Monitor Help.

[jdalex]

I am looking into getting two new 20" monitors, video card and a dual monitor stand. Any suggestions?

[mike.irwin]

read what i put in this thread - for editing photos you definitely dont want to end up with monitor that have TN panels in them...

http://www.texasphotoforum.com/forum...or-blacks.html

[jdalex]

Thanks, I will give this a try.

[Rson]

Love my Samsung which is not TN, they are PVA.

I think that the stats on TN monitors are skewd. TN monitors do not have over 6 bit depth and many of the big manufacturers use their own manufacturing techniques which is not TN. IMO, TN is old technology that only the real cheapy generic monitors use.

[jdalex]

What model Samsung do you have.

[Rson]

245t

be a real professional 245T - Professional - Monitors | SAMSUNG

[mike.irwin]

Originally Posted by Rson

Love my Samsung which is not TN, they are PVA.

I think that the stats on TN monitors are skewd. TN monitors do not have over 6 bit depth and many of the big manufacturers use their own manufacturing techniques which is not TN. IMO, TN is old technology that only the real cheapy generic monitors use.

actually most manufacturers dont have their own panel technologies. most manufacturers purchase their panels from one of the three major panel manufacturers, which are AU optronics, Samsung, and LG. and TN is very much the most widely used panel type out there. last year i could not find a single monitor in a single store that was not a TN panel, and i live in Dallas.

the samsung you mentioned owning is an SPVA panel, which is one that i'd put in the "worth owning" category, or at least one that you can do real photo work on, so i'd recommend that one too.

you also have to look at sizes, for instance, dont set your sights on a 22 inch monitor, all 22's are TN. 24 is one of those sizes you can find in non-TN, but alot of the sizes that are popular are TN-only sizes.

i'll also add, make sure you do your research. make sure the non-TN monitor you've found isnt one where the maker has switched to TN panels half-way through the model line after they know full well all the initial reviews have been typed and all the display models on store shelves have been set up. believe it or not, Samsung is one of the biggest offenders in this category.

[Rson]

Panasonic, Sony/Samsung, LG, AU Optronics, Chi Mei, Sharp, and Hannelectronics make most of their own LCD's.

LG just inked a deal with Apple to make theirs. my guess is that the low end LG monitors are not the same....but I guess the high end share the components.

[Rson]

I love my ATI 4870 video card. XFX makes it.

Newegg.com - XFX HD-487A-ZWFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

[jdalex]

okay, I really don't know what to do now. I need a monitor but also need a computer. I looked at the new iMacs but can't justify that purchase. I use Express Digital Darkroom a lot also which only runs on PC. My current pc is a Dell P4 2.8. Just upgraded the memory to 4gig but the system only sees 3gig. Change changed the video out to EVGA 9500 1gig PCI-E. Those two upgrades did help some but not enough.

[Rson]

Build a computer or have someone do it (like me). You need a 64 bit os to read the full 4gb of ram otherwise the system reserves half a gig for its self. Your processor is pretty old ( in processor terms) it is only a single core.

You probably could do a mobo/processor change but you would need someone that has done it before. Call it a computer facelift.

PM me or call 817 89eight1526

[jdalex]

AMD or Intel?

[Rson]

I like amd...more bang for buck

[Sonny]

How convenient, a monitor thread.

I am using two Dell UltraSharp 2005FPW monitors for photo editing. They are 4+ years old. One of them is starting to flicker, but it only happens when I turn off the power to the monitor. I'll leave it off over night and the next morning I power it back on. This is when it flickers like CRAZY! The flickering lasts about 15-25 seconds, then it stops.

[mike.irwin]

Originally Posted by Sonny

How convenient, a monitor thread.

I am using two Dell UltraSharp 2005FPW monitors for photo editing. They are 4+ years old. One of them is starting to flicker, but it only happens when I turn off the power to the monitor. I'll leave it off over night and the next morning I power it back on. This is when it flickers like CRAZY! The flickering lasts about 15-25 seconds, then it stops.

sounds like the backlight is probably on its way out