Why buy an LCD flatpanel?

I debated over buying flat panels/LCDs for my computers for a long time. I just didn't see the value in it as I have a lot of space. There are other issues I didn't think about in the decision though. In the end, the lcd are now on every computer I own.

1. Space Savings - Traditional monitors (CRTs) take up a LOT of real estate. My old monitor (19") was ~20" deep, and about ~18" wide. That's a pretty large space on my desk. But my desk is big, so why did it matter? Well, my new monitor (Acer 19" LCD) is TINY in comparison. With the stand attached, it takes up about 4" of depth (1/5th) with a similar width and height. This allows me to have a USB hub with easy access to all of my thumb drives and external devices readily available in front of me, with room to lay documentation in front of me instead of beside me. That alone saves in strain in my neck (resulting in noticibly fewer headaches after long days).

2. Energy Savings - Depending on your brightness/contrast/etc. settings, these can vary pretty widely on a CRT. On an average CRT in the 19" range, you could be in the 75-90w range, if not higher with maxxed out brightness and contrast. Compare this to a 19" LCD, where the average wattage usage is in the 30-40watt range. You could save upwards of 2/3 the power! Another advantage to LCDs is that when off they ocnsume no power (less than a watt in none in my book) where CRTs can use 2-6 watts (varies by make). Very similar to TVs on standby, CRTs are power hungry even when off.
Think abou tit this way. If you have your CRT on for a full week (7 days*24hours=168 hours) and it consumes 85w/hour you will have used 14280watts. For a similar sized LCD, running say 35w/hour, that figure would be 5880watts. That's 8400watts a week in savings. Take that time 52 weeks a year and you're saving 436800 watts over the course of the year. Now, this assumes your monitor is always on, but this is just a comparison. If your power company charges say 10cents/kwhour, that would equate to $43.68 saved in one year. Imagine if THOUSANDS of homes all over the world made the switch how much power we could save!

3. Cost savings - The energy savings lend to this. CRTs eat power anyt time they are plugged in. Above I showed you can save money. a quality 19" monitor can be had for less than $100 these days, SHIPPED! What's stopping you? One of mine is already 5 years old and going stong. I've saved money, have you? I would also say the added desk space has lended to higher productivity through available space to perform what used to be slightly more time consuming tasks. Difficult to calculate, but noticible day to day.

4. Cool Factor! - LCDs are just cool. Some of the newer systems even incorporate a touch screen into the monitors, if not the entire computer into a 2-3" thick monitor/computer set. Very nice. Very cool. LCDs are the way to go every way you look.

I will again recommend TigerDirect.com as the place to buy yours. They have amazing deals all the time. Check out Amazon also. They have free shipping deals quite often.

Good luck, and happy viewing!

USB 3.0 - 5Gbit/s coming soon!

As a reader of TomsHardware.com, an article published 6/16/2009 discusses this. Check out the link below for detailed information on this upcoming technology.

USB 3.0 on Toms Hardware

Acer AL1912 19" LCD monitor

I purchased this monitor about 3 years ago when we moved into our new house. My wife wanted something small to have in the kitchen for her computer, and it takes up a LOT less room than the old standard tube monitors we used to have. As a 19" monitor, it does reasonably well. It doesn't have the resolution capabilities of more expensive models, so if you;re looking for super high resolution, this is NOT the monitor for you. It is also not widescreen. I prefer the standard 4x3 as I do a lot of work in Excel and Word, and widescreens make it much less user friendly as I spend half of the day scrolling to find data in my documents.

Technical Details:

1,280 x 1,024 native resolution, fine 0.294 mm dot pitch
Wide 140-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles
250 nits of brightness, 500:1 contrast ratio, 16 ms response time
Simple setup; supports optional wall mount
PC compatible; 3-year warranty

I run mine at 1280x1024 32bit 72 Hertz. I always up the frequency above 60 Hertz as I have an issue with 60Hz and lower that it causes headaches. Yes, my eyes are that sensitive. With these setting, I have excellent results. The autoconfig function does a really good job of setting the screen dead center. The adjustability through the user controls are a little tricky, but very simple once you get used to them, and truthfully, I don't change them once I get them set. (Who really does??).

I purchased mine from TigerDirect.com (still my favorite electronics retailer) and had zero issues. There are no dead pixels, even after 3 years. The colors are crisp (at least enough for me) and I have not experienced any blur in videos or gaming.

If you're in the market for a very functional and inexpensive 19" monitor, I would highly recommend the Acer brand. I am currently in the market to a pair of 22-24" monitors, and they are definitely in the running with my past and current experiences.