Best 20" widescreen for under $350

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hartman

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 16, 2006
Messages
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Actually looking to spend around $300 if possible. The only real requirement is DVI and decent reviews.

I really like Dell LCDs, I have a 1704FP right now, but I'm a little leary right now because of some of the backlighting issues that people have had. Also, the 2007FPW is going for around $350 right now on eBay, which seems high considering Dell has coupons sometimes for LCDs, although I'm not sure if they are going to release any soon.

I've also been considering this ViewSonic LCD, which you can get at Newegg for around $330, or CompUSA for $299.99 (after $50 rebate).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824116381

Are there any others out there that compare to these two in terms of picture quality? I'm really leaning towards the Viewsonic right now.
 
I'd go with the Dell. However, I'd buy it direct from dell.com, eliminate the Ebay hassle...The monitor currently is 450-something, but every other week or so, it goes on sale for about 350 bucks, right in line at what you are looking for.
 
Honestly though, comparing the reviews between the two, the Viewsonic spanks the Dell and is slightly cheaper.
 
I'd like to see what reviews you are reading.

Advantages the Dell has over the Viewsonic:

1. It is an 8-bit panel, the Viewsonic is not (correct me if I'm wrong).
2. It is an S-IPS panel, which makes for excellent color reproduction and viewing angles. The Viewsonic is not.
3. It has no problems with its' DVI input. The Viewsonic does.
4. It has an adjustable stand. The Viewsonic does not.
5. It has a 4-port powered USB hub. The Viewsonic does not.
6. It is HDCP compatible. The Viewsonic is not.

The only issue with the Dell 2007WFP was gradient banding, and that has been fixed. If by some extreme set of circumstances you happened to get a banding version of this monitor, you would get one cross-shipped to your house for free, anyways.

"Advantages" the Viewsonic has over the Dell.

1. Response time. "8ms" for the Viewsonic, "16ms" for the Dell.

The reason I call it "Advantages" is because it is a BS advantage anyways.

There is no standard for measuring response time, and different companies measure it different ways. Look at real-world results to make any judgement on response time.

http://www.behardware.com/articles/619-16/updated-survey-13-lcd-20-5-6-8-16-ms.html

Another surprise, the pictures report an excellent behaviour for the Dell monitor, comparable to the Nec 20WGX² with its 6ms IPS panel.
Click to expand...

The reaction time of this monitor is in fact identical to P-MVA 8 ms monitors.
Click to expand...

So, in a real-world test, it ranks close to a NEC 20WGX2. Also, no glossy finish on the Dell, no horrible backlight bleed, and no screen door effect.
 
Well I wasn't expecting that strong of a response....must be a Dell !!!!!! or something. Anyway, take a look at the reviews at Cnet. Not only the Cnet editor reviews, but the customer reviews. And the Viewsonic has great reviews on Newegg.

Find me a 2007FPW for $350 shipped other than eBay and I'll gladly snatch it right up. There is a strong likelyhood that the ones on eBay will have the issues that plauged these Dells in the past couple of months.
 
ugh, I'm not a fan boy, hartman, I just did my research. If your research consists of CNET.com, then that is slightly disappointing. CNET reviews will tell you if a screen is good for those hardcore microsoft office sessions. Check out the 2007WFP review on widescreengamingforum.com and see what the garbage viewing angles of the Viewsonic truly look like.

I'm not going to help you find a monitor, hartman, google can help you do that. You won't find one for $350 shipped, anyways. The sale price of the Dell is 360-something, and that doesn't include shipping. If you can find one on Ebay that is 350 shipped and is still sealed in the box, then I'd say go for it. As long as the warranty and everything else is properly transferred to you, you wouldn't have any problem at all if you needed to return the monitor due to the banding issue. You could also PM some of the people on this forum who got the 2007WFP for 160 bucks due to the price error a few weeks ago, but I wouldn't expect much to come out of that.

*Edit*

si0dine, thanks for posting that link, I was typing my response as you must have been, too :) And you are right about CNET too. ;)
 
I take CNet reviews with a grain of salt, but I focus mostly on customer reviews.

This is what I'm worried about. Quoted from the link you posted:

"Also, the Dell could be highly recommended. It is fast, has very good ergonomics, exemplary finishing touches, and very accurate color quality from the start. So, what’s the problem? There is the inconsistency in the choice of panels. It is disturbing to know that Dell changes components and liquid crystal technology without informing the customer. Yes, we tested a very good monitor here, but there is no guarantee that you will buy the same one in the future."

Not to mention the color and banding issues, as well as the dead pixels that seem to happen WAY to often it seems with Dells.
 
I would go with the Viewsonic. To my knowledge, it has an 8-bit S-IPS panel, which means excellent color as well as good response time. It also has DVI and an on-screen display, like most other LCDs. Also, it has none of the banding commonly associated with the FPW series, though I've heard that the A02 revision pretty much solved that.

In short, if you want an LCD with HDCP, USB ports, and an adjustable stand, get the 2007WFP. If you want a no-frills LCD that will get the job done and look nice while doing it, get the VX2025WM.
 
I'm almost sure the Viewsonic has an 8 bit panel. I just bought one, and the colors are great. No banding. Response time seems to be fine...
 
After looking at the Samsung 204B in person, I think I might go with that one. It looks really impressive.
 
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but my impression from this forum is the Viewsonic is preferred over the Dell for superior picture quality.
 
Varmint said:
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but my impression from this forum is the Viewsonic is preferred over the Dell for superior picture quality.
Click to expand...

Depends who you talk to I guess.
 
About ready to pull the trigger on the Samsung 204B I think....I know it isn't widescreen, but after looking at the widescreens in person, I'm not sure if I want one. I'd like to run a more "normal" resolution and I really don't have a use for a widescreen monitor other than the "cool factor. Plus, the 204B is huge, and from what I've read so far on this board, it's pretty good for the money. $280 after rebate isn't too bad for a 20.1".

Keep it mind that I'm not a huge gamer, so I can deal with a little ghosting or banding here and there. Of course, I would like to keep it at a minimum, so this Samsung seems like a solid choice.
 
Viewsonic VX2025WM is definately 8-bit. Look at the sticky. It is a P-MVA panel.

Dell's gradient banding has not been fixed. They disabled the overdrive chip that was causing banding in desktop mode only. The banding is still there in desktop mode, even with the chip disabled, however it has been reduced significantly. If you play games, you go into gaming mode and the bad banding is back again.

The Viewsonic is cheaper and is generally believed to be a better quality display. There are a few problems with it, however. The DVI port has malfunctioned on a number of users and the stand is not height adjustable. Personally, I think the design of the Viewsonic is ugly in comparison with the Dell.

As a gamer, I'd stay away from the Dell.
 
The samsung is a 6-bit TN panel I believe. It's meant to be fast, so it might sacrifice on some other areas. That said, I just bought this monitor from buy.com for $235 AR, check the thread in the hot deals section, deal ends today.

I should metion that there are several rebates involved to get it to $235 and is actually $365ish before rebate I think.
 
Well I decided on the VX2025WM. Picked it up last night for $349.99 + $50 mail in rebate. I know, I found it cheaper online, but it was only a matter of $20 so I was willing to pay the extra to have it NOW. :D
 
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