Life of an LCD monitor???

[thekidrocks]

Here I am, almost 3 years after purchasing a pair of Dell FP1800 18" monitors, and I am thinking they are about to be taken out to pasture.

One has a quirky DVI input, the other has a darker 1/4th of the screen (near the middle no less - makes reading tiresome). That one with the illumination issue is also quite a bit darker than the other one - the adjustments on what should be a twin pair of monitors are way off to compensate (yes, they are side by side).

Irony is - not a single dead or lit pixel on the pair!

Dang, is it about time to upgrade to a new pair? With Dell service what it is, I don't expect them to do anything (these should have a 3 year warranty - not bought with a system).

[AlpineJay]

Really? My Dell 1701FP, I think my first purchase I made from G|A, is six years old (paid 710 back in the day - ouch) and still going strong. I've used it on VGA for about five years and now it's on DVI with zero dead or fixed pixel!

I write it off as being lucky with a good one (I know it's a Samsung unit) but I've seen LCD displays last easily that long so I'm a little surprised that they're flaking out at 3 years.

I do wonder, though, 18" sounds like an odd size and may have been manufactured by someone else other than Samsung (who I believe, along with LG, is the main manufacturer of their panels). In that case, reliability may be sporadic I guess.

But to answer your question, why not upgrade or buy a new one? With 20" models hovering around 500 on a good day, I find that it would be money well spent (even if you go with the 1704FPs @ around 250-300 each).

[cheapchinese]

deal page has a 19" for 199 or 184 for new customers @ buy.com

[thekidrocks]

AlpineJay, I know - only 3 years old! 18" sure was an odd size, but they were a thin frame design (rare back then) - only $500 each on sale - ching! I don't think these are Samsung made... I've used so many Samsungs and there is a difference that I can't put my finger on.

cheapchinese, I know - they are getting dirt cheap!

Well folks, I think it's time to upgrade and be done. I already have a 19" Envision with a stellar picture (blows these away, expecially the one with the illumination issue), but it's not a really thin frame like these are. Too bad, as I could just buy another one for about $300 and have that pair.

Any opinions on the newest Dells? They won't sell to me, but I could have a friend order a pair. With dual monitors, the thinest frame is a key desire - also need a DVI input. I'd want to go with 19" now - these baby-boomer eyes aren't what they used to be :(

[Cheesypuff]

if I remember correctly...the dell 18" were made by LG

[Joshua]

Any opinions on the newest Dells? They won't sell to me, but I could have a friend order a pair.:(

Just curious, why won't they sell to you?

[AlpineJay]

1901FPs have a pretty small bezel. I use it at work and am happy with it.

With the prices of LCDs where they are, I think the 19" units are at a price sweet spot. 20" is still a bit too expensive to me, especially having paid as much as I did for my 17" panel six years ago.

[hapoo]

There is nothing wrong with the lcd display itself, and that part will last forever, but the backlight does go bad after a while. Personally i'd check into getting it fixed, or i would fix it myself.

[thekidrocks]

Well Dell has the 1905FP on sale now (see the deals page). While Dell won't take my order, I can have a friend order a pair of them for me. However that friend happens to be out of town! Worst case, I still have a good performing higher-end 19" Envision monitor with DVI that I can use.

Meanwhile, I've got two buyers for each of my 18" Dells already at $100 each - of course the conditions known. One person does not use the DVI input, the other can live with the illumination issue ( or fix for that matter) for the price.

[thekidrocks]

Just curious, why won't they sell to you?

Dell stopped selling to me quite some time ago - no explaination why. I appear to be blacklisted as all orders vanish, or are cancelled if taken via phone.

[thekidrocks]

i have a 42 inch one... have it for a year... and its still in very good condition!

COOL!

[Joshua]

Maybe they caught you reselling... I'd call 'em up and tell them that you were just ordering for your clients that you do tech support for and that you'll be a good boy from now on.

they'll probably reinstate you.