From Issue #2 , Page #78 | By Gerry Blackwell

Newbie computer geeks always oooh and aaah over CPU speed, megabytes and gigabytes. Experienced users know that the most important component in a PC system is really the monitor. After all, you stare at it long enough.

An inferior screen will tire your eyes and make your head ache. An undersized monitor will be difficult to read and have you moving windows around to see your work. So don’t cheap out on the monitor. Buy the best you can afford.

If you’re buying a new system, the bundled monitor is probably not a great one. If you have a few hundred dollars to spend on upgrading your computer, consider spending it on a new monitor rather than a faster CPU or more memory. "Investing in a good monitor is just as important as investing in the computer," says Sammy Saloum, director of business development at CompUSA Inc. "Maybe more important."

To ensure you get the best, understand the options available and what separates the good from the bad and the ugly.

LCD vs. CRT
LCD (liquid-crystal display) monitors have become very popular because they look fabulous and are extremely thin, taking up very little desk space. They’ve also come way down in price—about 25 to 30 percent in the last year.

But CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitors have come down in price even further. So you should be able to get a bigger and better CRT for the same money as an LCD, or less. Despite the obvious disadvantage of a larger footprint, CRTs are more robust. Rough use or careless movement of an LCD can more easily cause damage.

Most experts say CRTs also reproduce color more accurately, and are better at reproducing motion video—something to think about if you’re heavily into digital video or photography, or high-end video gaming. Most graphics and video professionals are sticking with CRTs, Saloum says. On the other hand, Tom Markworth, North American product marketing manager for consumer computing at Hewlett-Packard, points out that "LCD colors are becoming more accurate and vibrant. The difference between LCD and CRT is shrinking to almost nothing now."

But if you’re willing to spend a few extra dollars, LCD is looking very good. Aside from great video reproduction, LCDs produce almost no emissions and have a much lower power consumption. "An LCD, even though it has a higher price, may over a period of three years have a lower total cost of ownership, because it consumes less power," Markworth says.

Choosing a CRT
Decide first on size. This is a fairly personal decision, but take into account the distance you sit from the screen—a function of the width of your desk and where you place the monitor on it. The closer you sit, the smaller the monitor you’ll need to ensure legibility.

Keep in mind that the viewable area, always measured diagonally, is slightly less than the stated size because the plastic frame covers part of the tube. A 17-inch screen, probably the most popular size, actually measures closer to 16 inches. Other key considerations include:

• Refresh rate: This is a measure of how many times a second the monitor "redraws" the screen, measured in hertz (Hz). The faster the screen redraws, the less the image appears to flicker. Screen flicker causes headaches and fatigue over time. You want a refresh rate of no less than 75 Hz, but the higher the better.
• Dot pitch: This is a measure of the horizontal distance in millimeters between phosphor dots on the picture tube. The wider the spacing, the "grainier" or coarser the image. You want a dot pitch of no more than .25 millimeters. The best CRTs have a dot pitch below .20. Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples. Some manufacturers measure dot pitch diagonally between two horizontal rows of dots instead of horizontally.
• Maximum resolution: Think of a computer screen as a matrix of pixels (short for picture elements)—so many down, so many across. CRTs can display in different pixel resolutions up to a maximum, which is always stated in the specs.

The higher the resolution, the smaller the objects on the screen, and the sharper and clearer they look. The smaller the objects, naturally, the more you can fit on the screen. A screen set at 1024 x 768 pixels, for example, can display more text of a given size than one set at 800 x 600. Determine the pixel resolution you want to use, and make sure the monitor’s maximum resolution is equal to or greater than your preferred resolution.

Choosing an LCD
Note that dot pitch and screen refresh rate—critical in CRTs—have little relevance when it comes to LCDs, even if some manufacturers do cite them in their specifications. However, there are other considerations:

• Dead pixel policy: One disadvantage of LCDs is that they sometimes come with "dead" pixels, small bright or dark dots on the screen that don’t respond to the data sent to the monitor. Dead pixels can be distracting, and the problem can’t be fixed. So know the manufacturer’s policy on how many dead pixels the unit can have before the company considers it defective and replaces it.
• Response time: The time it takes an LCD to change a pixel in response to new data—the millisecond delay—is a critical measure of how well it displays motion video. If you’re a gamer or want to do digital video editing, look for a 20-millisecond delay or less. The top models reduce the delay to 16 milliseconds. If video is not a big part of what you do, a delay of 25 milliseconds, fairly common, is good enough.
• Brightness: For an LCD image to show up well in high ambient light, it must be able to generate sufficient brightness, which is measured in candles per square meter (cd/m2). You need a minimum of 250 cd/m2. If you’re going to put it in a very bright environment, look for one rated higher.
• Contrast ratio: The contrast ratio is a measure of the range in "luminance"—light levels—from pure white to pure black that a monitor can reproduce. The higher the ratio, the better-looking and truer the picture. Look for a minimum contrast ratio of 350:1. The best LCDs now sport contrast ratios of 500:1 or higher.
• Viewing angle: If you view some LCDs from the side, the image fades and changes color. Better LCDs let you view from well to the side with the image still looking sharp and clear. If the computer is only ever used by one person at a time, viewing angle is not critical. If you sometimes want people to be able to crowd around the monitor, look for one with a viewing angle of at least 120 degrees. Higher, up to 180 degrees, is better.

Dual Mode
More manufacturers are offering monitors that can double as TVs. They may have a built-in TV tuner, or you can attach a DVD player or other video source to separate inputs and switch between TV and computer modes. This is an attractive option if you’re outfitting a PC in a small den, for example. But be aware that while any LCD can display motion video, only those designed as TVs, with a video-processing chip built in and a very short millisecond delay, can do a really good job.

You will pay a stiff premium for a good dual-mode monitor: $600 to $800 for a 17-inch model, for example, versus $400 to $500 for a pure computer monitor.

The information here should get you started, but do your homework. Compile a short list of possible models, and then search the Web for reviews of the products you’re considering.

Many manufacturers offer direct sales and deals for all of their products, so you may want to go straight to the source first. But shop around! There are a lot of deals online and at local retailers.

Best Buy & Circuit City
You probably know where both of these major retailers are in your hometown. Check your local paper for regular sales.

CompUSA Inc.
Between the 225 stores and their online store, you can find models from HP, IBM, Apple, Epson, and much more.

PC Mall
This online retailer stocks more than 100,000 different products from companies such as Apple, IBM, Toshiba, Cisco and more.

Plasma.com
This online retailer prides itself on personalized service. They sell a variety of LCD computer monitors and dual-mode LCD TV monitors.

Tigerdirect.com
These guys carry everything you could ever need, with over 50,000 items in stock. And you just can’t beat their sweet prices!