Entry Level Buyer’s Guide, July 2005

Display and Speaker Recommendations

The display market - at least for budget displays - is really stagnating. New CRTs are basically non-existent and budget LCDs are hard to come by unless you want two-year-old technology (which is a long time in LCD terms). The 14 and 15 inch LCDs start at around $175 new, and with their fixed resolution of 1024x768, we'd prefer a 17" model. Here then are our recommendations.

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Budget Display Recommendation: Samsung 793DF 17" CRT
Price: $153 shipped (Retail)

With supplies of competing monitors now becoming scarce, the 793DF remains one of the few viable options for budget displays. The ivory model is available for $143, but we prefer the looks of the two-tone model shown above. If you like the plain white more, you can save that $10. The features are good overall, but we're sad to see the disappearance of quality aperture grille CRTs like the NEC FE771SB. Many people won't notice, but the tubes in the 793DF are still slightly curved. The ideal resolution for 17" CRTs is either 1024x768 at 85Hz refresh rate or 1152x864 with a 75Hz refresh rate. We prefer the slightly increased screen size of the latter, but some prefer a higher refresh rate. While it supports 1280x1024, the 60Hz refresh rate bothers many people, and we would stay away from it.

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Upgraded Display Recommendation: Polyview V17E 17" 14ms LCD
Price: $210 shipped (Retail)

We're doing our best to incorporate a decent LCD into the budget recommendations, and the Polyview V17E manages to qualify, though we do have some reservations. The good aspects are that the response times are sufficient for most people (though we're not sure who makes the 14ms panel) and the display has a DVI input (as well as VGA should you go with a setup that lacks a DVI output). The manufacturer's replacement policy for dead pixels isn't the greatest, but at least it's clearly defined: 4 or more dark/bright pixels, 6 or more pixel defects, 2 or more sets of defective adjacent pixels, or 3 or more defective adjacent pixels, with "adjacent" meaning within a 1cm area. We've used quite a few LCDs, and pixel defects are becoming relatively uncommon, so hopefully you never need to worry about the warranty. A single bright pixel in the center of your display can be quite annoying, however, so be forewarned that there's a risk. The overall quality of the display in terms of contrast and colors is decent, though not the best, but that's to be expected of one of the cheapest 17" LCDs around.

If you want some other alternatives for an upgraded display, our top pick would be to spend around $300 on a 19" display. The Acer 1914SMD 8ms model performed very well when I used a couple in the past month, and both displays were free of pixel defects. Several other 19" LCDs are available in the $250 to $350 range, but we'd look for 16ms or lower response times and DVI input. Rebates on two models at Newegg even drop the price to under $250 for a 19" LCD, but we don't particularly care for mail-in rebates. The Dell FP1905FP is another good model that can often be found on sale, sometimes for under $300.

On the CRT side of things, you can still find the Samsung 997DF and it's a decent but not great CRT - it has similar issues to the 793DF, but at higher resolutions. We'd prefer the NEC FE991SB, but with availability declining and the price near that of 19" LCDs, you're better off with an LCD. Refurbished CRTs may be something else to consider, and with luck and perseverance, you can even find 21/22" models for under $200, some of which offer better specs than the current batch of large CRTs.

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Upgraded Speaker Recommendation: Logitech Z-3e
Price: $71 shipped (Retail)

You'll see on the next page why we skipped the budget speaker selection. For our upgraded speakers, we're going with a higher quality 2.1 setup instead of the 5.1 configuration that we've recommended in the past. It's really a matter of preference to which you want. Gamers might want 5.1 audio while those who listen to MP3s or watch movies on their PC will generally prefer better quality 2.1 audio over cheap 5.1 setups. The X-530 is still a reasonable choice, and the speakers are actually cheaper than the Z-3 speakers that we list here.

Besides offering better tonality and response curves, the Z-3 is more convenient to set up than a 5.1 configuration - finding space for 5 speakers around your PC can be difficult for many people. The included volume control allows you to place the speakers further away from your monitor while keeping the controls close at hand, and a headphone port also allows you to tune out the rest of the world - or allow the rest of the house to sleep as the case may be. If you want to go with a less expensive setup yet still want decent sound, the Logitech X-230 can be had for around $37 - half as much as the Z-3e. We're not entirely clear on what the differences between the various Z-3 models are, so if you can find the Z-3 or Z-3i for less money than the Z-3e, we see no reason to get one over another. (Feel free to enlighten me if there's a good reason other than looks to buy one model over another.)