High End Buyer's Guide - September 2004

Monitor

Recommendation: Dell 2001FP
Price: $809 shipped

While there is no doubt that CRT monitors still represent the best value and best performance for gaming, things continue to improve rapidly in flat panel technology. In the past few months, prices of some of the very best flat panel monitors have dropped to new lows. In fact, the very fast and large Dell 2001FP is now just $809 direct from Dell - a high-end value that we just couldn't ignore. Dell often runs coupons and specials, so with careful shopping and timing you may be able to purchase the 2001FP for an even better price.

When AnandTech first reviewed the 2001FP with the Dell XPS bundle, our Display Editor was mightily impressed. Nothing has really changed his opinion since then. The Dell 2001FP goes all the way to 1600x1200 resolution on both the analog VGA and Digital connectors. This is a very satisfying resolution for gamers, since many LCDs cannot be coaxed to more than 1280x1024. The Philips LCD also exhibits response times and color resolution that will even keep gamers happy.

LCD measurements are also real - if an LCD is rated 20.1", then that means it is really a 20.1" diagonal. CRTs are rated on the tube size, so a 21" or 22" CRT will actually be a true 19" or 20" diagonal that you can use. That means that the 20.1" Dell is just as large, or a little larger, than our 22" CRT alternative. Given that, the question is whether the fast and large 2001FP is worth the $100 to $145 premium over the excellent Diamondtron 22" CRT that we selected as an alternative. Given the huge space savings and much lower heat, we are inclined to think the difference is now small enough to opt for the flat panel as our high-end recommendation.

If you have a richer budget and want the biggest, useful flat-panel monitor that you can buy, our Display Editor still recommends the Samsung 213T with a 21.3" screen and a new lower $1050 delivered price tag. The Dell has a faster response time, and the Samsung is only 1" larger for the $240 premium, but some of our readers will prefer a brand other than Dell. For them, the Samsung 193P 19" or the 21.3" 213T are both excellent alternatives.

Alternative: Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 2070 22"CRT or NEC FP2141SB 22" CRT
Price: $664 or $709 shipped

Since NEC and Mitsubishi are now the same company for monitors, these two are really the same superb 22" Diamondtron CRT monitors with different cosmetics. For those not familiar with Diamondtron, it is the name for Mitsubishi's single gun system that is like Sony's Trinitron. Both of these monitors have built enviable reputations for image quality and reliability, and their reputations are well-deserved. To be honest, my main system monitor is also a 22" Diamondtron CRT and it is the best performing monitor that I have ever owned.

The new generations of video cards finally justify a big monitor for high resolutions, and 22" is a great size for high resolution gaming. The NEC/Mitsubishi can deliver resolutions as high as 2048x1536 at the all important 86Hz Refresh and refresh rates as high as 160Hz at 1024x768 and 127Hz at 1280X1024. The important thing with a 22" or 21" monitor is that you can actually see 2048x1536. The only drawback with any large CRT is the space required to house the monitor. If space is a premium, then take a closer look at our flat panel alternative.

If the $624 plus $45 shipping seems a bit steep, then there are a number of 21" monitors based on the Trinitron or Diamondtron CRT that are available in the $400 to $500 range, delivered. If it has been a while since you looked at big CRT prices, we think that you will be surprised by the lower prices you will find today.

If you cannot find the lowest prices on the products that we've recommended on this page, it's because we don't list some of them in our RealTime pricing engine. Until we do, we suggest that you do an independent search online at the various vendors' web sites. Just pick and choose where you want to buy your products by looking for a vendor located under the "Vendor" heading.