Everyone who has ever owned an older TV or computer monitor knows just how large CRTs can be. They need to be very deep, to accommodate the electron gun, which means there will be a lot of desk space taken up. And, they are very heavy to lug around.

LCD monitors are normally very thin, and can easily be mounted to a wall. It’s a great way to conserve some desk space. Besides, large LCD monitors only weight a few pounds, and are easy to carry with only one hand.

As for the power consumption, a normal 17″ CRT monitor will pull between 90 and 120 Watts of power. In comparison, a 17″ LCD only uses 35 to 50 Watts of power on average. Obviously, the CRT monitor pulls two to four times more power than the computer LCD monitor. With larger sized displays, the gap widens even further.

It’s not just the pollution caused by generating electricity to run a CRT compared to a LCD, but also the materials that make up CRT monitors are harmful. For instance, CRT monitors contain several pounds of lead, mercury, and barium. These chemicals are highly toxic, and are a problem when disposing of CRT monitors. LCDs only have mercury in their backlights, but do not contain those other harmful chemicals.

Not only are LCD monitors better for the environment, but they are also better for your eyes. This is mainly due to the flicker of CRT monitors, which is present even at high refresh rates. If you need to be looking at a computer screen all day, you seriously need to look into getting a pc LCD monitor.

With CRTs, when ever your turn them on, they are automatically degaussed, which makes a ton of noise. Likewise, when switching resolutions, there is normally a loud clicking noise. Moreover, on more than one occasion some of the CRT monitors will start making a high pitched squeal. All three of these noises are extremely irritating, and are not present in LCD monitors.