I have to replace my faithful (til now) 17" CRT monitor and, after spending days researching LCD monitors, reviews, and information on what some of the specs mean, I have decided 1) I don't want a widescreen. 2) Since I don't watch movies or TV on my computer monitor, I don't want one larger than 19". 3) I looked at other brands but, since I'm familar with and have been happy with ViewSonic, I'm going to stick with them.

I have narrowed the choice to the VA926 and the VG930m. The important differences I see are: The VA926 has better Contrast Ratio, Response Time, and Viewing Angles than the VG930m. The VG930m has an adjustable height stand and longer light source life. It also has built-in speakers, but I don't consider that a plus. There is very little difference in the price.

Of course, with my limited knowledge, there may be other factors that would make one more suitable for my purposes than the other.

The 1260 x 1024 maximum resolution is all I need, even though my video card supports higher. I use my computer to play adventure games, surf the net, and for word processing. Most of the games I have use 800 x 600 resolution, a few (like Myst) use 640 x 480, and a few use 1024 x 768. I keep my desktop set at 800 x 600 with small fonts and hope I'll be able to continue to do so.

Any opinions and/or recommendations?

Thanks much.

Jema

What happens if a new game comes out that everyone is talking about and requires 1280x960 resolution? I vote for getting the one that supports the highest resolution.

Newegg reviews are ***here for the VG930*** and ***here for the VA926***. Three out of the 9 reviews of the VG930 mention high failure rates in a year and a half or less. I wouldn't get that one.

I don't know how much of a factor cost is, but considering you run your desktop at 800x600 you might look for a 1600x1200 monitor. That will give a perfect picture at 800x600 with no vertical distortion or fuzziness. However the 1600x1200 monitors will cost a little more.

Thanks for the responses and I'm sorry it has taken me so long to reply.

After I read your post, Jenny100, I searched for 1600x1200 monitors. I couldn't find any 19" - the smallest seems to be 20". I only found one for less than $450 that was still available at the time I searched. All the others I found were $800 to $1,000 plus.

I got so tired of searching and comparing, I didn't want to think about it any more.

Last week I got back to it and, since I've been content with the display area on the 17" CRTs I've used and the display area on the 17" LCDs seems to be a tad larger (about half an inch both W and H) than the CRTs, I decided for now to buy a 17".

I ordered the ViewSonic VA705b and it should be here some time this week. If it turns out I made a mistake, at least I won't have spent a bucket load of money and I should have a better idea of what to look for next time.

Now, I have another question. When the monitor gets here, how do I check it for "stuck" or "bad" pixels?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Jema

You just look at the screen. If the monitor's resolution is high enough, you'll hardly see dark pixels that don't light up. They'll just look like a bit of dust on the screen. Stuck pixels may be white or may be bright colors like pink or green.

If they're not obvious, don't go looking for them or you'll notice them every time you look at the monitor.

Thanks, Jenny100. I won't eagle-eye it then.

Jema

Hi all,

My monitor arrived a couple of days ago. An installation disk came with it, but it wasn't needed. My son installed it and it was a simple install. He attached the monitor to the base, plugged in the 2 cords, turned my system back on, let Windows do its thing, and it was ready to go. I only had to adjust the contrast and brightness - turned both down quite a bit.

The 800 x 600 resolution is working fine. At that resolution the text is not quite as sharp as it was on the CRTs, but not so different that it's a problem. I haven't played a game yet but, looking at screenshots from some games, the graphics are clear and crisp.

I love the anti-glare screen! My monitor faces a window, which faces west, and for most of the day the glare on the CRT screen was so bad I not only had to keep the blind closed but I had to cover it with a big black plastic bag - great decorating statement.

Now, the bag is gone and I can let the light shine in! I no longer feel like I'm living in a crypt!

All in all I'm pleased and glad I decided on a 17" - I'm very happy with its display area.

Jema

Unfortunately text on an LCD will never appear optimum without running the monitor in its native resolution (the View Sonic VA705B is 1280x1024).

For gaming you'll be fine, but you may find it easier to view web pages and documents at its highest resolution.

I don't think your monitor has this option, but my 22" ViewSonic has a setting that allows the monitor to switch to whatever resolution a game requires (such as 800 x 600), then switch back to the native resolution (1680 x 1050) when I exit the game. There is also a setting that switches from widescreen to the screen aspect of a particular game and then back to widescreen when I exit the game. Love it... all my future monitors will have these options!

InlandAZ and Draclvr, thanks for your responses.

Inland, I tried the 1280 x 1024 resolution but, even with large fonts selected, the text is too small for me to comfortably read. Plus, it really messes up the way my Word documents display. They open in the middle of the screen with a black border on both sides. Ugh! I think I wouldn't be able to get used to that.

Draclvr, no, I don't have those options. Are you saying that you can play a game in 800 x 600 resolution without having a black border? If so, that's great.

I have 2 more questions:

1. What should I use to clean the screen and how much pressure can I safely apply?

2. Should I turn the monitor off when I'm not using it to avoid "burn-in"? Or is that not a problem with LCDs.

Jema

1. Clean it with a microfiber cloth and just use water. Make sure the monitor is turned off first, then wet the cloth and wipe the monitor.

Don't apply a lot of pressure, as that can cause issues. You shouldn't really need to apply much of any pressure to get it clean though.

There are special cleaners out there you can buy, buy I find water works 99% of the time.

2. LCDs don't burn-in, but you might want to turn it off anyways if not in use for a long time, since the bulbs in them will burn out eventually.

No, on my 22" screen, it will have black borders - if it didn't, the picture would be stretched from side to side and really look strange! But, the setting automatically allows the game to play in the resolution it's meant to and than automatically switches back to my native resolution when I exit the game.

My well water is very "hard" with a lot of calcium, so I use distilled water and a microfiber cloth to gently clean mine after it's been turned off.

Templeton Peck and Draclvr, thanks for your advice. I'll go to OfficeMax and buy some microfiber cloths.

Jema