I am seriously considering buying this monitor. But I am no expert at monitors, nor their specifications. I was wondering what everyone thinks of this monitor.
http://shop2.outpost.com/product/3208011/

hmm I've never heard of GEM ..

You should consider a CRT, hitachi makes 19 inch models for $225, and it is extremely space-saving

My whole point of getting a new monitor is getting flatpanel. If it wasn't for that, I already have a 22 inch monitor, that is pretty good, a 17 inch that works very good, and a crapy 15 inch. But my objective is to get a flatpanel.

Originally posted by netacore
hmm I've never heard of GEM ..

You should consider a CRT, hitachi makes 19 inch models for $225, and it is extremely space-saving


I agree 100% Get a nice flat screen CRT. LCD'S are a waist of money. BUT If you want a LCD spend some money and get a good one. Viewsonic, NEC companies like these make good products.

You get what you pay for.

Good Luck

Originally posted by JMD



I agree 100% Get a nice flat screen CRT. LCD'S are a waist of money. BUT If you want a LCD spend some money and get a good one. Viewsonic, NEC companies like these make good products.

You get what you pay for.

Good Luck True, but I don't plan on spending $1000 dollars for a freakin monitor. I'd rather buy an offbrand with a longer warranty, and save money...

I personally have never heard of GEM but that doesn't make them a bad choice either. I would first ask what your intentions are for the display? Will it be for office applications, graphics programs, games, etc.? I do know that LCD displays are not good at all for gaming. I would do some research on the company GEM to make sure they are reputable and have no problems with returns/exchanges should that be needed. Also check out this site for some pretty good reviews of LCD and CRT monitors...

http://www4.tomshardware.com/display/index.html

Overall, the specs of the monitor do look to be pretty good.

Not alot of gaming, probably for graphics and other web uses...

You don't have to pay 1000 dollars for a freeking monitor. You can get a real nice 19 inch for 500 Canadian dollars 300 American.

GEM I have never heard of watch out for cheep brands

Cheers

My opinions on Flat monitors and TVs....
Cut a whole in the wall, and slide it in. It works great. Saves money, and space.

You're telling me I can get a namebrand flatpanel 19 inch monitor for $300?

Yes a CRT Flat screen.(not a flat panel) I can get a good name brand 19 inch flat screen 19 inch for around 500 to 550 Canadian. They have come down in price.


Take my advice. DO not buy a cheep monitor, you will regret it later.

Cheers

flat *screen*. I want a flat *panel*. That is my whole point of switching monitors.

ok then my advice to you is. Buy a good one. Spend the money and buy a name brand monitor that has a good rep. If you buy cheep and a no name you will regret it. That's all Im saying.

Good luck

PS Flat panels are way over rated and way to expencive.

Just my opinion. I do allot of cad work, and I use a flat screen CRT Viewsonic. It rocks.:)

Again, we come to the same place, I don't want to spen $1000 dollars for a flatpanel.

Well, here's my take on the topic. I just tried to search for GEM products including the company by that name and have found nothing. Using Google, Price Watch, and many other sites, the results come up empty. This doesn't mean they are nowhere to be found. I would call Outpost and see what they know about them. Ask them what have the returns been on those monitors, if any.

Also, GEM may just be the brand of the monitor. For example, NEC years ago used to sell computers. They were pretty good machines but there was one issue. They weren't made by NEC. They were made by Digital and stamped with the NEC logo. It was a way for NEC to get their name out in the market without having to produce the equipment themselves. I'm sure both companies worked out some agreement on profits or maybe NEC just bought the rights to have their name displayed on Digital equipment. In any case, it is possible GEM is actually Viewsonic (just an example). Unlikely since it's hard to find anything regarding them but it is possible.

My final take on this... If you feel comfortable with the product, then go for it. I haven't heard of them so I can't completely review the monitor as good or bad. Be cautious no matter what. Outpost is a reputable company so you're not going wrong there. My only concerns would be that there really isn't any information on the Internet about 'GEM' and there is nothing stating warranty information on this product on Outpost's site.

Good luck.

I'm using an LCD monitor, this one in fact - http://au.hercules.com/products/pview720/features_pview720.php.

My other monitor is a 17" Mitsubishi Flatscreen. The LCD is clearer, the image is closer to you (by that I mean it doesn't look like it's a centimetre behind the screen surface, it looks as though it's actually on the surface, which makes a remarkable difference), and a 15" LCD screen is actually just as large as a 17" CRT. The big bonus is that the LCD uses far less desk space, as flat screen CRTs are very bulky. They also have much lower radiation.

Drawbacks are that the colour on the LCD isn't quite perfect. Some greys look a little green (rather like they're done in 16-bit colour even though the colour is on 32-bit). There is also a little motion blurring, although on higher refresh rates it's not as noticeable. Your eyes also adjust to the slightly off colour greys and blurring after a little while, so that it's hardly noticeable. Later LCD monitors have vastly improved in terms of cost, colour quality and motion blurring. The one I have is really fantastic, especially in the looks department!

All I'd recommend is not getting the cheap ones. They're running them out the door for a reason, and that's because the next models up are significantly better. Look for one with high contrast and brightness ratio, they make quite a difference to the clarity of picture.

The most important thing is to make sure it has a response time of no more than 40ms. Any more and you'll have too much blurring. I'd be trying to get something like 30-35. Problem is that many of the specs are deceptive in that they'll list the minimum response time rather than the average. But blurring is perhaps the biggest drawback of an LCD. At 30ms, which mine apparently is (although they seem to have steadily lowered their specs over the last few months from 35 to < 30), there is still some blurring of scrolling text.

Quality varies across brands. LG are supposed to be good, although apparently their latest offering left something to be desired. I'd recommend reading a lot of reviews and picking them based on that, as its hard to try before you buy, and you may land yourself with a poor monitor for a lot of money if you can't be confident that it's good. I picked mine after reading a review in a computer magazine. Tom's Hardware (http://www.tomshardware.com) had a good review also.

As for GEM, I haven't heard of them either. But I'd be wary buying from an unknown brand as I mentioned above. I would also want to inspect the monitor before buying, because broken pixels are an issue with LCDs, and apparently most manufacturers won't refund unless you have up to 4 or 8 broken pixels, which is quite ridiculous. I'd recommend buying from a store where you can see the monitor in action first.

If you are doing graphics work, do it on a medium that most people use, CRT. Color is very different on a LCD. I wouldn't want to do any graphics on a LCD.

I'd love to code on a LCD. I wish I had the luxury...

Lawrence,
I really appreciate your responce, comments, and suggestions. Thanks alot.

Also has anyone heard of ENVISION?

What pitch is reccommended?

If the price was right, would you buy one off ebay? From a user that has 71 positivees, and 1 negative?

Looks like I've found them searching on www.google.com

http://www.gemca.com/
http://www.gemca.com/gl180tua.html

Originally posted by iamdave
If the price was right, would you buy one off ebay? From a user that has 71 positivees, and 1 negative?

I'd still probably want to inspect the monitor first, because they can have problems out of the box as I mentioned above. But maybe if you can contact the seller and ask about broken pixels. That many positives and you might be able to risk trusting them on their answer.

As for dot pitch, I'm not sure to be honest. It doesn't seem to be a common stat for LCD monitors from what I've seen. Seems to be more a CRT thing. I'm not even precisely sure what dot pitch measures, or its units.

I'm not even precisely sure what dot pitch measures, or its units.
dots :stickout

Originally posted by netacore

dots :stickout

OK, yes, I figured that much :D

I'm guessing it's the smallest width of pixels that the monitor can handle? In millimetres perhaps?

Most LCDs are always on 1024x768. You can adjust them to 800x600, but it's actually just 1024x768 interlaced to look like 800x600, so it looks a little blurry.

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions. I decided to take your advice and buy a name brand monitor. I am purchasing the SONY SDM-S81 Monitor. It has all the nice stuff in it.
Tell me what you guys think.http://www.sonystyle.com/vaio/displays/sdm_s81.shtml

Sorry guys, the monitor is SDM-M81.
http://www.sonystyle.com/vaio/displays/sdm_m81.shtml

What's the difference between responce time and fall time?

I just bought an Envision 19" flat monitor at Compusa for $250.00. I think that it's the best bargain out there now for a flat 19" CRT.
The only other CRT flat monitor that can keep up with it at 1600X1200 resolution is the Sony. The Samsung, Viewsonic and others cannot run at that resolution with a refresh rate of 85Hz! It's an incredible monitor for the money.

I also have a Samsung 955DF 19" flat.

WOW 1600X1200 at 85 hz that's amazing. What card are you running with this monitor

I just bought myself a Samsung 171P (http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1046) after doing a lot of research. It's definitely not cheap but IMHO it's worth it (especially if you looking at a screen for 10+ hours a day). I used to have a 17'' Sony G200 which is not bad, but it can not stand in the shadow of this one.

I selected the 171P because it has a much higher luminocity, contrast, viewing angles and response times than the other TFT's. Compare those values when you are checking on a new TFT, because these numbers are improving fast and some manufactorers sell old screens. In addition it got a digital and analog connection.

The main advantage of the good TFT's is the sharpness (when run at the native resolution off course). For the really shocking quality improvement: get Windows XP and switch on ClearType (http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/default.htm). It's an awsome type of subpixel anti-aliasing (http://grc.com/ctwhat.htm). Jacob Nielsen states that it will save you $2000 a year (http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20020203.html) ;)

The main disadvantage is color (although the 171P is great) and response time. Cheaper panels have response times which are too slow to play games on. Luckily I like programming much better than playing games :cartman:

I personally have an ATI AIW Radeon 32DDR and a Gforece 3 ti200(overclocked). However I tested the screens out at CompUsa on the computer that was running their breakout box system and got those results right in the store!
Only the Sony could keep up with it , the others would not display. The Sony was selling for around $500.00! Nice monitor but it's not necessary to pay that much it you are watching your money. The Envision really surprised me.

I use a MAG Innovision 986FS 19" Flat Screen monitor with a maximum resolution of 1600x1200. Currently set at 1024x768. More than enough for what I need and at $150 at Best Buy, well worth every penny.

Originally posted by iamdave
What's the difference between responce time and fall time?

As far as I know, rise time is the time taken for a pixel to appear, fall time for it to disappear and response time the total of the two.

Originally posted by iamdave
What pitch is reccommended? Anything but sales pitch

$1200 for a monitor. :rolleyes:

Originally posted by R Doherty
$1200 for a monitor. :rolleyes: I'm not paying that much.