Digital Monitor vs. Analog Monitor

Question

I ordered an XPS 400 and it came with the 19" flat panel analog monitor. Would it be wise to spend a little more money and get the digital version? I'm not going to use my monitor for movie watching, I plan on getting a LCD TV and hook that up thorugh my video card. But I do a lot of gaming. Is there a big difference?

Thanks

XPS 400

Pentium D Processor 930 with Dual Core Tech (3.0 GHz, 800 FSB)
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 Memory at 533MHz (4 x 512MB)
160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
Dual Drives: 16x DVD ROM/16x DVD +/- RW
Flat Panel E193FP 19" Monitor
Gigabyte Geforce 6800GS 256MB/256 Bit Graphics Card
A525 Stereo Speakers with Subwoofer
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Gamer Edition Sound Card
13 in 1 Media Card Reader
Genuine Windows XP Media Center 2005 Edition

Message Edited by hellerusa on 01-19-2006 06:46 AM

SR45 · Answer

Analog has come a long way in improving the picture you see on the screen, but its advisable to have DVI ( Digital ) for a cleaner, clearer picture on the monitor, and some state they can see the difference.   If it does not cost all that much more, I would get the digital for future proofing the entire system.  Many video cards out today have both analog and digital connectors, but who knows someday, a vendor may only have the digital connector on their video card and then you cannot use this card because you only have analog on the monitor.  Just my opinion

VCraig · Answer

hellerusa..

You should also consider the LCD's response time for gaming purposes. You need a 16ms or less (the speed that pixels can turn on and off) LCD monitor (such as the Dell 2001FP) to ensure no smearing of the image....and the cheaper Dell LCD (DVI) monitors are 24ms or greater. Also be aware that true black color isn't possible with LCD's due to the backlight (more like a dark grey), whereas CRT's just blank the screen to get the black color.

Message Edited by VCraig on 01-19-2006 12:37 PM

hellerusa · Answer

Thanks for your input. I called Dell today and upgraded to the Digital monitor. It was $80 more. I don't know if that is a lot, but it didn't seem too bad. And I think you make a good point about having it for future use.   Tony

CTskydiver · Answer

[Sorry, having some connectivity issues tonight.] Message Edited by CTskydiver on 01-20-2006 03:14 AM

CTskydiver · Answer

You can see for yourself the difference between Analog and Digital if you have a monitor with one of each inputs, and a video card with one of each output (like the Dell/nVidia Geforce 6800).  Just connect the monitor to the GPU with both cables; and set up your display properties in 'Clone' mode.  Then just use the toggle button on the display to switch back and forth between analog and digital.  Voila!

hellerusa · Answer

Thanks for all the info guys. Vcraig, I wish I would of saw your post earlier. I already ordered my digital monitor (1905FP), and I just looked and it has a 25ms response time. But then again, the next monitor up is the 2001FP and that would of cost $230 more on top of the $80 I already paid to upgrade. I've already spent too much building this computer. My wife will probably shot me when she finds out. And I'll try that test CTskydiver, and see how much difference there is. Thanks again everyone!   XPS 400Pentium D Processor 930 with Dual Core Tech (3.0 GHz, 800 FSB)2GB Dual Channel DDR2 Memory at 533MHz (4 x 512MB)160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)Dual Drives: 16x DVD ROM/16x DVD +/- RWUltra Sharp 1905FP 19' Digital Flat Panel MonitorGigabyte Geforce 6800GS 256MB/256 Bit Graphics CardA525 30 Watt Stereo Speakers with SubwooferSound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Gamer Edition Sound Card13 in 1 Media Card ReaderGenuine Windows XP Media Center 2005 Edition

SR45 · Answer

Just an opinion....  I have the 25 ms response time on my monitor, and I don't see a ghosting problem what so ever, but my eyes are older now and may play a part in this.  Some 25 ms monitors do very well, and some do not.  Good luck

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Digital Monitor vs. Analog Monitor

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