A computer monitor, or simply a monitor, is the screen on which you view things from your computer. As you are reading this, youre probably reading it on a monitor – either on your laptop, your desktop, or even a mobile phone or PDA. In any case, the monitor has a very important job. A good monitor should see you through several computer upgrades, so it is important to choose a good one.
There are several types of monitor – cathode ray tube (or CRT) and Liquid Crystal Display (or LCD).
CRT.
CRT monitors work by an electron gun shooting electrons down the CRT to the screen, where the electrons cause the phosphor coating lining the screen to glow. On the coating there are dots, one of each colour (red, green and yellow) – each dot is called a pixel.
CRT monitors are large and bulky but cheap. They generally need slightly more room than their screen size, so a 17″ monitor will need 18-19 inches deep (size is measured diagonally).
They are not as common these days, with the more advanced LCD monitors becoming the choice for people updating their systems.
LCD.
LCD works by blocking light –...