I am getting a 19" analog only LCD monitor with my new computer (part of a package), I have a 19" CRT monitor currently and the large footprint is not really an issue (it would be nice if it was smaller though). Are there any real advantages to the LCD for casual home usage or would I be better off selling/returning the LCD and buying a digital one later.

The LCD is a: HP vs19d
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/product_detail.do?product_code=EN632A7%23ABA

The CRT is a: Samsung 955DF
http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1612&p=1

8/7/2006 1:37:58 PM

19 lcd = 19 inches viewable

19 crt = ~17 inches viewable

go LCD

8/7/2006 1:43:30 PM

CRT advantages: Higher refresh rate for games, MUCH better color reproduction for graphic design

LCD advantages: Little to no eye strain, smaller footprint

8/7/2006 1:44:53 PM

^ true the colors are more percise

8/7/2006 1:47:24 PM

We typically dont do too many stairing at the monitor for long periods of time things, especially since I have a 1 year old unning around and I believe my crt has just over 18" veiwable, sounds like I am not gaining too much with the LCD.

[Edited on August 7, 2006 at 1:51 PM. Reason : added]

8/7/2006 1:49:37 PM

if you dont have a specific reason to stick with the crt, keep the lcd and pitch the old one, your eyes will thank you

8/7/2006 1:53:11 PM

what he said

8/7/2006 2:01:30 PM

but you will get more money by selling the LCD. or theres the option of dual monitoring

8/7/2006 3:47:48 PM

sell me the lcd for $50

8/7/2006 3:53:06 PM

what is a cheap but good video card that will allow me to have dual monitors? what can I do with a setup like that? I guess it would be good to have multiple spreadsheets and word documents open.

8/7/2006 4:34:01 PM

any modern card will allow this.

8/7/2006 4:43:39 PM

I also recommend getting a dual monitor card. If you need one right now I think the best deal locally is at TigerDirect, the XFX GeForce 6200 AGP 256MB for $59.99 - $15 rebate
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1776106&CatId=935
I know they have that in stock right now cause I was there yesterday. If you need a PCI-E card I think they have something that's comparable or better for around that price or less. Since your LCD screen is analog you'll need a DVI-I to VGA adapter that some of these cards come with, but the XFX card that I mentioned doesn't come with it, but it does have a DVI-I port.
Ofcourse if you're patient you can get a bigger selection and a better deal online.

As far as other benefits of LCD's over CRT, there's power consumption.

Quote :

"HP vs19: <45 watts typical (Sleep Power Consumption: <2 watts typical) Samsung 955DF: 100 Watts"

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c00277016.pdf
http://www.samsung.com/Products/Monitor/DiscontinuedModels/AN19JSBL.asp?page=Specifications

CRT's also generate more heat than LCD's, which I guess is favorable in the winter time.

LCD's have a much sharper picture (at native resolution) and they will have perfect geometry compared to CRT's where it's necessary to tweak the display.

LCD's turn on a lot quicker where as an older CRT will take a few seconds depending how long it's been turned off.

Having said that, I'm currently using an old 17" Envision CRT, and I admit that all those benefits I listed are trivial at best.

8/8/2006 2:49:08 AM

you are right on everything but this "LCD's have a much sharper picture (at native resolution)", LCD's still have a considerably higher dp than most pro CRT's

8/8/2006 2:51:07 AM

if you are wanting to get it off of the internet i suggest pricewatch.com it searches the bigger sites such as newegg and 3btech and gives u the best price. As per the dvi-vga converter you can get one there also, i believe they are about 5 bucks or less. some video cards come with 2 vga ports though instead of a dvi and vga and you would have to look for that if you wanted something more simple, but i dont recomend it because they tend to be more expensive and lower quality for the trade of convienience.

8/8/2006 7:50:38 AM

When considering a video card, if you want to play games like counterstrike, wow, or any of the newer games the 6200's won't cut it. A "good" video card starts at $120 and goes up to $180. After that it goes into very nice cards and then "I have too much money so let me throw it away" at $400+

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150157

6800XT... for $140. That's a good deal.

8/8/2006 8:09:39 AM

They should completely eliminate CRT's out of existence.

8/8/2006 8:25:12 AM

Quote :

"counterstrike, wow, or any of the newer games the 6200's won't cut it."

ummmm i don't think this is right... sure you wont be able to play it on 1600x1200 with 8x aa and 16x af but hl2/hl/counterstrike plays perfectly fine on a older ati 9600 XT and should work very well with a newer more capable 6200 with more ram....

i dunno about wow but it's not that graphic intensive....

Battlefield 2 and 2042 however will probably need a little more umpf to play above low settings but everything should still be playable...

8/8/2006 8:59:01 AM

Quote :

"if you want to play games like counterstrike, wow, or any of the newer games the 6200's won't cut it. "

I play counterstrike on Intel Integrated Graphics Works fine for me. That's the great thing about the HL engine.

8/8/2006 9:10:29 AM

i played wow fine on a geforce4 ti4200 fine except when there was 100 people in my immediate vicinity.

8/8/2006 9:38:24 AM

For casual home use, some less technical advantages of an LCD are also moe desk space, less power consumption, and it gives off less heat.

8/8/2006 9:42:05 AM

SOme of the graphics card reviews mention blowing the power supply, will this be a problem if I have a 350 watt power supply if I get a basic video card. I only have PCI x16 and PCI slots available.

8/8/2006 9:50:37 AM

you'll be fine

8/8/2006 9:51:20 AM

ok, what LCD's would you reccomend for me, i would like 19 inches and will be using it for gaming....

10/13/2006 2:38:57 PM

Anything under 16ms (which is ANY name brand LCD now basically) will be fine for gaming.

10/13/2006 3:42:12 PM