Time for a new display

[gary65]

My 17" display died last week and I'm using a 15". The 15" has started flickering, so I'm going to start looking for a new display. Both 15" 17" monitors are around 3 years old. Should a display go out after a few years?

Any suggestions on what to look at? I'm probably going with a 17" either CRT or LCD. I like the LCD's small size but haven't really looked at any. I'll try to take a trip to the closest large electronics store to compare, but I would like suggestions.

[Budfred]

I have 2 LCDs. One is 15" and has almost as much screen area as a 17" CRT. The other is 17" and has almost the same screen area as a 19". I really like them both and would not buy a CRT at this point. They have great resolution and they use less energy in addtion to taking up less room. The drawback used to be that they weren't as good for games and video, but apparently that isn't really an issue anymore.

That said, your 15" may just need to be degaussed. Try this from the buttons on the monitor and see if the picture stabilizes. 3 years is not a very good life span. Monitors are like TVs and should last about as long...

[Steve]

Three years is kind of short for a CRT. I would expect to see 5 or more. I think the new LCD monitors are pretty good. The one big drawback, to my mind and pocket, is the price. You will pay, on average, substantially more for the LCD.

I've used several NEC CRT's and like them. For both price and quality. I just bought a 17" Envision flat screen CRT a week ago and I'm not impressed. It has a black border around the screen image that is distracting. The color is also a little weak.

[saphalline]

My parents still use their 14" 1997 Compaq monitor. Granted the brightness and overall quality of the monitor has degraded over time, but your two died after only 3 years?

Who made them??

[gary65]

They are both Visual Sensations. One is still working but flickers at times.

[gold_eagle]

Im using 7550 compaq monitor 17inch
juz bought this year...
the colour is gd but dunno how long it will last...
any prediction:)

[saphalline]

I predict 5 years. ;)

[gold_eagle]

See if it last till Oct 11 2008...
Find out after 5 years i'll be back;)

[deddard]

LCDs are the way to go unless you really need the flexibility of changing resolution/colour depth on a regular basis (this isn't truly supported on lcds)
If you want to play games on the machine, then there are now several LCDs which will keep up with things - their 'refresh rate' (actually their response time) is sufficient to give a good 60 frames per second, which is perfectly adequate for gaming.

Another thing to consider is matching your machine/software to the monitor. This involves looking at the maximum output of your graphics card, and the resolution you like to run at. If you have games, then you need to look at the resolution you play in.

This is all important because LCDs have a fixed resolution, ok - you can change resolution, but it doesn't look very good, as the LCDs pixels are a fixed size, in a fixed place; changing resolution is a second-best option.

I personally wouldn't give CRTs a second glance any more. the LCDs are smaller, use less power, and are easier on the eye (no flicker).

oh - on the subject of how long your CRT should last - 3 years is way too short. Most consumer goods are designed to last 7 years between failures. A computer monitor should last for a good 5 years. If you have problems with other equipment, then look at the quality of your mains supply - a good surge suppressor is the minimum you should plug your IT equipment into. an uninteruptable PSU is better (but don't try plugging a laser printer into it!) and should protect your equipment as well as provide the safety of a timed-power down.