The following advises are based on many years of experience. They are provided as a free service to our customers and visitors. However, Computer Warehouse is not responsible for any damage as a result of following any of these guides.
Size is more important than dot pitch for most users. Once we?ve tried an automatic car with automatic windows and locks, most of us don?t want to go back to the manual transmission, manual windows and locks. The same is true with monitors. Once you have used a 17? you don?t want to go back to a 15? any more. Buy the largest size your budget will allow. The price difference among 15?, 17?and 19? models has shrunk significantly in the past few years.
Here is another consideration for buying big. The monitor is almost the only big-ticket item in a computer system that will last for more than three years without loosing the technical edge and it?s total value. Everything else seems to lose value significantly within a year or so. Therefore, spending a little more on a monitor is a sound investment strategy.
For professionals who deal with graphics, images, and design work, you need the highest resolution your money can buy. A 0.27 dot pitch is a must. A 0.26, 0.25, 0.20 is even better. The dot pitch is the size of the pixels on your monitor screen measured in millimeters. The smaller the dot pitch, the finer your image and thus the better.
If you are considering an LCD/TFT monitor, then you may want to consider going with a LCD/TFT with DVI-I connections. With the standard VGA connection your computer turns it?s video signal into analog and transmits it to the monitor. This is fine for standard CRTs which are analog devices, but not with LCDs. An LCD is a digital device and much convert any analog signal received into a digital format. With DVI-I you cut out the double conversion and you PC sends a digital to the LCD. Since the information is never converted, you end up with a much sharper picture. Most LCD monitors with DVI-I support also support standard VGA connections. This is handy if your computer right now doesn?t have DVI-I and you don?t have enough money currently to upgrade your video card to one that does support DVI-I.
LCDs have a ?native resolution?. For smaller 15? LCDs you?ll typically see 1024x768, for 17? or 18? its often 1280x1040 while ultra high-end models may go as high as 1600x1200. When using an LCD the ?native resolution? is one that the monitor was designed for. If you go below the native resolution you will notice a lower image quality overall. Also the ?native resolution? function as your maximum resolution for the monitor. When choosing an LCD try to pick one with a native resolution you will be happy using as your standard Windows or Linux desktop resolution.
