How-To Geek’s Sydney Butler makes an enthusiast’s case for keeping these displays, drawing on his own games, video-watching habits, and repurposed monitors. Those experiences offer inspiration, not comparative benchmarks. The strongest reason to try a CRT is that you may prefer its presentation—not that every LCD or OLED is automatically doing something wrong.
1. Give retro PC games a dedicated display
Butler singles out classics including Diablo, Diablo II, Commander Keen, Master of Orion, Fallout, and Jazz Jackrabbit. He prefers their appearance on CRT monitors, particularly at lower resolutions such as 640×480 and 800×600.
That is a useful starting point for experimentation, rather than a prescription for every game. Those titles do not all share the same original resolution, and changing the desktop resolution does not necessarily change how a game or emulator renders its picture.
Match the setup to the game and monitor. Check the monitor’s documented display modes, preserve the game’s intended proportions, and compare the result with your existing screen. A CRT should earn its desk space through the experience, not through a loyalty oath to beige hardware.
Motion performance also deserves more careful language than “no blur.” Research published in Scientific Reports, available in the supplied evidence, describes differences in CRT and LCD light output and persistence, while emphasizing that model and configuration matter. It does not establish that every CRT outperforms every modern flat panel.
The practical conclusion: Butler’s preference for scrolling games is credible as a personal judgment, but it is not a universal measurement.
2. Make older television a smaller-screen experience
Butler’s second use is watching older animation, live-action shows, and 4:3 music videos on a CRT at his desk. He describes using episodes as breaks during a Pomodoro-style work routine.
For readers, the worthwhile experiment is straightforward: try familiar standard-definition material at a comfortable size and retain its original aspect ratio. Judge faces, subtitles, framing, and motion—not just whether the screen feels reassuringly old.
A PC CRT is still a computer display, however. Playing a video through a browser or media player is not the same as feeding an original television signal directly into a CRT TV. The monitor does not automatically restore detail missing from a compressed or poorly transferred video.
Nor does the source identify particular shows or provide controlled comparisons. Treat “looks better” as an invitation to compare your own material, not a promise that a tube will rescue every fuzzy upload.
The appeal is presentation: a dedicated screen for older content, rather than an automatic picture-quality upgrade.
3. Pair a Dreamcast with VGA—but check the game
Dreamcast gaming is the most technically specific of the four uses. Butler describes connecting the console through a Dreamcast VGA box or compatible VGA adapter to a PC CRT for progressive-scan output.
The important addition is that VGA compatibility is game-specific. Sega’s official Dreamcast software catalog includes a separate VGA column, with support marked for some releases and absent for others. Its Japanese catalog marks Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi, and Jet Set Radio as compatible, while other entries lack that designation. That catalog is evidence for the listed releases, not a guarantee covering every regional disc.
Before committing to the setup:
- Confirm VGA support for the particular game and regional release.
- Check that the monitor accepts the adapter’s output.
- Follow the adapter’s documented connection and operating instructions.
- Do not assume that a blank picture means the monitor has failed; establish compatibility first.
The broader distinction matters, too: a PC CRT is not interchangeable with a CRT television. Butler correctly flags that older consoles’ television-oriented output may not suit a typical VGA computer monitor. A matching connector alone does not establish compatible video timing.
Dreamcast VGA is therefore a compelling reason to preserve a suitable monitor—not proof that one connection is definitive for the entire library.
4. Build a virtual aquarium without dismantling anything
The fourth idea is charmingly uncomplicated: play aquarium footage on the working monitor. Butler says the thick glass and moving image make his repurposed CRT particularly convincing. That is an aesthetic observation, not a measured display advantage.
His setup uses a browser extension called Zoom to Fill to enlarge widescreen footage onto a 4:3 screen. The extension’s developer currently describes zoom, pan, and aspect-ratio controls, including a 4:3 option. Those are developer-described capabilities, not an independent endorsement of the extension.
There is an unavoidable framing choice:
- Fit: retain the whole widescreen picture, with unused space.
- Crop: fill the screen while losing material at the sides.
- Stretch: fill the screen while changing the image’s proportions.
Cropping may be harmless for drifting fish, but it is less forgiving with subtitles or carefully composed scenes. Use fill controls deliberately rather than treating black bars as a technical fault. Zoom to Fill’s documented pan and crop controls provide one way to adjust that framing.
Butler’s claim that his setup uses less electricity than a real aquarium cannot be generalized: no comparative power measurements accompany it. Enjoy the digital fish; leave the energy verdict unclaimed.
Put the CRT beside a Windows 11 display
Butler also reports using a Sun Microsystems CRT at 1152×900 as a secondary screen. That is a detail about his particular equipment, not a resolution promise for other monitors.
Once a compatible connection is established, Windows 11’s documented multi-monitor controls offer a practical route:
- Press Windows + P and choose Extend.
- Open Settings > System > Display.
- Select Identify to distinguish the screens.
- Drag the display rectangles to match their physical positions, then select Apply.
- Move a window and the mouse pointer between screens to confirm the arrangement works. Microsoft documents these controls for Windows 11.
If the CRT is missing, use Multiple displays > Detect. For connection problems, Microsoft recommends checking cables, trying another cable or output port, and testing the monitor with another system to isolate the fault.
This makes a useful compromise: keep the modern screen for everyday work and give the CRT a specific job.
Reuse first, recycle when appropriate
“Do not automatically discard a working CRT” is sensible advice. “Never recycle a CRT” is not.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency encourages repair and reuse where practical, and recycling when those options are not practical. It also identifies lead in CRT funnel glass, making appropriate end-of-life handling important. Arrange disposal through an electronics collection service that accepts CRTs rather than treating the monitor as ordinary rubbish.
The verdict is less dramatic than the headline, but more useful: a healthy, compatible CRT can still be a worthwhile specialist display. Preserve it because it serves a purpose you enjoy—not because every flat panel has somehow failed the past.