VOGONS


First post, by AcidJ

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Hi folks, as I'm considering getting a Windows 98 machine with AGP graphics and VGA connectors, I'm a bit undecided about the size of LCD monitors, if either 17'' or 19'' or else, possibly 4:3 aspect ratio.
I know that 5:4 might work as well but I have no experience with that.
What would you recommend?

Cheers!

Reply 1 of 10, by AlexZ

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I would consider LCD only if no CRT monitors are on sale locally. They are usually very cheap like €5-€10 per piece for a late 17"- 19" made in year 2000. If you prefer LCD I would go for 17" and preferably 4:3. Make sure the LCD has double resolution of what you intend to use. If you want 640x480 then you need 1280x960. If you want 800x600 then you need 1600x1200. The former will work for DOS and Windows, the latter only for Windows as 640x480 will be blurred.

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Reply 2 of 10, by Kalle

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Were there actually any 4:3 LCD monitors in that size range? Back in the day I went directly from a 15" LCD to a 20" due to the lack of 4:3 monitors in between. Even those advertised as 4:3 were in fact 5:4 (native res 1280x1024). There might have been a few exceptions, though I guess they were pretty rare.

In general, 15" LCDs have a resolution of 1024x768, and 20" LCDs have 1600x1200.
I'd also consider a graphics card and monitor with DVI to get the sharpest image possible, at least at native resolution.

Reply 3 of 10, by Joseph_Joestar

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If you're going for a CRT monitor, check its specs first to ensure that it supports higher refresh rates at the resolutions that you want to play your games in.

Different people have different tolerance to flicker, but to me, anything below 85 Hz is unbearable on a CRT.

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Reply 4 of 10, by dormcat

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IMHO if you could find a Sony Trinitron or Mitsubishi Diamondtron in a good shape, with a reasonable price, and have ample space to keep it in your room, then go for it.

However, if any of the criteria above couldn't be met, I'd suggest using a 8:5 LCD monitor instead, as in the following video by Phil:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3AG97NhNkY

As a photographer I own two 24" 8:5 (1920 x 1200) monitors: Asus PA249Q and PA248QV. They are designed for photo editing, not gaming, but Win9x games look great on them when pumped up to 1600 x 1200, and DOS games with 320 x 200 resolution have integer (6x) upscaling full screen. Not to mention good 4:3 LCD monitors are harder to find nowadays than good LCD in 5:4, 8:5, or even a good CRT.

Reply 5 of 10, by pixelatedscraps

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I’m in the same situation with my Windows 95/98 build and don’t have the space for a big CRT. I looked for good 4:3 LCDs and general advice is to pick up a non-period correct Dell 2001FP.

I myself went with an old 2002 Eizo model as although it’s not period correct, it temporarily fits the aesthetic of a mid-late 90s build and doesn’t take up too much space. Plus, I literally paid about $3 for it. Once I move house and get a proper man cave m—-I mean, spare guest room—-I’ll aim for a Trinitron or Diamondtron from mid-late 97-98.

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Reply 6 of 10, by AcidJ

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Thanks for all the suggestions guys.
Yes, same situation basically, no space for CRT right now and that's why LCD is my first choice.
I have seen some good deals for both 17'' and 19'' LCDs, however, (I'm no expert in this field)I'm a bit concerned because of the maximum resolution (1280 x 1024) with both VGA and DVI ports (for future use) , overall for the current build (ATI RAGE 128 Pro) it should not be an issue but it might limiting later on.

Reply 7 of 10, by shamino

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Is DOS a factor? If you expect to play DOS 320x200 VGA games with smooth 2D scrolling, keep in mind those run at 72Hz and will stutter on IPS or VA based LCD monitors from the 4:3 era. It happens because those panels require 60Hz and will convert 72->60Hz internally (they advertised 75Hz support but it's only accomplished via conversion). It's only noticeable with 2D scrolling though (to me at least).
TN panels don't have that problem - they can go to 75Hz natively, but they don't look as good otherwise.
CRT solves that issue without compromise, if you can find a good one. There's been forum posts about some modern LCDs that also solve this (faster refresh rates for LCDs came into fashion only a few years ago).

Windows games can run at 60Hz so it's not a problem there.

pixelatedscraps wrote on 2021-09-05, 11:48:

I’m in the same situation with my Windows 95/98 build and don’t have the space for a big CRT. I looked for good 4:3 LCDs and general advice is to pick up a non-period correct Dell 2001FP.

At the moment I'm using a Dell 2001FP on a Win95 Pentium.
The annoyance I've run into is that for some reason it refuses to let me adjust the "sharpness" setting. This is with an analog VGA connection. I'd like to be able to soften the picture but the option is grayed out.
I tried swapping an HP LP2065 and it lets me change the sharpness on analog VGA, but the Dell won't. I have no idea why not - maybe it's only for the Composite/SVideo signals?

I have an even older Dell 2000FP that I might try, hoping it has a working sharpness setting.

Aesthetically I prefer the Dells, and I like that they have Composite/SVideo in case I decide to use those for something.
The LP2065 has dual DVI-I inputs (you have to use an adapter cable to hook analog VGA to it, but you can do that with *both* so you can get dual VGA if desired).

If that doesn't work out, I might switch to the LP2065 just because of the softness setting.

Reply 8 of 10, by chinny22

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For Windows gaming I now think your better off with a new modern screen that allows you to keep the aspect ratio from 640x480 and above.
Most can't do below this so not much use for dos

If playing a mix of dos and windows I think a 17" or 19" is a good compromise. I don't really notice the slight distortion of 5:4 in dos and still gives a bit of room in Windows. where as a true 4:3 15" feels a bit small these days.

Last week I went back to my old 17" Dell 1704FPT because I had to send works 20" widescreens back to the office.
I was shocked how bad the colours were on the old screens. On the plus side I've room for my CRT again 😀

Reply 9 of 10, by dr.zeissler

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L367 has really good colors and does 70/72/75hz just fine, even 800x600 in 50hz is possible (for emulators).
I don't care about 1600*1200 to go for 800x600 because 20" TFT is WAY to big in small VGA-Resolution.
Beside that tft's above 17" tend to smear a lo more, even if the panel has a short rise&fall.

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