I went back to my old monitor, but now it doesn't look right.

hbenthow · 02 Jul 2014

carwiz said:

The sizzling sound is most likely a high voltage leak. It will usually start from dust build up but once it starts, it'll will track over components and will eventually go POP then go dead. If you catch it soon enough, the dust can be blown out but DO NOT remove the back unless you know what you're doing around HIGH voltage. The CRT tube can store over 50,000 volts and remains "live" long after the equipment is unplugged.

I didn't open up the case. I just vacuumed it out through the air vents in the back. So far, the sizzling hasn't come back.

Britton30 · 02 Jul 2014

hbenthow said:

Can you recommend any good LCDs with great contrast, that will look great for reading internet articles, viewing and editing photos and videos, and can be found used or refurbished for less that $150? Preferably with a 4:3 or 16:10 aspect ratio (but I could maybe learn to tolerate a 16:9 if that's all there is that fits the description).

You're looking for a diamond in a coal pile, but I understand finances very well, or the lack of them.
You might try checking you local Craig's List or other sale sites. I live near a large University so things like that pop up often.
EBay is another possibility-if you can message the seller with questions before making a commitment.

hbenthow · 02 Jul 2014

Britton30 said:

You're looking for a diamond in a coal pile, but I understand finances very well, or the lack of them.
You might try checking you local Craig's List or other sale sites. I live near a large University so things like that pop up often.
EBay is another possibility-if you can message the seller with questions before making a commitment.

I see. Thank you for the suggestions.

One more thing: do you have any suggestions of what to look for in listings (any particular kind of labeling, a particular contrast ratio, or something of that nature) to distinguish a good monitor from a poor one?

Britton30 · 02 Jul 2014

Likely the seller won't know much, if any, info on it. You would need to either call or email and ask for info from the label. If you can get the brand and model then you can do some Google searches for it. If it would be from a local seller you may be able to see it work beforehand.

Often contrast ratios are misstated by the manufacturer and have little meaning, but the higher the better. In general, I think, 5000:1 or better is what to look for.

hbenthow · 02 Jul 2014

Britton30 said:

Likely the seller won't know much, if any, info on it. You would need to either call or email and ask for info from the label. If you can get the brand and model then you can do some Google searches for it. If it would be from a local seller you may be able to see it work beforehand.

Often contrast ratios are misstated by the manufacturer and have little meaning, but the higher the better. In general, I think, 5000:1 or better is what to look for.

Wow. The LCD I bought has a 800:1 contrast ratio. That appears to fall far short.

I'm aware that most sellers won't have the full specs. But once I find out the brand and model of a monitor, I can often find the specs on a website like Cnet. For example, here are the specs for my LCD:

Dell UltraSharp 1708FP Specs - CNET

Britton30 · 02 Jul 2014

I may be talking through my hat. Some of these say 5,000,000:1 (1000:1)
Monitor, Computer Monitor, LCD Monitor, LED Monitor, Touchscreen Monitor - Newegg.com
There's different ways to measure and report contrast which I don't understand.

Here's a couple that might interest you although one is more than your stated budget.

ViewSonic VA2249S Black 21.5" 5ms (GTG) Widescreen LED Backlight LCD Monitor IPS 250 cd/m2 20,000,000:1 - Newegg.com

SAMSUNG SD590 Series S24D590PL Black High glossy 23.6" 5ms (GTG) HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight LCD Monitor PLS Panel 250 cd/m2 DCR Mega Infinity (1000:1) - Newegg.com

logicearth · 03 Jul 2014

I'll tell you, for $150 you are just wasting your time and money. Any monitor you get for that price will be a god awful TN panel slapped together with the lowest quality imaginable. You are better off sticking with the higher end crt until you save up more then $150 and can afford a proper monitor.

Britton30 · 03 Jul 2014

Actually the Viewsonic I linked to is a 21.5" IPS panel.

hbenthow · 03 Jul 2014

Britton30 said:

Actually the Viewsonic I linked to is a 21.5" IPS panel.

So it should be a pretty good one?

Slartybart · 03 Jul 2014

AddRAM said:

CRTs Rock, it takes getting use to an LCD.

Does it have a factory reset on it ?

hbenthow said:

AddRAM said:

Does it have a factory reset on it ?

When I first hooked it back up to my computer, I reset all the settings to what they had been before I got the LCD.

I think Adram meant on the monitor.

The monitor manual might be of some use:
ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-produ...uide_en-us.pdf

You might also want to run the Calibration wizard with the LCD connected