Flat real estate
If ever there was an appropriate time to replace your old and worn out monitor it would have to be now. Especially if you have been putting up with staring into a measly 15in screen that has slowly fa
If ever there was an appropriate time to replace your old and worn out monitor it would have to be now. Especially if you have been putting up with staring into a measly 15in screen that has slowly faded and yellowed over time. Given this, the Labs team can categorically recommend this option: 19in flat-CRT. Why is this so? Right now, and for a while to come, the flat-CRT monitor is becoming far more accessible in price, as well as offering a vastly superior image to the typical ordinary shadowmask CRT monitor. Because they are now primarily a budget offering, shadowmask monitors are now generally made so cheaply that they dont match up to monitors made three years ago. Unfortunately, the Labs team does not possess a fresh, unused three-year-old shadowmask to test the conjecture, so with the shift in emphasis to the flat-CRT variety it is a moot point.
While it is possible to get cheap flat LCD displays for a similar price to a flat-CRT, you will still have to pay significantly more than the average cost of a flat-CRT to obtain a screen that will offer its equal in image quality. There will definitely be a time not too far away when CRT monitors will be phased out altogether, but until that time comes the flat-CRT remains the single most attractive option for quality image output, rich colour and sharp resolution.
All too often insufficient thought or funds are allocated to the task. This shouldnt be the case, as the monitor is one of the most long-term items of any PC purchase, remaining while the insides of your machine are chopped and changed. As its also the item youre focused on when using your computer, you should avoid any monitors that may present eye hazards with painful flickering. You may also want to take real advantage of your high-powered 3D card, capable of fast frame rates at high resolutions, and in all of these cases, the 19in flat-CRT can best meet these needs, and is the new price-performance sweet spot in displays.
LABS EDITOR Ashok Zaman
CONTRIBUTORS Darren Ellis, David Kidd
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This Group Test appeared in the July, 2002 issue of PC & Tech Authority Magazine
