LCD Buyer's Guide

[farp96]

The nec 20wmgx2 speaker bar comes off very easy, its supported by 2 srews on either side of it. Just get a philips screw driver and take out the two srews and your done

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: farp96
The nec 20wmgx2 speaker bar comes off very easy, its supported by 2 srews on either side of it. Just get a philips screw driver and take out the two srews and your done

Ah, didn't even think to look. Farp, you upgraded from a VP930b too didn't you, or was it a VX2025WM?

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: thiswilldo
I am currently interested in purchasing the HP LP2065 but there seem to be two models being sold. The EF227A4#ABA costs ~100 more then the EF227A8#ABA. Is there really any difference between the two?

It appears that one is just a 'rebate' model, so go for the cheaper one. I also noticed that the LP2065 is 75 Hz capable at 1600x1200, so enjoy.

 

[farp96]

Actually I went from the Vp930b to the Nec 90gx2 to the 20wmgx2 And although I total love the 20wmgx2 in most repects the 90gx2 was still better for games imo. When playing BF2 on the 90gx2 I noticed no screen tear or blurring at all. With the 20wmgx2 I notice screen tearing and blurring, not alot but enough to know the 90gx2 was better at games...

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: farp96
Actually I went from the Vp930b to the Nec 90gx2 to the 20wmgx2 And although I total love the 20wmgx2 in most repects the 90gx2 was still better for games imo. When playing BF2 on the 90gx2 I noticed no screen tear or blurring at all. With the 20wmgx2 I notice screen tearing and blurring, not alot but enough to know the 90gx2 was better at games...

Well, that's interesting. I suppose I may as well recommend the 90GX2 in the hardcore gaming section then. TN panels will likely always be creme de la creme (forgive my flawed French). And by that, I mean, in response time, but unfortunately not much else. I'd be interested to hear how you thought the 90GX2 compared to the 20WMGX2 otherwise. Color reproduction? Viewing angle? Would you rather be gaming on the 90GX2? In my mind there's two forms of gaming: mindless quake3 picmip5 CAL competition i-dont-care-about-my-graphics gaming, and the cinematic and artist form of gaming. Little biased am I?

 

[Baloonsquad]

How would the VX2025WM compare to the NEC LCD2070WNX for gaming, web browsing, and other general usage?

 

[farp96]

If I had my choice for gaming I would take the 90gx2 over the 20wmgx2. Their's no doubt for games the 90gx2 is better, that's not to tsay the 20wmgx2 is not good it is acceptable but not as good as the 90gx2 in that area. But in all other area, color, text contrast etc the 20wmgx2 is leaps and bounds better than the 90gx2. So if all you do is game and I mean hardcore game than get a 90gx2, but if you do other stuff and a little blurring and tearing doesn't bother you go with the 20wmgx2. When I look at the desktop on the 20wmgx2 is just stuns me how good it looks.

 

[Ataneruo]

Hi all,

I have a laptop with a 15" widescreen native 1680x1050. I like running at that resolution but unfortunately the text tends to be a bit small for my eyes and I am looking for an lcd monitor to use with my laptop with which I can run the same resolution. I've been to a few retail stores and have decided that a 20" LCD is slightly smaller than I would prefer. I would have no problem going with a 24" but all LCDs at that size run at 1900x1200" and so I am thinking 22" is my best bet for size. However, 22" monitors don't seem to be very popular; there is not a single 22" on this list of recommended monitors.

So I have a question: do you get better clarity and crispness from a good 24" LCD running at 1680x1050 (non-native) or a from a 22" running at 1680x1050 (native)?
If the 24" looks good running a smaller resolution then I guess I will go with one of those.

I use my laptop for business, entertainment and gaming all about equal measure. For reference I have an Acer AMD Turion 64 laptop and I love the LCD for all of these things; my only complaint is that it is too small.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: farp96
If I had my choice for gaming I would take the 90gx2 over the 20wmgx2. Their's no doubt for games the 90gx2 is better, that's not to tsay the 20wmgx2 is not good it is acceptable but not as good as the 90gx2 in that area. But in all other area, color, text contrast etc the 20wmgx2 is leaps and bounds better than the 90gx2. So if all you do is game and I mean hardcore game than get a 90gx2, but if you do other stuff and a little blurring and tearing doesn't bother you go with the 20wmgx2. When I look at the desktop on the 20wmgx2 is just stuns me how good it looks.

How would you say the 90GX2 compared to the VP930b in color/speed/viewing angle? And what about the VP930b compared to the 20WMGX2 for response time? I haven't gamed in so long it's hard to know. Thanks BTW. The 20WMGX2 does seem to exhibit some small-scale tearing, more so than other LCDs.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Baloonsquad
How would the VX2025WM compare to the NEC LCD2070WNX for gaming, web browsing, and other general usage?

The LCD2070WNX is a TN, so it's rather automatically below the VX2025WM in color reproduction. The 2070WNX may be faster for gaming, but I haven't seen a review and thus haven't had a chance to add it to my rankings. I would go for the VX2025WM unless you ONLY game (or even, ONLY play fast games).

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Ataneruo
Hi all,

Welcome to the forums.

I have a laptop with a 15" widescreen native 1680x1050. I like running at that resolution but unfortunately the text tends to be a bit small for my eyes and I am looking for an lcd monitor to use with my laptop with which I can run the same resolution. I've been to a few retail stores and have decided that a 20" LCD is slightly smaller than I would prefer. I would have no problem going with a 24" but all LCDs at that size run at 1900x1200" and so I am thinking 22" is my best bet for size. However, 22" monitors don't seem to be very popular; there is not a single 22" on this list of recommended monitors.

Well, there is a reason for that. All 22" LCDs out now are TNs, and they all use the same panel that tends to have some backlight bleeding, but that's not to say they're not good otherwise. Tons of people have 22" LCDs and love them.

So I have a question: do you get better clarity and crispness from a good 24" LCD running at 1680x1050 (non-native) or a from a 22" running at 1680x1050 (native)?
If the 24" looks good running a smaller resolution then I guess I will go with one of those.

It would be much better at 22" and native. I recommend you go with a 22" screen (try the Samsung 225BW).

I use my laptop for business, entertainment and gaming all about equal measure. For reference I have an Acer AMD Turion 64 laptop and I love the LCD for all of these things; my only complaint is that it is too small.

You probably have a TN display in your laptop, so I duobt you'll be disappointed with the 225BW which will likely have a better color depth.

 

[farp96]

I would say that the 90gx2 has better color and speed then the vp930b, the colors looked much more alive on the 90gx2 than the vp930b And speed wise the 90gx2 was hands down better in games than the vp930b. now for view angles, the 90gx2 was not that good. If I stood up just a liitle bit the screen turned a nice yellow, you have to be dead center to see it right. The vp930b had much better view angles. Of course the 20wmgx2 has them all beat in every area...except gaming I would say the 20wmgx2 is comparable to the vp930b in gaming. Their's some tearing and blurring granted not alot just a bit but nothing to write the 20wmgx2 as a non gaming lcd.

 

[Bonesdad]

Where is the best place to buy an LCD? I don't mind buying at Newegg or ZZF, but their dead pixel policy is no good. If I buy at Staples or Officemax, will they accept exchanges for another monitor if there are dead pixels? How about from Amazon.com? It seems to me that if I buy from an online store with a local BM, it would be easier to exchange.

Also, anyone know if the VX2025WM is being discontinued? It seems a lot of places no longer have stock, and the VX2035WM is available many places, with similar specs but is an inferior TN panel. Just need to know if I should leap on the first 2025 I find, in case they are gone soon.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Bonesdad
Where is the best place to buy an LCD? I don't mind buying at Newegg or ZZF, but their dead pixel policy is no good. If I buy at Staples or Officemax, will they accept exchanges for another monitor if there are dead pixels? How about from Amazon.com? It seems to me that if I buy from an online store with a local BM, it would be easier to exchange.

I'm not sure as I have always ordered from Newegg. I have heard that CostCo has a good policy (or maybe it was Sam's Club). You can get the VX2025WM from Dell who has the total satisfaction guarantee policy. Looks like it's in stock too: http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/prod...tail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=A0635976

Also, anyone know if the VX2025WM is being discontinued? It seems a lot of places no longer have stock, and the VX2035WM is available many places, with similar specs but is an inferior TN panel. Just need to know if I should leap on the first 2025 I find, in case they are gone soon.

I hope not. I don't understand why companies discontinue their best products.

 

[Ataneruo]

Thanks for your prompt and thorough response, xtknight, it is much appreciated.

So a 22" inch is the way to go, and the Samsung 225BW is at the top of my list. My next question is comparison-based: what is the difference between the Samsung 225BW and the Acer AL2216Wbd and AL2223Wd in terms of the screens? Their stats are virtually identical, except for a slightly higher contrast on the Acer 2223 and a $30 premium on the Samsung. Are these monitors equivalent screens, with the only difference being brandname and stands? So difficult to find comparison reviews in this class.

As for the poster asking about the best way to buy an LCD: buying online makes me nervous since you can't just bring it back to the retail store but have to deal with calling, shipping, manufacturers, strict warranties etc. My experience with retail stores has been that with anything except software you just bring it back and they don't really care why, they'll replace it for you. I've never bought an LCD monitor however, so I can't say whether retail stores are actually lax in this area as well, but I suspect it won't make a difference.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Ataneruo
Thanks for your prompt and thorough response, xtknight, it is much appreciated.

So a 22" inch is the way to go, and the Samsung 225BW is at the top of my list. My next question is comparison-based: what is the difference between the Samsung 225BW and the Acer AL2216Wbd and AL2223Wd in terms of the screens? Their stats are virtually identical, except for a slightly higher contrast on the Acer 2223 and a $30 premium on the Samsung. Are these monitors equivalent screens, with the only difference being brandname and stands? So difficult to find comparison reviews in this class.

'The Acer 22"' has always equated to the 'Acer AL2216Wbd' model number for me, so I have no idea about the other one. The AL2223 does have speakers. I suspect that may be the only actual difference.

I am reasonably certain that they all use the same Chi Mei 22" TN panel. I prefer the Samsung brand (design/support/interface/software) myself and I would pay the extra $30 just to have it.

 

[Ataneruo]

Thanks for all your help

I'll probably get a monitor over Christmas break so I'll post some thoughts after setting it up.

 

[Bonesdad]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Also, anyone know if the VX2025WM is being discontinued? It seems a lot of places no longer have stock, and the VX2035WM is available many places, with similar specs but is an inferior TN panel. Just need to know if I should leap on the first 2025 I find, in case they are gone soon.

I hope not. I don't understand why companies discontinue their best products.

Cuz they know they can make more $$ off selling the inferior product...so many people think all LCD's are alike...

 

[DustyNL]

So I guess the big question is, where in the Multimedia ranking list would the samsung 225BW fit in??

 

[BassBomb]

NEC just wnet on sale!!! 100$ off CDN at bestbuy, i think it likes to tease me

with that being said its very much in my reach:

1. When running 1280x960 content from PC on DVI.. will it have black bars on top and bottom? Assuming its set that way on the monitor

2. When running 4:3 Content through coax, will it have black bars on top and bottom also?

Those are some important things I am interested in

 

[Shaitan00]

I wanted to start by saying thanks to everyone for this thread (just finished reading through it all)...
Now to the topic at hand = my old NEC MultiSync XV17+ CRT just died a few days ago so I have been shopping for a replacement (LCD) and found this thread to be extremely informative and helpful in narrowing down my decision...

But before going out there and spending my fortune I wanted to run my situation by you guys and see what feedback I could get...
I use my monitor at home (with a window to my right side and a lamp hovering above) mostly for (in order): reading (coding/browsing - 50% of my time), watching (movies, anime, etc.. at a close distance - 45% of my time), and finally gaming (5% of my time)...
So - unless I am mistaken - I fall within the IPS-class of panels (at least not TN, bad viewing angles, colors, etc...) - or maybe PVA (am I way off?)... what I am looking for is good colors and imagine quality as opposed to minimal response times... I need to be able to stare at this thing for hours and not be damned with issues...

Some of what I think are my requirements:
- 20" Widescreen (more then that and my video card [AGP ATI 9800pro 128megs] won't be able to handle the resolution)
- Good on my eyes, sharp text, colors, etc... (as I spend a LOT of time reading/writing & watching - I was expecting 8-bit 16.7M colors)
- Good viewing angles (I watch a lot of stuff, sometimes with my wife and friends all around my monitor so...)
- Not bad response times (as I do game and would hate to spend all this money and not be able to play my UT2004/UT2007 comfortably...)
And of course - if possible - minimize (none is impossible) some of the more common LCD issues such as black-bleeding, ghosting, etc....

From my investigation (and give what big-name stores such as Futureshop and Bestbuy offer here in Canada - for easy return/exchange if ever I have issues/dead pixels) I came up with the following 3 options:
- NEC 20WMGX2 (my top choice, only down seems to be the 'glossy screen' which I am not sure about & the price - $700CDN)
- Samsung 215TW (initially what I wanted until I started to read about a lot of input lag issues - $600CDN)
- LG 204WT (looks like a great screen for the price but it is still just a TN screen with emulated 16.7M colors - $400CDN)
(of course - if you have any other suggestions I am all ears)....

So - my top contender is the NEC (funny - I have been using my NEC CRT for 8+ years now - would be cool to keep with them ehhehe)
I believe, for the high price, it is the best to meet my needs as reading/writing (colors, text sharpness, etc...) seem to be really amazing AND the additional 6ms response time should allow me to play any game I want almost blur/ghost free (I would imagine)...
The only consitent negatvie I found was people mentioned issues with the 'glossy screen' and I am hoping it isn't to much of a deal - I was wondering if my current CRT had the same type of 'glossy panel' as it is also NEC - if so I am already accustomed to it - or is it really not at all the same thing?
Aside from that - some speak of odd red'ish colors, bad blacks, etc... but these are not as consitent so I pray I'll get lucky

Anyways - any feedback would be greatly appreciated before I go out and spend a fortune (on a screen I hope to keep for 5+ years)... if you think this is a BAD choice, or if you can help assure me that I did my research properly...
Thank you for you time....

 

[Shaitan00]

Just wanted to thank everyone involved in this tread - has been a very educational read and - as a first time LCD buyer - was worth every hour

 

[450R]

Anyone know much about the Hanns-G HW192D? The only review I could find was this one but I stopped paying attention when he called it a true 8-bit panel when it's listed as 6-bit everywhere else (including the Hanns-G site).

Only thing I'm worried about is 6-bit color. I do amateur texturing for games in PS and it's nice to know what colors I'm actually putting down. Wish I could find it in a real store somewhere so I could see it with my own eyes ... guess I'll have to look at Directron's return policy.

 

[Butterbean]

Is a S-IPS also better than S-PVA for video? I am thinking of the 2 different Dell 2007WFP's panels again. I know the S-PVA's are spooky for details straight on in photos - but they have some nice contrast. I saw some writings that suggested this was similiar panel to Smasung 215TW. If I out colors in MAC mode it clears up in the dark areas. The S-IPS still would have been nice though. ! suppose the NEC 20WMGX2, would be best of all.Thanks.

 

[Bonesdad]

Just pulled the trigger on the Viewsonic VX2025WM from Dell.com. With 10% discounts and a stackable 10% coupon I picked up off ebay, I got it for $285+tax. Budgetwise, comes in even better than where I wanted it! Hopefully I will have in in less than 2 weeks and will follow up here with my reactions/observations.

Mostly want to say thanks for what is probably the most useful thread in Anandtech forums. Thanks again xtknight for putting up with our incessant questions and pleadings for advice and hand holding. To say the least, this has been an education on the technology and pitfalls of making a(nother) major purchase for my "habit". Never bought an LCD before, so never really did any research until now, now that prices are reasonable for good quality panels.

Thanks again!