Monitor help?

Ok, i'm not a hardware type person when it comes to PCs.

I've been tossing around the idea of getting a LCD type monitor (something flat panel).

The one I was looking at was:

19" LCD monitor
DVI digital link, DVI and VGA cable included
500:1 contrast ratio
Reaction time (Tr/Tf) 15ms/10ms
Brightness 250 cd/m
1280 x 1024 resolution
0.296 pixel pitch
Digital interface
2.5W x 2 speakers
56-75Hz frequency
AC 100V-AC 240V
50W power consumption
Standard 100 mm wall mount
13 lbs. weight
50,000 hour lamp life
View angle, R/L/U/D ( CR ?10) 85? / 85? / 85? / 85?

That one is like $300. What kind of impact will this have on my gaming? what do I look for? Can you compare what 'good' stats are to the above mentioned?
I'm not a rich guy, so I gotta look for the best bang for the buck.

Any/all help would be appreciated.

I think that stats-wise it is comparable to my home monitor, and I love it (Dell UltraSharp - 19") and yours may be even better since mine is a couple of years old already. If no want, I'll look up the details.

My experience with it has been great - I used to have a flat-screen CRT, and even thought it was problably a tad better quality in picture, I really can't see myself going back to tubes.

The monitor looks neat, the angles and info of it looks very good.
for $300.00 bucks you should ve pretty satisfied, the response time is what confuses me a little though, usually a good response time for gaming is below the 12ms limit, it says 15 and 10.
The speakers are pretty redundant unless you go out to LAN parties

Pretty much you'll be playing good games on it.

The only problem that you might and I say "might" have is just the resolution, but if you save up for a good video card that should pose no prob.

Good choice.

response time of 15 and 10 are very good for an LCD. Most LCD's have response times from 12 to 24. The viewing angles are good, and the price is nice. Is that the native resolution? One thing with LCD's is that they can have an attitude problem when you run them off their native resolution(read different than their native resolution).

I don't know anything about it except what I pasted in

It's on Walmart.com =)

I don't know the name of it either.. i.e. it's not a brand name. I'm not real sure I trust a no-name company with something like that....
But I guess it's not like I can't just go back to my CRT if I have a problem

it's either spend the cash for a flat screen, or get a larger CRT. One of the two has to happen =)

you'll never get the same response time than on a CRT. LCD's will always ghost their images. It's just a matter of how much you notice or if it bothers you. The only advantage I see for a LCD is that it's more portable and saves a little space. That space behind it, you can place your router or external modem.

I have a CRT, Samsung 997DF which is in my opinion the best for its price. Dot pitch (smaller the better) and Native Resolution (higher the better), I think, are the most important specs. Of course with CRT's, there is no response time, therefore, no ghosting. It costs $199 and its specs are as follows:

CRT Size/Viewable: 19"/18"
Horiz. Dot Pitch: 0.20mm (H)
CRT Type: DynaFlatTM
Horizontal Scan: 30-96 kHz
Max Resolution: 1920x1440 @ 64Hz
Native (Recommended) Resolution: 1600 x 1200

Yeah, the CRT will give you the best picture and performance, but they are huge and a pain for lan party trips. I have a CRT myself, I think it's the best one on the market NEC FE2111SB. It's a 21" viewable with lots of good stuff like high res, not sure on the dot pitch though, think maybe .22. You can get a really good CRT for 300 maybe even an NEC FE2111SB off E'Bay or something

Check out my monitor a Samsung SyncMaster 1100p+ plus. It measures 20" from corner to corner. I bought mine 2 years ago for $300 on the Buy and Sell which was a really good deal as my brother paid over $800 CDN for the same one. They are rather large that is the only problem.

Yvonne

There are some things you need to keep in mind when purchasing an LCD screen.

One, all LCD screens have a native resolution. Run any other resolution than the native resolution, and the image will look like distorted. 17 and 19 inch LCDs have a native resloution of 1280x1024, 15 inch a resolution of 1024x768.

LCD screens also tend to have a fixed refresh rate of 75 hertz. And if you don't get a low response time (12ms or lower) you get a "ghosting" effect on the monitor if there's a lot of action or movement going on the screen.

Personally, I am going to buy a LCD screen if I ever get the money. CRTs are just too big, generate too much heat, and are too big.

Honestly, that montiter acy, looks like a bad value. Google for a Samsung Syncmaster 915n . It has better response time(8ms), better contrast ratio(700:1), better brightness (300)than what that has. And I recall seeing it for around 300 or so of your american dollars. It's the one I have my eye on for when I get more money. I did a lot of research in preperation for buying an LCD to replace my CRT.

Honestly, that montiter acy, looks like a bad value. Google for a Samsung Syncmaster 915n . It has better response time(8ms), better contrast ratio(700:1), better brightness (300)than what that has. And I recall seeing it for around 300 or so of your american dollars. It's the one I have my eye on for when I get more money. I did a lot of research in preperation for buying an LCD to replace my CRT.

I've actually been eyeing this one myself. I like Samsung as a name-brand. I've had many good experiences with the brand and when I sold them, they never came back. $300 would be a good range. I took your advice and looked around for one of these to check prices. It seems Buy.com (which I've had no trouble in the past with) has the Samsung 915N for 319.94, but there's also a $30 mail-in rebate.

Thank you all for all the information... and please don't stop. It's so hard now-a-days to know what to trust in what you read on the internet sites. I really don't know any people with good knowledge on PCs, Monitors, etc... so I rely on the good DC crew

[edit] NewEgg has it for the same basic price. It's $10 more, but they offer a $40 mail-in rebate. Same time frame though (8/31/04).

Forgot to say... that mail-in rebate offer expires on 8/31/05. In case anyone was interested in it.

Hello:

Found some info on eBay for you on the 915N. There are 3 of them listed on eBay.

Yvonne

Technical data

This is a brand new Samsung 915N LCD Monitor. It is not refurbished and comes in its original sealed box with full warranty!!!

Compatibility: PC, Macintosh, Sun Microsystems
Panel type: a-si TFT/TN
Viewable size: 19"
Pixel pitch: 0.294mm
Brightness: 300 cd/m2
Contrast ratio: 700:1
Viewing angle (Horizontal / Vertical): 160-degree / 160-degree
Aspect ratio: 5:4
Interface: Analog
Responst time: 8 ms
Native resolution: 1280 x 1024
Maximum colors: 16.2 M
Input video signal: Analog RGB
Sync type: Separate H/V, Composite H/V, SOG
Input connectors: 15-Pin D-Sub
Power consumption: 38 Watts (Max)
VESA wall mount: 100mm
Emission standard: TCO '99
Bezel color: Black
Special features: MagicBright, MagicTune, MagicSpeed, Narrow Bezel, Built-in Power Supply
Warranty: 3 years
In the box: 915N monitor and stand, power cable, user guide, warranty info

And here's a page that I found a link to from the Somthingawful forums, a while back, and it has a bunch of info about buying an LCD, as well as reccomendations on what to buy:

Click Here