New Monitor Query..

[InKursion]

Hey guys, it's an old customer returning with some Xmas fever .

The time has come to fling out my old Dell CRT monitor- and it is now time to replace it with a newer flatscreen monitor. 19 inch is my preferred size- but there are so many choices!

I am an avid gamer, and would ideally like a monitor that can comfortably run the 1280 and 1024 gaming resolutions with a nice response time and no massive stretching of the image. I realise that TFT's have a "native resolution", so this is something I am always conscious about.

On the Overclockers selection, I notice that most of the monitors have "in-built audio speakers". This is a massive turn-off for me, as I have a surround-sound 5.1 kit and really do not want extra space or expenditure on low-quality monitor sound.

Also, I am stuck between widescreen and the average shape monitor.

So; can anyone give me some good recommendations from the OCuK website that would suit a gamer with a mid-sized budget (~around 220 pounds). Looking for something that would suit a video-game image very well, and would also perform. I've looked around the website for hours but have achieved nothing but confusion.

Thanks very much! Rest assured, your answers will earn OCuK much money- as I'm restocking monitor, processor, memory and peripherals this Xmas from your stores .

 

[Mr Men]

You don't need to use the inbuilt speakers

 

[meglamaniac]

Native resolution doesn't affect response times, but it does affect image quality. Using anything other than the native resolution will result in less defined edges. This means it's vital to use the native resolution on the desktop, but less so in games - especially fast moving ones where you're less concerned about detail.

Anyway, as it happens the native resolution of a 19" LCD is 1280x1024 so it looks like you're in luck.

So far as response times go, most monitors are fine these days. I'm using a 17" LG that's now year and a half and has a quoted response time of 12ms. I can't see ghosting in games or movies, and the technology has come a long way since then. The 2ms quotes for some monitors are a bit unrealistic and rely on best case scenarios. In reality I'd guess it's now somewhere between 5 and 8.

Oh one last thing you may or may not know: LCDs cannot go above their native resolution, so the max on a 19" panel is the 1280x1024 native.

 

[Fr0dders]

On the Overclockers selection, I notice that most of the monitors have "in-built audio speakers". This is a massive turn-off for me, as I have a surround-sound 5.1 kit and really do not want extra space or expenditure on low-quality monitor sound.

Also, I am stuck between widescreen and the average shape monitor.

So; can anyone give me some good recommendations from the OCuK website that would suit a gamer with a mid-sized budget (~around 220 pounds). Looking for something that would suit a video-game image very well, and would also perform. I've looked around the website for hours but have achieved nothing but confusion.

just dont plug the speakers in. Just because they have them doesnt mean you have to use them. There are some very good monitors out there with speakers, just because they have speakers, doesnt make them any less good.

as for widescreen, the 19" widescreen resolution seems to be somewhat more problematic than 1680 x 1050 of the 20" widescreen. So id stick with normal 19 as they have more height

as for best 19s, the Viewsonic VX922 is a very fast monitor, but probably not the best colours. Best for colours would probably be the glossy screen of the NEC 90GX2. Ive got the 20W gx2 and its awesome.