LCD Help

[skynet]

I haven't been keeping up with my hardware lately, but LCDs look like they are getting cheap enough to play with one.

What is the equivalent in LCD compared to CRT of DPI and Refresh Rate? What are some things to look out for?

[PrObLy]

DPI and refresh rate do not matter on an LCD because, the DPI will depend on its native resolution and the size of the monitor. The LCD's actually have those pixels on the monitor instead of where a CRT shoots them up there at varying sizes. The refresh rate really doesn't matter either because there is no flicker on an LCD monitor, the pixels are essentially always on (unless if they are off, black).

Things to look for on an LCD monitor are the response time, the lower the better. This prevents ghosting and tearing during higher framerate applications/games.
Also the contrast ratio and brightness, the higher these ratios, the more vibrantly the monitor will be able to show colors.
Also check out the viewing angle (both horizontal and vertical) of the monitor...a greater viewing angle means it will be easy to view and read and the colors will be more consistent from wider angles.
You may also be interested in an LCD with a DVI (digital) input as it's higher quality than an SVGA connection. I haven't witnessed one, so I can't vouch for the amount of improvement it makes.

Things to LOOK OUT FOR on an LCD are usually dead or stuck pixels. They can get incredibly annoying , especially if close to the center of the monitor. I have one pixel stuck on blue, it is only noticable when there is a dark, near black background though.

Also, the advertised contrast ratio and brightness may not be accurate. I read that there is several methods the companies use to test this, so their numbers may be exaggerated compared to the "real" contrast ratio. I also think there was a review posted somewhere on different brands of LCD manufacturers and which ones performed closest their advertised contrast and brightness ratios.

[skynet]

Excellent information! Thank you very much, this is exactly what I was looking for.