Broken Monitor !

GhostToast

Supp. Editor/Admin
Registered
dudes - the horizontal deflector yoke on my monitor went off i think.

all that's left is a thin red line in the middle. i have a replacement monitor but it sucks ass. i want my 20 inches back! so...if anybody out there knows anything on the topic, riddle me this: is it fixable? or must i put up with this craptastic monitor. i have some technical savvy but repairing a monitor is new on my list... and obviously the cost of having someone do it would not be worth it. anyone? please?
 
First off, CRT monitors have some pretty punchy capacitors in them, so I wouldn't go anywhere near trying to crack one open and working on it.

Secondly, sure it can be fixed, but for how much? Call your local PC repair places and ask them if they can do it or if they can reccomend anyone, and see how much it would cost.
 
i have not been in the market to buy a new monitor for a long time. but now i might be. i am calling around to get prices...havent given up, but i am weighing all my options here.

ok. so here's my next question. would you guys recommend an LCD monitor or remain with CRT? i used to think i'd always want to go LCD if i needed to...but do you suffer a quality decline? or is the quality just as good but only if the price is outrageous?

also, i have no clue what features to look for in a monitor besides obviously screen size and resolution capabilities....everything else is greek to me. if anybody has some knowledge in this department, please enlighten me. thank you.
 
I'm totally a cheapass when it comes to monitors. I like to spend as close to $100 as possible. That means sticking with 17" CRT's generally. I'm really enjoying my Samsung Syncmaster 793MB, it's awesome and I got it for $120. My strategy is to shop discount; Overstock.com, clearance sections of retail websites, etc.
 
I just got a 20.1" LCD from Newegg (1600x1200 native resolution) and I LOVE it. But it WAS a bit pricey. You can get a reconditioned CRT for like 1/3 the proce for the same size. Of course, it will weigh 600 lbs and take up most of your desk, but...

Guess it depends on your budget and your usage. I write a ton and alsoplay games at 1600X1200, so the LCD was a perfect fit- I can tilt the screen vertially for documents and play games horizontally. I bought theLCD when my refurbished 21" CRT (which I paid $300 for) crapped out after 18 months of use. Grrrrrrr....