Three Personal Observations About Buying a Computer Monitor
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My CRT screen is showing signs of old age. Although it still working, it is obvious that it is struggling. So, it is time for my first large LCD monitor. I have been reviewing the online literature and have a list of question about the brands and models that are my short list. I decided to buy locally in case there were any problems with the display. It seemed as though it would save me shipping charges in the long run, if there were problems.
Three of my tech friends wanted to go along with me. The thought of someone they know buying computer hardware increases their heart rate. Besides, these geeks, who happen to be males, know what kind of monitor I need and really do have my best interests at heart. I welcomed the company and they served as witnesses to the fiasco of the morning.
There are three lowlights that I would like to mention:
- Expect no help from the sales people. They simply do not know their products. Both national chain stores that were visited had incompetent personnel. One would think that if someone was working with a product line, day in and day out, that person would know the product. It is not reassuring when the answer to my question is that the sales person will try to find the manual and see what it says there. Blah!
- The second observation is even more annoying. The sales people in the stores answered the question for my male friends, who asked not a single thing. I asked the questions and the sales people begin by answering to the males who were with me. This is simply rude. Blah!
- And finally, in the second store that we tried, I asked the sales clerk why the monitor did not have a height adjustment and if it could be fitted with a different stand. The monitor has all sorts of features, except that it has no height adjustment. The sales person’s suggestion was that I could prop the monitor up to the desired height by placing it on a book or two. Then he showed me that a monitor with a height adjustment did not make much difference. At least he attempted to show me that. In the process, he broke the monitor stand. Blah!
That was enough for me. We left. - Now I am receiving email from other tech friends who want to go with me on the next buying excursion. They heard that it was entertaining. Blah!
Catherine
4 Comments
Rick
August 29th, 2008
at 7:00am
Having been a male my entire life, I feel I am qualifed to give you the inside scoop: males are idiots. I have my better moments, but I, too, am an idiot. That’s not to say that in very specific environments and concerning very specific subjects that males cannot excel, but in the end, we’re idiots. I’ll bet you suspected as much anyway.
I was actually expecting to read an article full of technical tips on how to chose the right monitor, such as contrast ratios, refresh rates, connectivity options, etc. But I think you provided a much more important set of information: beyond the hardware, it’s the customer service experience that should overall determine where you buy your equipment after research has reveal which hardware to buy.
After all, if the equipment fails, who is likely to be willing to help you get a working replacement device with the least hassle? The moron to addressed his answers to your friends? No, he is utterly uninterested in catering to his customers’ needs. The idiot who didn’t bother to research the products he was hawking? No. I’ll bet he doesn’t know or understand his company’s return or repair policies. The clumbsy guy who broke the demo model’s stand? Perhaps, but I wouldn’t bet on it; at least he was willing to investigate the height adjustment question you posed, just maybe he would help you with a problem.
I wouldn’t leave it to chance. As you did, I’d leave those loser places behind and find a vendor who understands business, that only happy customers return to buy other items, based on their customer service experience.
ben
August 31st, 2008
at 9:31am
I don’t think is a good idea to make a decision based on what
sales people tell you at computer stores.I do my own homework,researching at google.
Here are my tips on buying LCD monitors.
1.They say bigger is better.But keep in mind that bigger monitors consume more electric energy.
2.Resolution.Choose always the monitor which provides the highest resolution.
3.Refreshing rate.Choose the monitor with the highest refreshing rate.The higher,the better,its good for eyes.They dont get strained over a period of 3-4 hours working.
4.Contrast ratio.The higher,the better quality of picture.
I saw a Samsung LCD(i dont remember the model) and the contrast ratio was 1:8000.The picture was fantastic.
5.Viewing angle:Watch the picture of the LCD on a angle of 60
degrees.Does the picture look clear and crisp or washed out?
6.Check your videocard ports,What are they?Vga?DVI?S-Video?HDMI? Based on Video card ports,choose a lcd monitor which has the port that you have in video card.Otherwise you need to buy a adapter,converter.
7.Make sure the LCD screen has HDMI port which is the best for providing HD quality picture.HDMI cables are expensive though.
8.Choose always monitors with 16.7 million colors(8 bit per color)
9.cd/m2=Luminance,brightnes ratio.Most monitors have 250cd/m2 ratio.If you see some monitor with 300 or more,go for it.
10.Test the audio before buying,or read reviews,if you re going to buy online.
11.Check connectors on back or under the monitor.How they are arranged?Is it easy to connect/disconnect the cables?
Taking into the account all these specs,it is clear that finding the right monitor its not easy.
forsythe
August 31st, 2008
at 9:59am
Thanks Rick! Thank Ben! - I appreciate your taking the time and leaving a comment. It’s terrific.
Catherine
GiM
September 1st, 2008
at 10:09am
I do not like comments about male being or not… especially I know technical females being or not….
Let’s keep it technical only…
First is to choose the monitor technology.
- If you are WORKING with photos/images or with video for publishing, the best quality is with CRT monitors.
= Main advantage: best QUALITY.
= Main disadvantage: SIZE and WEITGH.
- If you are not really work with photo-video editing, with brightness, contrast…, you can use other technologies like LED, LCD, Plasma…
= Main advantage: SIZE and WEIGHT.
= Other advantages: could be a combo TV + monitor, like from this offer: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AYCNIW/?tag=ubg-20 .
= But if you want high QUALITY (and not the best one) you will invest much more.
You can find more help - info on how to choose a monitor on old Lockergnome discussions:
- chris.pirillo.com
- http://www.lockergnome.com/hardware/2007/12/13/lcd-vs-crt/
And YES, I prefer too a local sales…
And since my new card video have two outputs (I just lost my ATI 9800 Pro, replaced by an 3850 HD), maybe I’ll will enjoy both “extreme”, I hope to add next to my old CRT (will remain MAIN working display) something like HDTV+monitor, the above Samsung T260HD looking nice. Or maybe I will wait for one with LCD technology…
Have a nice day!