More Awesome Than You!

I'm in the process of purchasing a new computer.  I've done a little bit of research on LCDs, but I can't make up my mind on what to do.  Right now, I have a 17' flat screen CRT.  Some people say that the LCD is the way to go, but I've read that the graphics display aren't as good as the CRT.  I'm probably posting in the wrong area, but I would greatly appreciate some friendly imput.  Thanx in advance.  ???

CRTs are totally superior to LCDs for gaming purposes. LCDs suffer from blurry graphics when anything moves, generally poor desktop space management (you cannot stack things on top of them), poor physical stability (they are not heavy, so tip over easily when entangled in wires), and lack the invigorating and cancer-preventing radiative effects.

A reply from the Man Himself!!! Grateful, many thanx

It's worth noting that despite the many disadvantages of LCDs, among the more ignorant and office-type people, they nonetheless continue to gain ground, which makes CRTs both difficult to find in stores, and cheap-as-free if you swipe them from some office dumpster, where some ignorant buffoon is no doubt attempting to dispose of a perfectly functional CRT in favor of some wussy new-fangled LCD monitor.

Some weaklings also complain that CRTs give them headaches, but their weak and feeble brains are no doubt utterly incapable of comprehending the utter superiority of CRT-based monitors over LCD ones and we hardly value their weak and feeble opinions.

CRTs also have better color.

CRTs also die with greater dignity and honor. A dead CRT in repose may be used as a counterweight, doorstop, or heavy ballistic projectile, and more technically saavy people can possibly assemble the surviving components into a laser or other deathray, whereas an LCD has no honor and can only uselessly take up space in a trash can.

I'll stick with my CRT ;D

LCD is good for the office.
Get a real monitor for gaming.

When I bought my new system this past April, I did some research before finally deciding to stick with a CRT. I mainly went with it because I wanted the color capabilities of a CRT vs. a LCD. I got a decent 19" for under $200.

Honestly, for most people it's going to be a 'six of one, half dozen of another' situation. An average user won't notice that much of a difference in what they're actually viewing. Folks who do a great deal of graphic design (or are serious, serious gamers) will notice the difference.

Basically, get the best you can in your budget.

We noticed a HUGE difference, it was if we had upgraded the graphics card when we went from the Sony Vaio LCD back to the Sony Multiscan CRT. When I got my new computer I let her keep the LCD - well actually I had to let her keep it since the vaio wasnt compatible with my new compaq/hp...the glare sucks because it faces a window but the graphics are far superior and crisp on the crt.

My daughter is now jealous of my CRT and scoffs at her spanky LCD. I point and laugh.

Monitors are not meant to be moved. Smaller and lighter just means it gets knocked over a lot. LCDs have difficulty remain standing upright even in the breeze from the fan exhaust of your computer. A CRT, on the other hand, won't fall over merely because your fan blew on it. Plus, they don't inflict as much damage when dropped or hurled at your enemies. A CRT be lobbed 400 meters and crush a car on impact. An LCD won't.

Lies. CRTs have clearly superior image quality.

CRTs do not have flicker either. They also do not dissolve into an illegible blur everytime something moves.

It's not a hazard! It's the source of power and life!

CRTs could do that first.

Glare is only a problem if you actually have WINDOWs. Why on EARTH would you want windows in your computer room? SUN would get in there!
/me hiss at sun!

Which makes them useless for lobbing at my enemies. Dead LCDs are of no real use, and furthermore, are not terribly aerodynamic, but dead CRTs receive a second life as catapult ammo or skeet.

How is lying dead on your desk after being knocked over by your case fan cool?

You have to get a really awesome, super-expensive LCD monitor to notice only a small difference between it and a middle-range CRT, especially if the CRT has a flat screen. LCDs just aren't there yet.

Basically, an LCD means paying more money for a worse picture. Unless you're one of those people who gets headaches from CRTs, I don't see any reason for an LCD.

You can get CRT monitors that look almost like LCD ones anyway.  I would hate to give up my CRT because it has a very useful shelf on the top of it, where I have my speakers, blank cd's, pens, all sorts.  Trouble is, they sort of get hot.

Thanks everyone! Appreciate everybody's comments. 

I'm getting an LCD because I'm getting a little sick of adjusting the size, position, the warp and twist one way or another that never really gives you a nice flat image anyway. The only real hazard of using modern LCD is the possibility of *stuck* pixels (shudder).

My CRT looks perfectly flat to me, but my shape perception isn't that great. I notice colors much more than flatness or lack thereof. I'm very, very picky about color. So until an LCD can match my CRT for color, I'm sticking with this.

I don't really pay much attention to colors at all, but the BLUR everytime something moves makes my eyes hurt.

The only complaint I have about CRTs is the image distortion. At least in the game I can use square pixels to fix it. Otherwise I much prefer CRTs to LCDs.

Image distortion is only a problem with some models of low-budget CRT. LCDs exhibit these problems even on upper-class models. Which cost more than your computer.

By yourself or using a decent catapult? Aim would be better with a catapult.


I'm colour blind so take very little notice of this aspect, but what I do like about LCD is that they take up much less room and I can surround my pc with the junk I need.

You could just put your junk on top of the monitor, if you got a proper blocky one.

Hmm, I didn't think my CRT is low budget. Don't remember anymore what it cost, but it's a Viewsonic UltraBrite E92f+, 19 inches. From my understanding, that should be a decent one as CRTs go. I suppose I don't really know what's considered a "low budget" screen.

I only noticed the slight distortion problem after I changed video cards. I don't know if it's possible that it would depend on the card. Now I barely notice the distortion anymore, probably my brain is used to it by now.

Lcd  just looks better.  The images are nice sharp and crisp  and no cancer thank you very much.   :P

As I work with radiation on a daily basis, the kind of radiation where you're going to need to wear a layer of lead to protect your most important organs, I don't think one CRT monitor is going affect my health one way or the other. Worrying about monitor radiation is like freaking out about BSE when you're thousands of times more likely to die from cardiovascular diseases, which most people are not nearly as concerned about. Get some perspective, people ;).

My cat used to sleep on top of my old CRT monitor, getting hairs in the ventilation slats and making the picture go green and wavy. Every time the desk was jogged, the picture on the monitor would shake and fade.

When I got an LCD monitor, the cat couldn't fit on top of it. He loitered in the vicinity, looking confused, then depressed, then found somewhere more sensible to sleep instead. Problem solved!

I'm hoping for some sort of combination of the principles involved in these:

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2006/multi-touch-reel-p1.php (my favourite)
http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2006/floating-touchscreen-p1.php (the most sci-fi)
http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2005/augmented-reality-p1.php (although I also love this one simply for the ultra-French accent)

whoa.

I like the LCD monitors more, I hate the glare from the CRTs and I feel like they are too fuzzy. I've never really noticed the blur from motion.

I'm using an LCD right now, and I kind of notice the blur a bit if I look for it. I'm running 1280x1024 at 75Hz, so it's really nice nevertheless.

Well, LCDs are so quiet. None of that hum.

But, CRTs with their glass screens can't be scratched by kids wielding sharp letter openers. As I'm looking through some scratches now.

CRTs hum?

I'd say that was a cat issue, not a monitor issue.  XD

Yeah, last I heard it was a nice little ditty from the 60's.

Nevar! The cat cannot be blamed for the monitor's inability to function with added hairs.

I've used a CRT for most of my computer using life and while they are still superior to LCD, the margin is getting smaller.  I recently picked up a LCD for use for my secondary desktop and for the hell of it, hooked it up to my main system.  I've yet to notice a blur even in quick moving shooters such as FEAR or games such as Oblivion. I believe it really comes down to the native resolution, the refresh, and the density of the pix display.  I do have a high end system, so that may have something to do with it too.  Dual vid and cpu.

 I perfer LCDs because images and text show up cleaner (no anti-aliasing), which bugs me with CRTs. I hardly notice a blur on LCDs, and the lack of colors don't seem to interfere too much, even though I do a lot of graphic design. (Sometimes it is a pain to find a good shade of a certain color) CRTs are good for the money, however, so I recommend those if you don't care either way.

LCDs suffer from blurry graphics when anything moves

i must have a magical lcd monitor in that case.  i love lerve my monitor, the graphics are so much nicer, crisper, and prettier than my old crt produced - and there's no blur when things move, didn't even realize this was a problem with lcds at all.  i guess i spent a lot of money on mine, but it was well worth it.  plus now i have so much more space on my desk for, uhm, clutter (http://flickr.com/photos/katgyrl/7251403/).  heh.

When I first got my LCD, I did notice a bit of blurring on some games - particularly on XIII, which was very brightly coloured and cartoony to start with. I've had the monitor for a few years now, and I must have just become used to it, because I can't even see the blurring any more. I do quite a lot of design, too, and using the LCD has never had any impact on that to speak of.

Plus there's the issue of vanity. I feel more like an uber-n3rd with an uber-cool monitor.