Ideal LCD 4:3 Monitor For Bartop Builds??

[lettuce]

What's the best/ideal monitor to use for a Bartop build?, I'm guessing that we ideally want to try and stay away from TN panel tech due to the poor viewing angles and colours but they do have super fast response times so no smearing on the image on fast moving games. IPS panels have excellent viewing angles and colours but 'can' have poor response times and introduce smearing so is there a panel tech that has good viewing angles and response times and which brands/models inherit this feature?

As far as I'm aware only the 20" screen sizes are true 4:3 ratio and 19" and 17" are 5:4 ratios?, I guess this won't be too much of an issue if your decasing the monitor as you can cut your bezel to cover the top and bottom of the display screen to remove the black bars you'll see due to the 5:4 screen ratio and displaying mane games.

Is there one brand that uses ips panel tech that has low response times, or another tech that has these features, I understand that the HP LP range of monies have these features (LP 2065, LP1965 and LP1750) but these are old now and wondered if there any newer screen that cover these aspects?

I thought maybe we could turn this thread into a list of displays people have used in their builds and list the pro's and con's of them

[JDFan]

Think once again it is hard to come to any exact conclusions for the best in all bartops since it is going to once again depend on the games you plan to play - whether you're bartop is for 1 or 2 players - you're sensitivity to the various aspects (ie. does color variations really annoy you or are you partially color blind so do not really notice it - do you notice small hitches in gameplay and does it effect your play - etc.)

As you mention TN panels are usually faster response times so there is less chance of ghosting but you need to be directly in front of the screen when playing or the colors can change ( so great for single player bartops playing newer games and online multi player games where response time can make a difference. IPS panels are slightly slower response times (though most games run fine on a 16ms response time) but have great color reproduction and viewing from the sides or top\bottom of the screen still shows the same colors so are great for 2 player bartops playing older classic games that may be positioned in less than ideal positions or cocktail cabinets where you and the other player cant both be directly in front of the screen at the same angle.

But even with that said some people are extra sensitive to either color change or slower response times and others will not notice these minute fluctuations so everyone's gonna have different opinions on what is "BEST" in any specific configuration and others will think they are completely wrong. Which is why there is such a wide selection of monitors available and those that swear by one brand\model over another. In the end it is always a matter of weighing the uses and testing the various available options based on price\results and making a decision and then living with the results. (Or changing your mind again and swapping out the monitor  ) Pretty much the same as the old "What's the best Joystick" or "What's the best button" Debates !

[lettuce]

Thanks for the reply. I guess then the question should be then, what IPS panels have a lower response time than 12ms? Im thinking of making 2 bartops, one horizontal and one vertical orientation, so for the vertical one IPS is a must

[P.H.U.]

Samsung Syncmaster 204B. 8ms response time and about $50 used on eBay. The only real choice for the largest 4x3 AR LCD and least lag, imo.

[redfireplace]

I got the LG 19MB35PM for my vertical bartop. It has an 19 inch 1280x1024 IPS panel and 5ms response time.

[rovingmind]

I'm going to go with,

Whatever you have available.

i have 3 17" hp corporate throw-aways, so that would be my choice.