Choose the Best Monitor for CAD

18 Mar, 2010 By: Ron LaFon

CAD 101: Arm yourself with these solid fundamentals as you set out to find the consumer- or professional-grade LCD display that's right for you.

Editor's note: This article was originally published in the Winter 2010 edition of Cadalyst magazine.

Your onscreen display is your window to your work every day, so selecting the right monitor is an important decision for CAD-related work. Although the common wisdom about large monitors and CAD going together holds a lot of truth, there's more to making the right selection than size alone. This article serves as a guide to help you find your path through the labyrinth of features, sizes, and options. I use these basic procedures each time I purchase a new display.

Size and Resolution

Large monitors make sense for CAD use. They require less panning and zooming — and display detail work more effectively — because more of a design shows on the screen at one time, allowing the portion being drawn to be shown in the context of the overall design.

Screen size. In general, 19" monitors are considered entry-level equipment for CAD and design work, and 21" or larger panels are deemed suitable for general work. The larger your monitor, the larger the content will display — an important consideration if your eyesight is not perfect. Bigger screens also provide larger views of segments of drawings, which is extremely useful when working with highly detailed designs.

Resolution. This measurement indicates the number of pixels per inch on your screen and determines the overall sharpness of your display. The larger the LCD panel, the higher the resolution it will have, typically. For example, my 24" LCD display has a default resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels at a sync rate of 60 Hz. Most 27" monitors have this same high resolution, but the larger screen size means text and graphics details will be slightly larger and thus easier to see on screen. Modifying a display's default resolution is possible but usually results in a loss of image quality, and has the potential to distort the onscreen display of the objects you're designing.

Sync rate. Currently available LCD displays typically default to a sync rate of 60 Hz, which is enough to prevent flicker for most people.

Monitor Accessories and Stands

For LCD monitors, the list of available accessories is fairly short. Several manufacturers offer a sound bar — a speaker assembly that fits across the bottom of the LCD panel. Most LCD panels offer wall-mount options, but if this capability is of interest to you, you'll also need the actual mount assembly onto which the monitor panel snaps. Some high-end displays offer color calibration hardware that typically hooks to the computer via a USB port and uses a puck to read onscreen color.

Aside from the primary function of supporting the LCD panel, monitor stands offer a wide range of adjustment options. The most common are swivel (left and right angle) and tilt (forward and back angle) adjustments. On larger and/or professional-model displays, stands also can include pivot adjustments (that let users change their monitors in either vertical/portrait or horizontal/landscape modes) and lift adjustments (which raise or lower the entire panel). Personally, I seldom rotate my display to a vertical configuration, but some people find this configuration more useful. I find a lift feature to be very useful, but for some reason this function seems to add significantly to the cost of the mount. Note that some monitors come with pivot software to switch from vertical to horizontal configurations.

You might want to attach your panel to either a wall or to a flexible arm, in which case you'll need to be sure that your monitor incorporates a VESA standard panel mount that will allow you to mount the panel according to your needs. Two VESA mount sizes are available, so if this is a consideration, be sure your mount matches the size of the panel connector. Whichever mounting method you choose, the most important factor is its stability.

Response time. In the simplest terms, response time for LCDs indicates the time required for the display to refresh a video image. The lower the number, the better — and note that this is not a configurable setting. Typical response times on today's LCD monitors are more than 5 ms, which is comparable to the refresh rates of older CRT displays. For smooth rotations, panning, and animations, you'll need a display that has a response time of 5 ms or less to avoid jerky onscreen movements, which I call "visual stutter." This is very important for CAD and other graphics-intensive applications in which users frequently zoom, pan, and rotate complex models in drawings and animations.

Antireflective coating. The quality of antireflective coating on the display surface is important: Glare not only makes it difficult to see the content on your screen, it also can adversely affect eyesight over time. All displays come with antireflective coating, but the quality of these coatings varies widely. Do your homework and ask questions to be sure you don't sacrifice quality in this area.

Features: Professional vs. Consumer Models

Do you need a more expensive professional-grade monitor for CAD work, or can you make do with a less-expensive consumer model? In general, professional-grade displays have faster response times, more contrast, better color rendition, and the latest technology, all features that combine to produce superior display results. But with these added features — many of which are nice to have but not be essential for most users — comes a higher price tag.

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About the Author: Ron LaFon

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