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"TFTs for Gaming"

Need to pick up a new monitor and I'm not sure about going for a TFT or a CRT. Concerned about the refresh rates of TFTs and how it'll effect gaming - don't want to spend £2,500 on a dream set-up only for the monitor to throw everything off by bluring games. Then again, I don't really want to give up the desk room for a huge CRT. Then again, for the price of an 18in TFT I could go a little larger and get a 22in CRT...

Anyone any experience with using TFTs for gaming? Is a 25ms refresh rate really okay?

try dabs too :)

TFT's are fine for gaming.

Have a look around overclockers, they have the best monitors.

To be honest, refresh rate is pretty much irrelevant on TFTs, as they are a totally different design to CRTs by nature. But for the record, I'm running mine at 1280x1024 @ 75Hz. It's response time that you should be largely interested in.

Actually, thinking about it, that has reminded me of a potential disadvantage of TFTs, and that is the max resolutions are usually one less than on the equivalent CRT.
Still, I wouldn't want text on web pages being any smaller than it is at my current setting.

I don't like TFT's, I prefer CRT's. Why, I don't know, sure the TFT's take up less space but they suck when you're playing games or your friends are next to you watching and they can't see. And the fact that they damage or mark easily and then you have to clean them up end up damaging them. I prefer the good ol fashion glass style.

Poitless insert there by me.

Oh, and just as a side note - the rediculous amounts of money being thrown around? Haven't won the lottery, just found a very generous employer who is paying for the first chunk as a work expense to run accounting software on, plus will be able to put through the rest so I can get the VAT back. So basically for my teeny student budget (pretty much the amount I'm spending on the monitor) I get an amazing PC :)

My TFT purrs.

It doesn't blur anything, but I ain't got a clue what refresh - ah yes, I had UII at 85khz (?) I think, and it ran perfectly.

Paid £2200 for the system sans monitor today, I'm aiming up to about £450 for the monitor. Seems to be a lot about at that price, but every single review notes that the downfall is the potential for dead pixels and gaming/movie watching. Now, I'm not fussed about movies at all as there's other kit for that, but this is going to be a gaming PC, so I want the right monitor!

What's the refresh rate on the monitor you're using?

Well, if 2.5k is your actual budget for this machine (i.e. you're not using that figure as an example), it's safe to assume a decent chunk of that will go towards the monitor. So, here's an overview of my experience with TFTs...

I'm currently using a 17inch TFT (having gone from a 17inch CRT) and play the likes of Halo, UT2003 etc regularly as well as the usual boring stuff (read: college work). The unit is from a manufacturer by the name of 'GNR' and the model is the F173. I bought this for £250+vat as this is all I was willing to devote from my budget on the monitor.
Obviously, for a 17inch TFT, this can surely be classed as more of a budget model than anything else - represented by the fact it's from a manufacturer I've never heard of.
However, for the price, I can safely say it's been worth it. Granted, I have noticed minor ghosting in UT2003 and Mafia, but Halo and others have coped particularly well.

So, here are the advantages and disadvantages over my old CRT:
ADVANTAGES
- A couple extra inches viewing space.
- Takes up alot less desk space.
- This is a key one for me - absolutely NO eyestrain!
- No problems with frame synching in games.

DISADVANTAGES
- Minor ghosting.
Erm...

So, when I look at it like that, it's clear to me that the change from CRT to TFT has been worth it! Now, in your case, you're going to be spending a fair bit more dough, twice as much quite probably, and so will obviously be getting a much better piece of kit. See what I'm getting at? :)

Just my 2p worth.

Need to pick up a new monitor and I'm not sure about going for a TFT or a CRT. Concerned about the refresh rates of TFTs and how it'll effect gaming - don't want to spend £2,500 on a dream set-up only for the monitor to throw everything off by bluring games. Then again, I don't really want to give up the desk room for a huge CRT. Then again, for the price of an 18in TFT I could go a little larger and get a 22in CRT...

Anyone any experience with using TFTs for gaming? Is a 25ms refresh rate really okay?