Advice On A New Monitor.

  • Thread starter Thread starter helensilverburg
  • Start date Start date
H

helensilverburg

I am in need of a new monitor. I've been told a flat screen monitor
is the way to go. Could anyone advise me of a good one? I don't want
to spend a lot of money on one. I have no idea how much they cost,
but I was hoping to spend approximately $400. and under.
Thank you all in advicance.
 
I am in need of a new monitor. I've been told a flat screen monitor
is the way to go. Could anyone advise me of a good one? I don't want
to spend a lot of money on one. I have no idea how much they cost,
but I was hoping to spend approximately $400. and under.
Thank you all in advicance.
Click to expand...

Sorry about the typo, what I meant was "advance".
 
helensilverburg said:
I am in need of a new monitor. I've been told a flat screen monitor
is the way to go. Could anyone advise me of a good one? I don't want
to spend a lot of money on one. I have no idea how much they cost,
but I was hoping to spend approximately $400. and under.
Thank you all in advicance.
Click to expand...


Samsung 932B+ LCD Monitor, 19"
Item Number 696632
$279.95CAN
Response Time: 5ms
Contrast Ratio: 700:1
Brightness: 300cd/m2
Resolution: 1280 x 1024 native
MagicBright2, MagicTune with Asset Management.
3-year Limited Warranty.


Samsung 940NW LCD Monitor, 19"
$189.95CAN
Features:
Response Time: 5ms
Contrast Ratio: 700:1
Brightness: 300cd/m2
Maximum Resolution: 1440 x 900
Analog RGB, DVI Digital Link
Viewing Angle: 160°/160°
Magic Colour, MagicTune and MagicBright 2 Technologies.
3-year Manufacturer's Limited Warranty.


Your local Staples store should carry both of these models.

I suggest you shop in person to see exactly whay you're buying. Also,
Staples Canada has a very good return policy in the event of dead or stuck
pixels. Do not be tempted to purchase any extended warranty.


Canada Computers is another good retailer in and around TO.
http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProdList&cmd=pl&id=MT.983&sort=0&mfg=SAMSUNG

http://reviews.cnet.com/monitor-buying-guide/
 
Samsung 932B+ LCD Monitor, 19"
Item Number 696632
$279.95CAN
Response Time: 5ms
Contrast Ratio: 700:1
Brightness: 300cd/m2
Resolution: 1280 x 1024 native
MagicBright2, MagicTune with Asset Management.
3-year Limited Warranty.

Samsung 940NW LCD Monitor, 19"
$189.95CAN
Features:
Response Time: 5ms
Contrast Ratio: 700:1
Brightness: 300cd/m2
Maximum Resolution: 1440 x 900
Analog RGB, DVI Digital Link
Viewing Angle: 160°/160°
Magic Colour, MagicTune and MagicBright 2 Technologies.
3-year Manufacturer's Limited Warranty.

Your local Staples store should carry both of these models.

I suggest you shop in person to see exactly whay you're buying. Also,
Staples Canada has a very good return policy in the event of dead or stuck
pixels. Do not be tempted to purchase any extended warranty.

Canada Computers is another good retailer in and around TO.http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProdList&cmd=pl&id=MT.983...

http://reviews.cnet.com/monitor-buying-guide/
Click to expand...


Holy Smokes!! Thanks so much for that fantastic information! I shall
indeed check it out! Thanks Brett!
Helen
 
helensilverburg said:
Holy Smokes!! Thanks so much for that fantastic information! I shall
indeed check it out! Thanks Brett!
Helen
Click to expand...

My pleasure Helen. Please do post back with your findings. I have a feeling
you will love an LCD monitor.
 
My pleasure Helen. Please do post back with your findings. I have a feeling
you will love an LCD monitor.
Click to expand...


I checked out Staples website for this one:Samsung 940NW LCD Monitor,
19"
and it's exactly as you described. Right now they are out of stock,
but I'm in no hurry. I can wait. It's a great price and a 3 year
warranty!
It's getting close to Christmas so I don't want to spend too much on
myself.
I will indeed report back and let you know how it went.
Again thank you so very much Brett. :-)
Helen
 
I am in need of a new monitor. I've been told a flat screen monitor
is the way to go. Could anyone advise me of a good one? I don't want
to spend a lot of money on one. I have no idea how much they cost,
but I was hoping to spend approximately $400. and under.
Thank you all in advicance.
Click to expand...

Before we can advise you on monitor - what do you want to do on the PC?

Photo/video editing requires perfect colour reproduction, so generally
advise CRT

Gaming requires fast refresh, so expensive LCD or CRT.

General Windows work - anything.

What resolution are you used to / do you want?

What are your thoughts on deskspace (actual desk - where the keyboard/mouse
is). Tight on space - get an LCD, plenty of space - save money and get CRT.

Etc.
 
Before we can advise you on monitor - what do you want to do on the PC?

Photo/video editing requires perfect colour reproduction, so generally
advise CRT

Gaming requires fast refresh, so expensive LCD or CRT.

General Windows work - anything.

What resolution are you used to / do you want?

What are your thoughts on deskspace (actual desk - where the keyboard/mouse
is). Tight on space - get an LCD, plenty of space - save money and get CRT.

Etc.
Click to expand...


Forgive me but I don't know computers as well as you folks. What I do
is just general email, type manuscripts, etc. What I do daily is view
photographs and seeing the proper exposure and colour is important to
me. I don't use Photoshop but I do use Microsoft Office Picture
Manager. Only to crop or adjust exposure on certain photos.
Helen
 
(e-mail address removed) said something like:
I am in need of a new monitor. I've been told a flat screen monitor
is the way to go. Could anyone advise me of a good one? I don't want
to spend a lot of money on one. I have no idea how much they cost,
but I was hoping to spend approximately $400. and under.
Thank you all in advicance.
Click to expand...

Just a small nit-pick that may save you a smidgeon of confusion.

The term "flat screen" is risky. It was originally (and still is actually)
used to describe standard CRT monitors which happened to have a flat-ish
screen in front. If, for instance, you look on craigslist.com for "flat
screen" you will find multiple folks selling these.

The only reason I bring this up is that you may not want to jump in your car
and drive 45 minutes for the "flat screen" that is on sale for $40.
 
(e-mail address removed) said something like:


Just a small nit-pick that may save you a smidgeon of confusion.

The term "flat screen" is risky. It was originally (and still is actually)
used to describe standard CRT monitors which happened to have a flat-ish
screen in front. If, for instance, you look on craigslist.com for "flat
screen" you will find multiple folks selling these.

The only reason I bring this up is that you may not want to jump in your car
and drive 45 minutes for the "flat screen" that is on sale for $40.
Click to expand...

I understand. Thanks for that heads-up!
Helen
 
Brett Kline said something like:

....[rip]...
Also, Staples Canada has a very good return policy in the event
of dead or stuck pixels. Do not be tempted to purchase any
extended warranty.
Click to expand...

When LCD's were first offered, many retailers/manufacturers seem to think it
was okidoki to sell you something that had as many as 10 or more dead
pixels.

Has this changed? Is there one manufacturer, or perhaps retailer, better
than others?

Are there any to *really* avoid?


....[rip]...
 
I checked out Staples website for this one:Samsung 940NW LCD
Monitor, 19" and it's exactly as you described. Right now they
are out of stock, but I'm in no hurry. I can wait. It's a
great price and a 3 year warranty! It's getting close to
Christmas so I don't want to spend too much on myself. I will
indeed report back and let you know how it went.
Click to expand...

Bear in mind that that is a wide screen type, which may not suit
you. The key is the ratio between horizontal and vertical
resolution.
 
Bear in mind that that is a wide screen type, which may not suit
you. The key is the ratio between horizontal and vertical
resolution.
Click to expand...

Thank you for that.
Helen
 
Thomas said:
When LCD's were first offered, many retailers/manufacturers seem to
think it was okidoki to sell you something that had as many as 10 or
more dead pixels.
Click to expand...


AU Optronics, LG.Philips, Chi Mei Optoelectronics, and Samsung are the only
LCD makers I know of. Going on to the 8th generation, panel yields are
higher with fewer defects.

Has this changed? Is there one manufacturer, or perhaps retailer,
better than others?

Are there any to *really* avoid?
Click to expand...


I tend to stick with LG, Samsung, NEC, and BenQ when lowest cost is the
determining factor.


A year or 18 months ago Hansol had the best dead pixel warranty out there.
Currently I do not know which company has the best DOA, dead or stuck pixel
warranty as I have not used RMA service. Pixel abnormalities near the center
of the screen are usually taken as a more serious defect than those occuring
at the edges. To simplify matters I directed the OP Helen to her local
Staples store which offers a very good return policy.

http://www.hansol-us.com/warranty-info/warrenty-information.html
http://www.staples.com/sbd/content/help/using/returns_policy.html US
http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Static/static_pages.asp?pagename=help_policy_returns
Canada


Of perhaps 120 LCD monitors, I've seen one DOA (LG model) and one with a
few always on pixels, a 15" Sony model. My luck with CRTs has been far
worse: one dead, one flyback, and one loss of vertical deflection out of
seven units in a three year span.
 
Brett said:
AU Optronics, LG.Philips, Chi Mei Optoelectronics, and Samsung are the only
LCD makers I know of. Going on to the 8th generation, panel yields are
higher with fewer defects.




I tend to stick with LG, Samsung, NEC, and BenQ when lowest cost is the
determining factor.


A year or 18 months ago Hansol had the best dead pixel warranty out there.
Currently I do not know which company has the best DOA, dead or stuck pixel
warranty as I have not used RMA service. Pixel abnormalities near the center
of the screen are usually taken as a more serious defect than those occuring
at the edges. To simplify matters I directed the OP Helen to her local
Staples store which offers a very good return policy.

http://www.hansol-us.com/warranty-info/warrenty-information.html
http://www.staples.com/sbd/content/help/using/returns_policy.html US
http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Static/static_pages.asp?pagename=help_policy_returns
Canada


Of perhaps 120 LCD monitors, I've seen one DOA (LG model) and one with a
few always on pixels, a 15" Sony model. My luck with CRTs has been far
worse: one dead, one flyback, and one loss of vertical deflection out of
seven units in a three year span.
Click to expand...

If you plan on buying online; newegg.com (IMHO) is the best place to
shop. Huge selection and very competitive prices but more
importantly; you can read everybody's review of the product before you
decide to buy:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254004
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16824254004

as far as CRTs go: dont bother with CRT anymore. LCDs are just as
cheap as CRTs now (both a 15 inch LCD and CRT start at $150), LCDs
are a fraction of the size and weight of a CRT; and LCDs use about
1/3rd of the electricity that a CRT does. Its a no brainer! :)
 
as far as CRTs go: dont bother with CRT anymore. LCDs are just as
cheap as CRTs now (both a 15 inch LCD and CRT start at $150), LCDs
are a fraction of the size and weight of a CRT; and LCDs use about
1/3rd of the electricity that a CRT does. Its a no brainer! :)
Click to expand...

You may have me wrong here but so far I haven't found any $400-700 20" LCD
is worth enough to replace my CRT yet, so I am still using CRT for my photo
retouching.

About 2 years or so ago I was looking at the Samsung 20" (or 21"?) which
was onsale for around $750 (it's much cheaper now) but it just not please my
poor eyes.

Also, I am talking about displaying quality for photo work not price.
 
Joel said:
You may have me wrong here but so far I haven't found any $400-700 20" LCD
is worth enough to replace my CRT yet, so I am still using CRT for my photo
retouching.

About 2 years or so ago I was looking at the Samsung 20" (or 21"?) which
was onsale for around $750 (it's much cheaper now) but it just not please my
poor eyes.

Also, I am talking about displaying quality for photo work not price.
Click to expand...

You make a good point about the quailty for photo work... I missed
that follow-up requirement from the OP. My suggestion really only
applies to the average computer user; I assumed the OP fell into that
category.
 
You may have me wrong here but so far I haven't found any $400-700 20" LCD
is worth enough to replace my CRT yet, so I am still using CRT for my photo
retouching.

About 2 years or so ago I was looking at the Samsung 20" (or 21"?) which
was onsale for around $750 (it's much cheaper now) but it just not please my
poor eyes.

Also, I am talking about displaying quality for photo work not price.
Click to expand...


Sorry for being ignorant on the subject but what is the difference
between LCD and CRT?
Thank you,
Helen
 
[email protected] said:
Sorry for being ignorant on the subject but what is the difference
between LCD and CRT?
Thank you,
Helen
Click to expand...

You're forgiven ;)

LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display - these are the new, thin, flat,
energy-efficient monitors that you see for sale everywhere now.
You're probably more familiar with this type of display from using a
laptop & notebook.

CRT stands for Cathode Ray Tube - this is the type of monitor you're
probably most familiar with and are using now. It uses a tube as the
display like a traditional tv. Its large, bulky, heavy, produces a
lot of heat and uses about 2/3rds more energy than the LCDs.

is my biased obvious yet? ;)

Let us know what you go with and what you think, helen. Good luck!
 
Back
Top