitors.

EDIT: While i was typing someone put a good word for CRT

 

[redboy]

CRT all the way. LCDs suck for gaming, if ONLY because running them out of their native resolution looks like crap. Plus, unless you spend a big wad, you end up with a monitor with a very low refresh (less FPS can be displayed), coupled with a less-then-stellar grey-to-grey time, and if you get good performance you buy low colour depth.

No, CRTs still spank the living daylights out of LCDs for gaming.

The casual, non-demanding, or non-expert gamer might not notice (or care) about the differences, but any discerning player knows: LCDs blow goats.

FYI: My development PC has 2 x 19" Viewsonic LCDs (2560 x 1024), and my gaming machine has 2 x 21" Viewsonic CRTs (3200 x 1200). They are all top-notch monitors, and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that the CRTs are far superior in every respect except geometry, power consumption and moveability. (21" CRTs are an absolute biotch to move!)

Just curious, what size CRT is optimal for gaming?

 

[sailer]

No, CRTs still spank the living daylights out of LCDs for gaming.

CRTs are far superior in every respect except geometry, power consumption and moveability. (21" CRTs are an absolute biotch to move!)

I agree, no question about it, that a CRT will give a better picture, along with a real choice in resolutions. I own both a 22 inch CRT and a 19 inch LCD, so I see the differences a lot. But when it comes to moving the CRT, I need someone to help me lift the thing and get it through doorways.

I wish some company would figure out how to improve LCD picture quality, but until then, it remains a question of what is more important, perfect picture or light weight. As it is, when I get around to replacing my CRT monitor, it will be with a LCD because of the weight factor.

 

[petevsdrm]

You bring up a good point about Vista, i actually wanted to ask about that. So i must have a Vista certified monitor to use Vista? Idont plan to switch to it at least until they release the first service pack in a year or more but still you are right, i dont want to wind up kicking myself for not getting the right monitor.

Vista certified is a marketing term as far as monitors are concerned, don't worry about that. I assure you that vista is not going to send a different type of signal to your monitor.
that said...
you do want to make sure your monitor is hdcp compliant if you ever plan on watching high-definition movies on it.

 

[sailer]

You bring up a good point about Vista, i actually wanted to ask about that. So i must have a Vista certified monitor to use Vista? Idont plan to switch to it at least until they release the first service pack in a year or more but still you are right, i dont want to wind up kicking myself for not getting the right monitor.

EDIT: While i was typing someone put a good word for CRT

A non-Vista certified monitor may work, but its a gamble and from what I've seen, Vista certified monitors don't cost more, so there's no reason not to buy one. And as someone else noted, make sure the monitor is hdcp compliant. Even if you don't think you'll watch movies on it now, you might in the future.

CRTs do have their advantages and uses, and I grant those, but they have disadvantages that for me outweight (literally, like in very heavy) their advantages.

 

[redboy]

You bring up a good point about Vista, i actually wanted to ask about that. So i must have a Vista certified monitor to use Vista? Idont plan to switch to it at least until they release the first service pack in a year or more but still you are right, i dont want to wind up kicking myself for not getting the right monitor.

EDIT: While i was typing someone put a good word for CRT

A non-Vista certified monitor may work, but its a gamble and from what I've seen, Vista certified monitors don't cost more, so there's no reason not to buy one. And as someone else noted, make sure the monitor is hdcp compliant. Even if you don't think you'll watch movies on it now, you might in the future.

CRTs do have their advantages and uses, and I grant those, but they have disadvantages that for me outweight (literally, like in very heavy) their advantages.

Thanks for the info. And that goes for evryone who made suggestions.

However, i have another question in regards to Vista support. I looked around at newegg and noticed that Some LCD monitors are Vista certified and some are not. But none of the CRT have that Vista support label, does that mean none of them are certified or all, i'm just confused by this.

Also, it looks like CRT has all the advantages over LCD in terms of gaming, the only drawback is the size and weight, i guess i have to make sure it will fit nicely on my desk. So i'm loking for a CRT monitor that will be HDCP compliant (even though i dont watch movies on my pc but who knows may be i will), but i still need to know what the optimal size is? 21" may be or thats overkill?

Now to the person who called me a fanboy. I didnt want to be drawn into this discussion again, but i have to say something. Yes, i do think that ATI cards are better quality in general, and i guess you could call me a fanboy and i really dont see anything wrong with that. Like i said earlier its all about who has the upper hand at the moment and personal preference, both companies make excellent quality cards, however Nvidia just happens to be on top at the moment. That will change very soon soon when R600 cards are released. Also for your information x1950xtx is an excellent card, 2 of my friends own it and it plays ANY game at the highest settings, so to say that its a poor choice is just wrong. It even costs less than 8800 GTS. When its time to get a new card in year i'll get the R600 so i'm only getting this so i can play games now.

And one last thing, if you want to discuss monitors then i'll welcome any suggestions, if you want to discuss video cards go to the video card section and do it there if thats what you want. I wont be replying to any more of these posts because my mind is already made up.

 

[Slappy_Slime]

Just take a look at this, its not a 20 inch or larger but a 19" /w a 2 ms response time. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1649722&CatId=170
Own 2 of them and it works great for gaming.....vista.....etc.... it has a very bright and sharp picture! and yes it is ghost free. It was just an idea for you to look at?