I had to make this decision just last week - I decided to go for the CRT.
The cons I came up with for an LCD were, in no particular order:
1. Price.
An CRT typically costs less than half the price of an equivelant LCD.
2. Resolution.
You're pretty much stuck at one resolution. For 15" LCD's, this means 1024x768, for 17-19" LCD's it means 1280x1024, and for 20"+ LCD's it means 1600x1200. You
cannot use a higher resolution at all, and using a lower resolution means the image will be stretched and blurred. CRT's can do typically any resolution up to 1600x1200 (good 17s, and all 19+) or higher (good 19+). 1024x768 is a pretty standard resolution, but 1280x1024 is NOT a standard 4:3 sceen ratio (it's actually 5:4). While this is fine for desktop usage, some games (particularly newer ones) only allow 1280x960 (4:3 ratio). Some monitors do this stretching better than others, but they can't come close to a CRT at anything except their one resolution.
3. Dead pixels.
I think this was probably my strongest reason - a standard LCD warranty allows for up to 10 or 15 dead subpixels - which means either the red, green, or blue segment of a pixel can be dead. Some poorer warranties even allow for completely dead (always black) pixels. Even the best LCD warranties you can get still allow for 5 dead subpixels. I can't help thinking that I'd go crazy if I had a dead pixel - once you know where it is, your eye will just happen to always look right there.
4. Trailing.
There are a couple LCD's now that have fast enough pixel refresh times to be considered as good as a CRT for gaming or watching videos. One of these is the Hitachi CML174, the other is the Iiyama AS1314. I looked far and wide, and I could find no other LCD with reportedly unnoticeable trailing. So, for most LCD's this is a con, but for these two it is not an issue.
5. Colour. Only a very small percentage of LCD's are able to obtain to colour range and brightness of a half-decent CRT. Also, a large percentage of LCD's tend to have an slightly bluish or pinkish image. In some cases it can be adjusted, but in many cases it is simply impossible to get rid of.
The pros for LCD's as I see it are basically:
1. Coolness.
You have to admit, it just looks cooler to have a desk with an LCD on it rather than one with a CRT on it.
2. Image sharpness.
There is no denying that the image on an LCD is sharper than a CRT. Even on the best CRT's I've seen it still seems impossible to get the red, blue, and green perfectly aligned. Often it will be on one part of the screen, but not on the other. However, this isn't a major issue as it's often difficult to detect unless you look very closely. So, LCD's provide a sharper image - but ONLY if they are at their native resolution.
3. Size & weight.
Obviously, an LCD is much smaller and much lighter than a comparable LCD.
So, given the above I decided to go with a second 19" monitor, instead of buying a 17" LCD to put beside my existing 19". It should come in this week.
Jason Rhinelander
Gossamer Threads jason@gossamer-threads.com