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Chances of getting a "bad" LCD?

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Vance S

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2004
Location
East Bay, CA
I'm in the market for an LCD monitor. I'm wondering what my chances are of getting one with dead or stuck pixels or bad backlight problems. I want to order one online because I can get a much better deal from a website than I can from local stores but am worried about having to send the monitor back and paying shipping charges. If I were to buy one from a store I could easily return it but then I have to pay more for the same product.

I'm looking at getting the Viewsonic 19" widescreen or the BenQ 20" widescreen that is possibly the same panel as the Dell 2005fpw (I saw the BenQ mentioned in the cyber deals section but have no proof of it being the same panel as of right now).

Are dead pixels and backlight problems as common as they sometimes seem?

I did a search for a topic like this and only found threads that were over a year old and I wanted to get a more up to date answer if possible.
 
Dead pixels are not uncommon. I can't give you a % estimate, because I haven't seen a large enough sample of LCDs. However, in my experience, a dead pixel isn't the end of the world. It is only a problem if the pixel is "stuck." Stuck pixels can be quite annoying, and do warrant a return, IMO. The good thing is, some stuck pixels can be massaged back to proper functioning status.

Backlight problems seem to be exaggerated. Once again, I have no data to back up that statement, but I haven't seen many recent monitors that exhibit backlight problems worthy of note.

All in all, I wouldn't worry too much about a monitor that has a decent reputation. If, by chance, you get a dud, most manufacturers will promptly issue an RMA. Therefore, you needn't worry about restocking fees.
 
if you get the 2005fpw, dell will exchange the monitor for whatever reason for a new one within 21 days. I had to return mine 4 times, Im finally settled with one, but its not the best, and the dude on the phone was hard to understand and rude. it's still a decent monitor though
 
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