Differencies between "Arcade 31KHz CRT monitor" and "PC CRT Monitor"

[Haggar]

Can anyone tell me the differencies between an "Arcade 31KHz CRT monitor" and a standard "PC CRT Monitor"?

Thanks

[MonMotha]

Aside from the obvious possible difference of size, the PC monitor will generally have a much smaller dot pitch and will be capable of higher resolutions (above 31kHz which is 640x480p).  The arcade monitor is probably either fixed mode or 15-31k (or there are some 31-38k floating around now, too).  In general, the smaller the dot pitch, the more accentuated the details of the picture will be, and scanlines will be more obvious.  640x480 on a 29" TV tube (arcade monitor) looks quite beautiful with properly designed graphics found in arcade and console games, whereas 640x480 on even a 21" PC can look a bit jagged and "grainy".

The arcade monitor may also expect larger signals (~3.3Vpp instead of 0.7Vpp) than a PC monitor, but many/most arcade monitors capable of 31kHz+ have at least an option to accept PC level signals.  Most provide a standard VGA (HD-15) plug as they were in fact designed to be plugged directly into PCs.  Consider most arcade games in the very late 90s and early 2000s, when 31kHz CRT arcade monitors were most popular, were in fact PC based.

[Haggar]

Thanks for your detailed answer.
So I can say that the picture of a PC CRT monitor is more similar to a LCD than to an arcade 31KHz monitor.

This is a picture I've found:
Source: http://retroblast.arcadecontrols.com/articles/monitor.html

15KHz arcade
31KHz arcade
PC CRT monitor with software scanlines.

Is the difference so big also on old PC monitors?

[Gray_Area]

31khz 'arcade monitor' just means (almost invariably) it's 27".  Read the wiki. Where?  Look up.

[Haggar]

31khz 'arcade monitor' just means (almost invariably) it's 27".  Read the wiki. Where?  Look up.

I was asking about technical and visual differences, not dimensions.

[Jack Burton]

I have an older PC CRT monitor, a Hitachi SuperScan Elite 20, and I believe that the image on it is a bit softer than on my Viewsonic E220.  It has a dot pitch of .28 mm compared to the .21 of the Viewsonic, and uses more dated screen technology (no aperture grill).   

Overall it's very pleasing and arcade-like to play on.  It helps that I use a quite warm color temp, and the screen is much more curved than your average PC monitor.   This is all coming from a 240p perspective.  I imagine higher res modes would be even closer to a 31khz arcade monitor's look and feel.

It's possible to play in real low-res modes on these monitors.  You don't need to use software scanlines. 

Aside from the above, here's a little tip:

The one thing that will make your monitor feel the most arcade-y is properly setting up your emulators to use the "sync to refresh" options that are available.  This will result in smooth scrolling games.  Smooth Scrolling + Native Res is the magic combo, and pretty much any CRT will look awesome after that.