LCD Buyer's Guide

[PrinceXizor]

*sheepishly looks around*
SiS 315-64
*runs away in shame*

P.S. NO I did not choose that myself....

 

[PrinceXizor]

Oh...FYI, just checked out dell.com and the 2007WFP (WFP and FPW are the same right?) are on sale for $339.

P-X

 

[A5]

Originally posted by: oseven
I understand this can be like opening a can of worms, but should you (even) consider buying a non-DVI monitor?

Not anymore. If it doesn't have DVI, it's either old or extremely low end.

 

[Kabob]

Originally posted by: eeric
http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/11/dell...207wfp-20-inch-lcd-for-the-budget-set/

I'm guessing TN panel? I was just looking forward to ordering a 2007WFP (not FPW to me ) but just saw this new Dell budget 20" wide. Makes sense to be TN with lower price and faster response rate. Discuss.

I heard someone say that it uses the same panel as the 2007 (not sure exactly how since they have 2 different response times and you'd think that Dell would measure that universally) but just the fewer features makes up for the price difference. Not sure though. That's the 3rd site I've seen now that talks about the 207 (although one was the Inquirer...) It'll be interesting to see what it's like!

 

[PrinceXizor]

Someone posted a press release from Dell, so its official. I can't see this being the same panel (at least with the specs quoted...).

 

[errto]

I recently bought an HP f2105 for my Mac Pro. It seemed quite promising but the display of text is utterly horrid. Text is sort of blurry, with letters having uneven thickness, weird discoloration happening around certain character combinations, etc. I have noticed this most prominently in web browsing with Safari or Firefox but it seems fairly widespread across all applications.

I am using the native resolution of 1680x1050. I tried playing with the font smoothing preferences but that didn't seem to have any visible effect other than to let me disable anti-aliasing entirely for smaller fonts, which at least makes them readable but is kind of ugly. I also tried connecting the monitor in VGA mode instead of DVI and again, no difference that I can really detect.

I also found the .icm file on the shipped CD and used that as my ColorSync profile. The actual software on the CD was windows-only so couldn't use it.

I'm thinking of returning this and buying another. My main questions are:
- is there any chance this is a problem with the unit and not the model as a whole?
- are there any other tweaks I'm not thinking of?
- what other monitors in the same approximate price range (US$500 or less) might be be a better bet? So far the best candidate appears to be the Samsung SyncMaster 215TW but I'm open to just about anything.

Thanks all.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: acegazda
Should we bump it back up in the mean time?
Could we discuss a little on the topic of cheap (price, not quality) 20" widescreens? There seems to be an explosion of interest and there are many choices. Looking @ benq, samsung, dell, viewsonic, chemei, etc.

Well, that new Dell E207WFP that eeric linked below looks like a great deal. We'll have to see how it all pans out.

wizboy11 nicely summed up my feelings of the VX2025WM. It's good but it just has too many problems IMO. It's ridiculous they still haven't fixed the DVI thing. They are continually shipping defective models. It's a shame really because it has quite a decent panel at an affordable price.

The LG L204WT is the sweet spot for a value LCD. The Dell 2007WFP is quite a bit better if you can just stand to spend the extra ~$50.

The Samsung 215TW is great, but the response time may be a little slow to some. Others may find it just fine which is why I recommend it for gaming/high contrast. 20 ms is about the top for that category and the 215TW hits that. I can't think of any other 20" widescreen LCDs I'd recommend at the moment. The BenQ FP202's reviews haven't been all that great.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: AnotherGuy
Since the HD-DVD and BluRay gets more affordable everyday... a "gaming LCD with HDCP-Ready" guide would be more than welcomed ..... just an observation

I'll put HDCP: yes/no under the recommendation entries for now.

Originally posted by: oseven
I understand this can be like opening a can of worms, but should you (even) consider buying a non-DVI monitor?

Not really, unless you can't afford anything else.

Originally posted by: eeric
http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/11/dell...207wfp-20-inch-lcd-for-the-budget-set/

I'm guessing TN panel? I was just looking forward to ordering a 2007WFP (not FPW to me ) but just saw this new Dell budget 20" wide. Makes sense to be TN with lower price and faster response rate. Discuss.

Yeah, it definitely will be a TN. That means lower contrast and dithering, but it will have a fast response time.

 

[niall]

Originally posted by: xtknight
Some rules of thumb that apply to most LCDs: if it's 19" or under, it dithers. If it's 20" and above and it has viewing angles of 176 or 178, it's true 8-bit, or otherwise, it dithers. I can't think of any exceptions off the top of my head for the 20" rule, but there are some 8-bit 19" LCDs (just not any that are that decent).

So, that means that the Viewsonic VP930B is P-MVA but 6-bit then? With the overdrive and all? One place may have mentioned 8-bit, but it clearly states the standard 160/160 viewing angles everywhere. 8-bit is now far less important than non-TN.

I'm really leaning towards it; good price locally, I want to get away from TN technology for the colour specs and viewing angles, its overdrive tech seems under very good control (I like flat response time lines!), and as gaming is only accessory, any possible ghosting problems are of minimal value. Are there still many "X problems" with current units though?

And is backlighting still a major issue, as seems to be with the other Viewsonic of renown, the VX2025WM? Locally I can find the latter for $10 more, but I'm not into bigger size just because it's bigger. It's what it does that counts.

 

[acegazda]

Any word on the release of that new dell e207wpf or w/e?

 

[eeric]

its supposedly to have been available "immediately" (the day before yesterday) but its not even on their website yet... so i guess they're still distributing it to their local distribution centres .

btw, the e207wfp isnt an ultrasharp... meaning very limited physical adjustability too

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: errto
I recently bought an HP f2105 for my Mac Pro. It seemed quite promising but the display of text is utterly horrid. Text is sort of blurry, with letters having uneven thickness, weird discoloration happening around certain character combinations, etc. I have noticed this most prominently in web browsing with Safari or Firefox but it seems fairly widespread across all applications.

I am using the native resolution of 1680x1050. I tried playing with the font smoothing preferences but that didn't seem to have any visible effect other than to let me disable anti-aliasing entirely for smaller fonts, which at least makes them readable but is kind of ugly. I also tried connecting the monitor in VGA mode instead of DVI and again, no difference that I can really detect.

I also found the .icm file on the shipped CD and used that as my ColorSync profile. The actual software on the CD was windows-only so couldn't use it.

I'm thinking of returning this and buying another. My main questions are:
- is there any chance this is a problem with the unit and not the model as a whole?
- are there any other tweaks I'm not thinking of?

It's either the unit or your graphics adapter. I really doubt that the LCD has blurry text on DVI.

- what other monitors in the same approximate price range (US$500 or less) might be be a better bet? So far the best candidate appears to be the Samsung SyncMaster 215TW but I'm open to just about anything.

I'd say that's the best choice unless you're a hardcore gamer. Then, maybe the Dell 2007WFP would be better since it's faster.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: niall

Originally posted by: xtknight
Some rules of thumb that apply to most LCDs: if it's 19" or under, it dithers. If it's 20" and above and it has viewing angles of 176 or 178, it's true 8-bit, or otherwise, it dithers. I can't think of any exceptions off the top of my head for the 20" rule, but there are some 8-bit 19" LCDs (just not any that are that decent).

So, that means that the Viewsonic VP930B is P-MVA but 6-bit then? With the overdrive and all? One place may have mentioned 8-bit, but it clearly states the standard 160/160 viewing angles everywhere. 8-bit is now far less important than non-TN.

Yup, the VP930b is definitely 6-bit. I would probably get the NEC 90GX2, a TN, over the VP930b any day. The backlight bleeding on the VP930b is just miserable.

I'm really leaning towards it; good price locally, I want to get away from TN technology for the colour specs and viewing angles, its overdrive tech seems under very good control (I like flat response time lines!), and as gaming is only accessory, any possible ghosting problems are of minimal value. Are there still many "X problems" with current units though?

The overdrive control on the VP930b is the worst I've seen on an LCD. It's generally not too bad, but bright red on dark green for example (like player names in Battlefield 2) will produce ugly purple artifacts. I'm not sure how THG got such a good rating on it. That's one of the reasons I took it off the recommended list.

And is backlighting still a major issue, as seems to be with the other Viewsonic of renown, the VX2025WM? Locally I can find the latter for $10 more, but I'm not into bigger size just because it's bigger. It's what it does that counts.

Yeah, it is still a problem with the ViewSonics. The VX2025WM is probably better in every category. (I see no reason to get the VP930b in that case.)

 

[Paladin]

What about the Dell 2007 FP (not WFP). how's the quality on that. 8bit? PVA?
Just saw on dell's site
down from $449.00

Now:
$359.20

Oh, just saw on main page of the thread
Panel: LG.Philips LM201U05 (S-IPS 8-bit)
Response time (actual): Unknown (16 ms. bwb rating)
Specs: Dell UltraSharp 2007FP
Notes: Banding does NOT exist on the latest revision in Desktop mode.
More info: N/A (the 2007FP does have 4:3, 1:1, Fill scaling options and PIP)

but it's not listed under the GAMING (better color, decent speed)
section. Would this still be good for gaming?

 

[eeric]

The Ultrasharp 2007WFP is listed under gaming... if you're in Canada, Dell is having Dell Days of Deals right now, this week there were 19" on it, but I'm sure next week they'll have 2007WFP. (they'll put me in agony if they drop the 2407WFP price so that its within grasp )

And an update on the E207WFP, I've read that it will be on Dell's site on Tuesday. But again, a lot less connectivity, (most likely) 6bit TN panel, no height/pivot adjustment.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: KevinC
but it's not listed under the GAMING (better color, decent speed)
section. Would this still be good for gaming?

It would probably be OK response-time wise. It's not bright enough for my tastes though I'm not sure what the results would be like after calibration.

 

[xtknight]

I added an "HDCP compliance" item to each LCD recommendation based on the info that is known now. The value-oriented LG L204WT supports HDCP (even some of their 19" widescreens do).

 

[AnotherGuy]

Originally posted by: xtknight
I added an "HDCP compliance" item to each LCD recommendation based on the info that is known now. The value-oriented LG L204WT supports HDCP (even some of their 19" widescreens do).

Fantastic job man....

thanks

 

[crazy4life]

Does anybody have any info on the sceptre x22wg? What are you guy's thoughts






http://www.sceptre.com/Products/LCD/Specifications/spec_x22wg_NagaP.htm

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: crazy4life
Does anybody have any info on the sceptre x22wg? What are you guy's thoughts

http://www.sceptre.com/Products/LCD/Specifications/spec_x22wg_NagaP.htm

Welcome to the forums. I haven't found any info on the 22" Sceptre yet but it looks like another 6-bit TN panel. For 22" I'd recommend the Acer AL2216WBD but I don't recommend 22" in general yet since they're all TNs.

 

[crazy4life]

Well im not worried about viewing angle at all. I just want a monitor that is free of ghosting for gaming and is decent for watching movies for around 300$. I am willing to go down to a 20inch WS but would really like thous extra 2 inches.

 

[Fanon]

Does anyone have a word on the Samsung 205BW? Judging from NewEgg's comments, it looks to be decent.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001081

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: crazy4life
Well im not worried about viewing angle at all. I just want a monitor that is free of ghosting for gaming and is decent for watching movies for around 300$. I am willing to go down to a 20inch WS but would really like thous extra 2 inches.

TN means sacrifice in not only viewing angle, but color reproduction and contrast as well. But I would say the Acer AL2216WBD for 22" for now. Another member (Avalon) was interested in the Sceptre 22" and said he'd contact them and ask whether it was 8-bit so I'll tell you what he reports back.

Originally posted by: Fanon
Does anyone have a word on the Samsung 205BW? Judging from NewEgg's comments, it looks to be decent.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001081

The main thing I've heard about this LCD is that it has a lot of backlight bleeding. I would get the Dell 2007WFP instead. It is $50 more, but that's a '$50 more' well spent. It's a giant step in quality (I would say the Dell is 50% better overall, not just 50/300=16% better as the price indicates). The Dell has better color reproduction, contrast, viewing angle, more input flexibility, and possibly superior response time. Not to mention it's likely more uniform and has a better black level.

 

[Fanon]

Originally posted by: xtknight
The main thing I've heard about this LCD is that it has a lot of backlight bleeding. I would get the Dell 2007WFP instead. It is $50 more, but that's a '$50 more' well spent. It's a giant step in quality (I would say the Dell is 50% better overall, not just 50/300=16% better as the price indicates). The Dell has better color reproduction, contrast, viewing angle, more input flexibility, and possibly superior response time. Not to mention it's likely more uniform and has a better black level.

Coolio. Thanks for that info. I'm looking to buy right now, so I'll head over to Dell and get a couple.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I think you may want to add the Dell 2001FP to the list of photo monitors, as a budget photo monitor (can be had for ~$350). I personally use this monitor for my photos (see sig) and the colors are very accurate and true. It is not the brightest monitor nor does it display the most vibrant pictures, but this is NOT what you want for photo work that demands precision color representation. I've also heard that many people have successfully color calibrated this monitor with calibration tools such as those from Monaco, ColorEyes, Gretag/Macbeth, etc. On the other hand, people have found it impossible calibrating the newer Dell monitors because they are simply too bright.

I've currently got a 2001FP and a BenQ FP91G+. The BenQ can not be used for photo editing in any way because the colors are very unfaithful (too bright, too saturated, whites are not true white, etc.)