The Basics

Often referred to as a monitor when packaged in a separate case, the display is the most used output device on a computer. The display provides instant feedback by showing text and graphic images to you as you work or play. Most desktop displays use a cathode ray tube (CRT), while portable computing devices such as laptops incorporate liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED), gas plasma or other image projection technology. Because of their slimmer design and smaller energy consumption, monitors using LCD technologies are beginning to replace the venerable CRT on many desktops.

When purchasing a display, you have a number of decisions to make. These decisions affect how well your display will perform for you, how much the monitor will cost and how much information you will be able to view with the display. Your decisions include:

• The display technology -- currently, the choices are mainly between CRT and LCD technologies
• The cable technology (VGA or DVI being the two most common)
• The viewable area of the display -- usually measured diagonally
• The aspect ratio and orientation (landscape or portrait) of the display
• The display's maximum resolution
• The dot pitch
• The refresh rate
• The display's color depth
• The amount of power consumption

In the following sections we will talk about each of these areas so that you can completely understand how your monitor works!