[Iggy Blue]

Hello all. Well, I finally did it. I retired my 8 or 9 year-old PC for a new Gateway with Vista Home Premium. It's not easy for me to part with old faithful, but I wanted to see what, if anything, I was missing. So, I'm jumping from Windows 98SE to Vista! I missed the whole XP thing. There's certainly a lot to learn; but, I'll start with this... For now, I am still keeping my old CRT monitor. It is a 19" NEC MultiSync FE950, which was sort of high-end in its day. Vista had to give it a generic plug-and-play driver, which looks fine. When I went to NEC's support site to find a Vista driver, I learned that this monitor does not meet all of the requirements for full compatibility with Vista. My question is this: could I expect a BIG improvement with a newer Vista-compatible monitor? Or should I keep this one?
Thanks. Iggy

Gateway Media Centre TV Computer (GM5474)
3.0 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Dual Core 64-Bit
Windows Vista Home Premium 32-Bit
2048MB DDR2 RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 8500GT (With 256MB)
NEC MultiSync FE950 monitor
High speed cable
D-Link DI-624 router

[loserOlimbs]

If you are using the computer for email and web sites, stick with your CRT.

HD movies and games are a good reason for a new monitor, but some just like to read!

[katabby]

if you do go for a new monitor (I would) check out the wide screens. I am very impressed with my 22inch LG widescreen. Takes a bit of getting used to but now my 19-inch (square) lcd seems out of kilter (it's fine).
By the way, thats a heck of a system you have there.
If you skipped xp and find vista a bit confusing, this is a good site.
http://www.vista4beginners.com/
But for the times you run into trouble, the best site for help and advice is the one you're on now.
Good luck and hope you enjoy Vista, I certainly do.

[Iggy Blue]

Thanks, guys. It looks like a 22-inch widescreen, either LG or Samsung, is on the horizon. I'm feeling a bit guilty about abondoning my old equipment. The poor, natural environment doesn't stand a chance. I wonder if there's a way to convert my CRT monitor to a TV set without using a PC? Maybe I could move it into the bedroom. Then again, my 15-year-old 27-inch Sony Trinitron is on the cutting block. The picture is as good as it was out of the box. Damn! That's what you get for buying quality! I have no excuse to go out and get a new HD widesreen TV!
Thanks. Iggy.

[alwrmc]

I love my Samsung SyncMaster 225BW
There are new models available now, but widescreen is the way to go for new monitors.

[Jakbrud]

pretty much all video content is moving towards widescreen so definitely go widescreen

[Iggy Blue]

Thanks guys. I'm thinking Samsung 22-inch widescreen (226BW). It has some good specs. The monitor type is TFT LCD. I don't know if that's good or bad. It's currently $350.00 Canadian. I'm waiting for the price to drop. In the meantime, does any one know of any issues with this monitor?

[Iggy Blue]

By the way, what's with the 'SyncMaster' designation on some of Samsungs models?