Display Devices: The Main Points

What to look for

• Will you be using the computer primarily for general office productivity, desktop publishing, CAD, or rendering and high-end animation?
• Are the desks in your office small? Is saving space on desktops a high priority?
• How many peripheral devices, such as handheld organizers or scanners, will be connected to the computer?
• Does your firm pay for electricity consumption? Are you trying to reduce your overhead costs?

What to buy

A 19-inch monitor should be the minimum display size considered for design work. Smaller screen sizes mean lots of wasted time scrolling through files.

For traditional CRTs, pick one with a refresh rate of at least 85 Hertz. Anything lower will cause excessive eyestrain due to the monitor’s flickering.

Choose a flat-panel display if you wish to save desk space and/or energy. Flat panels can sometimes be wall-mounted to eliminate their desktop presence entirely. They also consume only a third of the energy of CRTs, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Make sure your graphics-adapter card is up to speed. Check with vendors to see what suitable high-quality video card will work for the monitor’s quality and use.

Consider purchasing pressure-sensitive LCDs in the future. Architects are quickly taking to using a stylus for computer input rather than a keyboard and mouse. New software on the market and under development will allow designers to sketch easily right on their screens, just as they do on paper.