What is a good LCD screen to use from Gaming

Hi all,

I'm finally going to replace my CTR screen with a LCD - mostly because I need the space. Anyway I have been looking around and the wide LCD's seem to be very popular - but is this ideal for gaming espacally for slightly older games that are not optmised for wide screens. I'm looking at getting a 19" to 22" and anything that has a response time of 5 or less MS. But what is good and what is bad and what should I be looking at getting?

Hmm well... looking at your profile you're from South Africa, so will you be buying online or at a shop? Also, if you're thinking of getting a 22inch and want to play the latest games (Crysis, UT3, Bioshock etc), make sure your graphics card is up to the task. On a side note, haha, I see that someone has been looking at some GASH on Twistys ;)ruuuj

I don't mind getting it online or at a shop just depends if they have what I want. And on a side note a mate of mine did that top image - I only found out later where it came from but thought I'd leave it there anyway. But the fact that you know where it came from indicates that you have been looking at GASH on Twistys too :-)

a monitor with 5ms is really what you need with 700-800:1 contrast ratio. 2000:1 is dynamic ratio and not even used, more of a marketing gimmick then actual performance. anyways if you have a high end card get a 22inch 1680x1050 monitor but if you have a lower end card just get a 19inch 1280x1024 res monitor. filmography

Your opinion on contrast ratio is just that, an opinion and a debated topic. Just the same, LG makes great electronics, and I would take 2ms over 5 ms any day.

Your opinion on contrast ratio is just that, an opinion and a debated topic. Just the same, LG makes great electronics, and I would take 2ms over 5 ms any day.

vfibsux

"It is also common to market only the dynamic contrast ratio capability of a display (when it is better than its static contrast ratio), which should not be directly compared to the static contrast ratio. A plasma display with a static 5000:1 contrast ratio will show superior contrast to an LCD display with 5000:1 dynamic and 1000:1 static contrast ratio when the input signal contains full range of brightnesses from 0 to 100% simultaneously"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_contrast_ratio

certainly not just an opinion. 2ms is not needed, no ghosting occurs with 8ms or under monitors, but its your money, I couldn't care less how you spend it, just stating the facts.

Hi All - Thank you very much - what about Wide screens - am I correct in saying that it's not worth looking at then especially for games that are a year or two old ?

i got the samsung 226bw. its great for gaming!gregdpw

Yea that is an awesome monitor. Newegg has them for $280 after rebate.

1. Response time doesn't mean *jack*. There is really no such thing as a true "2ms" panel anyway, the "2ms" is only as specific half transition, and in practice the actual times are much higher on these panels marketed for speed. Serious monitor reviews will show such things as the 8ms 24" Dell IPS panels actually have *less ghosting* than supposedly 5ms generic TN panels. Go figure... however, where response time matters these days is:

2. Low-response time (>6ms) is a sign of a TN panel - the *absolute worst trash* on the market. Sit as little as 1/2" too low in your chair and the colors begin to darken to black. Only 262,144 *real* colors means that dithering (which causes banding) is used just to get enough colors. Color accuracy? Forget it. Viewing angles? Hah! Panel quality? In your dreams. Solid black? Nope. Stuck pixels? Yup...

3. The contrast is usually the dynamic contrast if you're buying a TN-panel, and absolutely worthless statistic, and guaranteed to be heavily inflated.

So what panels *should* you get? IPS if you have the money, though a proper "gaming IPS" is extremely expensive, overdriven IPS panels don't come cheap. A good substitute is a PVA or MVA panel, which you can find in the $270+ price range, not too bad.

To go widescreen or not? That's your choice and depends on budget. If you're looking at seriously replacing a CRT with something even coming close to the image quality, a good widescreen monitor is out of your budget - they just don't make 19" ~ 22" panels with anything other than TN-panels (with the exception of a Lenovo 22" widescreen that's just as expensive as a 24" Dell...)

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Above all? Don't do all your research *here*. There are just too many people defending what they own instead of recognizing that you get what you pay for. Head over to AVS or HardOCP, then check out serious monitor reviews on the couple of panels you find you like. Then, if you can, try it out. The transistion from CRT to LCD is big - it'll go much more smoothly if you do your research and make sure you get a genuine high-end panel tech.