[Retired] The LCD Thread

[ShotgunSteven]

What do you all think of the Samsung SyncMaster 940BW? I am going to be building an entirely new machine and I need a new monitor as well, since my old 19" CRT is burning out. They have those Samsungs at the local Sam's Club for $204.00 or so.

I do play quite a few games, so I am especially curious to hear from anyone that uses one of these on a gaming rig.

 

[djkilla]

xtknight - Is there a button to go from the first page to the last page of this thread? Before the changes, there used to be a >> button to go to the last page of this thread.

-D j K i l l a-

 

[pcslookout]

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
What do you all think of the Samsung SyncMaster 940BW? I am going to be building an entirely new machine and I need a new monitor as well, since my old 19" CRT is burning out. They have those Samsungs at the local Sam's Club for $204.00 or so.

I do play quite a few games, so I am especially curious to hear from anyone that uses one of these on a gaming rig.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...p?Item=N82E16824002320

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: djkilla
xtknight - Is there a button to go from the first page to the last page of this thread? Before the changes, there used to be a >> button to go to the last page of this thread.

-D j K i l l a-

The recent update to the FuseTalk forum software overlooked this feature (for all threads). To get to the last page of the thread, go to the Video forum home, and then click the "Last" button near this thread's title. As it stands, there is no way for me to link to the last page of the thread unless I were to update it every time a new page was added. Additionally, due to the "messages per page" user preference, a static last page number would not work properly for every forum user.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: soltys
This time I'm looking for some cheap models. I have to buy ~10 of them to the firm, but unfortunately, the costs have to be kept as minimal as possible. I'm looking for the price comparable to let's say NEC AccuSync LCD93V (approx 250$ in Poland at this moment).

Any recommendations for the "best" monitor around such a price ?

The BenQ FP91G or FP93GX/FP93GX+ may be what you're looking for. They have reasonable color reproduction and great response time. Viewing angles are as good as any TN. The recent X-Bit Labs review has some more good info on it. AFAIK worldwide availability of BenQs is pretty decent but let me know if they're not available in your area. In that case you may try one of the LG 19"s (LG is available nearly everywhere). If that's the case let me know which LG model numbers are available to you there.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: mushroomx
hey xtknight,
i just upgraded from a 17inch crt to the l226wt and i have a few questions:
are the colours suppose to appear washout and evidently? especially the green start button and the firefox icons (back forward home etc)

From my experience with it, I wouldn't call the L226WT washed out...quite the opposite. Maybe you need to adjust the gamma setting in the menu. You can also try the settings in my thread. A link to the monitor profiles thread is on the home page of my website.

and my second question is, are you suppose to apply extra pressure to tilt it back? right now its around 5degree facing down and i want to adjust it but it feels like its about to break

thanks in advance

I'm not sure about this. I'll try it on mine when I get home (4-5 days). Some only do tilt 5 degrees, though so check the manual anyway.

Originally posted by: 12Iceman
What is currently the overall best 20 inch or higher widescreen LCD for under $300?

The Acer AL2051W is the pretty easy choice here. 8-bit P-MVA glossy panel; great viewing angles, good response time, decent color reproduction.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
What do you all think of the Samsung SyncMaster 940BW? I am going to be building an entirely new machine and I need a new monitor as well, since my old 19" CRT is burning out. They have those Samsungs at the local Sam's Club for $204.00 or so.

I do play quite a few games, so I am especially curious to hear from anyone that uses one of these on a gaming rig.

There's an in-depth review of the 940BW here: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...19inch-6_10.html#sect0

I have never seen or used it, personally. I'm not a fan of 19" widescreens; I believe they are too small for most people and usage. Coming from a 19" CRT (generally 1600x1200 max/1280x1024 optimal), a 1440x900 may seem small to you. That is about 33% less area than 16x12, but only ~2% from 1280x1024.

 

[pdp76]

Originally posted by: 12Iceman
What is currently the overall best 20 inch or higher widescreen LCD for under $300?

The Acer AL2051W is the pretty easy choice here. 8-bit P-MVA glossy panel; great viewing angles, good response time, decent color reproduction.

Some might scoff at using the ACER for photo editing, but if the color reproduction is "decent" plus great viewing angles, for a less professional photo editing person, I'd think this monitor might be ok. I looked at the LP2065 like you suggested, but $350 (+tax shipping etc...) is a bit over my budget. So compare this ACER to the VP930b ver.2 I originally was going to purchase, would this be a significant improvement over the Viewsonic? I would goto the stores and see for myself, but unfortunately, it looks like this ACER is about at the end of its product life and I doubt I'll be able to see it in person..... I know it's kind of risky buying monitors this this way w/o checking them out first, but for the price and for an P-MVA panel, this ACER is souding very good.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: pdp76

Originally posted by: 12Iceman
What is currently the overall best 20 inch or higher widescreen LCD for under $300?

The Acer AL2051W is the pretty easy choice here. 8-bit P-MVA glossy panel; great viewing angles, good response time, decent color reproduction.

Some might scoff at using the ACER for photo editing, but if the color reproduction is "decent" plus great viewing angles, for a less professional photo editing person, I'd think this monitor might be ok. I looked at the LP2065 like you suggested, but $350 (+tax shipping etc...) is a bit over my budget. So compare this ACER to the VP930b ver.2 I originally was going to purchase, would this be a significant improvement over the Viewsonic? I would goto the stores and see for myself, but unfortunately, it looks like this ACER is about at the end of its product life and I doubt I'll be able to see it in person..... I know it's kind of risky buying monitors this this way w/o checking them out first, but for the price and for an P-MVA panel, this ACER is souding very good.

I do think the AL2051W is a step above the VP930b-v2. The AL2051W I believe uses the same panel that the ViewSonic VX2025WM did, which was better than the VP930b-v2's panel.

 

[Burnes]

After a lot of researching and I've found two monitors that I really like. The NEC 20WMGX2 and the Dell 3007WFP-HC. I know the 20WMGX2 has great picture quality. I'm not really sure about the dell though. It is an S-IPS panel so that is good. No reviews say there is any trouble with ghosting in games. However, I have not seen many professional reviews on it probably because of its price/size. So I was wondering your opinion on them. Which of the two do you think has the best picture quality? I'm leaning towards the 20WMGX2 because it has undisputed excellent picture quality and is much cheaper with a $100 dollar rebate at newegg.

 

[alins]

Dell oomphs the color with 24-inch 2407WFP-HC LCD

Dell just upped the specs of their 24-inch 2407WFP LCD panel to now cover some 92% of the NTSC color space ...

http://www.engadget.com/2007/0...4-inch-2407wfp-hc-lcd/

 

[12Iceman]

Originally posted by: xtknight
The Acer AL2051W is the pretty easy choice here. 8-bit P-MVA glossy panel; great viewing angles, good response time, decent color reproduction.

Thanks for the suggestion, I will be taking a look at this one. Also, do you have any knowledge about the Acer AL2016WBbd or the Acer AL2002W and how they differ from the one you suggested. They are both sold locally where I live, but I have only found the Acer AL2051W online. I am also considering the HP w2007.

 

[Fadardo]

Well I got my (RMA) Replacement NEC 20wmgx2 for the one I thought was overheating and it runs at the same temperature as the first (48 Celcius/ 121 Fehrenheit after a few hours). You were right X-knight. The both are such beautiful monitors except for a tiny bit of backlight bleeding in the bottom corners. Now I have to send back the first monitor and I hope I don't get charged something for getting a rma and being wrong about some fault with the monitor.

Intel Core2Duo 6600 - 2GB OCZ Platinum - MSI P965 Platinum - Geforce 8800 GTX

 

[dedejean]

Originally posted by: xtknight

and my second question is, are you suppose to apply extra pressure to tilt it back? right now its around 5degree facing down and i want to adjust it but it feels like its about to break

Same here... until yesterday. it has -5 (down) upto 20 degrees (up) tilting ability. First two days, i was hesitant to tilt it because it was too tight, and i feel i will break it. After reading the manual and asking around, i finally did it. IT WONT BREAK... PUT MORE EFFORT IN IT, IT WILL TILT UP.

@LG
TOO TIGHT... why not put a lock or some sort?

 

[Gepidae]

Any word about the ViewSonic VX2835wm 28-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor?

Also Im not sure but its probably mentioned from before, can someone summerize is the Acer AL2223Wd any good?

 

[Lalakai]

This is a monitor i'm saving for also; anyone else confirm if it is being discontinued? just looked at the Egg a few minutes ago and didn't see it there. "Murphy" just loves following me around and causing problems.

edit: lol sorry for the confusion. Was referrencing another person's info and it didn't "quote" in. I'm talking about the NEC 20WMGX2

edit #2: the NEC is back at Egg. may have to jump before i have all my ducks in a row, just to make sure

 

[soltys]

Originally posted by: xtknight

The BenQ FP91G or FP93GX/FP93GX+ may be what you're looking for. They have reasonable color reproduction and great response time. Viewing angles are as good as any TN. The recent X-Bit Labs review has some more good info on it. AFAIK worldwide availability of BenQs is pretty decent but let me know if they're not available in your area. In that case you may try one of the LG 19"s (LG is available nearly everywhere). If that's the case let me know which LG model numbers are available to you there.

FP91G and FP93GX+ are available here. Minimally more expensive, shouldn't be a problem though.

Out of curiosity - there're also 2 el'cheapo widescreen models - FP92Wa and FP93VW - any experiences with those (or other manufacturers' models in this price range) ?

The only thing that turns me away from BenQ is their not too good policy regarding dead pixels on some of their models (ref. - http://www.behardware.com/arti...-dead-pixels-2007.html ). Not related to these ones, but sour taste remains...

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Burnes
After a lot of researching and I've found two monitors that I really like. The NEC 20WMGX2 and the Dell 3007WFP-HC. I know the 20WMGX2 has great picture quality. I'm not really sure about the dell though. It is an S-IPS panel so that is good. No reviews say there is any trouble with ghosting in games. However, I have not seen many professional reviews on it probably because of its price/size.

(Most pro reviewers get the LCD for free. Even decent reviews for smaller LCDs are getting sparse.)

Here are a couple:

Dell 3007WFP-HC: http://www.behardware.com/arti...-dell-and-samsung.html

HP LP3065 high-gamut (same panel): http://www.extremetech.com/art.../0,1697,2077914,00.asp

So I was wondering your opinion on them. Which of the two do you think has the best picture quality? I'm leaning towards the 20WMGX2 because it has undisputed excellent picture quality and is much cheaper with a $100 dollar rebate at newegg.

I believe only the 20WMGX2 has the AS-IPS, the far advanced S-IPS panel with higher contrast/brightness. I'm not sure that HC panels deliver the quality of picture you expect from typical, 72% gamut-accustomed content. The 20WMGX2 oughta have a faster response time than the 3007WFP-HC. Input lag is a (slightly) different story: http://www.digitalversus.com/d...=52&mo2=95&p2=969&ph=6

Honestly I'd probably go for the 3007WFP-HC, but not if I didn't already have the 20WMGX2. I have no regrets getting this display, and I have no doubt that the 3007WFP-HC would be a step down in a couple categories. Ideally, I'd have both of course. I think both of these are "must have" LCDs before IPS panels disappear for good.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: soltys

Originally posted by: xtknight

The BenQ FP91G or FP93GX/FP93GX+ may be what you're looking for. They have reasonable color reproduction and great response time. Viewing angles are as good as any TN. The recent X-Bit Labs review has some more good info on it. AFAIK worldwide availability of BenQs is pretty decent but let me know if they're not available in your area. In that case you may try one of the LG 19"s (LG is available nearly everywhere). If that's the case let me know which LG model numbers are available to you there.

FP91G and FP93GX+ are available here. Minimally more expensive, shouldn't be a problem though.

Out of curiosity - there're also 2 el'cheapo widescreen models - FP92Wa and FP93VW - any experiences with those (or other manufacturers' models in this price range) ?

I wouldn't bother stooping to that level if I were you. The FP92Wa has a response time of around 25 ms for most transitions, and a practically gray black level.

The only thing that turns me away from BenQ is their not too good policy regarding dead pixels on some of their models (ref. - http://www.behardware.com/arti...-dead-pixels-2007.html ). Not related to these ones, but sour taste remains...

The rancid policies don't apply to the FP* displays, and LG has the same policy (ISO 13406-2) as the FPs. The Ts, I believe, are mainly the value/cheap ones shipped with their PCs.

I have heard that BenQ's support is not all that great. But I hear that for practically every company, so BenQ must remain on the recommendations at this point (their FP241W).

LG may have better support so you can give them a try. They have different support centers whether you're in the US or elsewhere, so it's pretty much impossible to guess what your experience is going to be, anyway.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: alins
Dell oomphs the color with 24-inch 2407WFP-HC LCD

Dell just upped the specs of their 24-inch 2407WFP LCD panel to now cover some 92% of the NTSC color space ...

http://www.engadget.com/2007/0...4-inch-2407wfp-hc-lcd/

On the sour side of it, they are discontinuing the 2407WFP. I think they also discontinued the regular gamut 3007WFP in favor of the 3007WFP-HC (92% CCFL).

On the bright side, no pun intended, you will experience a more vibrant picture. I think the most prominent improvement will be in the green color (see sRGB, ~72% CCFL, vs. 92% CCFL):

Chromacity diagram, 3007WFP-HC: http://img1.lesnumeriques.com/...88/1765/88_178_107.jpg

Keep in mind that with a higher gamut and the same bit depth (8-bit), you will have fewer intermediate tones without the use of frame rate control or dithering. I believe only high-end, so-called "10-bit" displays like expensive NECs and Eizos have these capabilities in conjunction with wide gamut, to provide a legacy fallback for those who work with 72% material. It still doesn't work as well as a true 72% monitor, obviously, because of FRC. Kind of back to square one there..but implemented properly (e.g. Hi-FRC), it can work pretty well.

Of course, without FRC, the only option may be to snap to the nearest tone available (and that's an overcomplicated explanation of what's going on). True, RGB(128,128,128) on a 72% gamut monitor is going to look a little different than on a 92% gamut one (the 92% gamut one may appear more greenish but I'm not sure about this).

You may think, well couldn't you just turn up the green in your gamma adjustments? No, that's not the same thing at all, actually. The wide gamut CCFLs use special phosphors that are able to create a more natural white. With this more natural white, the LCD's color filter can separate the white into a wider range of what it wants. After all, white is the combination of every color. But, with this wider range comes the same bit depth. Thus you have more range and a little less granularity. That also means banding (striping) can be more prominent on a wide gamut display showing low gamut material.

 

[keatster]

Hi XT
I am looking for a 20" WS and have a few questions.
I'll mostly be doing some games, videos, some CAD/CAM work.
My first question is do you know if there is a difference between the Samsungs 204BW , 205 BW and 206BW.
And after that what are your thoughts between the Samsungs and the LG 204WT and do you have any other recommendation
Thanks
keat

 

[imported_flounder]

The question is: should people buy the 2407 now at the 680 price point or will it go down in anticipation of being discontinued?

 

[Nullvoid]

Originally posted by: xtknightThe Acer AL2051W is the pretty easy choice here. 8-bit P-MVA glossy panel; great viewing angles, good response time, decent color reproduction.

Hah, I had almost settled on this monitor but the price here just puts me right off. At £235 it's only £6 cheaper than a Dell 2007wfp (also pretty expensive at £240.58). Now I see on Newegg that the al2051w sells for $239.99 for you guys, I mean seriously why do I have to live in such a rip-off country (£235 = roughly $468).

I tried tracking down all of the 20" P-MVA panels I know of (taken from the widescreengaming site) and these are the best prices I could find:

Viewsonic vx2025wm - £233.81
Belinea 102035w - £216.04
Asus PW201 - £309.99 (just lol...)
Philips 200WP7ES - £220.40

It seems I'm destined not to be buying one of them

Would an Acer al2032wm 20" at £195.52 be a worthy alternative to all of the above?

I guess I could also go for either a £211.49 LG L226wtq, £227.00 LG L226wa (how does it differ from the wtq?) or, if it ever comes in stock, an LG L206wtq for £179.00

I never imagined picking which LCD monitor to buy could get so complicated.

 

[pdp76]

Hah, I had almost settled on this monitor but the price here just puts me right off. At £235 it's only £6 cheaper than a Dell 2007wfp (also pretty expensive at £240.58). Now I see on Newegg that the al2051w sells for $239.99 for you guys, I mean seriously why do I have to live in such a rip-off country (£235 = roughly $468).

I just received this monitor, ACER AL2051W, today (go newegg! what fast shipping) and for the price, it is fantastic. I was a bit worried that the colors would be poor on such a cheap panel, regardless that it's p-mva, but my worries have been quelled. By no means am I a professional photographer, however, for my amateur photo editing purposes, this monitor will do nicely. The glossy screen does have it's good and bad points, but for general use, it actually makes web pages and graphics look better. However, once you start making detailed edits to photos, the glossiness can get in the way, especially with the darker colors reflections are more apparent.

Overall though, I've been very pleased with the purchase!

 

[BernardP]

Originally posted by: Nullvoid
I had almost settled on this monitor (Acer AL2051W) but the price here just puts me right off. At £235 it's only £6 cheaper than a Dell 2007wfp (also pretty expensive at £240.58). Now I see on Newegg that the al2051w sells for $239.99 for you guys, I mean seriously why do I have to live in such a rip-off country (£235 = roughly $468).

I tried tracking down all of the 20" P-MVA panels I know of (taken from the widescreengaming site) and these are the best prices I could find:

Viewsonic vx2025wm - £233.81
Belinea 102035w - £216.04
Asus PW201 - £309.99 (just lol...)
Philips 200WP7ES - £220.40

It seems I'm destined not to be buying one of them

Would an Acer al2032wm 20" at £195.52 be a worthy alternative to all of the above?

I guess I could also go for either a £211.49 LG L226wtq, £227.00 LG L226wa (how does it differ from the wtq?) or, if it ever comes in stock, an LG L206wtq for £179.00

You are lucky to live in Europe, since you can get your hands on the Belinea 10 20 35 W.

At 216, it's not too bad if you want a non-TN screen. If you decide to start looking at TN monitors, they represent a different set of compromises.

I would be curious to see the link to the Acer 2032wm at the price you quote, as it seems suspiciously low.