Are Cornerstone Monitors Any Good?

[Cronie]

Looking at a P2450. $260 at MonitorsDirect.com.

Also like the Samsung 955DF but refresh rate is only 66kHz@1600. Any thoughts?

 

[GoSharks]

The 955DF has a 85Khz horizontal scan specification meaning it is optimized for 1024 x 768 at 85Hz. The p2450 has a 96Khz horizontal scan specification meaning it is optimized for 1280 x 1024 at 85Hz. What resolution do you plan on using?

The 955DF uses a shadow mask CRT the p2450 uses an Aperture grill CRT. What is your application?


Some advice on purchasing a monitor.

Unlike many electronic devices, Monitor assembly and alignment is mostly a manual process. Since humans do most of the aligning, variation is inevitable. For example: The training of the operator adjusting convergence varies person to person. For the most part when you purchase a monitor or any other electronic device, what you are really buying is the company that sold it to you.

No matter what brand you want to buy, call or e-mail the manufacturers tech support line before you give them your credit card number. First, time how long it takes you to reach a human. You don’t want to sit on hold; you want to talk to knowledgeable people. Ask some basic questions about the monitor you are interested in. This will give you a good indication of the support you will get should something go wrong after the purchase.

Some sample questions:

Who makes the CRT in model # XYZ?
Even in branded products you may be very surprised to find out who manufactured the most important component of the monitor. This is the #1 way manufacturers cut corners to cut cost.

What is the Convergence specification? Convergence is one of the most important aspects in determining the sharpness of the screen image.

How long is the warranty period? This can very by make and model. Some manufacturers like Cornerstone offer 5 year warranties.

Do you have an extended warranty option? Companies with low confidence in their product line tend to charge higher prices for enhanced warranties.

Good Luck

Jim Witkowski
Chief Hardware Engineer
Cornerstone / Monitorsdirect.com


Jim at http://www.monitorsdirect.com