What to look for in a monitor and what their specs mean
Sep 11 '00 (Updated Jan 03 '02)
The Bottom Line Understanding the terminology is a good idea.
One must consider that there are a variety of computer monitors out on the market, however only some of the monitors out there are actually good.
First establish what kind of monitor you are looking for. If you are a hardcore gamer you want something relatively large and affordable. If you are a graphics guru, you want something large, sharp and colorful (and color accurate.) If all you do is word processing and some Internet you could get away with just about any monitor.
The heavier a monitor is, the more expensive it’s going to be.
What the monitor specs mean
Dot Pitch / Stripe Pitch
Dot pitch is the spacing in the shadow mask, aperture grille or slot mask in a CRT. A smaller number is better but also more expensive. .28mm dot pitch is typically found in cheaper monitors, while as .24mm or smaller is in more expensive monitors. Anything over .28mm is better classified as a Television screen and not a computer monitor.
Monitor Size
The bigger the monitor, the higher the resolution you can run without getting significant eyestrain. 17” monitors are the norm, and anything less than a 17” will not save you very much money. Bigger is better, and more expensive.
Refresh Rate
The higher the refresh rate, the better (and less eye-strain you will get) the update rate of the monitor is. There is no refresh rate on a Flat Panel (attempting to go above 75hz will potentially damage the monitor.) CRT’s refresh rate (Vertical refresh rate) varies from 60hz non-interlaced to 200hz non-interlaced. Non-Interlaced mode is also known as Progressive scan, where the monitor takes only a single pass to update the screen. The maximum refresh rate is also the maximum obtainable frame rate without screen tearing (vsync-off). The higher the refresh rate, the less the screen “flickers” (some people can’t tell that it’s flickering.) If you choose a monitor with a maximum refresh rate lower than your video card there is a chance of damaging the monitor if your video card is set for a higher refresh rate.
CRT or Flat Panel?
Flat panel displays are much brighter (TFT active matrix) than conventional CRT’s. Flat panels use typically 1/5th the amount of desktop real estate and do not cause nearly as much eyestrain since they do not flicker. However a flat panel will burn out after about 6 years of continuous use, whereas a CRT is not longer ISO compliant after about 4(Not bright enough.) Flat panels are also quite devoid of the problems of CRT’s.
When to choose a Flat panel:
Office’s where desk space is scarce.
Gamers who like running only at high resolutions
When to choose a CRT:
Gamers who run a variety of resolutions
When the pocketbook matters more than your eyes
Graphics Guru’s have a choice between better color reproduction on a Trinitron CRT or the less color reproduction but better brightness on a Flat Panel.
At either rate, the graphics guru should pick a monitor that comes with an ICM (Image Color Profile) software/driver to “correct” the monitor with your other color devices (printer, scanner, video equipment, etc.)
Other features
DVI, Flat panels are available as both standard VGA and DVI connector versions. The DVI version is for connecting to a Video card with a DVI connector. The DVI connector is for a direct digital connection between the video hardware, which in theory allows for more accurate color reproduction.
ICM, which should be available on any monitor, allows for accurate color reproduction between your monitor and other color devices like your printer or scanner. What it allows lets you do is scan, edit and print color graphics exactly or nearly exactly the same colors between the devices.
Plug and Play, Most new monitors have Plug-and-Play support. Make sure it supports this feature if you would like to just be able to plug the monitor and not have to do anything to set it up(Plug and Play Operating System’s only.) Plug-and-Play will automatically notify your operating system of its capabilities and the operating system will configure your video card to work with the most efficient settings. Non-Plug-and-Play monitors will almost always default to 60hz, 640x480 4-bit or 8-bit color. DPMS is also disabled by default in non-PnP monitors.
DPMS, Display Power Management. Monitors consume between 5 watts in hibernate mode to 65 watts in full power mode (typical monitor.) Having this feature saves energy and money. What DPMS does is shut down the monitor during periods of non-use, and extended non-use. The bigger the monitor, the more power it will take, however LCD panels typically will consume less power overall. Just about every monitor supports DPMS to some extent.
If all you want is a monitor and do not care how good it is, by all means get a value CRT. If you want the least amount of eyestrain get a Flat Panel display.
Low-Radiation, Anti-Glare, for the most part these are just catchwords. Most monitors can be treated for Anti-Glare, however the “low radiation” just means that it emits no more than “safe” levels of radiation. Cheaper monitors emit huge amounts of radiation at close range. More expensive monitors emit huge amounts of radiation, but your face has to be within 6” of the monitor to get the same from 3’ back of a cheap monitor. Flat Panel Displays emit no radiation at all. The backlight power supply emits all the radiation of which you have to be within 3” of to even measure.
The primary differences between a value monitor and a graphics-guru class of monitor is:
A value monitor has lower dot pitch (between .28mm and .26mm)
A value monitor has lower maximum refresh rate (usually tops out at 90hz)
A value has a shorter warranty period. (1 year or 90 day warranty versus 3 or 5 years on the more expensive monitors.)
A value usually does not have ICM support.
A value emits more radiation, recommended that you sit at least 3’ away from the screen.
Value monitors have more defects. The current monitor I'm using is actually the second one. The first one blew up (The power supply quit working after a loud bang.)
If you have children, the flat screen is ideal due to less eyestrain. HOWEVER children like to poke at things, and there is a chance they can damage the monitor by pressing on it or poking the face of it with sharp objects. (Even adults will do this.) If you have children, or employees that like to poke at things, you might want to consider some kind of plastic or glass cover, or one of those desks where the monitor is behind glass (anti-glare I'd hope.)
There is a new Monitor technology that will be available sometime in 2001 or 2002 called organic LED. Organic LED screens can replace LCD monitors as well as CRT monitors. Organic LED’s emit light, so no backlight is needed (unlike LCD screens.) This has the potential for production of really low cost monitors. (One process of making them is similar to how an ink-jet printer works.)
Personally, if you can afford it, get a Flat Panel monitor. It will last about as long as a CRT but has less to go wrong with it. There is also less eyestrain associated with the Flat Panel monitors, which means less vision degradation.
If you are interested in video cards please see http://kisai.epinions.com/cmd-review-73EE-3BFDF20-39AF49A1-prod1 for my video card buying guide.
Before printing, please realize this editorial is about 3 pages long. Any questions or comments can be directed at Kisai_Z@yahoo.com
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