Okay, after many years of being a dedicated CRT man I'm finally going to buy an LCD. Two main reasons. One is I need the desk space. Two is I am now sitting in front of my CRT 8+ hours a day working from home and starting to notice the eyestrain. I have heard that LCDs are better on the eyes for that.
The main reason I haven't upgraded to an LCD earlier is that I am pretty picky about refresh rates and blurring. The first couple gens of LCDs were horrible - I noticed all sorts of smearing and blurring, especially with FPS games and video. But from what I have seen they have gotten a lot better recently. I had one at work last year and really like it. Main uses: Office work, coding, web design, some graphics/video work (not a lot), surfing, gaming. Occasional video but it won't be used as a primary playback device Size: Right now I use a 19" CRT so I'm thinking a 22" wide screen is going to be the sweet spot. Willing to be convinced otherwise. Features: DVI, HDCP Price: between $250 and $400 (unless someone has a really good reason to go higher) Normally I would just go out and grab the Acer AL2216Wbd for $240 which seems to be on everyone's list of top performers for the buck (Anand, Newegg, Ars, etc). But it seems that no one carries them here in Canada. That's really the kicker - I need to find a model that is sold here in Canada. This is one product I don't want to buy in the States and have shipped across because from what I have read that would nullify the warranty. I started researching on Cnet and a couple other sites and looking at TigerDirect.ca which is the only online computer parts place I have been able to find here. I also was looking on BestBuy.ca (ugh I know) and a couple other retailers. So far the only one I've found with the features I like, good reviews, in my price range and available here is the HP W2207 for $400. Yes, it's called the Canada tax (it's around $350 in the US). But it only has a 1 year warranty, not the greatest color balance and I've heard that the TN+film technology isn't as good as S-PVA. So after all that, I guess I'm looking for you oh wise sages of the computer hardware for some advice: What features. size and screen format do you like in your LCDs? What technologies are the ones to go for with LCD? What models/manufacturers do you love? Hate? And for those of you in Canada, where did you get yours? -- Brian Weeden
