Why Do People Still Buy CRT Monitors for Gaming?

CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitors are a thing of the past, nevertheless, people nowadays still seek them out and buy them for their gaming needs. This situation is quite perplexing for some people considering that CRT technology is considered obsolete and no manufacturer makes CRT monitors anymore.

What would be the reasons that people still buy old, bulky monitors and play games on them?

CRTs Still Have What It Takes

All of the current gaming monitors, be they budget or overpriced, come with either TN, IPS, or VA panels. These monitors take a bit of tuning and fiddling with overdrive and overclock settings to set up properly – but when done you will have a crisp and clear image while gaming.

How could CRTs ever compare to modern technology you might ask? Well, there are still ways in which CRT technology outshines the modern competition. CRT panels are fast and can refresh faster than modern LCD panels leading to better response times.

Because the panel is so fast there are no issues with blur or overshoot and the clarity of the image is stunning. The colors on CRTs are also decent with very deep black tones for good color accuracy. With tuning, you could even use a 120Hz CRT panel for gaming that will give you a crystal clear picture and snappy inputs.

The potential 120Hz doesn’t come close to 240-360Hz available on TN/IPS panels currently, but considering the aging technology, this feat is still impressive. For some these capabilities are special enough to still use a CRT monitor for gaming despite the disadvantages.

Nostalgia and Retro Gamers

There is also a category of people who do not care at all about the technical specifications of CRT monitors and simply want one because of the nostalgic feeling they get (and because these monitors are best-suited for retro gaming).

A lot of older games are sprite-based and CRTs have a certain magic that makes those games look and feel the best. This is not necessarily a “scientific” conclusion but is something that a lot of retro gamers have noticed and that is why they have stuck with good-old CRT monitors.

These monitors are impractical and if you are not a retro gamer do not make much sense, but if you are into that scene then these monitors will make you feel a certain way, no other monitor could.

About The Author

Chris (vile_is_dead)

Custom Windows ISO enjoyer, FPS optimizer, and aim improvement enthusiast. Will disassemble all of his peripherals (and sometimes PC parts) to mod them even if all of them work perfectly fine. Discord/Twitter: vile_is_dead

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