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How Do I Choose A Monitor?
Match your needs to size and type
Evaluate display quality
 
How Much Should I Spend?
Mainstream Applications: $180 to $500
Value: $200 to $250
Everyday Workhorse: $250 to $500
Presentations and Home Entertainment: $800 up to $9,000+
Flat Panel: $800 to $1,100
Shipping Costs Vary: $22 to $125 for 17-Inchers
 
Should I Buy A CRT Or An LCD?
It depends on your preferences and budget
 
Which Features Do You Recommend?
Screen Size: 19 Inches
Resolution and Refresh: 1,024x768 at 75Hz or Higher
Monitor Depth: Measure your desk
CRTs: 0.25mm Horizontal Dot Pitch or Less
More On Pitch
LCDs: 140-Degree Angle, 200 Nits
Controls: The Basics
Extras: USB ports
 
What Should I Do When It Arrives?
Examine it thoroughly
 
How Should I Pay?
Always Use a Credit Card
Avoid Restocking Fees
Leasing and loans don't always pay off
 
How Can I Choose a Reliable Brand?
Know Thy Warranty
Ask Other Buyers
 

How do I choose a monitor?

Match your needs to size and type.

Start by figuring out what your needs are, then prioritize them. For instance, here are some of the most common criteria, along with the best solutions. Of course, your needs might be somewhere in between, so use these only as a rule of thumb.

Evaluate display quality.

No monitor offers a perfect image. Though high-end displays for CAD users make an effort to create perfectly straight lines, you'll see a lot of variance on mainstream monitors, even between two identical models. Common issues include pincushioning; the bowing of straight lines; misconvergence; and the misalignment of the red, green, and blue electron guns. Monitors ship with controls to adjust for many of these problems, but some monitors do a better job than others in reducing their effects.

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How much should I spend?

Mainstream Applications: $180 to $500

Unless you're absolutely sure you can't stretch your budget another $50 to $100, don't go here. Monitors in this price range tend to scrape the bottom of the barrel, from 15-inch cathode ray tubes (CRTs) to the occasional low-end 17-incher. Many people can use 800x600 resolution on 15-inch monitors well enough, but others feel more comfortable at the extremely low res of 640x480.

Value: $200 to $250

Spend $200 to $250, and you can get a decent 17-inch monitor, which is sufficient for working at 1,024x768—although many people still find 800x600 to be more comfortable at this size.

Everyday Workhorse: $250 to $500

In this price range, you can get a good 17-inch monitor or a decent 19-inch model. The latter lets you work at 1,024x768 resolution without sacrificing text quality. Some of these models throw in the occasional extra, such as speakers or a USB hub.

Presentations and Home Entertainment: $800 up to $9,000+

PC/TV Hybrids
Monitors intended for displaying presentations need to be big, pretty, or both. CRTs at 29 inches or larger can function as presentation displays or the hub of a PC/TV hybrid home-entertainment system. The PC/TV hybrids, which start at less than $800, are generally low resolution: on the order of 800x600. They feature high-quality speaker systems and bright CRTs aimed at displaying television programs and movies with a similar look to standard TVs'.

Flat Panel: $800 to $1,100

Flat-panel monitors that use an LCD rather than a CRT look great, but they're still pretty pricey. The smallest unit you should buy is 15 inches, and it still runs at least $400 more than its 17-inch CRT equivalent. When shopping, note that newer digital LCD panels require a compatible graphics adapter, which may or may not be included in the price. Other panels plug into your standard VGA connector. Though this is more flexible, the analog-to-digital circuitry can introduce some artifacts that are not an issue for digital panels. The color is potentially more accurate on LCDs as well. Though a new crop of 18-inch LCDs have arrived, the $3,000-plus price point is off-putting to all but select buyers, such as financial institutions.

Shipping Costs Vary: $22 to $125 for 17-Inchers

Monitors vary widely in sizes and weights. In the continental United States, shipping rates can run as low as $14 for a 15-inch model sent by UPS Ground to as high as $250 for a 21-inch unit sent overnight. Don't assume that the vendor that has the lowest price will cost you the least overall. If getting the lowest price is your top priority, find the models you are interested in on computershopper.com, then contact several merchants to verify the shipping charges and sales tax before buying. These charges are also nonrefundable, so don't buy a monitor casually with the intent to return it unless you're willing to swallow the shipping cost.

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Should I buy a CRT or an LCD?

It depends on your preferences and budget

CRTs are cheaper, more flexible
The vast majority of desktops currently have a CRT monitor. As in notebooks, flat-panel LCDs for desktops use rod-shaped molecules that bend light to produce an image rather than electron guns that light up the phosphors on the viewing area of a glass tube. Though prices have dropped, these desktop LCDs remain significantly more expensive (at least $400 more) than CRTs of an equivalent size. CRTs also work well at multiple resolutions. In contrast, LCDs have a single optimum resolution. To use a lower resolution, either a smaller portion of the panel is used for the display or the pixels have to be scaled up to fill the screen, often resulting in a more blocky look. Full-motion video also generally looks better on a CRT.

Which features do you recommend?

Screen Size: 19 Inches

For everyday use, 19-inch monitors give you the best bang for the buck. You can get one for less than $500, the same price as a high-quality 17-inch display, and the 30 percent extra display area makes it easier to read text-heavy Web pages or spreadsheets.

Resolution and Refresh: 1,024x768 at 75Hz or Higher

The resolution is the number of pixels in the horizontal and vertical directions. The higher the resolution, the more information you can see on the screen at once. Refresh rate refers to the number of times a monitor redraws the screen each second. Higher refresh rates mean less flicker on the screen and less strain on the eye. Refresh rate is irrelevant on LCDs, which are usually optimized for a fixed resolution.

Monitor Depth: Measure your desk

If your desk isn't as spacious as you'd like, you may want to consider a short-depth monitor (sometimes referred to as a short-neck unit). These monitors are based on CRT tubes, which are shallower than the typical tube for that size. For instance, a typical 17-inch monitor is about 17 inches deep, but a short-depth version would be less than 16 inches deep. Some manufacturers go an extra step to shrink a monitor's footprint, such as indenting the cable connections. If your work area is really tight, you may have to spend a few hundred dollars more for a flat-panel display, which has the smallest footprint of any monitor technology.

CRTs: 0.25mm Horizontal Dot Pitch or Less

Dot pitch, the distance between physical phosphors, only applies to CRT displays. In general, the smaller the pitch, the sharper the image--a key concern for graphics professionals. To support the high resolutions you need to view thin lines or greeked text, look for a horizontal dot pitch of 0.25mm or less. Keep in mind that there are different ways to measure pitch, and they aren't exactly comparable. Aperture-grille tubes (Trinitron, DiamondTron) usually label dot pitch by the horizontal measurement, but many dot-mask tubes (most other types) still measure by the diagonal. Multiply 0.866 by the diagonal dot pitch for the horizontal measurement when comparing. Thus, a 0.28mm dot pitch is 0.24mm horizontally and potentially slightly better than a 0.25mm Trinitron.

Perfect Pitch

Originally published in the November 1997 issue

Figure 1A

Most savvy shoppers know a little about dot pitch--even if only that at any given screen size, a smaller dot pitch means a sharper image. Until recently, that was enough--you could compare the numbers from one monitor with another's, follow a few rules of thumb about the maximum acceptable pitch for a given resolution and screen size, and pick a monitor with the right pitch.

Alas, things have gotten more complicated. One reason the old approach worked was that there were only two types of CRT masks on the market: the standard dot mask, also called a shadow mask, still found in most monitors, and the aperture-grille mask, also called a stripe mask, used in Mitsubishi Diamondtron and Sony Trinitron CRTs.

Figure 1B

Although the two mask types measure pitch differently, comparing them wasn't much of an issue. Most people prefer one kind of CRT or the other--some users are devoted to the extra brightness offered by a Trinitron-type tube; others are irritated by the thin but visible black lines or dampening wires that hold the aperture grille in place.

Today, however, you'll find not two but four monitor mask types, each measuring pitch differently.

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Figure 2A

A standard dot mask, as shown in Figure 1A, has evenly spaced holes in the mask through which the red, green, and blue electron guns aim, helping the guns hit the right phosphor dots. The phosphor dots are also spaced evenly, so each triad of red, green, and blue dots forms an equilateral triangle, as does the combination of any dot with the closest dots of the same color in the lines just above and below.

The geometry of this arrangement means that dot pitch--the center-to-center distance between two phosphor dots of the same color--is less in the vertical direction (going to the same color dot two rows below) than in the horizontal direction (going to the same color dot on the same row with two dots in between). As you also can see in Figure 1B, the vertical pitch is the same as the diagonal pitch. For standard dot masks, CRT manufacturers always give the vertical or diagonal measurement as the dot pitch.

Figure 2B

Aperture-grille masks, as shown in Figure 2A, consist of thin wires that run from the top to the bottom of the screen, with one, two, or three horizontal wires holding them tight against the screen.

Give the monitor a moderately sharp rap, and you'll see the image shimmer as the grille vibrates. Aperture grilles tend to become more sensitive to vibration as the monitor ages and the wires loosen slightly.

Figure 2C

As mentioned, the trade-off with Diamondtron or Trinitron tubes is that the horizontal wires show onscreen as thin lines. The benefit is that less of the screen is in the shadow of the mask, so more of the electron beam gets through, producing a brighter image.

The phosphors on an aperture-grille CRT are vertical stripes running from the top to the bottom of the screen. The width of individual dots depends on the width of the stripes, while the height of each depends on the vertical size of the electron beam. The pitch is given as stripe pitch, which is the horizontal distance between two stripes of the same color. (See Figure 2B.)

Figure 3

Mathematically, the stripe pitch of an aperture-grille mask is not directly comparable with the dot pitch of a standard dot mask. The equivalent measurement for the latter would be the horizontal distance between a dot and the closest dot of the same color in the next row down (see Figure 2C), which equals the dot pitch times 0.866. (See the sidebar "And Here's the Derivation" for the geometric proof.) To compare a standard dot pitch with a stripe pitch, therefore, multiply the dot pitch by 0.866.

Figure 4A

You'll find a third scheme in NEC's CromaClear CRT, Panasonic's PureFlat CRT, and most TV tubes. These displays use a slot mask--a shadow mask with elongated slots--as shown in Figure 3, and their phosphors run in vertical stripes, as in a Trinitron tube. (See Figure 2B.) This design yields individual elongated ovals for dots on the screen, which makes the image brighter than a standard dot mask does. Because the mask is a single piece, it doesn't need horizontal wires to hold a grille in place.

Slot-mask CRTs typically measure pitch as stripe pitch--though NEC sometimes calls it mask pitch, which suggests it's being measured at the mask instead of the screen. Note that the slot mask is a little closer to the electron guns than the screen is, which means the slots will be a tad closer together than two phosphor stripes of the same color will.

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Figure 4B

Finally, Hitachi's 19-inch CRT uses an asymmetrical dot mask, as shown in Figure 4A. The dots on the screen are arranged so that unlike in a standard dot mask, vertical and diagonal dot pitches are different. The triangle formed by any given dot with the two closest dots of the same color in the line above and below forms an isosceles triangle (with only two equal sides), rather than an equilateral triangle.

This design means you can't determine the horizontal distance between dots by multiplying the vertical or diagonal pitch by 0.886. But then, you won't have to--pitch for this type of CRT is given as horizontal dot pitch. (See Figure 4B.)

Figure 4C

That makes it easy to compare with an aperture-grille or slot-mask CRT, but don't make the mistake of comparing the horizontal dot pitch for an asymmetrical-dot-mask monitor with the vertical or diagonal dot pitch of a standard-dot-mask monitor. Be sure to multiply the standard-dot-mask monitor's dot pitch by the magic number 0.886 before comparing, as Figure 4C illustrates.

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And Here's the Derivation

For those who need to see the math, the horizontal component of the dot pitch is the bisecting line of an equilateral triangle. (See Figure 5.) By the Pythagorean theorem:

                A2 + B2 = C2
                     A2 = C2 - B2
(Horizontal component)2 = (dot pitch)2 - (1/2 x dot pitch)2
                        = (dot pitch)2 - 1/4 x (dot pitch)2
                        = 3/4 x (dot pitch)2
   Horizontal component = 0.866 x dot pitch

Figure 5

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LCDs: 140-Degree Angle, 200 Nits

Viewing Angle
Though LCDs do not suffer from the same glare problems as curved CRTs, they become washed-out when you shift your viewing angle. Some of the cheapest panels have less than 100-degree angles, making it difficult to gather people around your screen or even shift your head as you reach for the phone without losing the image. Look for 140-degree angles or more on 15-inch panels. Go for something wider—160 or 180 degrees—on larger 18-inch displays so the screen quality doesn't suffer at the edges when you are up close.

Brightness
Because LCDs work by blocking light to various degrees with liquid crystals, brightness is a concern. For 15-inch panels, look for 200 nits. Larger displays tend to have lower brightness for technical reasons, but shoot for at least 150 nits.

Controls: The Basics

Mainstream Users
Most displays now use digital controls and onscreen menus, but there is still a lot of variation in their quality and ease of use.

Virtually all CRTs sold today have the basic control set of contrast, brightness, image size, and image location. Most will also include basic geometry controls (pincushion, trapezoid, and parallelogram), and often color temperature (how warm or cool the colors appear overall, based on a white screen) and convergence (alignment of the red, green, and blue electron guns for crisp lines) as well. These will be sufficient for most office and home workers.

Graphics Professionals
People who work with graphics, publishing, and other areas where color is important will want separate RGB color adjustments and perhaps gamma, as well as advanced geometry controls, such as corner pincushion (to adjust the bowing of straight vertical lines in the screen corners). Hardware-based color calibration and the ability to adjust convergence separately for different areas of the screen come with only a few very high-end monitors.

Extras: USB ports

A USB hub in the monitor is a convenience. It's usually easier to get to the back of your display than to the back of your system when you want to add peripherals, especially if the system is under your desk. Generally, these hubs don't add a lot to the cost of the display. Other options you might want to consider are dual inputs to connect two computers to the same monitor, built-in speakers, and microphone and headphone jacks.

For LCDs, look for the ability to switch between portrait and landscape modes. Though speakers seem like an obvious choice, the sound quality of the built-ins doesn't match that of a separate satellite-and-subwoofer system. One nice extra on LCDs is that you don't need to worry about monitor emissions causing interference with the sound.

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What should I do when it arrives?

Examine it thoroughly

Check for shipping damage
The most common indicator that a CRT has been damaged during transport is image discoloration in any corner of the screen or an unstable image, which can result from banging or dropping. Check for cracked plastic and a misaligned front bevel as well.

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How Should I Pay?

Always Use a Credit Card

You don't forfeit your rights as a consumer if you pay by check, money order, check card, or debit card, but you forfeit the most practical way to enforce those rights—credit-card companies' clout—if there's a problem with the product or its delivery. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you have 60 days from the occurrence of the problem in which to report the details in writing. No credit-card company guarantees it will solve every problem or issue a chargeback for every disputed purchase, but the power of the creditor is often the heaviest weapon you can wield. Many debit cards now limit your liability to $50 in the event of fraud, but the money is already out of your checking account. It's the same with checks and even worse with money orders—they're the equivalent of cash.

Avoid Restocking Fees

It's the sometimes shocking reason you should always read the fine print: Restocking fees—often 15 to 20 percent of your total purchase price—can take a big bite out of a money-back return policy. Be sure to ask about the existence and terms of any restocking policies before you buy. Often, different restocking fees apply to different types of products or even to different parts of a system purchase. PC hardware, for instance, might be returnable without a restocking fee, but bundled software may be subject to a fee or nonreturnable once opened.

Leasing and loans don't always pay off

Once the province of businesses looking for a tax benefit, leasing has become a means for some buyers to purchase computer products they couldn't otherwise afford. In general, borrowing is not a savvy way to buy a peripheral because their value depreciates so rapidly. Of course, borrowing/leasing is always more expensive than buying outright if you keep the product at the end. (Indeed, leasing works for businesses in part because they can trade in their products and lease new ones in bulk at the end of the day.) Before you borrow or lease, consider stepping down your feature requirements as well as calculating your total cost, including any buyout charges at the end of a lease.

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How Can I Choose A Reliable Brand?

Know Thy Warranty

All things being equal, a three-year warranty is obviously more attractive than a one-year warranty. But sometimes, a solid one-year plan—one that covers parts and labor on all components, not just some—can be better than three years of haggling and headaches. Ask questions like: Must you install replacement parts yourself? Who pays for return shipping for major repairs? Is a loaner unit available during downtime?

Ask Other Buyers

Advice from trusted colleagues is always a good recourse, as long as you keep in mind that a single person's experience with a company doesn't guarantee that yours will be the same.

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