Number 250 - March 2004

Computers From The Very Beginning: Monitors
by Charlie Paschal, PPCC
Just as understanding computer memory can be confusing, so can understanding a computer display, one of the most important parts of a computer.    The display, which also can be called a monitor, is connected to a computer by a cable that attaches to a video card inside a computer. Troubles with a display can be traced to the cable, the card inside the computer, software that drives the card, the display itself or some piece of equipment nearby.    Monitors can be found in various sizes and shapes but even the best of monitors can be made to look bad if any of the other parts and pieces are not working correctly or are of poor quality. A monitor is only as good as the video card in your computer and the software that runs that video card and monitor.    Let's focus first on the monitor. Of all the parts and pieces that make up a computer system, the monitor is one part that you shouldn't scrimp on. If you plan to have a computer for a long time, then buck up and spend the money for a good one. Although you may buy a new computer, you can always use your old monitor on it--especially if you buy a good quality monitor.    In that purchase, there's a lot to consider. Although you can find monitors less than 17 inches in size, I don't recommend buying one. Since some very cheap systems come with smaller monitors, it's something you should guard against when looking at buying a system that comes with a monitor. Resolution and dot pitch are very important when it comes to monitors. A computer screen is made up of dots and these are measured in dot pitch. In this case, you always go with the lowest number, with a cutoff of 28-dot pitch. Anything larger than that will give you a grainy display. More expensive models come with a dot pitch of 24.    Resolution is another measure of a monitor. Common resolutions include 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768 and l280x1024. Even if your monitor can do higher resolutions, if your video card can't, then you won't be able to use them. Why should you care about resolution? By using higher resolutions, you can fit more on your screen. A Web page viewed at 640x480 displays very little information. By boosting your resolution to 800x600 or 1024x768, you can fit more pixels on the screen, thus increasing your viewing area.    Another feature to check before buying a monitor is its refresh rate. Although many makers claim their monitors are able to display higher resolutions, these are often delivered at a rate lower than 72Hz, meaning	that your eyes will see flicker. This is hard on your eyes and will make your eyes tire quicker than a higher refresh rate. In today's world, the hot item is a "flat panel" LCD monitor; but, just because it's hot and the salesmen are pushing it, doesn't mean you should buy it. Although many of us lust after a flat panel, there are drawbacks:    1) Small type often doesn't look good on one. If you're considering one, be sure to look at some small typefaces in the store before you buy it. If a salesperson is handy, get them to start WordPad (or Word) and make the type 9, or 10 point. Be sure to check around the edges of the LCD to see if the image blurs on either side.    2) Often, an LCD is "fixed" to a certain resolution, such as 1024x768. Be sure that you like the way icons and type appears on screen before buying. If the type is too small (or too large), try another resolution. If the type appears jagged or blurry, then the LCD might look best at one resolution.    3) Color is not rendered sharply by less expensive flat panels. If it's a bargain basement flat panel, the color on a normal CRT probably will be better. The availability of these flat panels mean that the CRT monitors, the old style larger monitors, are getting less expensive. About a year ago, I purchased a 21-inch Sony (almost top of the line) for less than $500 off the Internet. It has beautiful color and is capable of rendering higher resolutions at a high refresh rate. The push to flat panels also has opened up a huge market for used monitors since many people are replacing the older CRTs with this new style of monitor. Because of this, I've found used 17-inch monitors for less than $80 and 19-inch monitors for about $125.    Bottom line: A good rule of thumb for monitors is at least a 1024x768 resolution at 72Hz, no dot pitch larger than 26 and no smaller than 17 inches. Unless you've got a space problem (CRTs are much larger than flat panel monitors), I'd stick with CRT monitors rather than a flat panel, which will cost less in the future as manufactures ramp up production of them. You can bet on that.    Charlie Pascha is the Editor/Publisher, Palmetto Personal Computer Club Newsletter, Columbia, SC, and Columnist for the (Columbia) State newspaper, SC.    There is no restriction against any non-profit group using this article as long as it is kept in context with proper credit given the author. The Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an international organization of which this group is a member, brings this article to you.
Number 250 - March 2004