Flat Panel Screens OK for CAD?

I love my two Envision 17" side by side. I like my SONY 19" on another system. I want to get an HP widescreen soon. Compared to them all my CRTs look old.

"George Forum" wrote
Thanks George Do you have model numbers for these so I can look at specs etc? Are you using these for regular/prolongued periods of drafting work?
Phil

I use a Proview (cheap?) 17" LCD TFT and it's fine. Needs to be set to 1280x1024 True Color 32-bit to get the best out of it. I use it for several hours a day with no problems.

My computer engineer son helped me pick out a new flat screen monitor. I'm very happy with it. The one aspect of this particular model that sold me was something I don't remember the name of. It does, however, allow for a clear image to be seen whether you are standing directly in front of the monitor or off to the side. Good for when clients are looking over my shoulder. Many monitors have a distorted view when observed from an angle.

LCD's do look a little different at first but you very quickly get used to it. Staring into one for hours is far easier on the eyes than a CRT. And of course they have the full display area per diagonal measurement, so a 17" LCD gives you about the equivalent real estate of a 19" CRT.
I use a Dell 19" (under $300) that's just fine, and it has the capability of rotating as well. Vertical orientation yields a square drawing area in CAD (depending on where you keep your toolbars) which is handy if your drawings are oriented both ways.
Keep in mind wide screen monitors are significantly shorter in height than 4:3's for the same diagonal measurement. For a thousand bucks, Dell has a beatiful 24" monitor that would be a great CAD display.
Have fun! Joe

Hi all

LCDs are excellent for CAD. Make sure you use native resolution or the image will be interpolated resulting in fuzziness. Also, if using analog instead of digital signal input make sure to manually or automatically sync the settings or you may have vertical lines of waviness. I suggest you read the article Clinton G linked to. The upshot is don't buy on specs but instead go to the stores and try out the monitors . Naturally to try the monitors you must follow the above guidelines. I burned a copy of the free utility "Nokia monitor tester" and took it with me into the stores. Compusa, Circuitcity, Staples, and Officemax all allowed me to run the tester. Bestbuy was the only store that would not let me run the tester but then Bestbuy sucks anyway. A couple of years ago I found Samsungs to be the sharpest followed by Sony but that may have changed. I've been using my 19" Samsung for Autocad and love the image quality and ease of strain on the eyes. You can DL a copy of the tester here- can run right from a CD without having to install.

I am using a pair of EN7410e Envision 17" flat panel LCDs side by side on an ATI X850XT PCI Express card on a system I just put together. I particularly like have dual monitors side by side with Hydrovision displaying as one long monitor. Perfect for most prints as the display is now twice as long as it is wide. Each monitor has .875 border so when placed together it is second best and one quarter the price of the HP widescreen I would like to get. I believe I bought the pair on sale for $189 and are now much higher. I have a Sony SDM-HS95P 19" Digital flat panel and an Envision EN-910e 19" CRT on another system and of coarse the SONY looks many times better but sells for $500. I plan on giving away all my CRTs now to make room for LCDs. They are much easier on the eyes when I am at the screen for most of the day sometimes.
George

I have been using a Dell 18" Ultrasharp LCD for several years. Acad, Solidworks etc. I live it and wouldn't trade it.
Rudy

Many thanks to all respondents. This has given me a valuable insight into unknown technology, from the most important analysts available - the users.
Phil

Rudy
I have just been looking at the aspect ratio of the model offered to us 16:10.
This means that a 20" LCD screen is about 10.7" high x 17" wide by my calculations. The height of our current 21" CRTs is 1" greater, useful for the Acad pulldowns and standard toolbars. Is your screen similarly "squat" and if so how do you go on with screen menus etc?
TIA
Phil