A few questions about lcds and gaming

[rodlopes]

Hey there, first time poster, long time lurker here

I'm about to make the switch from crt to lcd (about time, right?) and I have researched a bit but haven't found a definitive answer anywhere.

I have in mind the samsung models 2233SW 21.5", T220 22". Now the 2233SW supports full HD, but has a 5ms response time. The T220 is only 2 ms but no full HD supported, which I imagine would make for worse image quality.

Now there's a few problems:
1) I use my monitor mostly for gaming. Is 5 ms response time sufficient? I have no idea if the value mentioned is GTG or another.

2) I have an 8800GTS fatal1ty which is a little aged at this point. So in most high-end games I tend to play at 1280x960 on my crt. I hear there are native resolutions which offer best quality, but if I decide to play a game in a lower resolution (like I would do in this case), what would happen? Image distortion, or something bizarre?

I'm just looking to NOT gimp my gameplay by choosing an awesome monitor, but running it on crappy settings. I just want one that fits my needs. So should I go with those or buy something smaller like the T190 or T200 and go with 1440x900 native resolution and lower response time?

Thanks!

 

[woshitudou]

Get a native res of 1680x1050, it is the standard right now. Most gamers play on 5ms screens still, I have both a 5ms and a 2ms and I use vsync on both because neither update the screen as well as my crt. In the future when I have time and space I'm going to grab a new crt but that'll be a while down the road.

When you play at a lower resolution than the native then things won't be crisp, it's the same if you use a lower res for your desktop. If you play at a higher res then things look odd to terrible, depending on how high over you are. It'll squish text so sometimes you can't read a work, but going under just makes things unscrisp.

When I run the lcd test on my 2ms and my 5ms I barely notice a difference, in game I don't notice unless I'm making myself notice. Since LCDs are slow ensure to put vsync on so you don't get tearing.

 

[strangestranger]

I don't know where people are getting this standard word from, no such thing for an lcd, get what suits your setup best.

I would also ignore most specifications given by the companies and if possible go to a shop and look at monitors.

TN panels like that in the monitors you have selcted are the worst kind of panel, good enough for most people but coming from a CRT may not appeal.

TBH, either of those monitors look to be too high a res considering the one you currently use. A smaller monitor may be better for your needs at the moment so if you are not going to be upgrading your graphics card soon I would go with a lower resolution, if you may upgrade in the near future get maybe the 16 x 10 res one.

 

[rodlopes]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I was thinking about getting a 1650 display, but as confirmed by both of you, I'd probably end up getting worse quality playing below native res.

I'll try to grab myself a T190 and roll with 1440x900. I just looked at the 2033SW but it's native res is 1600x900, making it just a lot wider than I'm willing to accept heh.

Just one question, when you say it won't look crisp below native res... suppose I bought the 2233SW, and just made it work on games with 1280x1024, will it look like crap indeed, or would it be like lowering resolution on a crt, just less vieweing space and a bit less pretty images? I just don't wanna buy anything that I'll have to replace in like 2 years from now.

Edit: I just actually noticed the 2233sw is kinda small (21.5") for its native res (full hd), so would lowering the res hurt this monitor's image quality less than another one due to lesser interpolation?

THanks a bunch!