- Like Apples and Oranges
- Taking it to the Mat: LCD vs. CRT
- Entertain me
- To LCD or not to LCD: Is that a question?
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To LCD or not to LCD: Is that a question?
It's a challenge to describe the UltraSharp without sounding like a zealot or an infomercial. But remember, I bought this monitor on my own—Dell didn't give it to me or even send me a loaner to try out. The fact is that if they had, I'd probably have refused to give it back. Keep your eye out for Dells on sale, because if you're lucky you can pick up the 24" model for about $1000. You can also find the Dell 20.1" LCD on sale for less than a 22" CRT, and the funny thing is the LCD has a larger viewable area. The UltraSharp 2405FPW isn't quite as elegant looking as Apple's 23" Cinema Display, but it's cheaper, has an extra inch of screen area, and its height can be raised or lowered.
As I mentioned, the Dell's display can also be rotated 90 degrees to accommodate Word documents, spreadsheets or long web pages. The 2405FPW wide aspect allows me to work on larger images in Photoshop without having to hide any palettes and colors look rich and vibrant, especially after I calibrated it with a Spyder 2. If you're working in print you may want to consider something like LaCie's $1599 321 20.3" LCD, for the highest color accuracy.
But, here's the bottom line: I'll be keeping my new baby (the Dell LCD) and never go back to a CRT. I might even add a second Dell LCD for a dual monitor setup—I just hope my wife is open to the idea of twins.