I bought a Sony ES200 CRT recently. Picture is dull. I upped the B+, but still need to crank the contrast ratio to 100%. I miss my bright LCD, so I bought a 1600x1200 20".

These CRT's don't fit on my desk well. 🤣

Represent!

Some kind of 19" Dell CRT for non-standard resolutions (all of the LCDs I've tried crap out when fed weird stuff, like ATI Rage's 512x384, or 640x400).

And for the old consoles, a Sony Trinitron KV32FS100. Great teevee.

My retro-gaming CPU (AMD K6-2 @500MHz, 256MB RAM, Voodoo 3000) does in fact still use a CRT (17"). Simply because that's what was bought for it originally, and as long as it works, why would I change? The system is getting very little use in recent years, so the monitor is still in good shape.

The computer runs Win98 SE and boots into pure DOS by default. When Windows is loaded, I use the somewhat odd 1152x864 resolution, because it seems a good balance between screen space and visibility of elements.

In my main PC I still have a 19" CRT for secondary monitor and use it daily. Mainly for retro (via emulators) gaming, watching TV (USB DTV stick, SD signal), chatting etc etc.

I intentionally put it there, before this I had a second 24" 1920x1200.
But oh god, after an hour of chatting my eyes BURN! Something that doesn't happen when retro-gaming, so it's not the refresh rate the problem, but the text sharpness.

I got rid of my last CRT's a few years ago. I just don't have the space. However, I have a Viewsonic VX-922 4:3 1280x1024 flatpanel that I use on all my retro rigs. It has a true 2ms (not just gray to gray) response time and has handled every resolution I've ever attempted with it including EGA resolutions like 640x350 and 720x540. I've been quite happy with it as a replacement for my old CRT's.

Don't have the space on my main desk for a CRT, but I do still have a few CRTs kicking around. Namely, a Compaq 171FS and a Starlogic 17" (forget the model # off the top of my head) that I use for my retro desktops. Both are very sharp and very clear, but, most important of all, they work perfectly. 😎 Also have the original 14" CRT that came with my P60 rig (my Packard Bell Legend 300CD) which I don't use because the picture isn't the best in the world. And a bucketful of LCDs, most of which sit around and do nothing. In case you're wondering, my main rig is using a Samsung SyncMaster BX2231 21.5" LED full HD monitor which has worked flawlessly ever since I bought it new in the fall of 2010. It's also really nice for older games, since it doesn't stretch the picture on square resolutions.

I had many CRTs: 14 to 21". Now I have none. Once I have a new house et cetera I may pick up some for my DOS machines again.

After awhile of being LCD only, and killing a few LCD's with the obnoxious graphics modes a old VLB VESA video card on a 486 can throw out, I went back to using classic 14-15" CRT monitors again.

For my 486 I picked up a CTX digital control monitor from 1994 for free off Craigslist. Some guy had been using it to test modern video cards with, it was a perfect match for that system as it's crisp and clear. I have no idea what model it is though. But it's finally nice to be able to use some of the more oddball modes in GFXII without issues.

I also just recently found a neighbor was throwing out a perfectly good old IBM SVGA monitor from the late 90's/early 2000's, little 15" thing, probably made by Tatung. I'm using that with the 286 even though it's not a match.

I wish I could find a Tandy CM2, CM3, CM4, or CM5 for my Tandy 1000 though. Seems the well has dried up on 9-pin monitors, and when you do find one, they cost a premium nowadays.

I have a rule of thumb I religiously stick with: anything pre-HDTV era [including original xbox, that was NOT an HD gaming console regardless what some people seem to think] gets connected to my CRT TV's and/or monitors, and anything post-HDTV gets connected to HDTV and/or LCD monitor.

I have 2 CRT Sony Trinitron TV's used for all my retro game consoles and Super VHS VCR's. Commodore 1702 CRT monitor for my Commodore 64 and 19" CRT monitor for my DOS 486 PC, and a CRT monitor for my "Old" Windows 9x games gaming PC. For my modern PC I have an LCD monitor, and for bluray and modern consoles a 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV.

Chaniyth wrote:

I have 2 CRT Sony Trinitron TV's used for all my retro game consoles and Super VHS VCR's. Commodore 1702 CRT monitor for my Commodore 64...

I'm using a little Sony Trinitron TV for my C64 and have been happy with it, but I do wonder how it would compare to an actual Commodore monitor - is there a significant difference?

I use mostly CRTs for my old stuff but if I do it uses up a lot of desk space. I have a late 90's NEC LCD monitor that I use with my windows 98 though.

For my IBM 5150: An IBM 5151 of course!
For my XT clone box: A no-name amber mobochrome monitor.
For Tandy and Amiga: Commodore 1084S 14"
For Apple IIgs/MSX2/Spectrum/others: Sony PVM-1442QM 14"
For my middle-aged PCs (486 - P3): A Dell P1130 21" Trinitron (aperture grille)
For my vintage Macs: Hitachi CM771 19" (shadow mask)
For my pre-PS3/360 consoles: Sony PVM-2950QM 29"
For my workbench: Mitsubishi 14" Multisync (MDA/CGA/EGA/VGA), and Sony PVM-9045QM 9" (RGBs, S-Video, composite).

The only LCDs are on my modern system: A 27" iMac in target display mode, and two 22" panels (Dell and Acer), one either side of the iMac.

Nothing but a CRT would feel right with a 90's era PC.

It has to be a good CRT though. I feel like the quality of displays has become more uniform with LCDs (probably because with an all digital design, there cannot be problems with geometry). That said I never found the cheaper LCDs particularly great, probably because there's something about the softness of CRTs that makes them easier on my eyes. Apple's so-called Retina displays have finally solved this for me. My eyes don't hurt at the sight of pixels when looking at those. It's probably a combination of the graphics and pixel density. Somehow CRTs never had that problem, even at lower resolutions.

I also think CRTs were great for high-fps gaming. Get one that can do 85-120 Hz refresh and it'll trounce pretty much every LCD I ever saw.

I'm on a 17" Hyundai DeluxScan 7695 and a 19" Hitachi CM772 for my retro rigs. I favor the DeluxScan because it'll do 1280x1024 at 100 Hz and it still has plenty of reserve on both contrast and brightness. The CM772 can muster even more impressive figures but it's just so big...

badmojo wrote:

Chaniyth wrote:

I have 2 CRT Sony Trinitron TV's used for all my retro game consoles and Super VHS VCR's. Commodore 1702 CRT monitor for my Commodore 64...

I'm using a little Sony Trinitron TV for my C64 and have been happy with it, but I do wonder how it would compare to an actual Commodore monitor - is there a significant difference?

There's a massive difference when using the "S-Video" [Chroma/Luma/Audio] cable for the 1701 or 1702 monitors with the C64. Crystal clear image, very beautiful, and more crisp than the composite cables. 😎

I still use a Dell P991 CRT monitor for my old PC but switched to flatscreen monitors on my main pc years ago. Right now I have a Dell UltraSharp U2414H.

No CRTs here. I dropped my 19" off at the recycle pile years ago. I kinda miss it for using with old 3D hardware, but I don't want its bulk around.

I have a Sony G400 (19'') for my old rig, but for testing I use a LG flatron (LCD) 15''.

I only have three retro monitors left. An IBM 5151 MDA, an IBM 5154 EGA and an IBM 5175 PGA which needs repairs. I recently ditched two Commodore 1084s and a Sony Trinitron 15" because I was tired of hauling them around. Probably best to hold onto tube monitors if you can though...I just didn't have the room.

I currently have two CRT monitors in use.

The first one is an HP D2842A, which I found in a trash bin where I work. Since I'm fortunately a SysAdmin, I put it on the empty desk beside mine and use it when testing and setting up systems.

The second is some (AOC?) CRT that I use for all of my retrocomputers at home because my main desk isn't big enough.

Even when playing modern games, I find that every non-4k (or higher) LCD and LED display that I've used looks like crap in comparison to a decent CRT. There's something about how the technology does free anti-aliasing for you that makes it all look rich and smooth. Another thing that helps about the later multisync CRT monitors is that they can display any resolution well. Both CRTs make 640x480 and 80x25 text mode look pleasant, which is something that can't be said of all but one modern monitor I've used.

Besides that, I have a Magnavox/Phillips 37MS3404/17, which is going to replace a c. 1999 Trinitron as my main TV. The phillips has the uncanny ability to make every single signal regardless of input type look awesome, and features quite a bit less geometry distortion than the Trinitron.

You couldn't extort me into using a flat panel.

G220fb for life 😀