Flat screen advice

JP Mulvano

Im moving into the world of Flat screens at the moment and im looking to buy a 15 to 17" TFT and Im just wondering has anyone got advice on what I should be looking for in a flat screen ie spec, refresh

I read an article a few months ago about some flat screens arent great for games. I cant remeber what it said but it was saying it had to have a high something like a refresh rate ot something like that.

Anyone got any advice?

silverside

look at tomshardware.com for comparative reviews.

Go for a fast refresh rate but be wary of how that is quoted. Note that TFTs have a native resolution 1024x768 for 15's and 1280x1024 for 17's, anything else will look slightly blurry. DVI gives significantly better picture quality.

silverside

the refresh rate is basically how long each cell takes to change colour. For gaming you should be looking for 16-20 ms as opposed to 25-30 ms which some panels take. You will notice this as 'trails' or ghosting which you may have seen on laptop screens.

Dr Bolouswki

I've read some really great revues on this


http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/index.cfm?go=hardware.view&product=1797

Elara do it for just over €500 last time I checked with them...

Above revue is not particularly comprehensive but do a google and you'll read some great reports on it - the response time is the key - 16ms... oh yeah....
:cool:

JP Mulvano

Cheers thanks. I knew it was the response time or something.

silverside

hyundai q17 also seems good - 320 from microdirect.co.uk not sure about shipping charges.

silverside

thats GBP320 naturally

JP Mulvano

Damn that sterling for being so strong. Damn you, I got all exicted there for a minute

Dr Bolouswki

make sure you check the FULL response time - some manufacturers retailers list the response time in seperate rise and fall mesurements ie 10ms/15ms which actually makes it 25ms

anything less than or equal to 25ms will probably PROBABLY be ok, but 20ms or less is what is recommended for gaming...

to be honest, getting a 17" FP you are gonna be looking at €500 clams anyway, so choose wisely my friend - read many reviews first

www.ebuyer.co.uk have customer reviews on all their items which can be a help or a hindrance, but data is good....

JP Mulvano

Me thinks I sahll have to settle for a 15" for the moment. Pockets lookin a bit bare.

Ahhh well off to confuse some poor schmuck in PC world tomorrow.

"Response WHAT???"

(NOTE: I will not bebuying there just looking)

subway_ie

I've just bought the ViewSonic VP171S from Overclockers, for £372 including VAT (at 17.5%) and shipping. It's *a little* steep, but i hear it's worth it. I'm expecting delivery mid next week, so I'll report back on it then. Amazon have some nice ones, but long lead times. The ViewSonic is cheaper there, but youve got to wait 4-6 weeks for delivery. I think I saw a 15" on Kompletts weekly offers this week? And I know Elara have a fairly good LG 17" on special - it's expensive though...

EDIT: The OCUK forums (cant remember the link - google them) have a great TFT FAQ, with lots of reader reviews and images, nice reference point.

Woden

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=145140

there it is, not sure how up to date it is with respect to new tft's but i know i'll be reading it when i'm in the market

data