Gateway FPD2485W - 24" HD LCD

Nemesis said:
Would you take this back? In other words, how bad is my backlight bleed when compared to others??

monitor1wx6.jpg


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The one I picked up from BB that is a Dec. 2006 build looks about the same as yours in terms of bleeding. It looks a little worse when you first turn it on but looks like this after it warms up. I got a November build from CC that I haven't opened up and will return it to CC because they charge 15% restock fee if you don't want it and BB doesn't.
 
Well I got everything hooked up and running pretty good but I have encountered a problem with my 360 that my not necasarily be monitor related but I hope it is not too off topic. Sorry for the upcoming long post but for those who may help me out I have tried to simplify the issue.

I have an HD DVD add on for my 360 and my 360 is hooked up directly to the monitor via a Monster Cable VGA. I have had, up until this point, zero problems when watching movies whether they are hd or standard dvd (omg the upscale looks great).

Now just the other day when I was watching a dvd through the HD add on I began to notice what I called a "glitch" (maybe a tearing effect? Or splitting effect?) that takes place right in the middle on my screen (horizontally). I would describe this "glitch" as a line that flickers on the screen for a split sec while making the top half of the screens image not be being fully aligned with the bottom half of the screens image. Again it happends for a split second but the crappy part is it then repeats itself over, and over, and over.

At first I thought it was a disc read error of sorts with the HD add on but the thing is is that when I went back to the blade menu of the 360 the "glitch" was still there. I also tried putting a dvd in just the regular ole 360s disc tray and play it to see what would happen and the same "glitch" occurs.

Now not to confuse but here is the kicker. If I just straight boot up my 360 right now the "glitch" WILL NOT be there. It takes me to play a movie through either the 360 or HD DVD player.to bring about the "glitch". And again I will say that the problem is still evident on the 360 after I play of movie and go back to the 360 menu screen. Only after I turn off/on the system does the problem go away.

Is this a problem with my VGA cable?
Is this a probelm with the VGA connection on my monitor (I highly doubt that but had to ask)?
Is this a problem with the HD DVD player(what makes me think it isn't is the fact the "glitch occurs when I play a dvd in the 360 as well)?

I am at a loss and this thing is driving me crazy. Any and all help would be much, much appreciated.
 
GMaxx said:
The one I picked up from BB that is a Dec. 2006 build looks about the same as yours in terms of bleeding. It looks a little worse when you first turn it on but looks like this after it warms up. I got a November build from CC that I haven't opened up and will return it to CC because they charge 15% restock fee if you don't want it and BB doesn't.
Click to expand...
I just returned mine to CC and the only question I was asked is if there was anything wrong with it. I said no, my computer can't support it (which it can ;) ) I had all packing materials and I had no 15% restock fee.
 
Nemesis said:
Would you take this back? In other words, how bad is my backlight bleed when compared to others??
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That is not that bad. Let it warm up, and it will probably be better. Besides, I doubt the photo is doing it any justice. The units with backlight problems have very severe bleed-through, particularly in the upper corners.

I'll echo what another poster already said: Can you live with it?
 
In those ps3 shots of resistance, the image looks to be strectched to the edges...resistance is 720p...so instead of black bars on top and side it stretched to the edges? I thought this monitor supports 1:1 pixel mapping?
 
cameltoe1009 said:
In those ps3 shots of resistance, the image looks to be strectched to the edges...resistance is 720p...so instead of black bars on top and side it stretched to the edges? I thought this monitor supports 1:1 pixel mapping?
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It does, and on mine, it works very nicely.
 
PS3 @ 720p is full screen, for some reason. This is using HDMI to DVI of course. Are you telling me that 720p PS3 has bars on your screen Rapture?

If so what connection?

Resistance is 720p so that would be a good test, most of my other PS3 games are 1080p and they have correct aspect ratio of 1:1. But any 720p over DVI was stretched even though I believe it was set to 1:1. Can you post a pic of Resistance 720p with black bars?

Again 1:1 seems to work for everything else except for PS3 @ 720p, if this is not the case then please list your settings and show a pic.

Thanks!
 
The ones that are having problem with the smearing did you guys exchange the monitors ?

It is getting irritating and Im starting to hate this monitor for it, shouldve gone with a Westy hehe.
 
I have very slight smearing on certain colors, nothing major though. Only noticeable if I really stare and look for it, again only on certain solid colors.
 
720p is 1280x720 correct? So if this monitor supports 720p over dvi, should it not simply display at 720p (1280x720) when fed 720p (ps3 for example)? And display 1080p when fed 1080p? I thought it works like that. No?

I understand with computer games you would need to set the reso in game so that I get.

I am new to LCD so please bear with me. The main reason for the purchase of this monitor is for my ps3. So I want to make sure before I buy it.
 
Just finished setting up my new FPD2485W and I'm happy!!!! :cool:

Thanks to all for the replies and inputs the last few days, here's some initial thoughts:

1) No dead pixels. Haven't run a program to check or anything, but quick inspection shows no dead pixels or stuck pixels so far.

2) No back light bleeding. Nothing in the corners at all. There is a reflection on the shiny bezel though, I think the Dell 2407WFP is a bit cleaner in terms of how it integrates into the bezel.

3) No buzzing from the PSU.

4) Some hot spots in the lower 2 quadrants. Not sure if they'll diminish as the monitor warms up or not, but they don't bother me anyways.

5) Viewing angle/panel uniformity doesn't seem as good as the Dell 2407WFP. Again, I'll give it a few days before I make a final judgment on it.

6) Stand is better looking than the Dell 2407WFP, but build quality and attachment mechanism is definitely worst. Stability seems about the same and the ability to adjust at intermitten heights is definitely nicer than the Dell. Height is overall higher at the highest setting. Needs to be a lock position for the 90 degree rotating feature. I feel like I need to get a level here to see if its level or not.

7) Brightness seems a bit higher, the white background typing here is almost painful against the darker colors and black. Image is just as sharp, but the Dell looked better out of the box in terms of brightness, color reproduction and accuracy. I may be stuck here for a while, as it seems the EZtune software doesn't support the 8800 series cards atm. What setting would people recommend otherwise? I turned brightness down to 60 and its a bit better.

Just a few notes to help those out who are looking to buy one of these:

MGL6C does seem to be DEC 2006 production run. I went to a few stores and "hand-picked" my monitor. Some Best Buys or CC will have the stock on the floor and you can look at the bar codes and serial numbers and pick your monitor yourself. Some may have them in the back. Ask a friendly looking employee if 1) they have the 24" in-stock and 2) if they have multiples, you'd like one that is MGL6C or MGL6D. I don't know if D exists, but it doesn't hurt to check. ;) I told the guy I'm very picky about LCDs and wanted to avoid any potential problems or need to return it and he obliged np. I picked mine based on the MGL6C serial # and my monitor is in fact a DEC 2006 model.

The 12% Rewards Zone coupon does work, but its definitely a YMMV situation. One guy wouldn't take the coupon and didn't seem like he'd budge, so I drove 5 minutes down the road and tried at a different Best Buy. Talked to this cute girl and told her I wanted to make sure the coupon could apply before buying. She looked over the coupon, it wouldn't scan, asked me how much it cost and I told her it was $679 and told her the coupon made a pretty big difference. She punched in some magic #s and said she applied the coupon and that my total pre-tax was $598 and change. I quickly swiped my card and walked out with my brand new FPD2485W for @$630. :)

I didn't bother to try the CC price match + 12% coupon. I had a print-out in cart of the $629 CC price but checked today before I went to work and saw the price was back to regular. Figured I'd be pushing my luck anyways, so the print-out never reared its ugly head. Still, I'm extremely pleased with being able to use the 12% coupon which basically put this monitor at the same price as the Dell 2407WFP I just returned. But this one's better. :)

Also managed to snag a 150GB Raptor X at the BB that denied my 12% coupon, so today ended up being a pretty good day. I'll run a few more tests and games and update with further thoughts later, but right now I'm extremely pleased with this panel.
 
Drant said:
Darv, when I turn on the Gateway's menu, Auto and Geometry are grayed out (in desktop and games), do you have any explanation for this? I'm using DVI to connect with an X800 using the latest drivers plus EzTune 1.40, and the model is Nov 2006.
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DVI automatically takes care of that for you, since it is DIGITAL. There is no out of geometry to adjust....if you had it hooked via a VGA cable, you would be able to use those. DVI is better, typically.
 
Ferris23 said:
PS3 @ 720p is full screen, for some reason. This is using HDMI to DVI of course. Are you telling me that 720p PS3 has bars on your screen Rapture?

If so what connection?

Resistance is 720p so that would be a good test, most of my other PS3 games are 1080p and they have correct aspect ratio of 1:1. But any 720p over DVI was stretched even though I believe it was set to 1:1. Can you post a pic of Resistance 720p with black bars?

Again 1:1 seems to work for everything else except for PS3 @ 720p, if this is not the case then please list your settings and show a pic.

Thanks!
Click to expand...


I don't have a PS3, just an XBox 360. Sorry, can't test that one for ya...
 
cslogical said:
I just returned mine to CC and the only question I was asked is if there was anything wrong with it. I said no, my computer can't support it (which it can ;) ) I had all packing materials and I had no 15% restock fee.
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sucks for me, when i went to exchange/return mine they wanted to add teh 15% restocking fee. i ended up keeping it.
 
moaabens said:
My gateway runs 1080p over component1 PERFECTLY. I showed some pics a couple of pages ago. My monitor is a Nov. 2006 build.
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Do you know if on your monitor it works on Component 2 also? Does the number of the port make any difference? Because from the discussion I've read, it seems to. I'm running my 360 on Component 2 and 1080p definately doesn't work there.
 
If true colors is important to me, is it a no brainer to go with one of the 24" LCD's over the 22"LCD's ?
Do I need to look at the color of the sticker on the box if all I want is a monitor that does colors well ? Can I go blind folded into any store and picked up one of the 24" Gateway's (And one bump on my head;) ) and know I will always be getting an 8bit panel that does colors well ?

Sorry for all the questions, I did skim the tread but it is gettin big. As LCD's go, does this Gateway have better than average viewing angels ?
 
Drant said:
Darv, when I turn on the Gateway's menu, Auto and Geometry are grayed out (in desktop and games), do you have any explanation for this? I'm using DVI to connect with an X800 using the latest drivers plus EzTune 1.40, and the model is Nov 2006.
Click to expand...

Auto and Geometry settings are only applicable to VGA input. DVI and other video inputs do not need them. The monitor is working correctly. All LCDs with DVI interfaces behave this way.

Tim-in-CA
 
I seem to have a newly developed issue. When looking at the background of the forums after I refresh/change a page, about 5 secs after its loads, it gets a pinch brighter, kinda like a backlight gets turned on or like a dynamic contrast kicks in. Its hardly noticable but was just enough for me to catch. it happens everytime, but it doesnt happen unless I change or reload the page. has anyone else experienced this?
 
I just returned my Gateway. I recieved a Dec 2006 (OSD GA 4.2). I have no dead pixels and the backlight display is a ton better. I am glad I didn't simply settle for the original!

New Dec 06 model:
decmonitorcr3.png



Pic was taken as soon as I turned it on. No warm up time at all...
 
I hadn't planned on buying one of these when I went out today to BB to look for a copy of Vista. They were out of Vista, and I happened to see one of these sitting on an end display running a Vista demo. There was also another in an aisle hooked up to a crappy low end Gateway PC that looked just as good.

The screen looked amazing to me in the store, nice deep blacks, crisp text, no blurring to my eyes, and the perfect size to fit into the slot on my corner desk.

I took the last one they had, got it home, and am in love with it. Not a single dead/stuck pixel, no real backlight bleed except maybe a teeny bit in one corner, but even that is debatable. Overall I'm thrilled with the purchase.

This display just seems so much more comfortable on my eyes than my old SONY 19" did. No real strain at all that I've noticed yet.

I'm mostly a pure PC user, so the other inputs aren't likely to see much use, but time will tell. For now it gets a definate thumbs up from me. :D
 
how well has this monitor been for gaming? also whats the max res? im guessing if i want to run this with max settings on say vanguard ill need to through in another 8800 gts :(
 
VladDracule said:
how well has this monitor been for gaming? also whats the max res? im guessing if i want to run this with max settings on say vanguard ill need to through in another 8800 gts :(
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You could always run it in 1:1 pixel mapping mode and have a nice crisp display, albeit with borders....
 
1:1 basically means the device connected to the LCD monitor will be maintaned the same as how it was originally meant to be displayed. Example, watching a 4:3 non WS DVD on a widescreen LCD. If you don't want the picture to be automatically stretched to fill the whole screen, you enable the 1:1 Video scaling. This way, it looks normal but, you see the vertical black bars on the left and right.

(4:3)Full Screen DVD going out - (4:3)Full Screen DVD Displayed

1 to 1
 
HardwareGuru said:
1:1 basically means the device connected to the LCD monitor will be maintaned the same as how it was originally meant to be displayed. Example, watching a 4:3 non WS DVD on a widescreen LCD. If you don't want the picture to be automatically stretched to fill the whole screen, you enable the 1:1 Video scaling. This way, it looks normal but, you see the vertical black bars on the left and right.

(4:3)Full Screen DVD going out - (4:3)Full Screen DVD Displayed

1 to 1
Click to expand...

While aspect ratio and 1:1 pixel mapping are related, I think you're confusing the two.

A better example: This display is 1920x1200 native. If I plug in a console (for instance) which is outputting at 1024x768, then the display will only use 1024x768 pixels in the center of the screen - the rest will be black. The source resolution - here, 1024x768 on the console - is preserved on the output display. It is not scaled to 1920x1200.

Aspect ratios are a different matter. You can maintain an aspect ratio but upscale or downscale the resolution.
 
Some updated thoughts:

Buzzing showed up a few hours after I got it on Friday. Its subsided greatly, or maybe I've just gotten used to it. Its not a loud buzzing, more like a cricket or insect chirping a good distance away.

Bleeding. Well, What seemed like hot spots in the corner turned out to be full-blown backlight bleeding. It seems to have subsided a bit, but I was really disappointed with the amount of bleeding I saw on Friday in all four corners. I'll play with it a few more days, if its still really bad, I may exchange it.

Viewing angles and panel uniformity. Much worst than the Dell 2407. Is it possible Gateway is using TN panels on this 24"??? Honestly, this almost feels like a TN in terms of viewing angles. Just looking straight-on, the left side of the monitor doesn't look the same as the right side.

Crushed blacks in gaming. I think someone else mentioned this, but its horrible. No definition at all to blacks, its just 1 big mess. I might need to tweak some more with the OSD/Eztune/nView, but my 2407 was perfect out of the box. Also, bright lighting effects were too bright. Anyone have recommended brightness and contrast levels?

Its much more responsive and has less lag and ghosting than the 2407 though. I would get borderline nauseous playing Dark Messiah on the Dell 2407 but played through 3 levels on the Gateway yesterday with no problems (except for the horribly crushed blacks). One thing that is kind of weird is there seems to be a "mask" when running 3D games...like changing your view in-game slightly drastically changes the color of every object when it should be very subtle. I'll try to give an example but again, it might just be a calibration issue.

Also, 1:1 doesn't seem to be working from my PC via DVI. If I change my desktop and game resolution to something lower than 1920x1200 and set the input option to 1:1, I should get a centered image with black bars on the panel right? Idk, I'll keep messing with it, but right now it doesn't seem to be working right.
 
pcbananas said:
I know some of you guys have speakers already and some have very expensive speakers. I wanted something simply that was NOT going to take so much room. Well check this out!!!

Get it from HSN w/ FREE SHIPPING HERE

and then use this Coupon to take $15.00 OFF

Code: 451500

For around $54 you will have some nice sound.... as I said before...not the best but it works for me!!!!
Click to expand...

works like a charm!
tdxaudiovr5.png


I game with headphones so this allows me to have a clean desktop/room and simply my headphones into the side of the soundbar.
 
I don't seem to have a problem at all with crushed blacks or viewing angles, viewing angles are excellent actually. And no, it's not a TN.

:confused:
 
Ferris23 said:
I don't seem to have a problem at all with crushed blacks or viewing angles, viewing angles are excellent actually. And no, it's not a TN.

:confused:
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Yeah, the viewing angles are great in my opinion. It has much better angles then the LCD on my Macbook Pro (second generation matte)
 
aaronjb said:
While aspect ratio and 1:1 pixel mapping are related, I think you're confusing the two.

A better example: This display is 1920x1200 native. If I plug in a console (for instance) which is outputting at 1024x768, then the display will only use 1024x768 pixels in the center of the screen - the rest will be black. The source resolution - here, 1024x768 on the console - is preserved on the output display. It is not scaled to 1920x1200.

Aspect ratios are a different matter. You can maintain an aspect ratio but upscale or downscale the resolution.
Click to expand...

That's a better explanation of what I'm actually trying to say but not in that detail. Thanks for clarifying that.
 
I guess I got lucky because mine looks perfect.

I keep throwing different games at it to see how they look in widescreen, and so far everything looks incredible. Playing LEGO Star Wars is a riot on this thing.

My biggest problem so far is trying to settle on just one good wallpaper. :D
 
Well mine went back this morning to BB. While playing vanguard i would get some brightness flickering while running and some pretty bad ghosting around the edges of trees and such. I also didn't like the right side being darker than the left unless I moved my head to the left about 4 inches to compensate at which point it was even across the screen as I looked at it. I tried another dvi cable to no avail. My 204b doesnt have any of these anomalies in vanguard but unfortunately it's just too small for my tastes. I really wanted to like this monitor as it didn't have any dead pixels (my 204b has 1), minimal backlight bleed (much better than my 204b) and the colors looked alot more vibrant.
 
Just went to the Best Buy on 23rd street in Manhattan and the only models they had were the MGL6B's. I would've gotten one if they had a C or greater. The wait continues...
 
I'd like to know if the folks who see the crushed blacks and other color anomalies have calibrated the display? It's not as good as the Dell out of the box, but I find that it's a great display once calibrated.
 
I just ran that ghosting test and I seriously have no trails at all. Also on the gradient test I have black near the top of that box, it does not change from grey to black quickly. Something is wrong with your settings if that is the case.
 
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