[Retired] The LCD Thread

[xtknight]

Considering that the BenQ FP241W is unsuitable at best for many people (blackout problems), the HP LP2465 has been recommended as a first-rate alternative. The FP241W is staying up there but not without comments.

If BenQ doesn't take any action w/ regards to the FP241W I might remove it altogether which sucks for multiple reasons but that's the way it goes.

For those that have the FP241W already, don't worry about it. It is just as good as the LP2465 when it comes to image quality.

 

[Thetech]

Could someone recommend a good monitor to me? I'm looking for a 19 Inch widescreen that's great for these things in this order A large viewing angle is very important too!
1.Gaming
2.Reading/office stuff
3.Movies

A screen that has height/tilt adjustments is a BIG plus, I can afford just about any 19 Inch screen so price is ok, I prefer a 19 inch over a 22 inch because of my desk space and the fact that my computer is somewhat old: 2.2Ghz Athlon 64(San Diego) 2Gigs of ram and a PCI-E express GeForce 7800GT video card. I still want to be able to play my 3d games at a good speed without having to buy a new Video card!

Thank You thank you thank you!

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Thetech
Could someone recommend a good monitor to me? I'm looking for a 19 Inch widescreen that's great for these things in this order A large viewing angle is very important too!
1.Gaming
2.Reading/office stuff
3.Movies

Hey. Well, a 19" widescreen won't have good viewing angles since they are all TNs. Maybe you want to consider certain 20.1" widescreen models.

A screen that has height/tilt adjustments is a BIG plus, I can afford just about any 19 Inch screen so price is ok, I prefer a 19 inch over a 22 inch because of my desk space and the fact that my computer is somewhat old: 2.2Ghz Athlon 64(San Diego) 2Gigs of ram and a PCI-E express GeForce 7800GT video card. I still want to be able to play my 3d games at a good speed without having to buy a new Video card!

Thank You thank you thank you!

The Samsung 942BW looks good: http://www.samsung.com/us/cons...9HAKCBQ/XAA&fullspec=F

There's the 941BW too:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824001088

But I don't really know how good both models are. Both are very new. But, they all have great ergonomics:

941BW: http://www.samsung.com/us/cons...9HAWKB2/XAA&fullspec=F

942BW: http://www.samsung.com/us/cons...9HAKCBQ/XAA&fullspec=F

The 942BW may be slower because of its response time rating (5 ms is common for non-overdrive LCDs, while g2g ratings indicate overdrive). So, I would say the 941BW is the best for you.

The 906BW is another choice but it doesn't have the same ergonomics.

906BW: http://www.samsung.com/us/cons...9MEWSFY/XAA&fullspec=F

Viewing angles won't be perfect but they should be fine for one person. And response time should be decent but I can never guarantee that because I have not used the 941BW and I haven't seen a review of it either. The 941BW is available for a very respectable price at Newegg and it's a good bet for movies/office work too.

 

[djkilla]

I need some info. I've got a Samsung SyncMaster 192N that I've had for a few years and have been very happy with. Does anyone know what kind of panel this has? I'm assuming it's TN since it's a few years old but want to make sure since I'm in the market to get a good fast gaming/multimedia monitor.

-D j K i l l a-

 

[Thetech]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: Thetech
Could someone recommend a good monitor to me? I'm looking for a 19 Inch widescreen that's great for these things in this order A large viewing angle is very important too!
1.Gaming
2.Reading/office stuff
3.Movies

Hey. Well, a 19" widescreen won't have good viewing angles since they are all TNs. Maybe you want to consider certain 20.1" widescreen models.

A screen that has height/tilt adjustments is a BIG plus, I can afford just about any 19 Inch screen so price is ok, I prefer a 19 inch over a 22 inch because of my desk space and the fact that my computer is somewhat old: 2.2Ghz Athlon 64(San Diego) 2Gigs of ram and a PCI-E express GeForce 7800GT video card. I still want to be able to play my 3d games at a good speed without having to buy a new Video card!

Thank You thank you thank you!

The Samsung 942BW looks good: http://www.samsung.com/us/cons...9HAKCBQ/XAA&fullspec=F

There's the 941BW too:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824001088

But I don't really know how good both models are. Both are very new. But, they all have great ergonomics:

941BW: http://www.samsung.com/us/cons...9HAWKB2/XAA&fullspec=F

942BW: http://www.samsung.com/us/cons...9HAKCBQ/XAA&fullspec=F

The 942BW may be slower because of its response time rating (5 ms is common for non-overdrive LCDs, while g2g ratings indicate overdrive). So, I would say the 941BW is the best for you.

The 906BW is another choice but it doesn't have the same ergonomics.

906BW: http://www.samsung.com/us/cons...9MEWSFY/XAA&fullspec=F

Viewing angles won't be perfect but they should be fine for one person. And response time should be decent but I can never guarantee that because I have not used the 941BW and I haven't seen a review of it either. The 941BW is available for a very respectable price at Newegg and it's a good bet for movies/office work too.

Ooh, tell us more about this 20.1 inch Widescreen? I'm concerned with multiple people being able to view the monitor at the same time, just to explain I am used to using a 19 Inch Samsung CRT monitor so that tells you the kind of viewing angles I'm used to

 

[MDDI]

I have been waiting for the prices to drop again on NCIX before I purchased a BenQ FP241W.

I had a concern about the FP241W black out issue. There is chat about it and some possible fixes. Not sure if anything has been effective or how much of a problem the black out really is.

I found a interesting comment about the FP241W black out on NCIX. If you open the FP241W page and scroll down you will see a forum section. There is a heading about the black out issue.

The person that originated the balck out isuue, at least on NCIX, has posted again and claims he had the black out when he was connected to a MAC. He has since connected to a PC and has not had the problem.

HMMM!

 

[ashvarts]

Is banding more of a problem on IPS vs. VA, or is there no difference really?

I'm stuck between the NEC GX2 and the 215TW for photo editing stuff. I like that the TW is suposed to have better dark tones, but really what would sell me on a monitor is the ability to display a wide range of color with smooth transition. Is one technology better for that over another, and how does a glossy coating affect this, if at all? Also, which has better out-of-the-box color, since I don't have a calibrator.



Thanks.

 

[physic]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: physic
Hey all, I've been looking pretty hard for a 24'' monitor, but it seems (somewhat surprisingly) there isn't really a great one. With the ghosting problems of the Dell 2407WFP-HC and the lack of availability of the non-HC Dell 2407WFP, there doesn't seem to be a really strong contender. The Benq seems pretty hard to find, at least for a decent price, the Gateway seems to have ghosting issues as well, and Soyo QC is terrible. Sigh... any suggestions? At this rate the Dell E248WFP for $400 is starting to look good even though it's TN...

Before you get the Dell, why don't you consider the Samsung 245BW@$450 AR:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824001234

It is a TN but probably much better tuned than the Dell. Viewing angles should be OK for single-person use.

There's also the LP2465 (8-bit) for $530 AR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824176059

You'll get slightly better angles and some interpolation options. Maybe more "stable" image/color in some cases (useful only for photo editing). Other than that, the 245BW is probably a better choice for you esp. considering price to be honest.

There is the Gateway FHD2400 too, but I haven't had time to research it.

I do game, but I'm somewhat wary of TN screens. The Dell 228WFP's yellowish tinge bothers me... I know TN monitors aren't as good for color reproduction, but are all TN monitors that bad? Would the E248WFP be any better, say?

I've never seen a review of the E248. The 245BW even though it is a TN, is a decent one with good contrast. Here's a good review of it: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/samsung_245b.htm

It is very suitable for gaming due to low input lag. It should make most gamers happy.

xtknight, thanks so much for the suggestion! After reading some more reviews and checking it out at Costco, I just got the Samsung 245BW there for $450 before tax this morning. TN or not, it's quite awesome with quite decent viewing angles and like you said, good contrast. More importantly, it is definitely better tuned than the Dell, especially on the 'cool' color setting. Thanks again!

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: ashvarts
Is banding more of a problem on IPS vs. VA, or is there no difference really?

I'm stuck between the NEC GX2 and the 215TW for photo editing stuff. I like that the TW is suposed to have better dark tones, but really what would sell me on a monitor is the ability to display a wide range of color with smooth transition. Is one technology better for that over another, and how does a glossy coating affect this, if at all? Also, which has better out-of-the-box color, since I don't have a calibrator.



Thanks.

Banding is certainly more of a problem on IPS screens. But it is only in real special cases, cases that rarely if ever appear when editing photos. I've seen banding on a cube in Blender (3D modeller) where it was just the right shaded gray to bring it out. A couple of dark wallpapers and movies I've seen some posterization as well, but that's generally because the NEC is exaggerating flaws in the source material.

The TW will have better dark tones and a smoother gradient. S-PVA tech displays half of a color in one subpixel and the other half in another subpixel, distributing the gradient more than an IPS screen. I happen to be working on an article about this for my site, I don't know when it'll be up though.

And BTW, S-PVA screens still have higher contrast. But IPS screens are still as suited or more suited to editing photos in a lot of cases due to their extremely stable viewing angle. S-PVA can shift a bit but really either are great for photo editing. The S-PVA has got to be better than my P-MVA which is alright for photo editing.

Both the 215TW/20WMGX2 have decent out-of-the-box color really, I'm not sure which is better. Depends a little on the unit anyways.

I highly recommend a colorimeter to anyone who edits photos. It might sound silly but it really can help a lot. But you can certainly get by with the 215TW or 20WMGX2 default. I just think it's a worthwhile investment.

Glossy screen? I don't think it affects photos that much, but who knows...not really in a position to tell you that. I don't know.. All I know is that my glossy screen is still miles ahead of my matte MVA screen for editing photos and I can tell you that for sure. I have seen many screens and settings in my life. It's most likely because of the newer panel (high-end S-IPS) vs an older P-MVA matte screen. Newer S-PVA tech should be great though.

 

[xtknight]

About the 2407WFP-HC ghosting issues:

If you're thinking about this LCD for gaming then actually I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. I've seen the videos and honestly this is no worse than what my ViewSonic has, which isn't bad in itself (and that ghosting looks exactly the same). And from what I can tell it is not even related to overdrive. It is simply ghosting on dark tones, very common with VA screens even without overdrive. This doesn't manifest itself all that often and since the ghosting is so dark it's not all that annoying either. If you're strictly a gamer than give the Samsung 245BW a look for a 24" gaming panel, but other than that the 2407WFP-HC should be fine for most people so I'm re-recommending it for Multimedia but not for Gaming.

Edit: should probably clarify: this LCD is fine for most gaming but if you're real hardcore then go with the 245BW instead.

 

[imported_duderino]

Amazing thread guys! I stumbled on this while researching the Gateway FHD2400 and wanted to see what you guys thought, now that there IS a review on it out there. Don't know how reputable the ExtremeTech reviews are, but they just did one on this on this monitor here: http://www.extremetech.com/art.../0,1558,2213483,00.asp

So I was all geared up to buy this monitor last weekend until i asked the last salesman at CompUSA his opinion on it. He scoffed and told me to get an LG or Samsung instead. When i asked why he put the monitor on a greyish screen, flipped it to the portrait orientation and you could pretty clearly see uneven brightness from one side of the screen to the other (I guess flipping it sideways like that makes it easier to distinguish?). he also said the backlight wasn't as good as the LG or Samsungs there. Now I've read about the LG's problems in this thread, and I trust that the Samsung is a good alternative (this was the 245BW at CompUSA), but that Gateway just jumps out so nice with that glossy screen. Of the whole row of monitors in the display this one was clearly the most vibrant one of the lot. The contrast was amazing. Maybe it's just a glossy thing.

I'm going to be using the monitor primarily for photo editing, for both print and web, so color accuracy needs to be good. I don't do any gaming. I really don't want to spend more than $600 on a monitor, yet i really want at least 24" in size. I read in the review that this monitor can be tuned pretty well and they seem to really like it. is this uneven brightness something that can be tuned out of a monitor?

Just wanted to bounce my thoughts off you guys, perhaps make it an easier decision for me. thanks for the help!

 

[anth0ny]

I just picked up the 226BW this weekend from Fry's for $299 - $30 rebate and free Canon printer. I got the 'A' Panel with a build date of Sept. 2007. I tweaked the colors right away to get rid of the blue tint using the Magic Tune software.

My previous monitor was a Dell 19" 1907 which had a Samsung panel which I picked up for $230 something a while back. It is a great monitor and I might have to return this new one and go back to using that. I have some really annoying ghosting going on while playing Battlefield 2. I haven't noticed it in other games but it is easily seen when moving the mouse in the game. I managed to take a picture with my Canon Rebel XTI and here's what I am seeing 'Screenshot of Ghosting'

You can see that the ghosting is actually red tinted. I also see green tinting a lot as well. Has anyone else seen the same type of ghosting? I could probably live with the ghosting if it wasn't these funky colors.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Thetech
Ooh, tell us more about this 20.1 inch Widescreen? I'm concerned with multiple people being able to view the monitor at the same time, just to explain I am used to using a 19 Inch Samsung CRT monitor so that tells you the kind of viewing angles I'm used to

Well obviously a 20.1" monitor will be more expensive. You'll be looking at the Dell 2007WFP or NEC 20WMGX2 most likely. The 2007WFP can come with an PVA panel which isn't so bad. Are you really concerned about not being able to see straight-on? I don't think this will be a problem with smaller TN screens (but at 20" TN and higher it is something to consider). My 17" 4:3 TN is great with viewing angles. I can only assume a 19" 16:10 will be just dandy as well. I wouldn't worry about it so much if I were you.

Get a 19" widescreen now and then upgrade to a 24" 8-bit VA w/ slightly wider angles later.

Edit: didn't realize you said multiple people. Then give the 20WMGX2 a try. $360 AR is hard to beat for this monitor:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824002319

The NEC is barebones when it comes to ergonomics so there is also the Samsung 215TW (21" widescreen) with much more flexible erg:

http://www.samsung.com/us/cons...21DPWAB/XAA&fullspec=F

Stand Function

Function of stand. Tilt is basic and Height adjusting, Pivot & Swivel is optional one
HAS(Height Adjustable), Pivot, Swivel, Tilt

Keep in mind 215TW has some input lag.

The 2007WFP is probably another option (comes w/ PVA/IPS and good ergonomics): http://support.dell.com/suppor...s/2007WFP/en/index.htm

If you're looking for something more economical, give the 19" MVA HP LP1965 (std. aspect) a try: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824176072

Coming from a 19" CRT it seems like a 20"+ is only a natural upgrade though (1680x1050 still lower res than 19" CRT 1600x1200).

20WMGX2 (glossy), 215TW, 2007WFP, LP1965 are all wide angle LCDs.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: djkilla
I need some info. I've got a Samsung SyncMaster 192N that I've had for a few years and have been very happy with. Does anyone know what kind of panel this has? I'm assuming it's TN since it's a few years old but want to make sure since I'm in the market to get a good fast gaming/multimedia monitor.

-D j K i l l a-

The Samsung 192N looks like a PVA screen to me. The 912N however was a TN (at least in Germany?) Make sure you've got the model number right.

In any case I'm not sure. Info on the net is all conflicting. All you have to do is look from below and see if the screen totally inverts (it will very obviously turn to near FULL BLACK). If so, it is a TN. If the image just darkens a little but is still very accurate, it is an MVA.

Last sentence should read: "...PVA". Samsung does not use MVA panels in their computer monitors, only their own PVA panels except in the XL20 (LED).

 

[brencat]

@ xtknight, I've decided to keep searching for an LCD and noticed you seem to recommend the Samsung 245BW 24" for gaming. Although the price seems attractive ~ $450ish, newegg comments seem to be mixed about this TN panel and comments on the Dell site (they sell it too) are even less encouraging (3.7 out of 5 stars...noticeable yellowing at edges with even modest 30 degree off angle viewing, etc).

Assuming I wanted to go bigger than the 22" 226BW for gaming, is the 245BW the best I can do for reasonable money? (if I go 24", it needs to be able to do 1:1 pixel mapping)

Also, if I were to step up to the $700+ range, should I perhaps consider a good sub-32" HDTV as an alternative ?

 

[Enva]

New to forum
i recently got a HP W2207 22" widescreen lcd, this is my first LCD monitor and i just cant get the colours right. I have noticed that when watching videos they tend to be much darker then my old CRT. Does anyone know any good Profiles for the W2207?
Thanks for any information/help

 

[Montius]

Originally posted by: xtknight
Considering that the BenQ FP241W is unsuitable at best for many people (blackout problems), the HP LP2465 has been recommended as a first-rate alternative. The FP241W is staying up there but not without comments.

If BenQ doesn't take any action w/ regards to the FP241W I might remove it altogether which sucks for multiple reasons but that's the way it goes.

For those that have the FP241W already, don't worry about it. It is just as good as the LP2465 when it comes to image quality.

I haven't checked this thread in a while, and last time I did there was pretty high praise for the FP241W. I've still got my 2407WFP-HC sitting here, with the return slip beside it. So what's come up on the BenQ?

 

[Nnyan]

Ok so I've managed to spend the last month (2 weeks each with several days side to side) with the w2207 and the 226BW. Just to recap my issues are that most LCD's tend to make be dizzy. Following the advice here I'm pretty sure most (if not all) of this is the contrast/brightness. When I've tone these settings down the dizzyness doesn't bother me as much.

I have to say that I really like both of these LCD's. To my unprofessional eyes the 226BW "seemed" faster then the w2207 but the w2207 had a richer nicer picture (not that the 226BW was bad, it was very nice it's just that the w2207 was better). My one concern about the w2207 was the rated image delay was higher then the 226BW. Not sure if that's what I noticed when I say the 226BW was "faster" but I quickly got used to it and it didn't seem to affect my scores = ). Bottom line (for myself) that with fast moving games the w2207 made me significantly less "dizzy" then the 226BW. But this may be that I was able to lower the brightness/contrast on the w2207 lower then the 226BW and still maintain a good image.

Up next is the 2232BW since I can find that at a local store and I was going to also try the NEC 90GX2 but no one seems to have it (newegg does not list it) and only two places are listing it for about $350 so I'm taking that off the list (seems that my eyes like glossy better).

 

[techgamer]

@ Nnyan Thanks a lot for your post. I am looking at those similar LCDs also.

 

[fivetiger]

Nice thread....if a bit long now.

I'm looking for a recommendation on a 20'' monitor for gaming (75%) and internet (25%) use...and maybe a very occasional movie or Illustrator as well. I don't play super twitchy games, so I don't need to get too crazy with the response time. (I do play Red Orchestra a lot, does that counts as super twitchy??)

The problem I'm having is that everything I'm finding has a glossy screen. Although I've never used a glossy screen, I think it might be a problem that my screen directly faces a window.

Can anyone recommend anything for less than $400? I'm not completely set on these parameters, so a larger screen may be an option as long as picture quality is not sacrificed.

Thanks.

 

[Nnyan]

I'm coming to the conclusion that based on my sensitivity I'm going to have to get a color meter in order to properly adjust any LCD I get. Not being a pro or anything I just need something basic that gets the job done right. Any suggestions?

 

[pugdaddy]

Hi everyone,

(This is my first post, so please bear with me.) I noticed that the HP is being recommended as an alternative to the BenQ FP241W... But I am hoping to find an 8-bit panel 24" that has HDMI inputs so I can plug in an upconverting DVD player, and HP does not have such ports. Searching through Newegg, it looks like my only choices are as follows:

BenQ G2400W
BenQ FP241W
BenQ FP241VW
Samsung 245T

My usage is mainly web and multimedia. But to be honest, I don't even know if my computers are powerful enough to run 24" monitors, because I am using two SFF PCs with on board video only. They can display my dying 21" Iiyama CRT OK, but they don't even have DVI connectors.

I would love to get something on the Multimedia Recommended List; but the 27" & 30" monitors are just too expensive. 22" in fact is more of my price range, and I realize that at 22" it's already larger than a 21" CRT -- but because of the wide aspect ratio it just feels smaller for some reason, that's why I'm looking at the 24".

Can anyone help me decide? Thanks in advance!

 

[VistaVick]

Hi, I have a pc setup with a projector in the other end of the room I use with windows media center, powerdvd, and occasional web browsing and email. My pc monitor is a benq with a 16:10 1680x1050 native resolution.

My complaint is I am tired of switching resolutions back and forth because my projector accepts 720p-1080p signals but not 1680x1050 and since I have the ati catalyst center setup to clone my pc monitor and projector displays. this is really annoying. When I set the benq to 720p or 1080 resolutions, the picture of course looks horrible and it either flashes the message out of range or not a preset mode. Some things like media center automatically change both displays to 720p but others like powerdvd require manually changing the resolution, and doing by hotkeys always causes issues for me. However when I do set the pc monitor to display at 720p or 1080 the image on the projector looks great, otherwise it is either distorted or does not take up the entire projector screen.

Since I know 16:9 pc monitors are almost non existent, my question is how would 1980x1080 look on a typical 24 inch or so lcd monitor that have native resolutions of 1980x1200. Do any of them accept this resolution and is the picture acceptable for everyday use. I wasn't looking to upgrade my pc monitor but if I can go bigger and also have 2 displays that can run comfortably at the same resolution, I may. Thanks.

 

[FireChicken]

Anybody seen any reviews for the Lenovo L220X yet??

 

[TempletonPeck]

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