Got the NEC MultiSync LCD20WGX2! (BRIEF REVIEW)
I received the NEC last Friday just after I received my 7900GTX step-up. I have every thing set-up now, and I must say I am not disappointed! I'm not completely blown away by the quality of this screen compared to my old 19" CRT; but it is a definite improvement, particularly since LCD's don't flicker, that used to really drive me mad.
Having never had an LCD it feels very weird to have such a diminutive monitor instead of my previous CRT behemoth! I'll compile a brief and succinct review below, though I am not as technically knowledgeable as all of you and very have little means of comparison!
AESTHETICS AND ERGONOMICS:
Overall this is a very attractive monitor. The thin silver bezel gives a very appealing picture frame appearance, much like my CRT Toshiba Picture Frame TV. The Silver/Black colour scheme, the bezel being silver and the base and cabinet being black, means that this monitor compliments all computer set-ups, matching peripherals and cases etc. The black base is simple effective and unobtrusive.
Obviously thin LCD's give huge ergonomic advantages over CRT's being so thin. However I find the positioning of the inputs rather difficult, granted you may only need to access them once but they really are quite difficult to reach. You need to tilt the monitor the full 30 degrees forward and get right underneath the inputs-this makes access to the 2 of 4 USB ports irritating. Having said that, the cable management system conceals the cables very effectively. Build quality is also very high and its surprisingly light.
FUNCTIONALITY AND OSD:
As far as I know most 20" widescreen monitors have limited tilt, swivel, rotate, and height adjustment capabilities and the NEC is no different. Basically you get limited forward tilting and that?s it. I don't see why you can't have height adjustment or portrait mode like DELL's LCD's? It?s not an issue for me at all; but more options in terms of the monitor?s positional adjustment can only be an improvement.
The OSD is really brilliant, it?s very simple and easy to use. The joystick control is very good and you can even change the brightness of the blue LED within it. Most reviews heavily compliment the NEC's OSD and I can see why.
IMAGE QUALITY
I'm connecting the NEC via DVI from a 7900GTX and the image is superb! The screen is crisp, vibrant and just generally brilliant! Text is very clear and crisp, picture sharpness and definition is splendid. I won't go on as this is subjective.
COLOUR REPRODUCTION:
As far as I can tell the colours on this monitor are very impressive. There is a real depth and richness to all colours, particularly blacks. I've tried 1 small movie file and found no problems at all; but in all honesty I don't really care for video playback on a 20" monitor. According to reviews this monitor has just about the best 'out of box' colour accuracy. I do a little bit of photo editing and have none of the casting problems I had with my old CRT. I currently have the colour set to sRGB 6500K; but I am not sure whether to use native or not? Do any of you think using a calibrator is worth it? Or do you recommend using another colour space or temperature? I really would like some advice in this area.
RESPONSE TIME AND GAMING:
This is marketed as a gaming monitor and is basically the fastest 20" around. I'm very discerning when it comes to gaming performance and any lag (I've tried tons of mice because of my sensitivity and finally settled for a G7). Essentially there is no input lag or response time issue, even in the fastest gaming scenarios. Unless you were looking really, really hard for any kind of ghosting (so hard that basically you would die in seconds in any FPS!) you simply would not have any problems at all. Colours look great in games-again there very deep, rich and vivid, subtle hues and shadows (think FEAR) are picked up very well. Also it?s worth mentioning that the brightness of NEC's panel really helps here. I haven't tried any Advanced DM Modes or anything, but at least you know that the monitor is fine without them.
VIEWING ANGLES:
To be direct, you are going have no problems with this S-IPS (LG.Philips LM201W01) panel the screen is constant at many extreme angles.
WIDESCREEN:
I'm not convinced over the benefits of 16:10 widescreen over 4:3 aspect screens. Sure there?s more horizontal real estate, but you do lose a little vertically. And gaming can be a headache! Despite the obvious prevalence of widescreen monitors now, I'm quite amazed to see how many games don't support widescreen resolutions. Editing config and ini files can be tedious and often the FOV gets messed up. I must say though that HALF-LIFE 2 looks good in widescreen. One has to remember that these widescreen LCD's are borne out of cost cutting in the manufacturing process-and not necessarily to build a 'better' monitor. Movie watching in widescreen LCD's is frankly overrated. You nearly always have substantial black bars at the top and bottom anyway. Having said all this it looks like most of the top monitors available are widescreen and this is going to be the trend-I can imagine that much larger screens, 24", 30" etc would be brilliant in 16:10 aspect.
GLOSSY OPTICLEAR COATING:
I just don't know what all the fuss is about with the glossy screen? I think it?s excellent and not at all a distraction, and I have a huge window with light pouring through it in front of the screen. On the contrary the glossy sheen makes the colours look really vivid and real. My sister, who uses a matt coated DELL at work, much prefers the NEC, its crisper and somehow more refined.
OSD SETTINGS AND 1:1 PIXEL MAPPING:
Having just got the monitor I would appreciate some help in adjusting monitor settings. In particular the BRIGHTNESS, CONTRAST, and SHARPNESS levels. This is a very bright screen-currently I have it set at 50% but am not sure if that?s best. The other big issue is the 1:1 Pixel mapping, when I bought the monitor; one of the tipping points for me in going for the NEC over the Viewsonic VX2025 was this. Essentially this feature is meant to be able to display a smaller resolution within the screen, without stretching or changing the aspect ratio. I think the setting for this is called 'EXPANSION MODE' but I don't seem able to adjust that control-I don't know if its because I'm using DVI and not analogue. Nevertheless I want this feature and need to know how to enable it as it?s invaluable in games.
SYSTEMIC BACKLIGHT BLEEDING:
Unfortunately this has been the only achilles heel of the NEC MultiSync LCD20WGX2. It?s something very difficult to judge and only affects the user in the darkest of environments and images. I got my NEC from Overclockers UK and thankfully it has no dead pixels but it does I think have a little bleeding particularly in the bottom left corner. It really is very minor and it may even go away. Nonetheless I called NEC support and they really were very helpful and knowledgeable. They informed me that this has been a problem, but in some case it goes away with time. However the representative told me that all monitors are now screened and tested and even the transportation process has been altered to solve the problem. They offered me a replacement and will ship it to me, give me a chance to compare the new one and return the old one if its better. I have a week or so to decide what to do. Should I replace the panel? Has anyone had any experience with RMA'ing the NEC MultiSync LCD20WGX2? What I don't want is to end up with a worse screen, perhaps with dead pixels or to continually send back replacements, as I have done with other products.
CONCLUSION:
Overall the NEC MultiSync LCD20WGX2 monitor is superb, you would not regret the decision to purchase one and the technical support from NEC UK seems competent too. One piece of advice though, in hindsight I think it would be good to get a larger widescreen monitor with a bigger native resolution and then make sure its capable of 1:1 Pixel mapping so you can play games at lower resolutions for the sake of graphic cards demands.
I hope this review was useful, and I thank xtknight and others for their advice prior to purchase; and I would really appreciate some advice regarding the questions above.
Thanks