[MelissaC]

Hi there, just upgraded from a CRT monitor to a 21" LCD monitor but I'm very disappointed with the quality and was wondering if anything was wrong. I'm getting these horrible diagonal faded wavy lines that move from the bottom left to the top right, not particularly noticeable against a light background but more so on greys and blacks.

HELP!

[Advertisements]

Well, diagonal wavy lines is an interference problem and typically does not really reflect on the quality of the monitor, but rather the quality of the video signal it is receiving.

My guess is you are using the computer's same video connection as your CRT, which would be analog via the 15-pin D-Sub connector. Analog is more susceptible to interference. And interference is typically introduced when the source is very near, or when the cable's shielding is damaged, or not grounded properly through the connectors.

The first thing to check is to make sure all the cables are securely fastened, on both ends, and not running parallel right next to power cords. Move speakers, wireless devices, or any large power consumer (like a big old CRT monitor with big magnets and transformers inside) away from the computer, monitor and cables. Turn off florescence lights and nearby TVs and radios and other electronics.

If the cables are tight, the graphics card (if not on-board) is secure in it's slot, and you isolated the monitor, speakers and cables as much as possible from potential interference sources and the wavy lines are still there, try the new monitor on another computer. If you see wavy lines with two computers (preferably at different locations), send or take the monitor back. You got a bad one. If the image is sharp and wavy free on the second computer, then something is wrong with your computer (a failing power supply can do this) or something in or very nearby your computer room has problems.

If this new monitor supports a digital connection via a DVI or HDMI connector, you should go digital to take advantage of it and really see the "quality" of the LCD's display. Besides a better image than analog, digital is not normally affected by nearby devices spewing out stray radiations.

BTW - While most LCDs offer better quality than CRT monitors, top of the line CRTs arguably outperform even the best LCDs. Since we don't have brand and model numbers of either of your monitors, I don't know were your two stand in the mix. But what is certain is that LCDs with a digital feeds outperform LCDs running analog. So if your new monitor has a DVI or HDMI connection, but your computer does not currently support digital graphics, and you don't do 3D animated gaming, there are plenty of inexpensive digital cards you can install that "hopefully" won't require a larger power supply. If the ultimate goal is to play the newer 3D animation games, then you should just start the budgeting process for a new power supply and a decent graphics card (and maybe more RAM).

[Digerati]

Well, diagonal wavy lines is an interference problem and typically does not really reflect on the quality of the monitor, but rather the quality of the video signal it is receiving.

My guess is you are using the computer's same video connection as your CRT, which would be analog via the 15-pin D-Sub connector. Analog is more susceptible to interference. And interference is typically introduced when the source is very near, or when the cable's shielding is damaged, or not grounded properly through the connectors.

The first thing to check is to make sure all the cables are securely fastened, on both ends, and not running parallel right next to power cords. Move speakers, wireless devices, or any large power consumer (like a big old CRT monitor with big magnets and transformers inside) away from the computer, monitor and cables. Turn off florescence lights and nearby TVs and radios and other electronics.

If the cables are tight, the graphics card (if not on-board) is secure in it's slot, and you isolated the monitor, speakers and cables as much as possible from potential interference sources and the wavy lines are still there, try the new monitor on another computer. If you see wavy lines with two computers (preferably at different locations), send or take the monitor back. You got a bad one. If the image is sharp and wavy free on the second computer, then something is wrong with your computer (a failing power supply can do this) or something in or very nearby your computer room has problems.

If this new monitor supports a digital connection via a DVI or HDMI connector, you should go digital to take advantage of it and really see the "quality" of the LCD's display. Besides a better image than analog, digital is not normally affected by nearby devices spewing out stray radiations.

BTW - While most LCDs offer better quality than CRT monitors, top of the line CRTs arguably outperform even the best LCDs. Since we don't have brand and model numbers of either of your monitors, I don't know were your two stand in the mix. But what is certain is that LCDs with a digital feeds outperform LCDs running analog. So if your new monitor has a DVI or HDMI connection, but your computer does not currently support digital graphics, and you don't do 3D animated gaming, there are plenty of inexpensive digital cards you can install that "hopefully" won't require a larger power supply. If the ultimate goal is to play the newer 3D animation games, then you should just start the budgeting process for a new power supply and a decent graphics card (and maybe more RAM).

[MelissaC]

Well, diagonal wavy lines is an interference problem and typically does not really reflect on the quality of the monitor, but rather the quality of the video signal it is receiving.

My guess is you are using the computer's same video connection as your CRT, which would be analog via the 15-pin D-Sub connector. Analog is more susceptible to interference. And interference is typically introduced when the source is very near, or when the cable's shielding is damaged, or not grounded properly through the connectors.

The first thing to check is to make sure all the cables are securely fastened, on both ends, and not running parallel right next to power cords. Move speakers, wireless devices, or any large power consumer (like a big old CRT monitor with big magnets and transformers inside) away from the computer, monitor and cables. Turn off florescence lights and nearby TVs and radios and other electronics.

If the cables are tight, the graphics card (if not on-board) is secure in it's slot, and you isolated the monitor, speakers and cables as much as possible from potential interference sources and the wavy lines are still there, try the new monitor on another computer. If you see wavy lines with two computers (preferably at different locations), send or take the monitor back. You got a bad one. If the image is sharp and wavy free on the second computer, then something is wrong with your computer (a failing power supply can do this) or something in or very nearby your computer room has problems.

If this new monitor supports a digital connection via a DVI or HDMI connector, you should go digital to take advantage of it and really see the "quality" of the LCD's display. Besides a better image than analog, digital is not normally affected by nearby devices spewing out stray radiations.

BTW - While most LCDs offer better quality than CRT monitors, top of the line CRTs arguably outperform even the best LCDs. Since we don't have brand and model numbers of either of your monitors, I don't know were your two stand in the mix. But what is certain is that LCDs with a digital feeds outperform LCDs running analog. So if your new monitor has a DVI or HDMI connection, but your computer does not currently support digital graphics, and you don't do 3D animated gaming, there are plenty of inexpensive digital cards you can install that "hopefully" won't require a larger power supply. If the ultimate goal is to play the newer 3D animation games, then you should just start the budgeting process for a new power supply and a decent graphics card (and maybe more RAM).

Thanks Digerati for that very detailed reply, the diagonal lines problem was nothing more than a bad connection fortunately. However my new LCD monitor is very 'snowy', comparable to an analogue tv signal that doesn't quite have the perfect signal, or a VCR quality video. On lighter backgrounds it's not too much of a hindrance, but very very noticeable and off-putting on darker backgrounds. I'm using a new VGA (it is only VGA sadly) cable that came with it, nothing special about it, just a 1.5m cable

I'm an office user mostly, not fussed about games, running a 256MB on-board (enough?) with a 1680 by 1050 resolution, however much I fiddle the resolution it doesn't affect the 'snowy' effect.

I'll try moving some cables and the monitor around, try it on another computer but if you have any more advice on any plausible reason to my snowy problem I'd very much welcome it!

[Digerati]

(no need to quote my whole posts)

I am glad the wavy lines are gone. As for the snowy image, I am afraid the same steps apply. Try another computer, if fine there, you need to look at a new card. 256Mb is a lot for on-board, but just about any card is better than on-board as most cards will have a better graphics processor, and its own dedicated RAM. The dedicated RAM will allow that current 256Mb of shared memory your current system is using to be turned back into the memory pool, in effect, giving you a little RAM boost in the process.

If the new monitor is VGA only, then your options for better quality will be limited.