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**jujubee** · 07-12-2003, 06:42 PM

MY favorite monitors are a toss between the Sony Trinitrons and Viewsonics. I haven't really had much luck with other brands, resolutions, and color fidelity.

**winberg** · 08-12-2003, 02:15 AM

You should try the Dell 19" monitors..they have Sony trinitron screens, and are rather cheap I think..

-Tom

**Fermi** · 08-12-2003, 04:38 AM

Hi flipside,

One thought.

Monitor is the piece of hardware that lasts longer, it does not become obsolete as CPUs do. I am working on a 21" Hitachi CM802ET since 1998, that substituded a 20" Hitachi CM2087 from 1991. My current monitor is still sharp and nice, and the 1991 is still working (though it really shows it's age)

What I mean; Don't be cheap regarding monitor, it's a long term invest, Put your money on it and get max possible quality, your eyes depend on it, make sure you achieve the desired resolution at a decen refresh rate, at least 75 hz, but 80 hz would be better.

DO NOT disregard TFTs
Friday together with a major CPU upgrade I also recieved 2 17" TFT monitors, that are meant to go home, for my home system and for the kids system, no time to indeep test them yet, but hwat I've seen of them I love. TFT screens do not ahve the strain on eyes CRT do...

I hope I don't UNhelp you too much

Fermí

**flipside** · 08-12-2003, 05:11 AM

Hi thanks!

I also read some articles on tom's hardware, with following results:

--->22" monitors:
-viewsonic p225f: +-780€ in belgium, but it seems hard to find over here.
-mitsubishi diamond pro 2060u: can't find prices in belgium for it, but the 2070SB is around 750€. I don't know what the difference between these two is, even their website isn't helpull...
-iyama ms102DT (=vision master 505): can't find it either in belgium. I do find other models with pretty similar names though. Should be also around the same price as the two others maybe a bit cheaper.

--->19" monitors:
-viewsonic p95f: can handle large resolutions at good refresh rates and costs +-380€
-iyama vision master pro 454: +-450€. Resolution specs a bit less than the viewsonic.

I agree on the long term investment thing, but before I spend 800€ on a screen I want to be absolutely sure it is something very good and will last a looooong time. But how can I ever be sure of this???

I don't want to spend more than 800€ because that's beyond my budget.

More comments and suggestions are always welcome!!

thanks,

flipside

**jujubee** · 08-12-2003, 07:06 AM

mmmm. forgot. Hitachis are really really nice too. Better than Viewsonics IMO.

I completely agree with the long term investment. Don't go for cheap if possible for your main monitor. Although I've seen a couple 15" CRTs for $50 US- can be used as a second monitor if your video card supports it- nice to have the additional real estate for panels and tabs (photoshop and Max panels) on a spare mon.

My 19" Viewsonic went for $650 four-five years ago. You can find them for under $200 now. One of them blew out but the other one is working sharp still and the colors are still good. Best $650 I had ever spent even with the blowout. Better than most of the monitors at jobs that I freelanced for. If I had to do it again I wouldn't change a single thing. Check www.pricewatch.com for some good monitor deals.

**Miguel** · 08-12-2003, 02:23 PM

I'm the owner of a dell monitor with a 21" trinitron screen, its refurbished so it was about 450usd, but works perfect, highly recomended, it is conigured at 1600x1200 85hz, and it looks very sharp.

**J_Bug** · 08-12-2003, 03:27 PM

I also use a Dell 21" Trinitron at work and it's great.

On the other hand, I have a Viewsonic 19" Professional model but it's far from professional. It's so blurry I hate using it sometimes. I've had CTX monitors that look sharper than my Viewsonic.

A friend has a Hitachi and she doesn’t complain. I’d say it's up there with the Dell I use at work but the Dell has to top them all. The Dell is a P1130.

--Jon

**rhino** · 08-12-2003, 03:39 PM

You can't really go wrong with the Sony's, the professional models (gun control, advanced colour modes are obviously better) but at the price the standard 21's are now I don't think you can go wrong. Note the 21 is the only tube Sony are producing now, they are running out all the smaller models so you may still be able to find the 19's. I had a look the other day and you can get two 19's for the same price as a 21, that's a lot of screen real estate. TFT's contrast range is not there yet, in another year though I think it will be a different story.

**flipside** · 08-12-2003, 05:08 PM

I'm getting more and more confused... This is what I selected so far:

philips 109P40 19" - 1280*1024 @ 104Hz - 313€
philips 201B40 21" - 1600*1200 @ 92Hz - 452€
dell trinitron p1130 21" - 1600*1200 @ 95Hz - 670€
sony e530 21" - 1600*1200 @ 95Hz - 839€
viewsonic p225f 22" - 1600*1200 @ 99Hz - 780€

I drop the first one because I wanted 1600*1200 minimum. I'm not sure if the sony and dell can handle larger than that. The viewsonic can go up to 2048*1536 @ 79Hz which is still good for the eyes I think. I also wonder what feature causes the price difference between the philips 21" and the dell/sony's and I wonder if I need this feature?

Maybe it's better to go for the philips 21" for now and within a year or so (when my budget isn't so thight) to buy another (better quality) monitor and use them both together? This better quality monitor will be cheaper then, so I will have a good main a screen and a bit less good second one.

I came up with the viewsonic after reading a review at tomshardware, which is already 1.5 year old:
"In second place after the Diamond Pro 2060u are the ViewSonic p225f and the NEC Fe1250+. Their performances are not as high as the Mitsubishi, but they are good alternatives, especially the p225f for those who like high refresh rates in the upper resolutions. With similar performance in this respect and in general is the Sony G520, which could attract users even though it does have its failings. In short, DiamondTron tubes win the day. "

They prefer the viewsonic over the sony G520 which still costs +-1000€.

Keep it coming, I appreciate your comments a lot!

regards,

flipside

**Da_elf** · 08-12-2003, 06:48 PM

dont laugh at me. but i find LG monitors very reliable

**twinxel** · 08-12-2003, 11:04 PM

Flipside,

I don't know about colour fidelity, but another choice is to buy two 17" TFT monitors. It would save space and give you a good 2840x1024 screen area.
I'm working with two 17" CRT at home, but they are occuping all my desk space, so it's no a great idea if you have a small table. (well, as you are thinking about having a 22" one, probably you are plenty of space

)

Regards,
Joao.

**ventil185** · 12-12-2003, 07:27 PM

I just got a new 19" samsung monitor, and I´m quite satisfied with it, it´s the SyncMaster 957MB, and it makes resolutions of 1920x1440 and it only costs 270€. I think it´s a good quality/price deal.

Guilherme

**winberg** · 14-12-2003, 07:14 AM

If you have money to spend, I can recommend the dell 20 tft monitors..
I am currently sitting in front of a dual screen setup with these..
And I have to say I love it..

-Tom

**egz** · 14-12-2003, 07:33 AM

You should also check out the LaCie Electron Blue monitors. These are awesome for sharpness and color accuracy, lots of professional designers and photographers in my area swear by them. They used to be really expensive, but lately I've seen them as low as $700 for the 22"

The 22" also handles 2048x1536 @ 86Hz, which is awesome.

http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?id=10037

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