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To wide-screen or not to wide-screen

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lanux128:
after maintaining for so long that CRTs are better for gaming, i am forced to make the change to LCD.. thus the need for this thread.. :) i have my eyes for this model: Samsung 931BW and there is also a 'gaming' model - 931CW but somehow i'm not too keen on that. anyway, i have some basic questions regarding model..

• is it better to go wide-screen if i'm not going to watch movies on PC? since i sort of miss the extra height of the normal size..
• if i go for the wide-screen model, will my games be shown stretched?
• this model doesn't come with any extras such as USB ports etc. is this a plus or a minus?
• what is the general feelings of this model, if anyone is using?

Samsung SyncMaster 931BW

nudone:
some games will look correct widescreen and some won't. you'd think by now that all games would have a correct widescreen aspect ratio but they don't. some even claim to have widescreen but really it is just stretched - so there is no way of knowing until you try the game.

but there is help at this website that is all about widescreen gaming http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/ they have a list of games and also talk about methods to force games to be widescreen. many times someone will have wrote a little util to induce the correct aspect ratio.

jgpaiva:
• is it better to go wide-screen if i'm not going to watch movies on PC? since i sort of miss the extra height of the normal size..-lanux128 (November 04, 2007, 10:02 PM)
--- End quote ---
That depends on what you'll be doing.
For regular web browsing, if you usually use the window maximized vertically, you'll notice the lack of vertical screen space. On the other hand, you'll be able to see your desktop of the windows beneath the browser though its sides (since you don't really need to maximize it horizontally).
For coding, i'm pretty sure there's nothing better. You'll be able to see 2 files at the same time,and that's VERY useful ;)

• if i go for the wide-screen model, will my games be shown stretched?
-lanux128 (November 04, 2007, 10:02 PM)
--- End quote ---
Yep, it does happen sometimes (less in more recent games), but i actually prefer most games streched.

• this model doesn't come with any extras such as USB ports etc. is this a plus or a minus?
-lanux128 (November 04, 2007, 10:02 PM)
--- End quote ---
That'd be useful, but definitelly nothing i'd give more importance than the actual quality of the screen.

• what is the general feelings of this model, if anyone is using?
-lanux128 (November 04, 2007, 10:02 PM)
--- End quote ---
I don't have that specific model, but i have a samsung 205bw and love it. The only problem is that my laptop's vga out isn't that good and i sometime see some flicker :( From what i've read, this is solved by using the hdmi interface. Unfortunatelly, my laptop doesn't support it.

f0dder:
I'd stay away from widescreen unless it's specifically for the purpose of watching movies. For anything else, you're better off getting dual regular monitors. And especially for coding.

Wouldn't worry about extras like USB or audio, never used those... but make sure the monitor has a DVI port and not just a standard VGA.

cranioscopical:
after maintaining for so long that CRTs are better for gaming, i am forced to make the change to LCD.. -lanux128 (November 04, 2007, 10:02 PM)
--- End quote ---

I felt the same way for years, until I freed myself from the tyranny of monstrous, desk-eating CRTs :)
I still think CRTs are a bit better but not enough so that I'd switch back.

• is it better to go wide-screen if i'm not going to watch movies on PC? since i sort of miss the extra height of the normal size..
I think that's always a personal preference, it's not my choice. I don't watch movies.

• this model doesn't come with any extras such as USB ports etc. is this a plus or a minus?
None of mine have extra ports, it never mattered to me.

• what is the general feelings of this model, if anyone is using?
FWIW, at one point my wife had a 930 and was perfectly content with that.
I have a couple of 214Ts and am happy with those.

I am a bit nervous of the 'soft' LCD screens when it comes to cleaning them. On the other hand, they don't attract as much crud as a CRT would.

I wish all LCDs came with a 'food, drink, and sneeze repulsion field' ;)

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