LG 1710B TFT 17” screen
Well guys…she arrived.
First appearance is a big box….lots of packaging, and a safe passage to me. All cables are provided. Power plug, USB upstream cable (way long enough) DSUB and Digital monitor cables. So part one…..good stuff.
Very very small bezel. The surround is silver, and very narrow.
The base is weighty, with a 30 degree stand from the rear leaning forwars and up to the support the monitor. The USB ports are on this upright, on the right hand side. The screen is deeper than I expected, as the power brick is “integrated” but its is still a good looking monitor.
I plugged her in, switched her on, and off we went. The first thing I did was installed the drivers from the disk. For the noobs out there (yup, me) we expect to find a CD that boots up, and offers the choice of installing drivers, plus Free Ware. Not this time. It offers s Guide on How to install the drivers. It suggests you visit www.lge.com
I did….but I cant find any drivers on the web page, so I did a quick “Explore” of the CD, and they were on there after all. So into Monitor properties, update driver, show them where they are on the CD, job done. But I am still bemused as to how a noob would do it. And the LGE website, when I ran a search for Drivers, came upwith very little of use. So for website…..pants out of 10 score.
Now for the Angle of Dangle!
I installed Colorific software. I love this stuff. You get a colour match card, with a code on it. You install the software, and chose what kind of monitor you have, and follow the instructions. At several points you move sliders up and down to get various lines to “merge” or look similar, and best of all, a balck screen with grey squares on it. You tilt the monitor until they disappear. It sure as hell aint square on to your eyes. But when I followed it to the letter….it worked a treat J
At one point you place the colour card on the screen, and with back lighting, it tricks your eyes into seeing another colour spectrum, and you move the sliders to match.
Why do I explain this? Because the monitor likes to be treated with respect. Once its set up, properly, the colours are amazing, the 3d depth is exceptional, shadows look right AND you have the right “angle of dangle”. I advise using it. It does the job.
Next: Resolution
I was worried about not being able to run games at 1024x768, as was Trig and other Forum fella’s. Well, while the desktop doesn’t look too sharp at that resolution, as its not the “native” state for this size screen, the gaming is superb. Really, not a worry. BUT I have to also say, that IL-2 runs like a DREAM on 1280x1024 with 6x AA on a 9800 Pro, and I didn’t even KNOW it ran at all, on those settings.
800x600? Well, to be honest…this screen is SO BIG in relation to my expectations that I don’t forsee ever using it.
So what’s with size? Surely, Zakky, on ordering a bigger screen, you EXPECTED a bigger screen? Well, yeah I did, but it’s the IMPACT on your brain when USING it, that I wasn’t expecting. Don’t just put the screen next to your old screen and get out a tape measure. This is SURFACE AREA….this is REAL ESTATE…this is FOOTBALL PITCH ;) size.
And while IL-2 FB seemed vastly “less cramped” in cockpit, it wasn’t that game that shocked the most.
It was the inevitable Far Cry test that I had to run it on. COLOUR! GREEN? RED PLANTS?
As a purely subjective point, it was as good as my first view of Lortd of the Rings on my LOEWE TV. The feeling of “jungle” was overwhelming .
Now the scary bit. If, in the heat of battle, when being showered with bullets from behind, can you whip round with no screen tearing? Will you be waiting that sacred half a second while it catches up with your brain and Radeon movement?
Well….nearly. We all know its not CRT speed. And I’m gonna let the debate rage, because it’s NOT as instant as a telly….it cant be (not for this level of technology/money)
BUT, would I use a CRT to play Raven Shield at the next LAN? And will I use a normal monitor for Far Cry? Of course I wont. And is that because Zaky just spent £280 on a monitor and now feels “obliged” to use it?
Nope. That’s not me. I got a 9600 Pro a while back…had it less than 3 weeks before I needed David’s Rad9800 Pro. If I didnt rate it, it would go back. I was half expecting a let down. Which makes me smile TWICE as MUCH :):) because it's really very very good.
Can I afford a better screen? Bet your ass I can. But will I buy a higher priced one. No…I wont. Because only on 270' spins in Far Cry did I get a tear, a jutter….and frankly is was quicker than I will ever be able to aim. I really like this monitor. I think I will LOVE it for flight sims for the sheer SIZE of the planes on screen. But I tried Unreal Tournament (original) last night too, and that was the BIGGEST eye opener. It transformed the absorbtion into the game. It literally relaunched the games colours and depths.
So, for gaming I give it a 7 /10 where a 21” CRT would score about a 9/10. And where a 17” monitor, of any good standard, gets a 5/10
Desktop? Well, thought I’d need my specs on ;), but no…not a bit of it. At 1280x960 the icons are as perfectly readable as 1024x768 on a 17” CRT, so stop fretting Trig.
So, round up: Please bear in mind this is with a 9800Pro on a Digi cable.
Value: 9/10. It would be hard to get better, WITH my beloved USB hub, for SO FAR under £300
2d Image: 8/10 Have had a few issues getting white to look really clean without burning out my retina ;) But that’s being picky, as its only for word documents. It does a fantastic job on photos, you can see so much of them at 1280x960
3d Image: 8/10 looks like heaven in 3D apps. Milli second delay on really big/rapid movements, but no bothering me.
Size: 7/10 Its my only gripe really….it’s a big base AND a high screen AND a big box for carrying it to LAN’s. Maybe I’m too picky…but its not as small as I’d hoped. However, its same size as a Hyundai 17” so hey ho.
Conclusion: Don’t let the low “number” that LG gave it put you off. It DOES game, it DOES look nice and it DOES come in under budget. I know there are higher LG models but frankly, my money is staying here :)
