The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
I've had a computer for 10 years. In that time, I've been through one that was given to me, a complete Dell set-up that I bought as a package, and two rebuilds that I've done myself. I'm due for another one soon and I've started to think about what kind of a machine I want to build. In all of this time, something I've given very little thought to is the monitor that I've been using. I started off with a standard 15 inch but moved up to a 17 when I bought my Dell. Since then, as I've rebuilt my machine, I've just recycled the same one a few times. But this summer, as I've cruised the computer stores, I've been giving it some time. Monitors basically come in three types, CRT, LCD, and now, LCD TV. CRT stands for cathode ray tube. These are the standard type of monitor that everyone has had for years. They are the beige and black boxes with the big tube sticking out the back like a TV. Cheap, reliable, standard. These monitors have fallen dramatically in price and a decent one can be found for under $500. Most people who have gone through more then one computer probably have a CRT stored in their garage or in the back of a closet somewhere. The second type are the LCDs. Liquid Crystal Displays have been on the market for relatively few years, but they are showing up everywhere. These flat screens had a lot of trouble when they first came out with pixels locking up on them causing small portions of the screen to freeze, locked into little blocks of a single colour. They were finicky, hard to move, hard to keep clean, and worst of all, hard to keep working. If you are ever looking to buy a used monitor, do not buy an LCD that is more then a few years old; they usually aren't worth the money. The latest entrant are the LCD TVs. If you are looking for a lot of screen real estate, these are worth the money. They can be huge and at a decent price compared to a straight LCD of the same size. I found an Acer 26 inch LCD TV this summer, able to be used either as a computer monitor or a TV for just under $1,000. Very cool. You can use it as a monitor, be typing away, and use the 'picture in picture' feature to watch TV at the same time. The screens are huge, the quality is fine, they usually come with built in speakers, and they can do several things at the same time. Overall, when you are shopping for a monitor, there are a few standard things to look for. The first is contrast ratio. How well do colours contrast and show up on the monitor? The higher the ratio, the better the picture, the better the detail that can be displayed. Look for a ratio of at least 400:1, but 500:1 is a better standard to begin with. What is the response time? Most often this stat is given in milliseconds, but it can be misleading. Most companies measure the time that it takes a single pixel to turn from black to white and then back to black again. Most of these times are in the 25ms range, but some companies are getting amazing stats down in the 15 Ð 16ms range; the trouble is they are basically cheating to do it. Instead of measuring the full change, some companies are only measuring the time needed to change a pixel from black to white. Response time is important, but I almost guarantee that most salespeople will not be able to tell you how the company who made the monitor that you want to buy measured it. Buyer beware. Other things to look at are the viewing angles possible. It's best to see a monitor set up in the store before you buy it. Walk back and forth in front of it and see if you can only view the picture cleanly from directly in front, or if you can see it clearly from off to one side. If you want privacy, in front only is good, if you want others to be able to see clearly from the side, make sure you look for it. Power consumption is important, some of the larger monitors kick out a lot of heat. And finally, look for the connectors that come with the monitor. A lot of companies are cheaping out and not packaging cables with their new products. Make sure you know what is in the box before you get home and find yourself needing to make a second trip to the store. ([email protected])
