I've removed my blind fold!

[CoolColJ]

Well

I bought a new 17 inch Mitsubishi diamond view 1772ie yesterday - and hey! CM looks even better now!! Woooer, I must say I have been deprieving myself with my old 15 inch monitor! I'd have Cm was one of the reasons why I bought the new monitor, so I can play at 1200x1000

the green ground texture still look yuck to me - the snow scenes look much better, but we can't have everything can we

CCJ

[Doug Beman]

Just out of curiosity, how much did you pay? I'm killing myself over the question of buying a 19" monitor from ADI, a Microscan model that has received many good reviews from independent websites (Gamespot and SharkyExtreme)

DjB

[CoolColJ]

I paid $470 Australian - which is really cheap - well I bought from it from someone who runs his business from home, so its near cost - he's also selling SOny 400ps (19 inch monitor) for $1300A - extremely cheap - this is a monster monitor with trinitron quality, but 17 inch is about the limit for me, you need plenty of room

CCJ

[SGTRock]

I bought a 19' (18 Viewable) For GET THIS...

$287 Canadian! ok-ok the thing is I bought my system too at the sametime, but that's still a heck of a deal!

I love my 19' and wouldn't give it up for the world. The computers actually mine and part my roomies. He told me to get the 15' and we'd bump up later, I basically told him that he'd didn't have to use it but, I'm getting it! heheheh

------------------

Sgt. Rock Says " War is Hell, but games are fun "

[Lee]

Hey guys, since the topic is new monitors I thought I'd chime in

with my top pick if you're looking to get a 17 inch monitor (as

I will be soon). Here it is:

NEC Multisync E700

After considerable checking it is my opinion that this is the best

overall 17 inch monitor you can buy without spending a lot more

money. It delivers top quality colors and is ideal for reproducing

the kind of graphics that gamers need all the time. It uses an

invar shadowmask, which I think is better than those aperture

grille type monitors (trinitron and diamondtron), because on those

grille monitors you can actually see the wires (which are behind the

screen) on your screen sometimes. I find any such visual artifacts

like this unacceptable in a monitor. But with the E700 this

isn't a problem. And it's .25mm mask dot pitch gives plenty

of sharpness to show off that King Tiger you are so proud of.

You can pick up one of these E700 monitors mail order for under

$425 US if you do some shopping. I guess the best endorsement I

can give this monitor is that it's the one I'll be buying when I

replace my monitor in the very near future.

[This message has been edited by Lee (edited 09-17-99).]

[Moon]

(peeks his head through the door)

You guys go and compare your inches but nothing beats a TFT screen!

(shuts the door and runs away)

[Doug Beman]

What's a TFT screen?

Also, I think that, if you're seriously considering upgrading your monitor, you should wait just a few more months til the end-of-year, and get a 19" monitor. Some very good ones are made by ADI (the Microscan I mentioned earlier) and Viewsonic (the V90 and, if you can get it before it's discontinued, the PS790) priced betwee $400 and $500 currently. Check out the gamespot.com website, where they have near-constant updates on new hardware and comparisons (they're the place that gave me my info on the monitors I'm considering)

DjB

[CoolColJ]

I must say - seeing a flat monitor screen for the first time sure shocks the system! Especially after using a 15 inch curved monitor for so long - makes everything look curved - I guess I'll get used to it ...soon.. yeah I'd like a 19inch monitor - but hey I haven't got any room for one I have 3 moniotrs on my desk as it is

CCJ

[Lee]

Doug: Yes, you can get 19 inch monitors for just a little more

than the 17 inch I mentioned. The question is, of what quality

will the 19 inch be? None of the 19 inch monitors I've seen

offer the quality picture I'm after without spending considerably

more than what it costs for the E700. I'd rather have a 17 inch

with exceptional picture quality (for the money) than a 19 inch

monitor with more weak areas in it's picture performance. For

example, NEC also makes a 19 inch monitor a step up in size

from their E700. But the 19 inch monitor couldn't compete

with the smaller E700 on a picture-for-picture test basis. So, I'll

stick with the E700. What I'm after is great picture quality at

the best price. And I haven't found anything else that will beat

the E700 in that regard. Well, my first choice was the

Samsung Syncmaster 17 GLi, but Samsung quite making that exact

model and the newer model they replaced it with is inferior... *GRRR...*

I could have gotten one of those Samsungs for about $360, too. Oh,

the pain... >

Now, if money were not a concern, I'd want to get the best 21 inch

invar shadowmask (you can keep those trinitrons ) monitor made

on earth. But, if you're very picky about picture quality AND

don't want to spend quite a bit more money, then I think the E700

is just about the best choice around.

Having said that, if anyone knows of a 19 inch monitor out there

that can truly equal or beat the E700 head to head in all areas of

picture quality for about the same price (say, within $50 US),

then I'd be very interested to hear about it. But no aperture

grille monitors, as I said, I don't like those for the reasons

stated.

Note: All Trinitron and Diamondtron monitors are aperture grille. Yuck. 8)

[This message has been edited by Lee (edited 09-17-99).]

[kingtiger]

Have an IIyama Vision Master 450. Awesome and quite highly rated with 3 years parts and labor. The black is beautiful, the refresh is awesome. It was retail $899 when I bought it wholesale for $549 last year. Now it can be had for $459. It'll even sport 1600*1200 @ 80 hz. Unbelievable at this price point.

Here is a link:

http://www.mysimon.com/buy/frame.anml?m=2765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcconnection.com%2Fscripts%2Fproductdetail.asp%3Fproduct_id%3D70714

Here is the manufacturer:http://www.iiyama.com/

[Doug Beman]

Before you swear off 19" as mediocre, go here:

http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/monitors/v95.html

and here:

http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardware/roundup10_98monitors/f.shtml

for reviews of two 19" monitors. Quite good, and their prices are both several months out of date (i.e. cheaper now)

I'm REALLY considering ordering the ADI as a birthday present for myself, and to celebrate my new job. HOPEfully I'll still be at the job when my birthday gets here (Oct13)

DjB

[CoolColJ]

Hey LEE!

The NEc p750 is a much better monitor than the e700 - I was gonna get ont, but the mitsubishi, was cheaper, but now I wonder if there is something wrong with mine, all the vertical line are bowed, curved - I can adjust it with the contorls for pin-cushion etc, but its still not 100 % vertical -is this normal?????

CCJ

[sage]

Warning: corporate proseltyzing to follow (or would if I could spell that damn word).

Well. I feel, yet again, the need to pipe up. As it happens, I work for a company that does display cards, specifically card designed with multiple-out (similar to the Matrox G400, except that we've been doing it longer, and do it better. Hey, I warned you.) Anyway, the net result two fold: one we have some really kick-ass displays lying around -- like the two 16x10 ratio 22" Sony displays (now THOSE are nice CRTs) -- or 18" and (unreleased) 21" flat panel displays. Now THOSE are fine displays. I'd have two for home, except that they cost more than my car. :=)

All this talk has got me thinking. I wonder (in theoretical terms, since it's probably a wee bit late in the dev process for this...) whether Combat Mission would benefit from multiple displays. For instance, during playbacks, the first display could be used for zooming in and out on interesting spots, while the second display provides a zoomed out view. During the orders phase, the second display could be used for the info/tool bar at the bottom of the screen, unit status and info and as additional screen real estate. Finally -- think immersive panorama.

Hardware-wise it can be done with two identical cards (you can use non-identical cards, but you run into strange artifacts) in Windows 98, and I believe some Macs have been able to do it for quite awhile. Software wise... well... that's why I said "theoretically" up at the top. It can certainly be done, but it's not the kind of thing that gets done this late in the dev process. Regardless, it would (I think, but then, I'm biased) be a cool feature.

What do people think? Worth while for next version? Interesting? A good use for the crappy 15" sitting in the closet?

Sage "at least I'm not going off about dead infantry sprites" Schreiner

[Lee]

First of all, I want to give a big thanks to kingtiger! I put

out the challenge and he answered the call. He actually found a

19 inch monitor with outstanding picture quality, an invar

shadowmask (woohoo) and a price that is only slightly higher than

the E700. That is one *rare* monitor that can meet all those

criteria. Good work kingtiger! I have spent the last several

hours looking into this Iiyama 450 and was quite impressed by it.

This will almost certainly be my next monitor.

CoolColJ: I think it's safe to say that a new monitor should

not have bowed vertical lines. You may want to have that sent

back to the factory for repair or replacement. Call Mitsubishi tech

support and tell them the problem, doesn't sound right to me.

Make sure you keep your sales receipt for the monitor. They want you

to send them a copy of it.

Sage: I don't care for those aperture grille designs, but if I were

going to get one, I'd probably get a Sony. They make some very

good monitors. And of all the grille monitors out there, one of

those big 24 inch Sony's would probably be the one I'd most like

to have.