This week, I replaced my 8-year-old, $1200, 17" CRT monitor with a brand-new, $350, 22" widescreen LCD monitor. I'm very happy with it.
The History
When I bought the ViewSonic MB90 monitor eight years ago, it had so many features I figured it was the optimal product, though pricey. It included four USB ports, microphone and stereo speakers, mic and speaker jacks, and a woofer in the base. But...
- the USB ports were v1.1, and don't support today's faster USB v2 peripherals.
- the ports were located around the back, which made them inconvenient for plugging devices in and out.
- the USB ports did not work when the monitor was turned off; I found that out when print jobs mysteriously stopped mid-page.
- the mic and the speakers couldn't be on at the same time, one creating feedback noise for the other.
- the stereo speakers and woofer were no match for my office sound system.
About the only feature I ended up using was its 1600x1200 resolution, and even then only sometimes for desktop publishing. At that resolution, the system fonts get too small, so I usually ran the monitor at 1280x1024.
(Yes, I know that Windows can increase the size of system fonts; my dad uses 150% on his laptop. But then dialog boxes and buttons get screwed up.)
Over the last year, the image on the screen began to become flawed. I'd see gray horizontal bands -- not troubling, but still a sign of age. So I knew I'd be able to justify a new LCD screen for myself. After all, the other three desktop computers here already have LCDs -- including a six year-old 14" LCD that originally cost me $1500+tax.
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