LCD Monitor on Old Comp?

11 years ago

Well I'm tired of dual booting to my linux so decided to get a cheap old comp from on-line. Tiger Direct among others seem to have a lot and the price seems right. Also I guess it's about time to go to a 23" LCD wide screen monitor so my question is how can I tell if one of these used comps or any comp for that matter will support the LCD monitor? Or is this a needless worry?

Incidently I decided to search on-line cause local outfits have a very short supply - maybe 2-3 - not much choice. A limited mkt probly.

Comments (13)

ravencajun Zone 8b TX
11 years ago
the only thing you need to check is if they both have the same plug type most monitors now come with several but some of the older computers only come with analog but as long as the monitor can do both you are fine.
Different Types of Computer Monitor Connections

Types of Monitor Cables

I have bought some of mine at buy.com for very good prices, I like Acer monitors have had very good luck with them.
1saleaday.com quite often has some awesome deals on monitors so you might start checking it daily especially their flash sale area.

I have linux computers and windows computers I have them all set up on an Airlink KVM switch box so I use the same monitor mouse and keyboard with all. There is also a free program you can use that will allow the same thing it is called Synergy.
Synergy l
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
11 years ago
I see there is an Acer 23" at amazon(thru Tiger Direct) for $129.99
Acer G235H Abd 23-Inch Screen LCD Monitor

there is also this deal for a Dell 24" be sure to read the follow up posts for the details
24" Dell U2412M Ultrasharp IPS 1920x1200 LED Monitor $300 + Free shipping

and this asus for $159 and free shipping
ASUS VH236H 23 Inch Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black

you might also want to check this site daily for deals
Today's Hottest Monitors Deals
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Well the op was meant to be humorous. I'm very happy with my 23" Acer LCD and looking for an assistant to tell me what's happening on the other end. :-) Really. I work in the middle with my calendar on one end and icons on tuther none covered up; no overlaps etc. It has caused an uptrend in my happiness cycle. I only groveled on the floor for a short time. (But I did buy a new clean rug for next time - just in case). That is, however, being tempered a bit by a problem with the old POS computer which is a subject for a different post.
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You may have a driver mismatch to the monitor. Try this: Boot up in the safe mode. That mode loads only the essential software to operate the computer and loads a low resolution, generic monitor driver. Does your monitor oepeate in this mode? If so, you may be on the path to a cure. Change the monitor driver to one that suits your monitor, then reboot. After you get it working again, check to see how the sleep modes are set. Before you change the driver, record the one that is current. You may wish to return to return to it. ************************** A tip for future reference: Before changing monitors, set the driver to the low resolution VGA mode, 640 x 480 pixels. Change monitors and then change to a driver one that matches the replacement monitor. ************************** I see another possible problem and that is your old monitor may not be plug-and-play. The later versions of Windows do plug-n-play while booting. It attempts to interrogate your monitor and if it gets a return of garbage, it may act on it if it isn't smart enough to know this is not a plug-n-play device. I ruined a monitor once when I first installed Windows 95. I had a video card that had the capablity to output a wide range of driving voltages to the monitor's sweep circuits. However, it was not a plug-n-play device. Windows set the card to the wrong voltages and overdrove the sweep circuits. The monitor lasted about 5 minutes. Lets us know how it turns out. If the monitor does not operate in the "safe mode", there is something more wrong - could be the monitor, or could be the video hardware /circuits.
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* Product Description: Acer B193 Bbdmh, LCD display, TFT, 19" * Device Type: LCD display / TFT active matrix * Color: Black * Built-in Devices: Stereo speakers * Diagonal Size: 19" * Max Resolution: 1280 x 1024 / 75 Hz * Display Positions Adjustments: Height, swivel, tilt * Color Support: 24-bit (16.7 million colors) * Response Time: 5 ms * Image Brightness: 250 cd/m2 * Image Contrast Ratio: 10000:1 (dynamic) * Digital Video Standard: Digital Visual Interface (DVI) * Audio Output: Speaker(s), stereo, integrated * Signal Input: DVI, VGA * Compliant Standards: TCO '03, MPR II, TCO '99 * Environmental Standards: EPA Energy Star * Manufacturer Warranty: 3 years warranty those are the specs for that monitor, I agree Acer makes a very good LCD. that one does have both inputs and has nice specs. That one does have the built in speakers, mine does not but I use stand alone speakers anyway. In the 19" monitors yes you can still find the non widescreen models but I have not seen any in the larger size monitors which are non widescreen. If you have not set up and used a buy.com account before there are some codes available that will save you some money on that purchase for first time buyer. I use buy.com quite often. first time Buy.com customers only don't worry about expiration dates they are always available just google buy.com promo codes and you can find them.
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Actually, your problem may be the DC/DC converter which provides the high voltage to the backlights. If the failure was sudden, it's often the DC/DC converter. If it gradually became dimmer and dimmer before it failed, then it may be the backlights. You do need to be careful when working on the panel as it is very easy to damage it and the associated ribbon connectors. You also have to be careful of static electricity. It's not rocket science but does require some technical knowledge (or at least technical common sense), tools, and supplies.
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mikie_gw
11 years ago
get led monitor .. save power galore, might last forever too
mxyplx
Original Author
11 years ago
Thankyou RC I'll get right on it. The kitchen faucet spout just split - maybe I'll wrap black tape around it for a couple days.

After thrashing around a bit I got the 23" Acer from Tiger Direst via Amazon. Maybe coulda saved $5-10 another way but it's over, got the load off. Now for the used computer (Faucet first). Well maybe after lunch :-)

I notice the majority are Dell and HP. My gut says avoid Dell and go with HP. Any opinion on that? The eMachines seem to get snapped right up for some reason.
===================================
Glare- too late the deed is done- Oh well I've got beginning (incipient) cataracts - should compensate. :-)
owbist
11 years ago
You might check around your area and see how local government or school boards dispose of their used stuff.

Last week here we had Dell Optiplex 620 machines with 80 gig hard drives and 1 gig of RAM going at auction for a whole $35 and they came loaded with XP Pro and included a mouse and keyboard.

Right now there are some police computers, HP Desktop - HP dc7700sff with a starting bid of $10 but there is 8 days to go on those so we'll see where they end up.

This is in southern Ontario.
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
11 years ago
I personally like HP not a big fan of Dell, but that's just me.
mike_kaiser_gw
11 years ago
Actually you might have to worry about the video cards (or more likely onboard video) support for resolutions of the larger, often widescreen monitors.

Flat panels have a native resolution and unless the video card supports that resolution, nothing is going to look "right".
mikie_gw
11 years ago
Some monitors have the digital input.. digital graphic cards, even super cheap 15 dollar ones work super good.
mxyplx
Original Author
11 years ago
Well the monitor and the comp are both on the way. Nothing left to do but hope. I'll let you know.

Owbist - I looked but couldn't find anything like that here.
mxyplx
Original Author
11 years ago
It works!!!!!!! I haven't been this relieved since the hogs ate my brother.

Just connected the Acer 23" to the DC7600. Screen resolution is 1152 X 864. Whole screen is filled. Got the old 1999 Belkin power pad or switcher or whatever it's called on top of the DC7600 and the acer on top of that. Like looking up at the screen at the old drive in movies. My eyes are 28 inches from the screen. I can even see it fairly clearly without my # 150 Dr. Dean Edell specials. Probly a bad angle but I can jack my chair up. Teeters around too much.

Right now its on W/xp Pro. Clicking the screen > properties > settings I moved the screen resolution button so it indicates the 1920 X 1080. So I leter rip and it apparently works just fine there too. Am using the VGA cable. There is a cd comes with the monitor and that has a file Setup.exe which I haven't used yet and at this point probly won't.

Anyway as of right now looks like it will work out but there is work to be done, settings to mess with etc. linux to install.
owbist
11 years ago
Ah, good news tom start my day. Well done.
nearandwest
11 years ago
"It works!!!!!!! I haven't been this relieved since the hogs ate my brother."

LOL!!!
grandms
11 years ago
Yeah, that grabbed me, too! LOL!

LCD Monitor on Old Comp?

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