General thoughts, rants and argumentativeness. All statements are my own and in no way reflect the views of the DOD, US Army or anyone else. etc. etc.etc.
I Finally Broke Down and Bought an LCD Monitor, and Oh! what a monitor!
Published on November 19, 2005 By SSG Geezer In Gadgets & Electronics

This is my new Gateway 21 in Monitor~HDTV that I am using on my main computer for internet access and gaming. Here is the story.

Gateways description is here: Gateway FPD2185W 21" Widescreen High-Definition LCD Flat-Panel Display. I had been hunting for a new monitor to replace my Viewsonic 19 in flat panel CRT. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it but due to space limitations in my new apartment and on my compact computer desk I was thinking about a 19 in LCD. Then as i was wandering around Office depot I happened upon this beauty. Since they had the resolution set wrong at first i thought that it was only an OK piece of hardware but when I reset the resolution to 1650 x 1080 there was a whole new attitude! The only thing is, it was quite a bit more $$$ than i was really wanting to spend. I thought and thought and immediate gratification won out due to the fact that most of the 20 and 21 inch LCD monitors out there cost just as much or more and they don't have Picture in picture. (See photo above) It also takes up less room on my desk than the 19" CRT.

I find that I can leave the audio on for TV and then watch on screen while I surf the net on the left hand 2/3 of the screen. Great stuff! i am watching football as i write this.
Multiple windows open create much less of a problem. I don't leave a lot open but there are tijmes when this is a big help.
ZERO dead or stuck pixels on a screen this size. Maybe i was lucky, or maybe QC is improving at the Samsung factory where they built the LCD plate. (Specs match exactly, but this statement cannot be proved)
Their EZtune software swaps from landscape to portrait mode when you rotate the screen, no need to go to the control panel. pretty cool.
4 USB 2 ports on the monitor, 2 in back and 2 on the sides for quick access using non-permanent devices; USB memory card readers, cameras and such.

Downsides: Since the resolution is so high, my refresh rate even using a DVI connector is at 60 Hz. I will be updating drivers to try to force my nvidia 6800GT to do a little better. Obviously this is a problem for retailers since they are usually running on-board graphics on their display machines ATI X200/X300, so they don't show the goodness that can be found in a larger display.
It isn't as bright as my Viewsonic CRT. The CRT had ultrabrite technology which increased the brightness for gaming. The improved resolution helps but the darker screen helps bad people hide easier while playing FPS.
Warranty is only 1 year vs 3 for a lot of the monitor manufacturers. Oh well my choice and if it saved me 50-100 dollars I am OK with it.
When I shut down the monitor and comp, after reboot i need to re-select the PIP input using the buttons on the side, easy but a bit annoying.

Overall I am a very happy geek with this purchase, 4.5 metamucil tabs! (Out of 5)
Now resolution is 1650 x 1080 with a refresh of 75 Hz. All I had to do was use the Nvidia properties to create a custom setting, very smooth now. Link


Comments
on Dec 20, 2005
It works even better with an AMD 64 3700+, 2 GB DDR RAM, and a Evga 7800GT.
90+ referrals and no comments???
After a month I would definitely buy it again.
BTW FEAR looks sweet on this screen. (Max res is less but it looks great.)
on Oct 06, 2006
Just brought one home from office depot. hooked up to my mac mini 1st gen. love the PIP, whish I had speakers though. only neg. is the eztune software does not work on mac:(
a real good monitor for the 1 hr I have been using it.