Cheap, Refurbished Monitors

Refurbished Monitors at Geeks.com HP, Viewsonic, Acer, LG, Samsung and more! Standard CRT Monitors and LCD Flat Panel Displays Sizes range from 15" to 24" Viewable Screens Both New & Refurbished Monitors and Accessories

Types of Refurbished Monitors

When shopping for a quality refurbished monitor, its a good thing to know the main properties of and differences between the two basic monitor types -- the standard CRT monitor and the LCD or Flat Panel monitor.

The main properties that differentiate the two are size, weight and picture quality.

Refurbished CRT Monitors

The most prevalent type of monitor today is the cathode ray tube (CRT). Despite its rather sci-fi sounding name, a CRT is the same as the picture tube inside your TV. They work by firing beams of electrons at phosphor dots on the inside of a glass tube. The phosphors in a CRT are chemicals that emit red, green or blue light when hit by electrons. These monitors are capable of multiple resolutions, give the best look to full-motion video and provide better control over color calibration for graphic artists.

On the down side, they hog a lot of room and weigh quite a bit. You can get more compact CRTs called short-depth or short-neck monitors which are a couple of inches shallower than regular CRTs. Unless space is a primary consideration, most people buy a CRT display because they offer good performance at an affordable price, as CRT computer monitors are typically cheaper than LCD monitors.

Refurbished LCD / Flat Panel Monitors

In the opposing corner are flat panel displays or LCDs (liquid crystal displays) commonly used in laptops and fast becoming popular as desktop monitors. Their major selling points are a slim profile and light weight. A CRT can be deeper than it is wide, whereas a LCD with a base is only about a handspan deep. No heavy lifting required with a LCD; they weigh less than half the average CRT. LCDs require half the power of CRTs and emit much less electromagnetic radiation which can interfere with other electronic devices.

LCDs tend to be clearer than CRTs which can suffer from convergence or focus difficulties. Their improved clarity means that even small LCDs can display higher resolutions than the corresponding sized CRT. They also make small text easier to read. Unlike CRTs, LCD monitors have only one optimal resolution. At lower resolutions, the screen is redrawn as a smaller area or all the pixels in the image are blown-up to fill the screen. The latter solution can make images look jagged and blocky, so be sure the resolution of the LCD is the resolution you want to use.