Are all LCD monitors hi-def?

[jaymyer79]

Sorry if this question seems inept. I'm just a little confused by the whole HD thing. I thought it was to do with the screen resolution. My screen is capable of displaying 1440x900. Now is that not hi-def standard?
I'm thinking of getting a new PC when Novatech up their specs a week Monday. I want to get a system with a graphics card that is capable of displaying HD and I just need some friendly info on the whole HD thing with regards to gaming and watching HD video files.
My monitor is an Acer P193W. Maybe some of you have the same monitor and can help me?

Many thanks :-)

[TheMadDutchDude]

Your screen is currently putting out above 1080i, which is the lower form of HD. If you want to go for a full *1080p* and a bit more you need to be looking at a 24" minimum, and need some hefty graphics power to power it for gaming.

[jaymyer79]

Ah, thanks for the info, my friend.
So would I need an HDMI cable running from the PC system to my monitor?

[NeilX90]

Hi Jay,

The 1080p standard defines a resolution of 1920x1080 which, as the Dutchman says, is really only found on monitors around the 24" mark.

Which monitor you may be interested in depends on how much you value HD video picture quality vs. response time for gaming. At the moment, it is all a bit of a compromise, but some very expensive 24" monitors do it quite well. However, it is always a trade-off between picture/colour quality and pixel response time. If you want to watch Lord of the Rings in awesome quality, but also play twitch shooters, you have a dilemna. If your gaming is less intensive than you will be very happy with what is on the market; if you're not too fussy about colour quality etc. in movies, then you will also be happy with the compromise. If you have to have both.. you'll need two monitors !

As MDD said, you will need to make sure your system can handle HD - it is quite processor and GPU intensive, but any new system will handle it. You don't need HDMI for a PC setup - DVI is fine but to get the best from Blu Ray disks, you'll be wanting a 5.1 surround sound processor as a minimum, 7.1 if you're a real enthusiast. HDMI transfers video and sound, DVI just the video but that is not a problem on PC setups.

Could you give us an idea of your budget, expectations and gaming/movie leanings ? :D

[system7]

You boys are forgetting that you can also watch High Def in 16X9 ratio 720P resolution. In fact a lot of the smaller HD TVs are 720P.

So a 1440X900, 1280X1024 or 1280X800 monitor should be able to do this windowed too.

I know there's a Novatech 24" panel which uses lusher colour VA technology rather than the gamer's favourite TN, but have never tried it out.

[TheMadDutchDude]

Fair point made there, Steve. I believe he is wanting full HD though, not a lower form of HD. However, as you said the teles that are small mainly use 720p, I haven't actually seen one around using that resolution for a while now, yet again I don't go looking at teles, now that my parents have a new Sony Bravia 40" downstairs, no need really.

Do they still sell 720p's?

[jaymyer79]

Thanks to you all for your help. It's given me a good, clear insight into the ins and outs of HD with regards to monitors.

NeilX90, thanks a lot for your input. The gaming aspect isn't too much of an issue, I'm a little more interested in viewing video files in HD. My budget will be around the £1000 mark. Hoping Novatech will have some impressive updates to their specs on the gaming machines as the graphics cards in the current machines seem a little lame. Unless you pay top dollar for the Annihilator Pro. I just don't have that kinda money :?

Thanks again for all your input. Really helpful, guys 8)

[TheMadDutchDude]

If you're looking to spend that kind of money, build something yourself and get a much better system, as for the current line ups. Hoping that NT have taken us regular forumers into consideration and change their line up!

[jaymyer79]

I would, but I have no idea how to do a build. I have considered it as it does seems like you will get a lot more for your money but, even if i had instructions, I'd still blow up half the street!
I will wait and see what the new specs are like and check on feedback from people who seem to know what they're talking about, like yourself MDD. If the specs are disappointing, I'll take a more serious look into finding someone capable of doing a build. Or, take the plunge and have a go myself 8)

[TheMadDutchDude]

I would seriously consider it, as I am leaving this forum.. (you can follow why if you like..) I'm sure the other regulars on here will be more than happy to help.

[jaymyer79]

I'm sorry to hear that, MDD. Although brief, thanks for your help :-)

[system7]

The ideal cards for High Def video are the ATI ones, since they usually have sound onboard and HDMI connectors too.

I suspect Nova will be offering a few prebuilt soon... :)

[jaymyer79]

Didn't the ATI cards used to be mediocre? Seems like they've upped their game somewhat. The 4870 looks to have impressive specs for the price.

[TheMadDutchDude]

Indeed, ATi used to be behind, pretty much all the time. Until the new HD48** series were created, they now dominate the performance criteria. Especially because they're such good value for money.

[jaymyer79]

Can you have 2 ATI cards running together? Like the whole SLI thing with Nvidia?

[jaymyer79]

Sorry, I've steered onto the subject of graphics cards here. I should check the thread for graphics cards really.

[TheMadDutchDude]

Yes you can, it is called CrossFire. In order to do this you have to have an Intel chipset.

[jaymyer79]

Cheers, MDD. I've been reading up on it this morning :)
I'm gonna go with Intel. I had heard that AMD have gone bust. This true?

[TheMadDutchDude]

No that isn't true LOL. AMD has gone with more of the nVidia side of things. Intel has never supported SLi until the new X58 motherboards (coming out very soon) support both SLi and CrossFire.

[NeilX90]

Jay,

Building a PC is no harder than putting together a Lego kit with about 12 pieces. Seriously.

All of the difficulties that used to plague us (anyone remember always getting the IDE ribbon cable the wrong way round ?!) as home builders have gone. Cables and connectors are now shaped so they can only fit in the correct alignment and to the correct item. Configuring motherboards with jumpers... all gone.

Get case. Screw in motherboard. Attach RAM and processor. Fit fan to processor. Slot graphics cards and sound card into the motherboard. Screw optical and hard drives into the case. Attach with cables to motherboard. Add power supply. Attach PSU cables to all components. Connect case fans to motherboard and/or power supply. Turn it on.

Where it can get a little tricky is if the machine doesn't boot but there are plenty of places you can get assistance, not least from Novatech themselves or this forum. The only part of the process that needs a little finesse is adding the thermal paste between the processor and the fan, but there are tonnes of guides, all with illustrations, available with 20 seconds of Googling.

Save yourself a lot of money, and you will have fun doing it... promise ! It will also make you far more confident to upgrade the system yourself.

(Edit: what separates the good system builders from the average is planning ahead. Where are you going to run the cables to make sure they don't interfere with the airflow from the fans... and even before that... questions like.. will my graphics card foul the hard drive bay or the PSU. However, you can throw it together the first time and add the finesse later !)

[jaymyer79]

Thanks, Neil.

I'm definitely considering the self build more and more. It does sound like fun and will be a good learning curve.

I then face the problem of what to buy so it's all compatible and having the best equipment for the price. Not to be cheeky or anything, but what would you suggest for a good gaming rig? My budget is around the £1000 mark. Cheaper would be a bonus, of course. I have been looking at other peoples self builds and suggested components for a good gaming rig, but I'm always in favour of options and fresh ideas :D

[Jonny2Bad]

What sort of games you going to be playing, and does that £1000 include monitor and os?

[NeilX90]

Mmhmm..

Bear in mind that one of the independant Novatech gurus who frequents this board has just blown away my graphics card suggestion to another user (and rightly so, with evidence !), but with £1000 for a gaming/HD set-up, this is what I would order. I am going to choose components that you can overclock (it's not that much of a dark art these days) to increase your performance later on but won't require it to get what you want. The PC market is about to change with the introduction of the Nehalem i7 Intel chips but the entry level processor looks to be around £250 at the moment - and that's without the motherboard. So.. using current tech, and Novatech components (I think it's a bit cheeky to post links to other suppliers but do have a Google around to see if they're cheaper, but I doubt it !) here goes:

Case: Antec 900 - very versatile: http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/spec ... l?ANT-NINE (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?ANT-NINE) £73.44

Motherboard: Asus P5Q - huge overclocking potential and supports 2 of the best graphics cards available at full whack: http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/spec ... l?ASU-P5QP (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?ASU-P5QP) £97.53

Processor: Intel Q6600 - works out of the box and overclocks superbly if you want to. Dual Core processors are considered slightly superior to quad cores for pure gaming, but for overall... how can I put this.. smoothness...: http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/spec ... ?IL-Q6600O (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?IL-Q6600O) £149.22

Memory: 4Gb @ 1066Mhz - you'll only see 3.1Mb with a 32-bit edition of Windows, but it's worth the extra: https://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/spe ... GEL-BD854G (https://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?GEL-BD854G) £81.08

Graphics Card: Only one choice here, really.... the Radeon 4870 which will eat your HD movies and games for breakfast. You will also be able to add another one, if you wish to in the future, to further increase your games' frame-rate : http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/spec ... l?NOV-4870 (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?NOV-4870) £163.32

Hard Drive: The Samsung Spinpoint F1 with 640Gb... awesome performance at an amazing price: http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/spec ... SAM-HD640S (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?SAM-HD640S) £45.24

Optical Drive: Blu Ray + DVD re-writer - amazing value for money : http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/spec ... LG-GGCH20L (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?LG-GGCH20L) £76.38

Monitor: The Novatech branded 24" screen - PVA panel, 6ms.. good enough for most games and will look superb with movies. Favours quality over response time, like most PVA panels and doesn't have the world's best stand, but you cannot.... and I defy anyone to disagree !.. argue with the price: http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/spec ... NOV-LCD24A (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?NOV-LCD24A) £196.19

Sound Card: Without spending too much money, it has to be one of the Creative Xi-Fi cards. There are better cards than this one (the Auzentech cards are lovely for example), but this supports 7.1 surround sound for movies and will be more than adequate. http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/spec ... CRE-30SB07 (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?CRE-30SB07) £40.28

And finally, the power supply. Let's pick one that will enable you to add another 4870 in the future should you want to: http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/spec ... ?HYP-4M880 (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?HYP-4M880) £83.42

Total price: £1006.10 with a **** of a lot of future-proofing built in, *and* a 24" monitor. This will run *any* game currently out there at very pleasing settings


I await the ripping-apartness of my spec from the gurus !

[Jonny2Bad]

Wouldnt buy that monitor as it has a 6ms response time and would much prefer a 2ms for gaming, the rams not in stock and has a n/a so wont be in stock either, 22" is the sweet gaming monitor for the money lg 22" £160, would feel a little safer with the WD 640 the samsung drives have a very poor reliabilty mark at the moment so seagate or WD are the better bet for me, The 1TB samsung would be the only 1 i would suggest fromt he range. Apart from that nice system Neil, and its all about learning from each on here.

[NeilX90]

Jay favours movies over gaming, so I'll stand by the PVA panel recommendation, especially as the 24" panel is superb for films. Only hard-core twitch-shooter enthusiasts will really notice the difference in response times, and we've had this discussion before :D

Was not aware that the Spinpoint drives had a reliability question mark against them - i've got one in an external case and it is utterly superb, but I bow to your superior knowledge on that one.

I know the tech. is changing on a weekly basis, but seeing as these threads come up time and time again, would it be worth you guys getting together and creating a couple of stickies for self builders along the lines of :

£500 gaming system.
£750 gaming system.
£1000 gaming system.

Most of the above categories would cover people who want HD or home cinema/multi-media rigs.

Cheers

[Jonny2Bad]

but what would you suggest for a good gaming rig? My budget is around the £1000 mark
If more into films why ask for a good gaming rig? slightly confusing lol

[NeilX90]

The gaming aspect isn't too much of an issue, I'm a little more interested in viewing video files in HD. My budget will be around the £1000 mark. Hoping Novatech will have some impressive updates to their specs on the gaming machines as the graphics cards in the current machines seem a little lame. Unless you pay top dollar for the Annihilator Pro. I just don't have that kinda money :?

Thanks again for all your input. Really helpful, guys 8)


That's what I was working to. Someone who likes their games, but the movies take priority.

[jaymyer79]

Cheers, Neil. You have been really helpful throughout this thread and I'm very grateful. That looks to be an awesome rig there. I shan't be getting the monitor just yet as I'll be making do with mine for the time being. Instead of the monitor I might just have to invest in another ATI 4870 and indulge in the whole crossfire thing, it sounds very appealing :D
The kinda games I'll be playing will be Crysis, Far Cry 2, Call Of Duty 5, Spider-man Web Of Shadows. That kinda thing. But, the system will mainly be for HD video files.

With regards to the OS, I have Windows XP. I've heard that Vista is a bit of a nightmare and I'm relucatant to invest in it. However, I know DirectX 10 is only available on Vista. The whole patch thing for the XP sounds a bit flimsy. But, I'm only going on what I've heard.

Thanks again, Neil and everyone else for their input. It's really interesting and I feel like I'm learning some pretty cool stuff :D

[jaymyer79]

I shall invest in the 24" monitor around Christmas time. Going to get the system all set up first.

I wanted a gaming system because, as Neil said, I want to be able to play games as well as view HD video files.

Can't wait!! :)

[Jonny2Bad]

You will need x38 or x48 motherboard if your thinking of going crossfire, the p45 limits the pcie lanes to x8 when in crossfire mode, which limits the newer ati cards performance, they need the full x16 in both lanes. http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/spec ... DFI-LT382R (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?DFI-LT382R)
But i would go for this 1 http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... =MB-302-AS (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-302-AS)
Dx10 isnt as great as it was made out to be, windows 7 is just round the corner and with that come dx11 so i really wouldnt worry to much with that at all.

[jaymyer79]

Thanks, Johnny. That's a great help. You know your stuff :-)