Power Consumption in CRT Vs. Flat Panel LCD Monitors
Monitors are divided into two major groups by their production technology: CRT and LCD. Each one offers certain features and comes with its own benefits and problems. Power consumption represents one of the major factors taken into consideration by users when buying a monitor, so it is important to be well-informed before choosing the product that will best fit your needs.
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CRT vs. LCD
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CRT, short for cathode-ray tube, is represented by a technology that uses electron guns to fire electrons at a phosphor coating, creating the colored pixels that form the image to be displayed. LCD, short for liquid crystal display, uses two layers of polarizing material with liquid crystal solution between them. An electric current passing trough the liquid crystal display controls the movement and behavior of the crystals, either allowing light to pass through them or block it, thus creating the images.
Power Consumption
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Because of the newer and more advanced technology, LCDs are more economical than classic CRTs. An LCD monitor of the same size as a CRT monitor will consume less than half the power required for the CRT, making it a very profitable investment. For example, a 17” LCD monitor requires about 35W, very low consumption compared to the 90W requirement of a 17” CRT monitor.
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Pros and Cons
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Each one, CRT or LCD, has their own advantages and disadvantages. If it comes to color quality and viewing angle, CRTs take the lead, but LCDs come with low radiation and distortion free images, unlike the bent CRT screens that may distort the image. Also, the physical size advantage is toward LCDs, as they are very slim compared to CRTs.
Price
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Although the power saving is quite significant for LCDs, they come at higher retail price. Therefore, it is important to make a plan and see how much you’ll use the computer daily, and see whether the power savings will compensate for the higher price.
Alternatives
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LCDs seem to remain in the lead when it comes to economy. The LED backlighting technology comes to deliver clearer and more uniform images to LCD screens, while also cutting down the power consumption.
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References
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