On the subject of wireless mice and cost cutting marketing strategies, it baffles my mind when hardcore gamers debate about the lag of wireless mice verses the wired counterpart and USE A LCD MONITOR. Oh, the irony. Read on why CRT's are superior (they don't have fluorescent backlighting that produce microwave radiation) in all aspects when it comes to LCD's, other than LCD's having better text readability, less power consumption and smaller footprint.
Though CPU's and GPU's have made great strides over the years, the consumer trend in switching to slimline LCD monitors represents several steps backwards from a visual performance perspective. Aside from decreased image quality, there are FOUR specific drawbacks with an LCD:
1. Input or Display lag. This is not the "response time" listed by manfacturers. LCD display lag has been measured from 10ms to 68ms. This is the time required for an LCD to process the signal from the graphics card, and then render it on the screen. A CRT monitor has no input or display lag. For a 60hz LCD monitor, this represents being 3 to 4 frames behind its CRT counterpart. Manufacturers do not list display lag as the trend is to increase display lag which affords them a processing buffer to lower response time, which they do list. This is an example of "robbing Peter to pay Paul".
2. Response time. Response time is the amount of time a pixel in an LCD monitor takes to go from one value to another and back again. It is measured in milliseconds (ms). Lower numbers mean faster transitions and therefore fewer visible image artifacts. A deceptive practice that has become commonplace with LCD marketing is to list response times in terms of grey scale pixel switching. This would be all well and good if an LCD owner typically watched video in black and white, or if they did their gaming in a monocromatic grey scale. Once color is introduced, a 5ms monitor may require 10 to 15 times as long to switch a pixel from one color to another. This is why ghosting appears on the most expensive LCD monitors. Simply put, when reproducing moving color images an LCD monitor cannot keep up with its 60hz refresh rate. 120hz LCD montiors suffer the same issues. Unfortunately, slow color response time is a source of lag that has to be added on top of the input lag mentioned above in item number one.
3. Refresh rate. One aspect of refresh rate is the number frames or pictures per second displayed by a monitor. For fast paced games, e.g. driving, first person shooters and the like, high refresh rates offer some real advantages. In a first person shooter at 60hz, an enemy moving in your view can appear choppy. When viewing at 150hz, your opponent and your cross-hairs track seamlessly together. The difference is nothing short of jaw dropping. Not only is the motion of the game smoother, at 150hz CRT you will see 3 unique frames of the game before a gamer finishes viewing his first frame at 60hz CRT. If you are comparing 150hz CRT to 60hz LCD, then you have to add in the input lag from line "1" as well as the response lag from line "2". once these items are factored in, the individual playing at 150 Hz on a CRT has already viewed 10 - 15 frames before his online opponent, using a 60hz LCD, has seen his first frame. With this in mind, the 60hz LCD gamer sees a moving enemy who is no longer in the position in which his monitor displays. The same goes for his cross-hairs, as they too are in a different location than the LCD screen indicates. The CPU knows where the enemy is and where your cross-hairs actually are, but the LCD monitor cannot get that information to the end user quickly. In Game sensitivity can be lowered when using this monitor compared to an LCD. When a gamer moves his mouse, the intent is that the cross hairs respond instantly and move exactly in chorus with the mouse. There is a reason that pro level gamers will use nothing but CRT's. This model is specifically what they are after because of its unmatched quality and widescreen format that newer games utilize.
4. Screen tearing. Screen tearing is a visual artifact in video where information from two or more different frames is shown in a display device in a single screen draw. V sync can be turned on to eliminate this issue. However, vertical synchronization also introduces visual delay that may be perceived as input lag, which is most noticeable when playing video games. Since this input lag is quite substantial, most gamers opt out of the use of V sync and just deal with the artifacts of screen tearing. One of the many benefits of a high refresh rate CRT is that tearing becomes difficult to notice as the refresh rate climbs. A 60hz LCD is going to have obvious tearing. While running at 150hz, effectively screen tearing is no longer visible. If an individual wanted to enable V sync on a CRT at 150hz, the input lag created would be far less than the lag experienced on a 60hz LCD, due to almost a tripling in visible frames with the CRT.
