Choosing an LCD monitor

[Michael Hipp]

Collins Richey wrote:
> I've had good results from my Samsung 730b, but now I'm ready for a
> slightly larger monitor and the opportunity to pass this one on to my
> wife who has an old crappy TV tube model.
> 
> 1. What does response time mean for an LCD? I see units adverised wth
> 4-8ms responsetimes.

The speed at which the pixels can change state. Faster is better. 8ms is 
adequate, 4ms is good. 12ms is slow.

> 2. What about dead pixels - how to detect them? Is this a very common
> or rare problem?

Common, but generally who cares about one or two. Use your eyes on an 
all-white or dark screen. The better manufactures offer a limited guarantee on 
such things.

 > Is it safe to buy mail order, or should I pay more
> and buy locally?

I buy everything on the net. No probs. Did get one monitor that looked like a 
forklift had skewered it, but Newegg promptly replaced it.

> 3. Any particular vendor recommendations?

Viewsonic is by far the best bang for the buck. Commercial quality at a 
near-consumer price.

After that, places like Office Depot (and a zillion others) often have rebates 
that will get a you a 17" for less than $100USD or a 19" for less than 
$200USD. These will usually be goofy never-heard-of offbrands but they work.

Integrated speakers is a nice space saver if you're not an audio buff.

Michael