LCD Buyer's Guide

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Neodymium
Any idea on how much vertical size difference there is between the Dell 2007WFP and the Samsung 215TW? The numbers I get from their respective websites don't seem to jive. I'm currently on a 19" Viewsonic and I don't want to lose too much real estate vertically.

Active area [W x H] (mm):

• 19" TFT: 376.3 x 301.1
• 20.1"w TFT: 433.4 x 270.9
• 21"w TFT: 453.6 x 283.5

The Samsung 215TW will have 12.6 mm more actual image than the Dell 2007WFP. Active Area is a measure of the actual TFT matrix (resW * pixel pitch, resH * pixel pitch).

I also moved from a 19" ViewSonic, and although at first glance it'll look like a lot of sacrifice with a 20.1" wide, once you start using it it won't even matter since the vertical resolution is higher than that of a 19" (1050-1024=26px). It fills my field of vision better being shorter and wider than a 19".

Btw, as others have said, thank you so much for this thread, this is hands down the best single LCD resource on the web

Glad to hear that. Welcome to the forums too BTW.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: browsing
I'd like to get as close to $250 per monitor but if I really had to I suppose I could go up to $350 each.

(Slightly unrelated) Also, any online retailers who offer a zero dead pixel policy?

Edit: Oh, and while widescreen is wicked, I wouldn't mind regular 19 inch monitors for the dual setup.

How about two LG L1970HRs or L204WTs? You'll be happy with two Samsung 940BFs as well.

I'm not aware of any zero dead pixel policies out there besides Samsung's policy, strictly in effect in Korea. Some retailers like Dell (they sell LCDs other than Dell) or CompUSA (I believe) offer returns for any reason with no questions asked. Whether you still have to pay a restocking fee with CompUSA I don't know, but with Dell you don't, and if you want a replacement they even give you a pre-paid return and ship it 2-day. Many people who had dead pixels have exchanged monitors with Dell without any trouble. Technically their dead pixel policy is higher, but you can return/exchange for any reason within a 21 day period of purchase. Unfortunately, Dell doesn't stock any of those monitors above, sorry. If you decided to get 2007WFPs that would be an option though. Do check out the return policies of CompUSA, Frys, and Costco. I've heard good things about all of them with regards to returns in one form or another.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: raildogg
Which is the better monitor right now, the LG L204WT, Viewsonic VX2025WM or the Dell 2007wfp? Or the Samsung 205BW? I need a monitor for text reading and great colors.

I've been hearing that the Dell is better now since its banding problems have been fixed. But the LG has a 2000:1 contrast ratio, great specs and great customer reviews.

IMO for your purposes,
1. Dell 2007WFP
2. LG L204WT
3. Samsung 205BW
4. ViewSonic VX2025WM

 

[raildogg]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: raildogg
Which is the better monitor right now, the LG L204WT, Viewsonic VX2025WM or the Dell 2007wfp? Or the Samsung 205BW? I need a monitor for text reading and great colors.

I've been hearing that the Dell is better now since its banding problems have been fixed. But the LG has a 2000:1 contrast ratio, great specs and great customer reviews.

IMO for your purposes,
1. Dell 2007WFP
2. LG L204WT
3. Samsung 205BW
4. ViewSonic VX2025WM

Thank you. I'd like to say that I do not game that much, so gaming performance doesn't really matter. But I would like deep, vibrant, rich colors and clear text that is easy on the eyes. For this, would the Dell 2007WFP still be the top choice?

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: raildogg
Thank you. I'd like to say that I do not game that much, so gaming performance doesn't really matter. But I would like deep, vibrant, rich colors and clear text that is easy on the eyes. For this, would the Dell 2007WFP still be the top choice?

Yep, still the best by far.

 

[Tifosi248F1]

I finally ordered a monitor today after thinking about it for some time and waiting for price changes. Darn thing went up the day before I was going to order it originaly. So in a few days I will be adding my own impressions of the NEC 2070nx. I must thank xtknight for this thread. Your knowledge and advice were extremely helpful, and I'm sure everyone else would agree. For anyone interested in the NEC 2070nx, check back in a week or so to see how I rate it, and if you were waiting on it to come down, only $485 with shipping at Newegg, not sure for how long.

 

[roemer21]

xtknight, what is you opinion on the BenQ FP202W found here on newegg?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824014105

It is about $260 AR and that's really not bad for a 20.1in wide monitor. It has over 420 reviews, and mostly all of them 5 stars. Things I'm using for are gaming, movies and word files. Any info or input on this monitor? I'm trying to get the best bang for my buck here and have considered the Viewsonic VX2025 and Dell 2007FP already, but this is an arm and a leg cheaper. Is it worth it? Thanks in advance!

SR

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: roemer21
xtknight, what is you opinion on the BenQ FP202W found here on newegg?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824014105

It is about $260 AR and that's really not bad for a 20.1in wide monitor. It has over 420 reviews, and mostly all of them 5 stars. Things I'm using for are gaming, movies and word files. Any info or input on this monitor? I'm trying to get the best bang for my buck here and have considered the Viewsonic VX2025 and Dell 2007FP already, but this is an arm and a leg cheaper. Is it worth it? Thanks in advance!

SR

It's nothing amazing but it's as good as you can get for that price. It's good for text work and decent for gaming. Here's a review of it: http://www.behardware.com/articles/619-...ated-survey-13-lcd-20-5-6-8-16-ms.html

 

[uberowo]

Sony SDM-P234B vs Samsung 244T vs Dell 2407WFP?

Which is better for gaming and watching movies? (Price not being an issue.) I assume they are all usable for surfing and reading text documents.. I seem to recall you dissing the 244T a bit before but it is getting awesome reviews everywhere else so I'm a little confused..? Also, I'd rather not have to send monitors back and forth to Dell for months before I get "a good one".. Have their issues been fixed?

Edit: I should mention that I'm a "hardcore" gamer.. Used to play lots of FPS games but I've started to step it down a bit and I'm doing mostly mmorpgs now.. I do tend to notice ghosting on lcd's though so if any of the above monitors is considerably better then the others for gaming that would be very nice to know.

 

[imported_Cicero]

I replaced one of my two aging 21" CRT's a month ago with a Samsung 215TW which I'm more than pleased with and now have to decide what I replace the 21" Dell CRT with. I do a lot of imaging stuff and watch DVD's but am not an avid gamer.

One option is another 215TW, though I'm tempted to purchase a 23" or 24" LCD. The Sony SDM-P234 is available here in New Zealand but are way too expensive ($NZ3000!!). Dell 2407's are available here but I've read so many mixed reviews from users on the net I'm doubtful about them. The Samsung 244T is here too but is $NZ2500. NEC LCD's are very hard to get here especially in the larger screen sizes. I must criticisize NEC in NZ for this whilst companies like Acer, Benq, Philips, Samsung and Viewsonic have a very wide range of models readily available. Acer have their AL2416WD here but I read on another forum they have scaling issues?

Has anyone purchased a HP LP2465 (which is reasonably priced):
HP LP2465

This review is very favourable:
Prad.de review

I note it doesn't handle HD which is no big issue with me as the 215TW does.

Comments appreciated.

 

[PepperBreath]

I ordered a Dell 2007WFP the other day and I should receive it on Monday. I ordered it specifically due to the advice in this thread and just wanted to reply and say thanks for the buyer's guide.

 

[Vuronev]

Hi, new to the forum and hoping for some opinions/advice on buying a new LCD monitor.

I had a Dell 2001FP that I was quite fond of but recently gave to my parents when I built them a new system to email and websurf with, they loved how easy the lcd is on their eyes compared to the old CRT they had been using.

I'm not looking for a major upgrade for myself, mainly just another similiar monitor with similiar or better image quality. I do some work with my pc and also quite a bit of gaming (various MMOs and a few FPSs) and want a monitor that is up to the task. I recently took a look at my brother's 19" Acer AL1917ABMD lcd and was struck at how bright and sharp it was compared to my old 2001FP and was wondering if it was because of it's 700:1 contrast ratio compared to the 2001fp's 400:1 or if it was simply because it was a 19" vs a 20.1".

The three monitors I'm currently looking at are the Dell 2007FP, the Samsung 204B, and the Viewsonic VP2030B. All are more or less in the same price range and offer similiar features.

The Dell offers more connection options, but honestly, other than DVI I dont really care too much. I just want the montior in that price range that will offer me a quality image, good performance, and last a respectable amount of time.

Any suggestions on which to get?

Thanks!

 

[Shiymmas]

I'm also looking for some advice on which direction to take with a new monitor.

I'm set to order a new PC within the next few days, with some decisions in that PC hinging on the price tag of whatever monitor I choose. That said, I've spent the past few days spending every free moment I've had researching monitors, but with all the stuff I've read, I believe I'm more confused now than I was at the start. The short of it is, I'm looking to spend less than $300 on a monitor that will be used primarily for gaming, and lots of it. Other uses are, of course, web browsing and very little movie watching. It's also worth noting that this will be my first monitor that isn't a CRT, so I'd like to pop my LCD cherry with a good experience rather than some of the horror stories I've read across the web the last few days.

At this point, I do know I want:
-19" display, not widescreen. New system will support 1280x1024 resolution like a dream. This generally seems to be my price range as well.
-No unnecessary extras. I could care less if my monitor can take my picture, has speakers, or a microphone.
-Little to no ghosting, bleeding, or any of that sorta stuff. I've never personally experienced any of these things, but it does make me wary of LCD having never used them.
-I just want to make a decision on the damn thing. :disgust:

Honestly, I hate to just say "no widescreen", but I'm absolutely stumped on whether or not this will cause conflicts within some games or not, so if someone here can convince me otherwise, I may warm up to the idea so long as it's still in my price range. I just keep reading all this stuff about the monitor losing picture quality outside of its native res, and not all games support widescreen so I'm really just confused on the whole thing. Help?

To suck up a bit, I thought I'd also add that this article, by far, has been the greatest help so far. I only wish I'd found this page first, rather than the day before I was planning to place orders. Had that been the case, I'd likely have saved a ton of time, and been far less confused. Anyway, thanks in advance for any help you guys can give.

I also thought it'd be worth adding that I'm currently using a Dell M991 - 19", 17.9" viewable. I may not be entirely opposed to even going with a 17" LCD, if it means bumping the quality up by a significant amount. I've used this monitor for ages, and have almost always had my desktop set to 1280x1024. Just adding more info to work with

 

[leglez]

I just bought a X800XL from a guy in the For Sale forum. I am now wanting to my (2) 19" LCDs to use with the X800XL. I am not much of a gamer right now, but might be in the future when I get a better PC. I am wanting to keep the budget around $400 altogether so about $200 per monitor. I would prefer wide screen but it isn't required. Other than that I don't know much about monitors, so I will leave it up to you guys.

Here are a couple I have looked at:

ViewSonic VA1912wb - $208.99
AG Neovo F-419 - $215.99
Hanns·G JW-199DPB - $184.99
AG Neovo CW-19 - $199.99

 

[ViRGE]

And the backlight went out on my 2070NX*.:| At least NEC offers advance replacement.

* Or rather, it cuts out after 3 seconds.

 

[lepump]

Wow! What a thread
I have no personal experience with LCD.. have seen them in action but never owned one.
The only monitor I've ever owned is my current 19'' Nokia Multigraph 446Xpro. (don't count the old 12-15'' dinosaurs)

Been following LCDs since day one. TN panels don't really do it for me.
But after seeing the 970p live I've been reading LCDs like a nutter. PVA really is amazing!

The one I'm drooling on at the moment is the Samsung SyncMaster 215TW.
I would need it to handle everything.. But the prority is text & image. And widescreen would be a plus.
Also I'd be hooking it up to an external digital TV reciever and an Xbox360.

Where I live I'd have to spend 630? for a 215TW. Any cheaper models out there with the same performance?
Are there any on the way? I can wait.. been waiting a while now

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: uberowo
Sony SDM-P234B vs Samsung 244T vs Dell 2407WFP?

Which is better for gaming and watching movies? (Price not being an issue.) I assume they are all usable for surfing and reading text documents.. I seem to recall you dissing the 244T a bit before but it is getting awesome reviews everywhere else so I'm a little confused..? Also, I'd rather not have to send monitors back and forth to Dell for months before I get "a good one".. Have their issues been fixed?

Edit: I should mention that I'm a "hardcore" gamer.. Used to play lots of FPS games but I've started to step it down a bit and I'm doing mostly mmorpgs now.. I do tend to notice ghosting on lcd's though so if any of the above monitors is considerably better then the others for gaming that would be very nice to know.

The 244T has more input lag than the 2407 and demands a higher price for no good reason. The Dell beats it in every way at a cheaper price so there's no logical reason to get the 244T. That doesn't mean it's bad, but why pay more for something that isn't even as good?

Banding has been fixed on the Dell 7 series with the A02 firmware which is the only one shipping at the moment to my knowledge (everyone that has recently posted their service menu has an A02). I think you would prefer the Sony's picture for gaming. I just have to take a guess on that, because I'm not able to see either in person. The S-IPS panel should provide truer colors at a lower brightness, and that's what makes CRTs so good at reproducing colors. Viewing angles are great as is response time. It is probably more uniform than the Dell too.

Edit: Samsung did recently drop the price a lot on the 244T. Still, Dell has less input lag and a better return policy. The 244T's color accuracy is poor as well.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Cicero
One option is another 215TW, though I'm tempted to purchase a 23" or 24" LCD. The Sony SDM-P234 is available here in New Zealand but are way too expensive ($NZ3000!!). Dell 2407's are available here but I've read so many mixed reviews from users on the net I'm doubtful about them. The Samsung 244T is here too but is $NZ2500. NEC LCD's are very hard to get here especially in the larger screen sizes. I must criticisize NEC in NZ for this whilst companies like Acer, Benq, Philips, Samsung and Viewsonic have a very wide range of models readily available. Acer have their AL2416WD here but I read on another forum they have scaling issues?

The 2407 is the definite option IMO. Not sure about the mixed reviews but I haven't read a single poor review of it besides ones mentioning input lag which is just unavoidable with LCDs at this resolution. If you're happy with the 215TW you'll be happy with the 2407.

Has anyone purchased a HP LP2465 (which is reasonably priced):
HP LP2465

This review is very favourable:
Prad.de review

I note it doesn't handle HD which is no big issue with me as the 215TW does.

Comments appreciated.

MaximumPC mentioned refresh rate issues (hiccups) in their recent review: http://www.maximumpc.com/2006/07/hp_lp2465.html

I don't know how much to trust that since many monitors suffer this just because of the graphics card not outputting the exact Hz. I still think the 2407 is the easy choice here if it's affordable.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Vuronev
I'm not looking for a major upgrade for myself, mainly just another similiar monitor with similiar or better image quality. I do some work with my pc and also quite a bit of gaming (various MMOs and a few FPSs) and want a monitor that is up to the task. I recently took a look at my brother's 19" Acer AL1917ABMD lcd and was struck at how bright and sharp it was compared to my old 2001FP and was wondering if it was because of it's 700:1 contrast ratio compared to the 2001fp's 400:1 or if it was simply because it was a 19" vs a 20.1".

Welcome to the forums. It's probably because the 2001fp is just about the lowest contrast monitor. That doesn't make it striking at first glance, but it also doesn't mean it's bad at reproducing colors.

The three monitors I'm currently looking at are the Dell 2007FP, the Samsung 204B, and the Viewsonic VP2030B. All are more or less in the same price range and offer similiar features.

The Dell offers more connection options, but honestly, other than DVI I dont really care too much. I just want the montior in that price range that will offer me a quality image, good performance, and last a respectable amount of time.

Any suggestions on which to get?

Thanks!

The Dell 2007FP is the easy choice here. The 204B, despite its cheap price, isn't worth it. The VP2030b is OK, but not as good as the Dell 2007FP which is available for a very reasonable price.

 

[Vuronev]

Thanks for the help and also the welcome!

So how would the HP LP2065 fit into all that, say between it and the Dell?

Just curious, I'll probably end up with the Dell, though I did see a 19" NEC at Besy Buy today with that Opticlear glassy coat like the Sony's have. I love the look of it and with how it would be positioned in my office I wouldn't have to worry much about glare, but wow the cost of just the 19" made me queazy just thinking about how much a 20.1" would be.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Shiymmas
The short of it is, I'm looking to spend less than $300 on a monitor that will be used primarily for gaming, and lots of it. Other uses are, of course, web browsing and very little movie watching. It's also worth noting that this will be my first monitor that isn't a CRT, so I'd like to pop my LCD cherry with a good experience rather than some of the horror stories I've read across the web the last few days.

At this point, I do know I want:
-19" display, not widescreen. New system will support 1280x1024 resolution like a dream. This generally seems to be my price range as well.
-No unnecessary extras. I could care less if my monitor can take my picture, has speakers, or a microphone.
-Little to no ghosting, bleeding, or any of that sorta stuff. I've never personally experienced any of these things, but it does make me wary of LCD having never used them.
-I just want to make a decision on the damn thing. :disgust:

Honestly, I hate to just say "no widescreen", but I'm absolutely stumped on whether or not this will cause conflicts within some games or not, so if someone here can convince me otherwise, I may warm up to the idea so long as it's still in my price range. I just keep reading all this stuff about the monitor losing picture quality outside of its native res, and not all games support widescreen so I'm really just confused on the whole thing. Help?

Welcome to the forums.

19" widescreen is just too small anyway IMO and most 20.1" widescreens are out of your price range, so it's not something to worry about. Still, to answer your question, almost any game today supports widescreen with minor and easy config changes which should be a walk in the park for any regular PC user.

To suck up a bit, I thought I'd also add that this article, by far, has been the greatest help so far. I only wish I'd found this page first, rather than the day before I was planning to place orders. Had that been the case, I'd likely have saved a ton of time, and been far less confused. Anyway, thanks in advance for any help you guys can give.

I also thought it'd be worth adding that I'm currently using a Dell M991 - 19", 17.9" viewable. I may not be entirely opposed to even going with a 17" LCD, if it means bumping the quality up by a significant amount. I've used this monitor for ages, and have almost always had my desktop set to 1280x1024. Just adding more info to work with

Glad to hear. I try to keep it concise and to the point while going in-depth only in the important things.

The Samsung 940BF sounds like the best for you. It's the best for gaming and fine for web browsing too (most any LCD is good for text). Yup, I just deemed all 19" LCDs inferior for gaming. Sounds like you were confused, so that should make things easy. If you have any more questions do let me know.

 

[Raloth]

I've been looking around for a 20" widescreen monitor. Originally I was set on the Viewsonic vx2025wm, but a few more options have opened up for me lately. The Samsung 205bw also looks attractive but I can't find out whether it's true 8-bit or if it uses 6-bit and dithering. The LG L204WT has also popped up, but I don't know much about it. Normally the 4:3 20" panels are out of my price range, but the Samsung 204b also looks like it might fit my needs and has the advantage of not needing letterboxing on certain games. I will use this monitor about 50% of the time for gaming, and 50% for programming/general word processing. Rich (not necessarily accurate, but they should be close) colors are important, especially dark blacks. True 8-bit isn't necessary but it's definitely preferred. A major bonus would be built in letterboxing - I don't have the cash to upgrade my videocard every year, and ATI still hasn't put in driver support for boxing.

Hopefully someone can give me a suggestion. If there are any other options out there feel free to suggest them as well. I will be picking this up at an actual store where I can check for dead pixels beforehand, so availability is somewhat of a concern. Budget is $300, but I'm willing to go a little (no more than $100) over for something that will last me a few extra years.

 

[jimmaz69]

Hey folks.

Wicked thread! I have been looking for my first LCD for a while now and keep coming across great reviews for the Hyundai L90d+. I know that it is a realtively old panel now so wondered how it would stack up against something like the Samsung 940BF? I need something for mostly games but also quite a lot of web browsing and basic application work. Both screens are about the same price in the UK and i am attracted by the uniformity rating of the Hyundai having witnessed some horrendous backlight bleed on a friends LG 1980Q.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: leglez
I just bought a X800XL from a guy in the For Sale forum. I am now wanting to my (2) 19" LCDs to use with the X800XL. I am not much of a gamer right now, but might be in the future when I get a better PC. I am wanting to keep the budget around $400 altogether so about $200 per monitor. I would prefer wide screen but it isn't required. Other than that I don't know much about monitors, so I will leave it up to you guys.

Just my opinion on things, but I think you'd be much happier with a single 20.1" if you'll mainly be gaming. If you do have a use for dual monitors, that's fine too.

Also, 19" widescreens are really short. If you decide to go that route, the Hanns G sounds the best. If you want regular aspect, I'd get two Samsung 940BFs if possible, but if your budget doesn't allow then try a couple BenQ FP93GXs. You can get these for $209 each at Newegg after a mail-in rebate that's valid for 2 per household.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: lepump
Wow! What a thread
I have no personal experience with LCD.. have seen them in action but never owned one.
The only monitor I've ever owned is my current 19'' Nokia Multigraph 446Xpro. (don't count the old 12-15'' dinosaurs)

Been following LCDs since day one. TN panels don't really do it for me.
But after seeing the 970p live I've been reading LCDs like a nutter. PVA really is amazing!

The one I'm drooling on at the moment is the Samsung SyncMaster 215TW.
I would need it to handle everything.. But the prority is text & image. And widescreen would be a plus.
Also I'd be hooking it up to an external digital TV reciever and an Xbox360.

Samsungs have awesome connectivity, especially the 215TW. My Samsung 17" scaled everything I threw at it, even 1920x1080. My ViewSonic couldn't even scale 720p, and my NEC can't scale 1080i in VGA without a warning. It is a Samsung HD tuner so maybe that has something to do with it.

Where I live I'd have to spend 630? for a 215TW. Any cheaper models out there with the same performance?
Are there any on the way? I can wait.. been waiting a while now

That does sound steep but you'll have to believe it'll be worth it. There really isn't anything else. The Dell 2007WFP is reasonably close though. It'd either be an S-PVA (better than PVA) or S-IPS (better than S-PVA in some aspects). The 215TW is a S-PVA and has awesome color reproduction ability. The Dell would have a faster response time. It also has a smaller dot pitch. The screen is smaller and it lacks component input though. It sounds like you'd want all the inputs you can get (composite looks...bad... on LCDs) so I'd still recommend the Samsung for you.

Any on the way? I only know of a couple 22" ones, but to my knowledge they are TN. One may include a Chi Mei S-MVA but I doubt it can match the Samsung S-PVA present in the 215TW.