FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Register Register  Login Login

LCD Monitors 101 please

Post Date: 2009-05-11
 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
Bahger View Drop Down
Groupie
Groupie

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 06 May 2009
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 279 		  Quote Bahger Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: LCD Monitors 101 please
    Posted: 11 May 2009 at 6:46pm
Hey guys. I'm about to get a much-overdue new gaming system from DS (it just shipped!). I've had my current set up so long that I've never even owned a LCD monitor before. I need to buy one and would really appreciate responses to the following questions:

(System specs at bottom)

- The best resolution for (22" to 24") high-performance LCDs is 1920 x 1200, right?

- Is the screen measurement (i.e. 22", 24") the diagonal length?

- I have chosen to install just one video card for the moment, although I have been careful to configure the PC for SLI upgrades. I am unlikely to go above 24" but is this pushing it with one NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 2GB? Will this be sufficient for the 24" display or is 22" a safer bet?

- What are the minimum performance/output numbers should I look for when shopping for a gaming LCD?

- A friend advises me to look at monitors in person before buying, even at a big box electronics store. Does anyone know of anywhere in Los Angeles where I might shop for monitors in this way, where there is a good stock?

- Any specific recommendations?

Here are my new system specs:

Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) o/c to 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz
Motherboard: EVGA X58 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1333MHz Mushkin (Highly Recommended) (Digital Storm Certified)
Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Video Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 2GB (Includes PhysX Technology)

Thanks, as always. I need to get a move on, so I'd really value your input.
Back to Top
DST4ME View Drop Down
DS ELITE
DS ELITE

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 May 2009 at 7:05pm
you should have gone with 275 but whether you are going to be fine or not depends on each game individually.

some games you gonna be ok and some games you gonna be a bit short.

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
Back to Top
Bahger View Drop Down
Groupie
Groupie

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 06 May 2009
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 279 		  Quote Bahger Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 May 2009 at 7:12pm
DST4ME, your advice has been great but this is the fifth time you have criticised my vid card choice on these forums.  It's becoming a little aggravating.  The PC is being shipped so it's a moot point and I'd rather not reopen the debate about my vid card...please?
 
What do you think, guys, 22" or 24" for me?  What else do I need to know?
Back to Top
DST4ME View Drop Down
DS ELITE
DS ELITE

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 May 2009 at 7:19pm
my comments are not only for the op but more importantly for many people that will read the post.

as for it being the 5th time, I apologize, I end up talking to so many people every day that it has become impossible for me to associate names with builds, so in short I didn't' realize I had said this to you before, so I apologize, had I known that I would not have said again, sorry about that.

as for your resolution, my last post pointed out to you that its not that easy to tell you 1600 x 1200 or 1900 x 1200, of course 1900 x 1200 is better but how your games will perform depends on each game individually.

why don't you tell us 3 to 5 names so atleast we can tell you based on those what you should expect

Edited by DST4ME - 11 May 2009 at 7:21pm

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
Back to Top
Bahger View Drop Down
Groupie
Groupie

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 06 May 2009
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 279 		  Quote Bahger Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 May 2009 at 7:37pm
Okay, off the top of my head:
 
FSX
Call of Duty Modern Warfare
F.E.A.R. 2
GT Legends
GTR 2
 
I suppose the current benchmark is Crysis.  I'd like good performance in shooters but I'm very keen on high-fidelity racing sims, flight simulators and tactical sims.
 
Does that help?
Back to Top
DST4ME View Drop Down
DS ELITE
DS ELITE

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 May 2009 at 8:04pm
well I know cod would be fine, fsx would be fine, I'm thinking fear 2 should be fine but I don't know how gt legends and gtr2 are going to do but I think you will be fine.

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
Back to Top
JamesAstro View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 28 Nov 2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 624 		  Quote JamesAstro Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 12 May 2009 at 1:34am
> The best resolution for (22" to 24") high-performance LCDs is 1920 x 1200, right?

Yep, 1920 x 1200 is what you want in a monitor that size.

> Is the screen measurement (i.e. 22", 24") the diagonal length?

YES

> NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 2GB? Will this be sufficient for the 24" display or is 22" a safer bet?

The 285 will work for a lot of games, but not all.

I would get the 24". That will give you a monitor that you are more likely to be happy with long into the future. If you find that certain games don't play well at 1920 x 1200, then you can lower the resolution slightly to something like 1680 x 1050. If you do that, and you set your NVIDIA drivers to center the image (not scale), then it will be roughly equivalent to playing on a 22" display. There will just be a black border around the edge.

I did this for months when I first got my 30" monitor. Not all games would play well at 2560 x 1600 on the 30", so I lowered the resolution to 1920 x 1200 with centering turned on. It was nearly identical to playing on a 23" display in that mode.

Anyway, this is a neat trick that will give you a 24" monitor and a 22" monitor all rolled into one. You can switch modes depending on which games you play, and how well they perform at various resolutions.

> What are the minimum performance/output numbers should I look for when shopping for a gaming LCD?

Read a lot of reviews and make sure the monitor is good for gaming. Stay away from a monitor if a review mentions bad input lag. Lastly, buy it from a store with a good return policy in case you don't like it for some reason.

Enjoy your shopping!
Velox, Intel Core i9 11900K, ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
32GB RAM, 1TB Samsung 980 Pro NVME
RTX 4090, 38" Ultrawide LG-38GL950G
Noctua NH-D15S cooler and NF-A14 fans, Corsair AX1600i PSU
Back to Top
Bahger View Drop Down
Groupie
Groupie

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 06 May 2009
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 279 		  Quote Bahger Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 12 May 2009 at 2:16am
Very helpful info, James, many thanks.
 
Being impatient -- but still capable of doing good research -- I went ahead and bought this very well-regarded monitor:
 
 
Seems to be the best value for money...
Back to Top
JamesAstro View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 28 Nov 2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 624 		  Quote JamesAstro Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 12 May 2009 at 4:30am
Originally posted by Bahger

Very helpful info, James, many thanks.
 

Being impatient -- but still capable of doing good research -- I went ahead and bought this very well-regarded monitor:

 


 

Seems to be the best value for money...


I bet you'll like that one. Good luck with it!
Velox, Intel Core i9 11900K, ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
32GB RAM, 1TB Samsung 980 Pro NVME
RTX 4090, 38" Ultrawide LG-38GL950G
Noctua NH-D15S cooler and NF-A14 fans, Corsair AX1600i PSU
Back to Top
Doc View Drop Down
Groupie
Groupie

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 01 Jul 2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 355 		  Quote Doc Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 12 May 2009 at 1:18pm
Originally posted by DST4ME

you should have gone with 275 but whether you are going to be fine or not depends on each game individually.

some games you gonna be ok and some games you gonna be a bit short.
 
 
I've always wondered why games are out that the top of the line video card will fall short on. Anyone know why?
Back to Top
Bahger View Drop Down
Groupie
Groupie

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 06 May 2009
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 279 		  Quote Bahger Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 12 May 2009 at 1:36pm
Originally posted by Doc

I've always wondered why games are out that the top of the line video card will fall short on. Anyone know why?
It's just an attempt at future-proofing.  It's better to develop a game that will take advantage of hardware developments down the road rather than decline in performance/playability as that hardware comes online.  It's like pilots say: runway in front of you is useful, runway behind you is not.
Back to Top
DST4ME View Drop Down
DS ELITE
DS ELITE

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 12 May 2009 at 4:34pm
Originally posted by Doc

Originally posted by DST4ME

you should have gone with 275 but whether you are going to be fine or not depends on each game individually. some games you gonna be ok and some games you gonna be a bit short.

 

 

I've always wondered why games are out that the top of the line video card will fall short on. Anyone know why?


it has to do with your resolution, at 1400 x 900 for example all cards will do great with all games, take up the resolution and now there is more demand on the GPU, now how much more demand on the GPU depends on the game, some games don't put much more demand so one card will do great, some games will put more demand on GPU and will not do as well.

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.0703125 seconds.