Choose a Computer Monitor
Types of computer monitors:
A computer monitor is a device that transmits
information from a computer to a screen. Sorry for being so obvious, but there are people that do not know the term, "Computer Monitor". If you fall into
that group of people that do not know, then continue reading this section and I'll catch you up to speed. There are 2 main types of computer monitors, Ctr(Cathode Ray Tube) monitors and
LCD(Liquid Crystal Display) monitors.
CRT(Cathode Ray Tube) Monitors: These monitors
are easy to acknowledge because they a big, heavy boxes with a screen on them. The back end, sticks out a good ways and they take up a lot of space on your desk.
You will not find many of these on the market today, esp. with new computers because they are simply out dated and cost more to produce. For that reason,
I will stop talking about them and move on.
LCD(Liquid Crystal Display) Monitors: Not only
do these have a better name, they are all around better. When the LCD was first manufactured, the only reason people bought them was because they wanted more
real estate on their desk. These monitors are flat, usually between 1 and 4 inches thick, can easily be mounted on a wall and moved around because the weight
is around 5 to 10 pounds, depending on the screen size. In this day and age, LCD monitors have grown into the power house they are today. With rich
color, high refresh rates, less power comsumption, high resolution and the image does not get distored easily by other electronics around it.
Choosing from a Ctr or LCD monitor is a no brainer, LCD hands down. The only decision you will need to make is, how big should I get it?
How big is to big?
The bigger the screen, the bigger the price tag. If the price isn't in your budget, then it is to big. You will need to put it on your desk, so if it will not fit
then it is to big. A computer monitor is measured in inches, this is determined by measuring from the top corner to the opposite bottom corner. If you have
a closed in area on your desk that your monitor fits into, then you want to be careful not to get a monitor to big. There are widescreens and regular screens, the wide screen
is going to be shorter but a lot wider. For instance, a 22" widescreen is going to be about the same height of a 19" regular screen. Below you will find a
size chart to help determine if the LCD monitor will fit on your desk.
You should only be concerned with 3 main columns; Size, Ratio and Inch. Size is going to be the screen size from one corner to the opposite corner and is what you
will use when shopping for a monitor. Ratio, this is used to determine if the screen is a widescreen or regular screen. The rule to use is, if the left number
is 1 more than the right number, then it is a regular screen. If the left number is 4 more than the right number, then the screen will be a widescreen. Last but not least,
Inch. Inch will give you a good estimate on how big it actually is (width by height).
| Size (inch) | (cm) | Resolution | Pixels | Ratio | Pitch | Display Area (mm) | Inch | |
| 15 | 38 | 1024x768 | XGA | 786 432 | 4:3 | 0.297 | 304x228 | 12.0x9.0 |
| 17 | 43 | 1280x1024 | SXGA | 1 310 720 | 5:4 | 0.264 | 338x270 | 13.3x10.6 |
| 17 | 43 | 1440x900 | WXGA+ | 1 296 000 | 16:10 | 0.255 | 366x229 | 14.4x9.0 |
| 19 | 48 | 1280x1024 | SXGA | 1 310 720 | 5:4 | 0.294 | 376x229 | 14.8x11.8 |
| 19 | 48 | 1440x900 | WXGA+ | 1 296 000 | 16:10 | 0.285 | 409x254 | 16.1x10.0 |
| 20 | 51 | 1600x1200 | UXGA | 1 920 000 | 4:3 | 0.255 | 408x306 | 16.1x12.0 |
| 20,1 | 51 | 1680x1050 | WSXGA+ | 1 764 000 | 16:10 | 0.258 | 433x271 | 17.0x10.6 |
| 22 | 56 | 1680x1050 | WSXGA+ | 1 764 000 | 16:10 | 0.282 | 474x296 | 18.6x11.6 |
| 24 | 61 | 1920x1200 | WUXGA+ | 2 304 000 | 16:10 | 0.270 | 518x325 | 20.4x12.8 |
| 26 | 66 | 1920x1200 | WUXGA+ | 2 304 000 | 16:10 | 0.286 | 582x376 | 22.8x14.8 |
| 28 | 71 | 1920x1200 | WUXGA+ | 2 304 000 | 16:10 | 0.292 | 594x371 | 23.4x14.6 |
| 30 | 76 | 2560x1600 | WQXGA | 4 096 000 | 16:10 | 0.25 | 642x401 | 25.3x15.8 |
Extra tips:
- When the screen is turned off, this will give you a view of how black, the color black will be.
- A refresh rate of 60Hz is better than anything higher because the human eye can't tell the difference and the less refresh rate will consume less power.
- The lower you set your resolution, the bigger everything on the screen will appear. You can always set your resolution to something lower than what the LCD monitor lists on its technical details, but never higher.
- The further you are away from your screen the better it is on your eyes. Also, turning down the brightness will help.