Affordable 19" LCD Monitors

Games

The 1280x1024, 1024x768, 600x600, and 640x480 resolutions are all supported in that the screen never turns black. But this does not mean they are all to be recommended. Far from it. You realize you are always more or less dependent on the monitor's native resolution. The quality of the 640x480 resolution is reminiscent of the early games for PC. It's all pixels and blurring; the characters have to be worked out because they are not legible. The 800x600 resolution is not much better. It is only when you reach 1024x768 that things become acceptable.

Unreal Tournament 2003

This monitor is just not for Unreal. The afterglow is dreadful - everything proliferates on screen at the tiniest movement. None of the resolutions available will do. Unrealers of the world, don't waste your time.

Return To Castle Wolfenstein

It's playable, but watch out for the stairs. Wolfenstein is not quite so nerve-wracking as Unreal. The walls are not too clear when you run, but on the whole the result is not too bad. It's only when you climb the stairs that the decor moves, and that can bug you. Happily, it doesn't last too long.

GTA: Vice City

The picture is superb, the colors really flash, the soundtrack music and story are as crazy as ever. But that has nothing to do with the monitor. Here again, you have to put up with ghosting effects the characters make when they move. But at least it doesn't jump all over the place so the game is perfectly playable. True, it would be better on other monitors, but it's still pretty good.

Command & Conquer: Generals

It's impossible to play C&C in 1280 resolution, because there is no 1280 resolution. And forget 800x600 resolution since it ruins the game. However, 1024x768 and 1152x864 are all right. The edges of objects are tidy, and the details are sufficiently clear. But the afterglow is still there and, as C&C players well know, in this game you have to rush all over the screen. So be prepared for a lot of blurring.

Videos

Here we get roughly the same effect as we did with games: image ghosting in fast movements and blurring in slow ones. This is unpleasant when you are close up to the screen, but less so when viewing at a greater than one meter distance. If the film is absorbing, you will soon forget the afterglow. If not, you may find yourself getting annoyed.