NEC LCD2080UX or Viewsonic VP201b or VP211b?

[Betelgeuse]

I want to upgrade my ageing Sony 400Ps that's been going down the drain for the last year or so to a new display. Been researching what to get for a few weeks now and I think I narrowed it down the the above three monitors. I thought of getting a CRT but I've had so many problems buying CRTs before (numerous returns before getting a decent one) that I don't want to go that route, besides I crave ultimate sharpness in text and I think LCDs provide that. My requirements are native 1600x1200 resolution and decent game performance (i.e. low ghosting.) I've tried the Samsung 213T and it had horrible ghosting in some games, hopefully one of these 3 monitors will be better. Which one would you recommend?

[az]

The 2080UX. Hands down. This is one of the best 20" TFTs out there, along with the sharp and the EIZO, which both cost a lot more. It's got everything you want, and a beautiful picture. The only downside is that it takes a little more depth than most LCDs and doesn't look very good from the side, but who cares?

I want one, too. Or three

AZ

[Gurm]

What's the pixel response on this unit? Everything over 17" in size jumps up to "unplayably slow", or so I thought.

Gpar_

[az]

It's 25ms, but, as I've read, since it's an IPS panel, it "feels" faster - because pixel response times are a lot SLOWER when you don't go from full white to full black or vice versa, and those times are faster on IPS than on MVA panels (though still slower than full on-off times). The NEC uses an S-IPS panel.

I've heard it's perfectly adequate for casual gamers, and even OK for hardcore gamers.

AZ

[Betelgeuse]

So what kind of panels does Viewsonic use? I know that the Samsung has PVA which is a modification of MVA and those ghost pretty badly.

[az]

I don't know off-hand, could check if you want. But I know viewsonics aren't really very good, and certainly not as excellent as the 2080UX.

AZ

[az]

The 201b is MVA, the 211b is "active Matrix TFT". Very informative.

AZ

[Betelgeuse]

Originally posted by az
The 201b is MVA, the 211b is "active Matrix TFT". Very informative.

AZ

Thanks much az. I've never used any Viewsonic LCDs only their CRTs and I hated them
BTW, where can you find info like this? I e-mailed Viewsonic and they never replied to my query about the panels they used, just the rise/fall times.

[az]

Just visit their site

Usually, for the details they don't put up on their site, they have a PDF for you to dl. In viewsonic's case, though, it doesn't contain any more info than the website.

AZ

[Betelgeuse]

Hmm, hard to find that info esp. about the Viewsonic models. It's nowhere on their site. The only thing that the NEC seems to lack in is the contrast ration, it's spec'd at 350:1, dunno if it's a problem or not. But it does look like a very nice unit.

[az]

Contrast ratio is overrated. What really matters is how much the contrast changes when moving in front of the screen, a figure you'll not find in manufacturer's specs, but I assure you the 2080 is good in that regard (probably the viewsonics too, as all modern panels are). 350:1 is still 2-3 times better than any CRT.

AZ

[Betelgeuse]

Thanks for the info. I think I'll go with the NEC, I've been leaning towards it anyway. The only thing that is still holding me from committing 100% is the possibility of faster displays coming out soon, but then again there're always better things around the corner in this field.

[Zao]

Is there a big difference between the VP201m and VP201b?
I'm wondering because my dad uses the M version at work, and it ghosts a bit bad when scrolling on websites or doing otherwise drastical stuff.
It's great for the CAD / CAM stuff he's doing though.

[az]

They use different panels, so they're not comparable.

See what I found on their website on the 201m:

3X speed-LCD display
ViewSonic's innovative 3X-LCD display utilizes an advanced liquid crystal panel technology to dramatically improve video response up to three times faster than existing wide-viewing-angle LCD technology. The result is superior picture clarity and perfect focus — even when viewing moving images.

Their whole website is full of marketing drivel with little facts.. bah!

AZ

[Chrono_Wanderer]

ever considerd ViewSonic's VX2000?

it has native 1600x1200 support, DVI, and I think it is more-or-less a modernized VP201