Computer Monitors
There are many kinds of computer monitors available. Today we have a choice between flat-panel/LCD and traditional (cathode ray tube or CRT) monitors. Here are some tips on choosing the right monitor for your home or office computer.
| Recommended Monitors
| Major Manufacturers |
Types of Monitors
| CRT Monitors |
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CRT Monitors are the basic monitors with which most people are familar. They resemble TVs but with much better resolution. - least expensive monitor type.
- Very sturdy. While LCDs can be damaged easily, CRTs are fairly hard to break.
- Very large. Generally as deep as they are wide, so they require a lot of desk space.
- Very heavy. The largest can weigh more than 50 pounds.
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| Flatscreen CRT Monitors |
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A step up from your basic CRT monitor, with a better picture and a slimmer space-saving form factor. - Colors and sharpness may be improved from the basic CRT depending on the resolution of the monitor.
- May still be dimmer or have some distortion around the edges, but this has gotten better recently.
- More expensive than the average CRT monitor, but as with everything, prices are coming down.
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| LCD Monitors |
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The most recent development in monitor technology. LCD screens have been used in laptops for a while but have only recently become popular as desktop monitors. - Relatively thin -- usually only an inch or two deep.
- Lightweight.
- Sharp, excellent images.
- More Expensive (although prices and technology compared to CRTs have leveled off).
- Fragile.
- Single-pixel problems can mar the image.
- LCD monitors use less power than CRT monitors, naturally saving you money in energy costs in the long run.
- Check out the LCD Monitor Buying Guide and Latest LCD Monitors Guide for more information.
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Factors To Consider- Size and Space
- How much deskspace do you have?
- Is your desk space deep enough to accomadate a large CRT monitor?
- Some CRT monitors have stands; take this into account when calculating the size of the monitor.
- If you do a lot of multitasking, you might want a large screen for the increased desktop area you'll have at your disposal.
- Cost
- CRT monitors are the cheapest. A decent 17" CRT can cost less than $200 and often are included in package deals with new computers.
- LCD monitors are slightly more expensive. A quality monitors can be bought for $200-500, but a very large LCD can cost upwards of $1000.
- If you plan to use your computer for visual projects (photo editing, graphics design, etc.) you'll probably want a large, sharp screen. Try and strike a balance between monitor size, your budget, and a moderate to high resolution LCD monitor.
- Likewise, using a computer for more than computing (say watching movies or TV) you'll want a better resolution monitor.
- Built-In Speakers
- Warranty
- How long is the included warranty?
- For LCD monitors, what is the warranty policy with individual pixel damage? Some manufacturers like Samsung
 emply a zero-tolerance policy with dead-pixels, but most manufacturers will replace an LCD with more than five or six.
Deciphering Specifications
| Rotation means that you can swivel your monitor (usually a flat screen) to change its angle or maybe even turn it 90 degrees. |
| Response Rate measures how quickly your pixels can change color and is measured in ms (milliseconds) for LCDs and Hz. |
| Dot/Stripe Pitch is the distance between dots on the screen. A lower numbers indicate a sharper image. |
| Viewing Angle tells you how obliquely you can view the screen and still get the proper picture on an LCD screen. More is always better with 120-170 degrees being average. |
| Color is measured in bits, the length of usable code to describe the color specifications. The more the better. 16 bit color is okay, but 24 bit is ideal unless you're a serious gamer, animator, or video editor. In that case, try for 32 bits. |
| Contrast Ratio measures the difference between the whites and the blacks on screen. You want anything between 500:1 and 800:1. |
| Brightness/Luminance is measured in nits (one candela per square meter). 250-250 units are fine for general use and 500 units is the best for movie viewing. |
Resolution- Resolution is the number of pixels used to draw an image.
- For perspective, 640 x 480 is a low resolution; 3200 x 2400 is a high resolution.
- Higher resolution results in a sharper image.
- The best resolution varies depending on the size of the monitor; when comparing resolutions, be sure to compare between monitors of the same size.
- Resolutions are sharper with smaller screens. This means that if your screen gets bigger, make sure to increase your resolution as well.
- Typical resolutions for certain size LCD screens are:
- 17 inch = 1024x768
- 19 inch = 1280x1024
- 20 inch = 1600x1200
Size
- LCDs measure their screens with the diagonal of the screen size.
- CRTs measure their screens with the diagonal of the entire front, including the casing.
- In short, an LCD and CRT monitor with the same screen size really have different size screens. The LCD monitor will always come out the the victor, often by an inch or two.
Refresh/Response Rate
- How often the image is redrawn on a CRT is expressed in MHz (megahertz), or cycles/second, and how quickly light pixels can change on an LCD is measured in ms (milliseconds).
- A refresh rate of 60 MHz is considered the minimum to prevent eyestrain; 75 MHz is considered a "good" refresh rate.
- Higher refresh rates make video and game image movement smoother instead of blurry LCDs with more than 16ms response times.
Connectivity
- Make sure that if your computer needs a 15 pronged parallel port, your monitor supplies one.
- Ditto with the digital cable, called DVI-I or DVI-D.
Other, Fancy Options
Video Review
Related Buying Guides
External Links- How Stuff Works -- How computer monitors work.
- CNET -- Analog vs. digital connectors for LCD monitors.
- CNET -- Five affordable CRT monitors.
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