Are flat panel monitors good enough for gaming yet?
 

This is why I ask....

Compusa is having a 6 hour sale tonight. 6pm to midnight, some items are going to be on sale all night, some items only at certain hours...

If you go to Compusa.com you will see a huge add on the front page telling what the stores are offering. They have a 19inch flat panel LCD for 279.00 made by norwood. It has analog and digital inputs which I think is a very good thing, and the contrast ratio is 600:1 which I know is a good thing, but I still dont know how gaming will be on it. My idea of "gaming" are games like call of duty, MOH series, far cry, ect ect. Not just solitare and free cell :D

I have a 256 meg ati extasy video card. I dont JUST do gaming on my pc, but if I got this monitor I would certainly like to still be able to do some gaming.

Could I have a little advice here. Will this monitor handle the games I play? Or have flat panels not quite got to that point yet? Thank you

I use one for FPS and is fine, most important thing id refresh is 12ms or faster, 20 and above you will ghost for sure.

First off, thanks for the response....

You mentioned refresh rate is important....Below are the specs on the monitor I might get tonight at compusa...is RESPONSE TIME what you were talking about? If so, then 25ms is good for gaming? Thanks!!



Features:
Integrated speakers
Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Dual Inputs: Analog and Digital
Display Colors (Million): 16.7
Vertical Frequency: 50 ~ 76 Hz
Horizontal Frequency: 22K ~ 82 KHz
Refresh Rate: 56 ~ 76 Hz
Antiglare Coating

Platform: PC
Display Type: Active Matrix LCD (TFT)
Response Time: 25 ms
Display Resolution: 1280 x 1024 pixels
Viewable Size: 19.0 in
Horizontal Viewing Angle (Degrees): 170
Vertical Viewing Angle (Degrees): 170
Port Connectors: VGA 15-pin D-Sub (RGB Analog)
DVI Digital

Brightness: 250 cd/M2
Contrast Ratio: 600 :1
Video Interface Type: Analog
Digital
User Controls: On-screen image control

In the Box: 19" Flat Panel TFT / LCD Monitor
External Universal 15 pin D-Sub (RBG Analog) Input Signal Cable
Audio Cable
AC Adapter
Power Cord
External DVI Cable
User's Manual

Height: 18.2 in
Width: 17.2 in
Depth: 7.0 in
Weight: 13.0 lbs
Limited Warranty: 1 Year (12 Months)

25ms is on the poor side for gaming as far as ghosting goes, and most people seem to recommend 16ms or lower.

Keep in mind that response time isn't a precise or absolute measure of how the LCD will perform. Some people will notice it more then others. For instance, i have a 19" Dell 1905FP LCD monitor with a 20ms response time. Reading the reviews, there are reports both from people that say the ghosting is terrible and others who say it's just fine, but for me i was able to get used to it and don't mind at all. You may also find that some games will ghost more then others. It's very subjective, so you may want to do a search for that particular monitor and see what kind of responses users have about it.

I have the Hyundai L90D+, generally thought of as the gaming monitor to get, if response time is your main consideration. The reponse time is 8ms, which is good enough for gaming, I haven't noticed ghosting. I tried a 1905fp once and noticed the ghosting so I returned it. All around it was a great monitor, probably better picture in most cases than the L90D+, but for gaming the L90D+ wins. This is due to the L90D+ using a tn panel which is better for response time but uses dithering to reach 16.7million colors. VA panels like the 1905fp typically have better displays overall. There are supposed to be better monitors coming soon, a new viewsonic VP191b that combines the best of both response time and overall picture. I wouldn't get the monitor at compusa for gaming.

If you are a little patient, you can get the Dell 1905fp for the same price, a MUCH better monitor. Norwoods are made by Tatung, not a bad panel, but the Dell is an LG, which is among the best.

the responce time for ghosting will vary if you are using a DVI in or RGB in. i have a sony lcd with an 18ms time it does no ghosting whatsoever i have my computer running to it DVI and my xbox using the RGB input of it.

word up LG is awesome, they make all Apple's screens. the flattron is a goofy name , but the picture on them is one of the best.

Thank you EVERYONE for all the advice. I actually chickened out at the last minute. I was going to buy it, then I decided to wait for something better. All this talk about streaks, and ghosting has really got me spooked. :D

I think I will wait until they make a flat screen INTENDED for gaming....Or maybe I will look into that Dell one that you guys speak so highly of....

Anyways, thanks so much for the advice, it really helped!!!

depending on your budget, consider the Dell 2001FP or the Viewsonic vp201 (they use the same LG/Philips panel) and the dell can be had usually for under $500...I must tell you that when I switched to this monitor, it was a religious experience. Almost all I play is FPS' and the monitor is rated at 16ms but I see absolutely zero ghosting

I LOVE this monitor :)

here is what i'd get for a new computer monitor if i was in the market and had money to burn

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824116339

i am looking for a monitor for gaming, and this one is really cheap, but im assuming it is probably junk for gaming, but I'll ask anyway...

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...802#long_descr

Yeah...the response time on that monitor is a total of 25ms which is not conducive to gaming. Sorry.

ok, so you add the 15 and the 10, I didn't know that. I figured the 15/10ms was maybe the difference between using the serial port and the dvi port, and i thought 10 ms was good, but now I know...

I bought this one today, I got it for 329.99 - 10% coupon = 297.00 + tax, then there is a 80.00 Mail-in rebate...

SAMSUNG Syncmaster 17 Inch LCD Digital Analog Monitor
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...onics&n=507846

...it said it was 8ms, but i figured i would see what you guys thought about it. Thanks for the input....

Nick

Looks like a great monitor, and a good deal. :)

i actually couldn't wait to play, i just got done with coh for about 4 hours and i love it...

Thanks for all the help guys...

For those on a tight budget, don't fear a high response time right off the bat. If you find a great deal (that is returnable), get it and see if it looks good to you. I have a two year old Compaq 1825 with a listed 30ms response time, and I play UT2K4, HL2, and SW-Battlefront on it all the time with no issues. If you have the cash handy get the newest and best, of course.

I think a response time of 25 ms is perfectly acceptable. It translates into a max frame rate of 40fps, which is faster than the eye can detect anyways (eye can detect 22 or so I believe).

Depends on the game
 

if your playing a 1st person shooter - twitch game where your constantly moving and tilting your camera angle then you need 12ms or faster is a good rule of thumb. I've played online games and some shows you your actual frames per second... and its often well over 40 fps.

Its pretty hard to find response times for some LCDs (rear projection anyways) I had to go to an insider for specific info.

My Sony RP-LCD has a response time range of about 15ms when cold to 5ms when very hot.

I think video games are different than movies or television regarding frame rate. Currently video games don't have motion blur which is what helps fool our minds at lower frame rates in films and TV. I usually notice the frames during any fast motion if the frame rate is below 30 fps. With Star Wars: Galaxies I was getting anywhere from 22 to 29 fps and the frames could easily be seen. But, if it doesn't bother you then go for the monitors with the lower refresh rates.

Maybe its not a good baseline to go by but when I was shopping around, I tested screens with Halo. If i could pan/strafe and not have the background blur, I was half way there.