Originally posted by: LoneWolf69
Hello again,
I have another quick question concerning the Samsung LCD monitors. I just ran across a VERY good deal on a Samsung 204T and I was wondering how it differs from the Samsung 214T? The 214T seems to be favored as one of the very best for image/photo editing and I was wondering how well the 204T would compare, especially if I can get it for a real good deal. Will any of these differences hurt me as far as my image/photo editing goes?
I hope all of this makes sense. I guess what I really should ask is will the 204T be just as good or close to the same as the 214T for image/photo editing?
Thanks again for the help!
Originally posted by: pencilcase
morecomputers and ebuyer have a decent selection and seem to have the best prices here in the UK. Unfortunately, AFAIK, nearly all available 17" and 19" monitors in the UK are based on TN panels. I haven't been able to find any S-IPS or PVA ones apart from the sm770p/sm970p and the vp930. Ebuyer has the 770p on sale for £211.49 shipped (388 USD), which is not bad if you consider that the 740b is priced at £200 (367 USD), the 740n (with height adjustable stand and pivot) at £158.34 (290 USD) and the 710n at £140 (257 USD).
My questions:
1) Is the 770P worth shelling out for, given that my main uses will be text and video (no gaming) and that I'll be using it on vga?
2) Is the panel on the 740n likely to be better or worse than the one on the 710n? The information on flatpanels.dk is that "Samsung 710N has a 17 inch 12 ms TN (Samsung LTM170EU) panel" while "Samsung 740N has a 17 inch 8 ms TN panel" without specifying the manufacturer. The people on this forum are building their own diy projectors and on opening up a 710n they found that the panel inside was by AU Optronics! On their transmissivity tests, the 740n performed better but whether this has any relevance for normal monitor use I have no idea.
Another thing I'm still unsure about is whether a 19" monitor would be easier on my eyes than a 17" one. I'll be spending long hours reading and writing texts in the next few months. If I do go for a 19" monitor, the best deal I've been able to find is the sm913n currently selling at £180 (330 USD) shipped. This monitor's performance in video and image appears to be satisfactory according to reviews and user reports, but I'm not sure how well it handles text.
I've spent days plodding through reviews, and the whole process of choosing an LCD at the present time seems a real minefield. So any advice will be much appreciated!
Originally posted by: xtknight
Originally posted by: LoneWolf69
Hello again,
I have another quick question concerning the Samsung LCD monitors. I just ran across a VERY good deal on a Samsung 204T and I was wondering how it differs from the Samsung 214T? The 214T seems to be favored as one of the very best for image/photo editing and I was wondering how well the 204T would compare, especially if I can get it for a real good deal. Will any of these differences hurt me as far as my image/photo editing goes?
I hope all of this makes sense. I guess what I really should ask is will the 204T be just as good or close to the same as the 214T for image/photo editing?
Thanks again for the help!
Now that I look at some tests, both the 204T and 214T are below the 215TW as far as color accuracy goes. There probably isn't much difference between the 204T and 214T though, and both are still very suited for photos (low black level and high contrast). If you decide to go with the 204T/214T anyway let me know and I'll make sure there's nothing better out there at the moment. The 215TW is $500 at Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001078
Originally posted by: zoolap
xtknight
One of the things that concerned me in relation to the 2030b DVI-D issues it that they say on that forum that switching to DVI-D from analog makes the pixel clock frequency drop and that this causes increased ghosting:
With the DVI-I cable, running in analog, my Pixel Clock runs at 162mhz. If I force Digital, it runs very slow around 120-140mhz (again, only with the eVGA card). My old LCD ran great in Digital at around 160mhz. One monitor I had ran at around 100mhz and ghosted horribly, and Viewsonic had me return it as defective.
Originally posted by: LoneWolf69
Hello again xtknight,
Thanks very much for all of your help with this because I definitely need all of the help I can get and I would like to get the right monitor the first time if possible.
OK, let me run this by you and you give me your opinion as to which way you would go in the same situation.
I can get the Samsung 204T for around $290 plus tax and shipping so somewhere around $350 total delivered.
I can get the Samsung 215TW for $483 plus $16 shipping so a total of $499 delivered.
I can't go with Newegg because I live in TN and they add taxes plus shipping so that adds another $61 which puts it up to $561.
My question to you is in your opinion would you go with the 204T for $350 or is it worth stepping up to the 215TW for $150 more or $499?
Naturally I would rather spend the lesser amount if I am going to be satisfied with the monitor but if not I would rather spend the additional money if necessary to have the quality I am looking for than to save $150 and have $350 in a monitor I am not going to be happy with.
I am sorry for all of the rambling and I hope this all made sense. I think I have been up WAY TOO LONG without sleep the last few days.
Anyway, once I get your response and opinion I will go ahead and place my order. I am also going to be ordering Photoshop CS2 and ColorEyes Display with the X-Riite DTP-94 calibrator at the same time so hopefully within the next week I should have one KICK A$$ image editing workflow!
I am also wanting to order a good external hard drive (300-500GB) @ 7200RPM and was wondering if you would mind giving me a recommendation as to which one to go with for storing all of my photos on. I am amazed at how much they vary in prices for the same amount of storage and again I don't know much about this area so I really don't know which type is the best for storing images. I am now using an online backup service for backing up my files but I would like to also get an external hard drive so I can free up some of the limited space on my notebook as it is already almost full.
Anyway, thanks again very much for all of your help with this.
Take Care!
Originally posted by: paulw86
xtknight, have you heard of Samsung 920N? Is it the current generation or what? How does it compare to 940B that is among the best monitors for the general usage section? Thanks
Originally posted by: xtknight
An AU Optronics panel in a Samsung monitor? That's a first. :Q
1) The Samsung 770P truly is a god among men as far as 17"/19" LCDs go. Great viewing angles, very high contrast and color accuracy for a great picture. I'd get it no matter what I was doing if I could afford it, but whether it's worth it to you I don't know. It sure is a great monitor, and I was going to get it until I realized it wasn't available in the US.
2) The Samsung 74x series are superior to the 71x in colors, features, and response time. The Samsung 710t I had had a decent analog connection so I assume the 74x will too. Unfortunately analog input is hardly even mentioned in reviews these days.
Your best overall choices then are: Samsung 740n (good price/performance), Samsung 913n (easier on the eyes with a reasonable price), Samsung 770P (great monitor at a premium price (but not much more expensive than the 913n)).
My choice would be the 770P. It should be great in all categories and I think it's worth the price no matter what you're doing. If you do light photo editing, then you do some photo editing and I think you'd enjoy the great color gamut the 770P offers over its competitors. The higher contrast helps for video, and for web browsing and text as well. It offers both digital and analog if you decide to go with DVI in the future, and it has much better viewing angles than its TN brethren.
Originally posted by: pencilcase
I'd very much like to buy the 770p but unfortunately it seems impossible to confirm that what is sold as 770p in the UK has a PVA panel. My suspicions were aroused when I noticed that even though the 970p is explicitly advertised as a PVA panel, there's a wall of silence about the panel in the 770p. I've called Samsung's Customer Care, Technical Support and Head Office and none of these departments would confirm that the panel in the 770p is indeed a PVA one. PC Pro magazine published a review of the 770p in its April 06 issue in which it praises the 770p for its quality but says that performance-wise the 770p is "very similar" to the Viewsonic VP730 which in the UK is around £70 (128 usd) cheaper. Also, in the same review the contrast ratio is given as 500:1, which I understand is typical of TN panels, though this could be a simple typo. However, in the body of the review there is this comment which causes concern: "The screen is visible from very wide angles, although apparent brightness starts to drop a little past the 45-degree mark". Do you think I'm being paranoid? It's just that I haven't been able to find any user reviews at all from people who have bought this monitor in the UK, and I'm rather perplexed as to why it's not on sale in the US.
Originally posted by: xtknight
Oh, the contrast and viewing angles do confirm that it's a PVA. (I assume 500:1 is supposed to be 1500:1) Yes, viewing angles for all panels are overrated, and PVAs start to dim just as fast as TNs with subtle movement, but they still maintain their brightness much better at extreme angles. My MVA certainly starts losing half brightness on one side of the panel at 45 degrees. The BeHardware tests make it obvious it's a PVA as well: http://www.behardware.com/articles/594-...ng-syncmaster-770p-pva-6ms-1500-1.html
PVA (770P) vs. TN (204B)
Whether that's the 770P being sold in the UK, I can't confirm, but I'm pretty sure of it. The Samsung UK site lists the SM770P (and these are certainly PVA specs): http://www.samsung.com/uk/products/moni.../ls17vdpxhqedc.asp?page=Specifications
Yes, it's only a 4-domain PVA, but it's still equal to, and better than any TN in some cases. If wherever you buy it from says 1500:1 and viewing angles of 178/178, you can be sure that's the rating of a PVA. If it's a TN, they are advertising it falsely. No TN that I know of is rated over 800:1 contrast, and certainly none are 1500:1. I'm not saying it's not a possibility you'll get a TN, but if you do, it would be extremely deceptive of them to advertise it like that. The fact they say the VP730, a TN panel, is about equal, is likely a fib. The PVA certainly has a better contrast.
This is a PVA right here: http://www.morecomputers.co.uk/textra.asp?extension=&product_number=LS17VDPXHQ
But, eBuyer lists it as a '4ms 1500:1': http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/108521/rb/20211245295
We'll just have to assume that's another mistake, but you can contact eBuyer and see what they have to say about it. The monitor's official spec lists 6 ms. I do understand your concern, but I'm pretty sure they are just typos. If I were you I wouldn't buy it (at least from eBuyer) though until you ask eBuyer about the '4ms' claim, just to make sure. Sorry this is so much trouble.
As for why it's not in the US, I'm not sure, but Samsung has lots of different models in different countries. Perhaps they can't manufacture enough 1500:1 17" PVAs to sustain US demand. I've found that few monitor companies are ever up front about the types of panels in their monitors, and even give you wrong information sometimes, so that's nothing out of the ordinary. I've had at least two unanswered e-mails regarding panel types. Sad, but true, so we just have to learn to recognize the patterns in viewing angle and contrast. Also Samsung's TFT-LCD semiconductor site lists a "1500:1 6 ms." panel as PVA, so if that's not the panel in the 770P, I don't know what would be in there.
Originally posted by: earlyace
I'm looking for a 19" LCD. Although I am an avid gamer, it's primary use woudl be text and graphics. So I'm looking for an LCD with good color reproduction and a good contrast ratio, but still having a decent response time. I've narrowed it down to these monitors:
ViewSonic VP930b
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824116365
Seems to be a perfect match for what I'm looking for, but I am worried about quality control; i.e. backlight leaking and dead pixels.
BenQ FP93GX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824014111
This one seems to match the VX922 in speed, but I am worried about color accuracy. (I ruled out the VX922, becuase my roomate has one and I was unimpressed by the display of colors)
LG L1950B
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824005063
This is a very new monitor; the only preofessional review I could find of it is on PCWorld, where it recieved a top rating, which seems promising:
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,124343,pg,1,00.asp
However, I am worried that it will not be up to speed for gaming, and I am wary to make a choice based on one review. It's so new that I can't find any customer reviews anywhere.
I'm coming from an old Sony SDM-S73, which displays color nicely, and despite the relatively slow refresh rate it ran games well.
I'm having a hard time making a choice, so any input would be greatly appreciated.
Originally posted by: paulw86
I brought two Samsung 940B today. However, i'm really disappointed about the color representation. One strange thing is that the monitors looked decent in stores. Both computers using the monitors have weak video cards. Another thing that bothers me is that the older Acer AL1715 looked alright on one of the computers which use a Radeon 9250. Can anyone enlighten me on what I should do? Thanks
Originally posted by: xtknight
I'm happy with my VP930b. It has no dead pixels, but there is a bit of backlight bleeding. Generally it's not noticeable, but it may be distracting in fully dark scenes and high brightness. I doubt the FP93GX will be different from the VX922 so you may want to avoid it as well then. The LG is another monitor like the FP93GX/VX922, so if I were you, I'd grab a VP930b.
Originally posted by: eXecutioner28
hi all, I am buying my first LCD monitor, but don't know which. I narrowed it down to Samsung 730BF, Benq (don't know which), Philips 170X6 or Sony SDM75P. What do u say? I need it for watching movies and playing games (mostly FPS, RTS and PES5)
thanks
Originally posted by: Pens1566
I've been thinking about getting the Viewsonic 2025, but have recently come across a good deal to get either the 2007FPW, or the 2407FPW. I was just wondering how the 2 dell lcds compare to the Viewsonic in gaming(mostly FPS). I haven't seen any 2407 write-ups yet. I know of the banding issues on the 2007.
I called Ebuyer several times to try and get them to confirm the response time or at least give me the manufacturer's part number for the sm770p, and they couldn't help me with either of those queries. So I emailed them to give them more time to investigate, and though they haven't bothered to reply, they've responded by putting the price up! Ebuyer sucks!:|Originally posted by: xtknight
If I were you I wouldn't buy it (at least from eBuyer) though until you ask eBuyer about the '4ms' claim, just to make sure.
Originally posted by: pencilcase
I called Ebuyer several times to try and get them to confirm the response time or at least give me the manufacturer's part number for the sm770p, and they couldn't help me with either of those queries. So I emailed them to give them more time to investigate, and though they haven't bothered to reply, they've responded by putting the price up! Ebuyer sucks!:|Originally posted by: xtknight
If I were you I wouldn't buy it (at least from eBuyer) though until you ask eBuyer about the '4ms' claim, just to make sure.