How to Buy the Best Stuff

A Superior Screen

Kalpana Narayanamurthi, associate editor

Should you get an oh-so-sleek LCD or a regular old CRT monitor? You can find a 15-inch LCD for as little as $350--about the same as a 19-inch CRT of comparable quality. So which one is the better buy?

The answer depends on how you use your monitor. CRTs have faster refresh rates that are better for displaying rapid motion, as in games. But bright, flicker-free LCDs usually display text better, and they save both power and desk space. Whichever type of monitor you prefer, keep the following tips in mind.

>>TIP Pricier CRTs are often worth it. Shadow-mask displays, in which a screen with tiny holes keeps errant electrons from hitting the wrong color dot, are usually cheaper than aperture-grille monitors that use vertically aligned wires. But in our tests, aperture-grille models tend to display brighter, richer colors. Regardless of tube type, you'll get better image quality from a more-expensive, flat-faced CRT because it reduces glare and tends to render images more accurately. You'll also pay more for a monitor that has convergence rings hand-tuned by skilled technicians, rather than adjusted by machine.

>>TIP Trust your eyes, not specs like dot pitch. In theory, the lower a CRT's dot pitch, or the distance from one phosphor dot to the closest dot of the same color, the sharper the image it renders. But there are two ways to measure dot pitch for shadow-mask tubes, and yet another method for aperture-grille monitors. Rather than wrestle with these numbers, judge image quality with your own eyes. To best gauge sharpness, look at a screen of text, rather than colorful graphics.

>>TIP Pricier LCDs are often worth it. Some expensive models use complex pixel technologies, such as multidomain vertical alignment, to minimize distortion when the screen is viewed at an angle. Cheaper models frequently use only a less-effective light-diffusing film. Other features that add cost include a screen that can turn from landscape to portrait orientation; USB ports; and stands that allow you to adjust the height of the screen.

>>TIP Digital-input LCDs offer better image quality. You'll get the best quality with a graphics card that sends digital images directly to an LCD. Digital (or DVI) outputs are rare on older cards, but quite common on newer models. Buy a digital-ready LCD even if your current PC does not have a DVI port--your next system (or graphics card upgrade) probably will.

>>TIP Get the right controls. Every monitor has brightness and contrast controls, but usually only higher-end models provide other key adjustments. Look for CRTs with convergence and moiré controls. For LCDs, all you really need is an auto-adjust button. Messing around with more-complex settings--such as phase control--can do more harm than good. --Jeff Kuta, senior performance analyst