Gateway FPD2485W - 24" HD LCD

Wastegate said:
I'm with you, no problems whatsoever. I tried WOW, BF2, HL2, CSS, Prey, and COD2.

I think I may have lucked out as well. I've been using mine all day today (just got it) and so far no issues. Mainly been playing HL2. Have noticed a little stutter every 3 seconds or so. Just enough to be aggrevating. Not sure if my card is having trouble driving the display at 1920x1200. It's an ATI X850 Pro. Was thinking of upgrading to a X1950 Pro. Anyone know the practical difference between to two?

TP
 
reductant said:
Yeah, maybe, but Buy.com seems pretty ready to go at the price they've set. It's about $200 below the MSRP, just like NewEgg did for the FP241W. I wonder why the FP241WZ is getting wider exposure. I'm just trying to make a point to people that want 1:1 scaling for their games. If you don't, then get the BenQ, it's cheaper.

I don't understand your point. I want 1:1 scaling and I don't game (but that's a moot point) and I want the BenQ, which should be having that fixed soon.
 
I'm kind of surprised...I haven't checked this thread for a while, and it appears that this monitor is now being really slammed. Perhaps some are getting lemon monitors, but I really don't regret my purchase. I have been enjoying it a lot, and thought others were too! I had no idea people were returning them en masse.

I have my gripes, sure. I thought I was going to be able to get 1080p over component. That was a little disappointing. But I'm not experiencing a flickering problem, which is good. I'm also not having major color blur problems (a little on PS3 through component -- but not much) and I don't see banding in anything so far (maybe I would if I played the specific games you guys are, but I am not seeing it in my games). There is some backlight bleeding but I don't really notice much. I think blacks are being crushed somewhat, but I've adjusted settings to where I am happy with them. There is a tiny buzzing, which is overwhelmed by the CPU fan of my PC (I'm picky about buzzing but I just don't notice it here).

To those reading the thread -- you may want to consider how sensitive you are about this kind of thing when evaluating whether you want to buy the monitor. I still think this is the best monitor out there for certain people. It seems like when people return this one, they either get a Benq with no 1:1 (and a mysterious firmware update that is supposed to come out -- but which will require sending to a service center for upgrading) or a 37 inch Westinghouse (that is far too large for me).

Edit: Oh, and on Xbox 360 over VGA, on the highest resolution setting there was some tearing at the top of the screen. I lowered the resolution one setting (I believe 1360 x 768) and it now appears perfectly. I acknowledge that this might be an unacceptable compromise for some.
 
bootstrap said:
By this argument, people who have experienced these problems should have them on any monitor when running at a high resolution. Yet, this seems not to be the case from the people who returned the Gateway and switched to the BenQ.

Yes... this is a good point. It is a bit hard to tell problems with products, as

1) typically people with problems come to complain...
2) it is also hard to tell when some other factor is part of the problem....
3) when someone is overly picky or pissed about some aspect they don't like.

But... like you said... many people who reported here were...
1) people who were hanging out here before they got one, and hoped it would be good, only to be disappointed. So, if there are QC issues, they must have a good percentage of bad units.
2) had both the Gateway and some other 24" monitor at the same rez they were comparing it to... this should eliminate system problems at least for those reviewers
3) a few of these people might be overly picky about some aspects... but we've seen some pretty severe problems reported in comparison to other monitors

So, I'll keep waiting to figure out what is going on until it comes time to buy for me... but the Gateway is really looking like my last choice at this point.

It is a good point though, to remember that hardware can be a MAJOR factor in these reviews. Just do a search on DVI compliance in Google and you'll see what I mean. Many video cards can't properly drive one of these LCDs at their native rez.... and once you get past that, many computers can't handle that kind of rez very well other than basic stuff. So, the other poster is right to question this aspect of the reviews.

Have any of the people with problems exchanged for a different unit? If so, was it different? Has Gateway responded to potential problems at all if people called about them?
 
SteveW928 said:
It is a good point though, to remember that hardware can be a MAJOR factor in these reviews. Just do a search on DVI compliance in Google and you'll see what I mean. Many video cards can't properly drive one of these LCDs at their native rez.... and once you get past that, many computers can't handle that kind of rez very well other than basic stuff. So, the other poster is right to question this aspect of the reviews.
Oh, I absolutely agree. There are a number of factors that could be causing problems, and it's important to consider all of them. It's especially important not to jump to conclusions about all of these monitors based on one or two isolated experiences, and I definitely agree that we need to consider factors like the individual setups of the people who have tried this monitor so far. This will always be a problem with these types of reviews, since most people don't have the luxury of buying many identical monitors and trying them out on many different hardware setups.

My point above was simply that the importance of not jumping to conclusions works both ways. Just because one person has a good experience with this monitor doesn't automatically mean that everyone else must have a bad setup or that they're the reason for the problems; i.e. be careful of "if it works for me but not for you then it must be your fault". For instance, I think the suggestion about the buzzing being caused by power problems is an excellent one, but I'm more skeptical that the problems with tearing and flickering can be chalked up to inferior video cards, especially when this problem is being experienced on the 360, which works with no problems on most monitors. Same goes for the issue with crushed blacks.

I don't think it's necessarily correct to conclude that the BenQ is a better monitor than the Gateway, but it does certainly seem from these threads so far that a higher percentage of people who buy that monitor are satisfied -- unless everyone who buys the BenQ just happens to have very nice video hardware, I would expect there to be a certain percentage of video card related problems (tearing, flickering, etc), but so far there don't seem to be. I haven't given up on that monitor yet, but 1:1 is important to me, and I won't buy a monitor based on a promise. On the other hand, a nice aspect of the Gateway is that you can buy and return it to a retail store, so I haven't ruled out giving that a shot and seeing if I get a good one. I expect a new monitor to last me many years, so while I know you can't wait forever, I'm willing to wait a few months to see if the existing issues are resolved or if new models might be better alternatives.
 
Yeah, the tone of this thread really did shift dramatically. The image tearing on the 360 just because absolutely horrible. I'm sure if I did a power recycle it would have fixed it for a while, but I didn't want to mess with it.
 
reductant said:
Yeah, the tone of this thread really did shift dramatically. The image tearing on the 360 just because absolutely horrible. I'm sure if I did a power recycle it would have fixed it for a while, but I didn't want to mess with it.

Hmm. What exactly do you mean by a power recycle?
 
Well, I got the Westinghouse, and no image tearing. PC use is fine. Haven't calibrated it yet. It's not as bright, but again, I haven't messed with any settings. No buzzing and no image tearing.
 
So I have the opportunity to get this as a gift for Christmas. I've never owned owned an LCD monitor before and do not own a HDTV. I'm not a videophile and probably wouldn't even notice minor image problems. I don't even know exactly what image tearing or color banding is. I'll be using it for a computer monitor (obviously) and playing my 360 and Wii... should I get it? It seems like every single monitor I research has these "huge" issues, it's just so hard to decide with so much negative information on every single monitor available...
 
bootstrap said:
My point above was simply that the importance of not jumping to conclusions works both ways.

Yes, absolutely... I agree.

bootstrap said:
I don't think it's necessarily correct to conclude that the BenQ is a better monitor than the Gateway, but it does certainly seem from these threads so far that a higher percentage of people who buy that monitor are satisfied

Well, I actually think I'm starting to conclude the BenQ is better than the Gateway. There have been some people here who have bought both and reported pretty much that message, in a pretty big way. Unless they are BenQ plants, or major LCD snobs... I have little reason to toss out their impressions.

My bigger question though... is how much better the BenQ is... is it really $200 - $300 better? The 1:1 thing on the BenQ isn't a quality thing really... though maybe shows a big of confusion in the design department... not sure how that happened exactly. But, I've heard nothing but positive on the actual build quality and image quality of the BenQ. If they come through with the firmware update... the 1:1 issue will be history. (while I admit that it is a show-stopper, at least for me, until changed.)
 
Impulse2k said:
So I have the opportunity to get this as a gift for Christmas. I've never owned owned an LCD monitor before and do not own a HDTV. I'm not a videophile and probably wouldn't even notice minor image problems. I don't even know exactly what image tearing or color banding is. I'll be using it for a computer monitor (obviously) and playing my 360 and Wii... should I get it? It seems like every single monitor I research has these "huge" issues, it's just so hard to decide with so much negative information on every single monitor available...

I guess you could go pick one up, and if you're not happy with it, return it. Just check the return policies, and be really careful with it... keep all the stuff, etc.

Whether you would notice the 'tearing' and 'banding' is really a matter of how bad they are, and what you are using it for.

My concern with this monitor is really some of the other problems... like how hot they get or the buzzing. That just doesn't sound good to me. However, some people don't have these problems apparently... so this might be a QC issue, and then you could keep getting and returning them until you got a good one. (however, this kind of scares me on long term reliability too)

I wouldn't say all the monitors have huge problems. For example... the only problem I've been able to pin down with the Dell 2407, is that it might have slight banding on certain situations... and it only seems to be the photo editors and such that see it as a big problem (and to them, it probably is for what they do). The BenQ has only had the 1:1 issue reported. This is more a mental lapse of their design dept. than an actual problem. It is rumored a new firmware change will add 1:1 and other modes... but you'll not likely see these in the wild before Christmas.
 
SteveW928 said:
For example... the only problem I've been able to pin down with the Dell 2407, is that it might have slight banding on certain situations...
I seem to recall the Dell having problems with component inputs looking bad, and a problem that prevents the monitor from displaying HDCP content at 1080p. To be honest, I looked into this monitor such a long time ago and there seemed to be so many negative responses towards it even after the 3rd revision that I just moved on and I don't even remember all the details.

As to whether the BenQ is worth a few hundred more than the Gateway... very hard to say. Like you said, once the 1:1 is fixed, the major concern for me is build quality. When I do finally get a new monitor, I expect it to last a long time. I'd rather pay more now if it means not having to start looking for a new one right after the warranty expires. Unfortunately, there's no real way to tell right now what the lifetime of these monitors is. But, like you said, since people who've tried both have preferred the BenQ, and the fact that there haven't been any reports of buzzing or overheating on that monitor are making me tend to lean that way.
 
I just returned this monitor because of the buzzing. I didn't have any problems with image quality or the component inputs, but that buzzing was very noticeable.

I plan on buying the BenQ when it has the 1:1 feature. It seems many more people are satisfied with the BenQ than this Gateway.
 
Impulse2k said:
So I have the opportunity to get this as a gift for Christmas. I've never owned owned an LCD monitor before and do not own a HDTV. I'm not a videophile and probably wouldn't even notice minor image problems. I don't even know exactly what image tearing or color banding is. I'll be using it for a computer monitor (obviously) and playing my 360 and Wii... should I get it? It seems like every single monitor I research has these "huge" issues, it's just so hard to decide with so much negative information on every single monitor available...

I think that you will enjoy this monitor as I have been enjoying it. Be aware that for Xbox 360, you may get "tearing" on the highest resolution setting. You may have to go down one setting. It will still look great. For PC use, I find no drawbacks whatsoever. I don't notice image blurring or banding or buzzing. GIve it a shot, like the poster above suggested.
 
can you define what you mean by "tearing" when you refer to playing your xbox 360 on it ? and besides the buzzing that people are complaining about is that the real biggest complaint this monitor is receiving ? i could careless as the blacks are being crushed or what not because i am not that big of a graphic person as i am sure my current 17inch monitor crushes them as well. as long as i can get colors relatively looking what they suppose to look like i will be happy with it
 
tpapa said:
I think I may have lucked out as well. I've been using mine all day today (just got it) and so far no issues. Mainly been playing HL2. Have noticed a little stutter every 3 seconds or so. Just enough to be aggrevating. Not sure if my card is having trouble driving the display at 1920x1200. It's an ATI X850 Pro. Was thinking of upgrading to a X1950 Pro. Anyone know the practical difference between to two?

TP


UPDATE: Upgraded to VIsonTek X1950 Pro and all is well. No more stuttering. Colors look fine. No tearing, ghosting, buzzing. Guess the old card just didn't have the horsepower for 1920x1200. Anyhow....I'm keeping mine. Must have lucked out.

TP
 
bootstrap said:
I seem to recall the Dell having problems with component inputs looking bad, and a problem that prevents the monitor from displaying HDCP content at 1080p. To be honest, I looked into this monitor such a long time ago and there seemed to be so many negative responses towards it even after the 3rd revision that I just moved on and I don't even remember all the details.

Yes, I agree... I've read the same. The problem is I have not been able to confirm either in any way. I think the component issues are a problem with xbox people, and probably the xbox.... combined with the fact that many people expect 480i stuff to look good on these displays, which is just isn't going to... on any of these big LCDs.

I've also challenged anyone over at the Dell forum to actually give an example of the HDCP not working... total silence. Since it is a handshaking thing, it makes no sense to me that it wouldn't work at 1080p.... that's the whole point of it. If you don't have HDCP, you get some lower rez version.

I'm going to get to check one out soon... though I won't be able to test HDCP, and it won't be in comparison to any other LCDs (other than maybe a Dell 2405).

So, sadly.... I think it is up to some of the readers with some common sense to sift through a lot of posts by people who just think they have problems. I usually only pay attention to the posts where people give enough detail that:
1) They seem to know what they are talking about.
2) They provide the detail about how they doing the measurements (hardware, input, results)
3) Some base level expectation not being met and why (ie: a graphic artist will be picky about a level of banding that an average user won't be concerned with.... or a gamer doing a super high frame rate FPS game will worry about ghosting that someone playing a movie will never see, etc.)
 
minostry said:
can you define what you mean by "tearing" when you refer to playing your xbox 360 on it ? and besides the buzzing that people are complaining about is that the real biggest complaint this monitor is receiving ? i could careless as the blacks are being crushed or what not because i am not that big of a graphic person as i am sure my current 17inch monitor crushes them as well. as long as i can get colors relatively looking what they suppose to look like i will be happy with it

I think tearing is where a frame doesn't get fully drawn before the next is displayed. It doesn't really make sense to me that this would be a factor of the LCD, so I'm guessing this is due to the video cards and computer power typically.

Ghosting, on the other hand, is when you get multiple impressions (usually at decreasing intensity) of a moving object on the display. ALL LCDs do this from what I understand, but to varying degrees. If this gets bad, then you really notice it. Most of these newer LCDs don't seem to exhibit this at unacceptable levels other than under extreme situations. Older LCDs couldn't change the color of pixels quickly enough to avoid it.
(this Gateway possibly being the exception... maybe due to overheating?... it is very hard to say at this point.... I'm just going by what I've read here so far.)

Crushed blacks and color accuracy are probably more things a graphic artist will worry about, unless they are bad enough. It sounds like the color accuracy can be tuned on this Gateway to reasonable levels. The crushed blacks can be a problem for the non-graphic artist if bad enough. The real world problem would be if you are watching some dark scene in a movie, and can't really tell what is going on, as everything just kind of blends together. (this tends to happen in real life in darkness... but a display with crushed blacks will over emphasize this.... it will be like if you have poor night vision)

Banding is another one that graphic artists will be worried about. But this too can be a problem for the average user if it is too bad. You might get a nice photo from your cousin who took some ocean coastline photos on their trip... and the sky looks like it has banded steps of color in it. Not a show stopper, but probably something you'd be bummed about if you just came from a CRT that didn't have this problem. We've all seen this effect in low color web graphics, where, what should be smooth color transitions have definite steps in them.

So, in your situation... I think you're going to have to get one and see for yourself. Again, I'd worry more about the buzzing and reports of it getting too hot. If you get one, and it doesn't do either... you might be really happy with it.
 
SteveW928 said:
I think tearing is where a frame doesn't get fully drawn before the next is displayed. It doesn't really make sense to me that this would be a factor of the LCD, so I'm guessing this is due to the video cards and computer power typically.
The tearing is definitely a problem with the LCD, probably induced by the 1:1 scaling function. I've been using my 360 on the westy, and there is no tearing, whereas on the Gateway, it would tear approximately every 3 seconds. It is quite irritating. When it started to tear while I was watching videos from the marketplace and wass basically just unwatchable, I had had enough.
 
SteveW928 said:
I've also challenged anyone over at the Dell forum to actually give an example of the HDCP not working... total silence. Since it is a handshaking thing, it makes no sense to me that it wouldn't work at 1080p.... that's the whole point of it. If you don't have HDCP, you get some lower rez version.
There's a post here by one of the community representatives on the Dell support forums confirming that 1080p wasn't working. More recently, Vissione investigated this and posted his findings in the offical 2407fpw thread on this forum... see his post here. From what I understand, the monitor is capable of displaying 1080p, but its EDID data incorrectly reports that this is not a valid resolution, so HD-DVD players and other sources do not "see" the 1080p resolution as an option. Now if the source allows you to ignore the EDID data and force 1080p then it seems like it may work. But the bottom line is that a source that only allows you to set the resolution to one of the modes listed in the EDID data won't let you output 1080p because the monitor incorrectly reports that it doesn't support it.

Overall, it seems that most of the other flaws with the Dell are minor, and if you can live with them, then it seems like a great value. I just don't like all the uncertainty surrounding this monitor -- I want something that works out of the box and does everything it says it will, without any hassle on my part to work around bugs with certain modes or certain inputs. If I have to pay a little bit extra for that, I'm willing to do so.
 
reductant said:
The tearing is definitely a problem with the LCD, probably induced by the 1:1 scaling function. I've been using my 360 on the westy, and there is no tearing, whereas on the Gateway, it would tear approximately every 3 seconds. It is quite irritating. When it started to tear while I was watching videos from the marketplace and wass basically just unwatchable, I had had enough.


Oops... sorry, I guess I was thinking of a computer driving it at 1920x1200 when I wrote that... I forgot about the video scaling and processing the LCD would have to do over the other inputs.

OK... that's not a good sign then. :( I'm assuming the Westy is also 1920x1200 and not lower rez (like 1366x768)? If not, it still might be the 360.
 
bootstrap said:
Overall, it seems that most of the other flaws with the Dell are minor, and if you can live with them, then it seems like a great value. I just don't like all the uncertainty surrounding this monitor -- I want something that works out of the box and does everything it says it will, without any hassle on my part to work around bugs with certain modes or certain inputs. If I have to pay a little bit extra for that, I'm willing to do so.

Wow... thanks for those URLs... I had missed that in the Dell thread here, and not run across it on the Dell forums. (Though I note that they are for A02 firmware... wonder if A03 addressed it in any way) I skimmed them, and will look in more detail later. I think I'd be OK with most of that, as I plan to do my HDTV through my computer anyway... so would be feeding it 1080p via 1920x1200 from the computer. But, the HDCP stuff sure looks messy. Interestingly, I'd probably be doing a PS3 if anything... so there might be hope there... will be interesting to see a real test.

Conclusion... DRM sucks! But, I guess we already knew that. I'll be interested to see how similar tests pan out for the Gateway and BenQ... but I suppose nearly no-one has the equipment... this is all future looking type stuff. :( Did I mention I hate DRM? :rolleyes:

The one thing I'll have to look into is how the PS2 does higher than SD over component... that could be an issue for me. I seem to recall that some games do 1080i... but maybe that is faked or something and is really 720. My friend has a 2405 on which it works great... I'll try to test on a 2407 before I would go that route.
 
tpapa said:
UPDATE: Upgraded to VIsonTek X1950 Pro and all is well. No more stuttering. Colors look fine. No tearing, ghosting, buzzing. Guess the old card just didn't have the horsepower for 1920x1200. Anyhow....I'm keeping mine. Must have lucked out.

TP


UPDATE TO UPDATE: Might have moved too fast in getting a new card. I noticed that a process DHTML.EXE was stealing about 10-15% of my CPU every 3 seconds or so. A quick google shows that this is related to the auto pivot feature. Disabling this process (closing EZTUNE) seemed to fix my problems without the need for a card upgrade. Not sure if this was mentioned in this thread or not. Thought I would pass this along.

TP
 
Been reading this thread lately and decided to give it a shot anyways.

I'm here to give my impression, since it seems lately this thread has been hijacked into a "Why the Gateway FPD2485W sucks" thread.

I am coming from an HP 2335 and decided that I could give the HP as a gift and upgrade myself to a slightly larger screen size (same max res. on both monitors).

1. PC Gaming
I have played Neverwinter Nights 2 and Battlefield 2142 on the monitor.
I have not noticed any ghosting or tearing, either through gaming or normal usage.

My PC setup:
Athlon X2 3800+
eVGA 8800GTX running at 1920x1200

2. Buzzing
I don't hear anything at all and I think I'm pretty sensitive to things like that.
I could imagine it being at a pitch where younger people might hear it. Kind of like that sound that stores were using to keep kids from loitering.
There is also the case where some people did get bad monitors.

3. Xbox 360 over VGA
I went and got the VGA cable from BB today (been meaning to).
Hooked up the XBox and played Full Auto, since I figure it is one of the more screen active games I own.
Resolution was set to 1920x1080.
I had video scaling set to 1:1 and it displayed black bars on the top and bottom.
I did not see any tearing whatsoever and it was ok.
I cycled through the available resolutions and found only two of them were weird.
848x480 and 1280x720 did not display properly. I was given a screen with a very green tinge to it. I can only assume that it was due to the monitor not supporting it, since they were not in the list of supported video modes.

4. Heat
The monitor does get hot to the touch. Even the connectors are hot enough to notice.
Not sure if that's a bad sign or if it's just the design. I believe the HP has a thicker casing, since I can feel warm air from it, but the plastic isn't that hot.

5. Component
I hope that no one was expecting this to have 1080p support, since it's not listed on the site or in the manual.
I noticed an issue where if I had the following set up:
Main -> Component 2
PIP -> DVI
The component picture got shifted to the left.
The only way to correct it was to power cycle the monitor after I turned PIP off.
This is the only combination that exhibited this odd behaviour.
I figure it's probably a design issue, since both monitors I had exhibited the same problem.
I believe component is scaled to fill the vertical, I always get the side bars for the component output.

6. fine print
I did not test the 1080i output using the XBox 360, cause I was too lazy to unhook the HD component cable from my HT setup.
I might get around to it this week to check out component using resolutions > 480p.
I'll also try to watch some DVD's on it to see how it looks, though I have my own HT setup for that.


I noticed several posts where people are giving the definitive cry of doom to stay away from this monitor.
From what I read (and that was a lot of messages to go through), all I can say is that ther are also several people who have had no issues.
Please refrain from the definitive cry of doom, since we all know that the majority of complaints will make it online, but satisfied people have no need to seek out forums like these.
I'm sure the BenQ thread will have it's share of problems soon enough.
There may be QC issues with the Gateway, as with all companies, but I'll see how it goes.

These are the issues with the BenQ monitor that kill it for me:

1. PIP only works with one digital and one analog source. So you could not do DVI + VGA or DVI + Component. I read this in the FP241W manual. I usually have a last gen console plugged in, for when I get bored. (The current gens are plugged in to my 42" Westy).

2. 1:1 pixel mapping (at least until the fix is released). I have some reservations with this, considering the BenQ monitor manual implies that they did not plan on having it at all for the FP241W (not listed in the manual). I'm assuming they felt the pressure from inquiries as well as reviews and message boards (companies do monitor the internet) that they decided to finally include it.

3. Lack of a local store to buy it from. I like seeing the physical object, since I'll be staring at it a lot.


Summary:
Pros:
+ 1:1 pixel mapping for DVI and VGA
+ got the 10% discount from BB (was not able to swing the 12%)
+ was able to use $50 reward zone bucks
+ 2 component inputs
+ MSRP of $679
+ PIP works with almost any combination of sources
+ Cool touch sensitive flush controls :cool:

Cons:
- anomaly with Component 2 + DVI PIP.
- non-standard Component connector layout (RGB vs. RBG) [More of a PITA than a con]
- swivel located on base rather than on support arm (whole bottom base swivels)
- state taxes :mad:
- 1 year warranty.

Personal gripes:
- one dead blue sub pixel :(

To anyone looking at this monitor, if you can afford the time, it doesn't hurt to buy it from the local BB and give it a test run.
Inital feeling: Unless you're super anal or need exacting specifications due to work (basicall photo/video editing), I think this is a good monitor for the price.

I will be keeping it for a while, so I'll see how it goes.
I will be using it primarily for PC gaming, programming, and internet; plus the dead sub-pixel doesn't bother me. Wouldn't have noticed it had I not gone looking. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
I did end up getting the 3 year warranty, since that + using Amex gives me 4 yrs of warranty on this sucker.
Right now, I'm more inclined to keep it.

I did buy two monitors and both had a dead sub pixel in the same area (I felt it was the same location).
First one had worse backlight leakage. Second one seems pretty damn good.
I did notice the serial numbers were close together, so I wonder if panel runs could have the same problem in bunches... can anyone answer this?
Obviously, I returned the first one.
 
Great review! This is the kind of stuff we need, positive or negative to help make decisions. Thanks!


duh FooL said:
4. Heat
The monitor does get hot to the touch. Even the connectors are hot enough to notice.
Not sure if that's a bad sign or if it's just the design. I believe the HP has a thicker casing, since I can feel warm air from it, but the plastic isn't that hot.

I've been thinking about this one more.... and about how everyone says this display is so bright. Maybe all the heat is just a factor of all the backlighting intensity. I'm curious though, if this will have some effects on the panel if used for an extended time. Some people were reporting that they though issues showed up after hours of use. Any comment on that, since you maybe have a good one (if there is some sort of QC issue)?


duh FooL said:
I hope that no one was expecting this to have 1080p support, since it's not listed on the site or in the manual.

Hmm... I could swear I read this somewhere (that it did support 1080p on component)... probably on the site. And it didn't match the manual.

duh FooL said:
I'll also try to watch some DVD's on it to see how it looks, though I have my own HT setup for that.

Yes please! I'd love to hear your impressions. I know that lower rez content like SD or DVDs are only going to look so-so on any of these displays... but am still interested in what you think of it in general. Especially if you see any motion problems... like ghosting, etc.

duh FooL said:
These are the issues with the BenQ monitor that kill it for me:

2. 1:1 pixel mapping (at least until the fix is released). I have some reservations with this, considering the BenQ monitor manual implies that they did not plan on having it at all for the FP241W (not listed in the manual). I'm assuming they felt the pressure from inquiries as well as reviews and message boards (companies do monitor the internet) that they decided to finally include it.

Yes, I wouldn't buy one until they fixed that. Might be fine for some people... but I just can't even imagine how that got out the door like that. For heaven's sake, it is advertised as being good at multi-media... even has a HDMI port.... yet can't actually do 1:1 for anything but as a PC display... what were they thinking? The good thing, is that it should be no problem to fix by just adding it to the firmware... as it sounds like they will.


duh FooL said:
To anyone looking at this monitor, if you can afford the time, it doesn't hurt to buy it from the local BB and give it a test run.

Hehe... OK, I'm lazy... so maybe you or someone could answer this. But, say I go to BB and pick one up... and then decide to return it. Do they give me money back, or a store credit? Do you have to prove something is wrong with it... or just that it didn't meet your expectations? I too would love to really try it... so that is an advantage for the Gateway. I'm going to get to check the Dell out in a day or two... though not in my home environment.
 
Thanks for the review, duh FooL. Very thorough. I'd also be interested in hearing your impressions after viewing some DVDs. One point to note -- Gateway does advertise this monitor as supporting 1080p over component. There have been a few earlier posts in this thread in which Gateway representatives confirmed that 1080p over component should be supported -- the manual is subject to change (they print it before the specs are finalized?), but they said the data on the website is accurate. So whether or not it actually supports 1080p over component is another story, but it's supposed to, at least according to Gateway.

I am still concerned about the heat issue. As Steve has said, my concern is that even if the monitor works now, if it is not cooled properly, could this cause these issues to appear in the future? I remember that there was a big fiasco concerning video cards based on the nvidia geforce 7900gt architecture -- the cards worked great out of the box, but some design flaw meant that a nontrivial percentage of cards would start developing artifacts and eventually be unusable. Some people experienced this problem after only a few hours of use, while other have gone for months (myself included) without ever experiencing this. Now in that case, evga offers a lifetime warranty, so the issue isn't necessarily a deal breaker, just very inconvenient. In the case of a monitor, though, once you're through the warranty period, you're basically out of luck. I'd hate to purchase a monitor only to find that it's basically a ticking time-bomb.

How are monitors usually cooled? The biggest monitor I have access to is a 20 inch Dell -- it's not nearly as bright as the Gateway or BenQ, but even after hours of use, it doesn't even feel slightly warm to the touch. I haven't heard reports about heat on the Dell or BenQ 24 inch monitors (though I may have just missed them), so I'd be surprised if this issue is caused solely by the brightness of the Gateway -- its brightness is comparable of those to the other monitors, isn't it? Also, someone earlier in this thread pointed out that there's no lamp intensity adjustment, meaning that the backlight is always running at the brightest intensity even if you lower the brightness setting on the screen. So even if the heat were caused by the brightness, turning the brightness down couldn't be a quick fix.

Aside from the heat, though, I'm glad to hear that this monitor is working out for you. Please do continue to report your findings as you use this monitor more -- your comments are very helpful to those of us still trying to make a decision.
 
No Gateway for me just yet (The Z model Benq is looking the better option right now, especially given my UK location),just thought I'd share that myViewsonic 2030b puts out a ton of heat and I've always considered this normal. It does seem to cause one issue, namely that when hot if I switch inputs (e.g. DVI>VGA) or switch the monitor off and back on, I can't get a picture until it cools down a bit. It never just switches itself off during use though.

I don't think this is a fault as my previous 2030b did this as well, but then again I did send that one back as it eventually exhibited the problem permanently (i.e. wouldn't show a picture at all),so perhaps this one is in the early stages of a design defect related problem?

My 50'' plasma also puts out enough heat to warm the room, but I'm almost certain this is normal for a plasma TV. Between that, my monitor, an Opty 170 and two X1900s, no need for central heating :D
 
Overnight update:

I ran the monitor overnight with DPT running in the hopes of reviving the sub pixel.
No such luck.
However, the heat did not seem to be a factor, since it's still running.
Switching between inputs works without a delay.
I will most likely try to calibrate the monitor using DVE, since I'm sure the monitor is too bright.

SteveW928 said:
Hehe... OK, I'm lazy... so maybe you or someone could answer this. But, say I go to BB and pick one up... and then decide to return it. Do they give me money back, or a store credit? Do you have to prove something is wrong with it... or just that it didn't meet your expectations? I too would love to really try it... so that is an advantage for the Gateway. I'm going to get to check the Dell out in a day or two... though not in my home environment.
As far as I know, BB's return policy regarding monitors is that:
1. You get 14 days for monitors
2. Refund is through the same method as payment. (Cash is cash, credit card goes back to credit card, etc).
3. It seems the return policy has been extended for 14day items until Jan. 8th for the holidays (says so on my receipt).

I have returned items to Best Buy and just said it did not meet my expectations.
They will make sure the monitor turns on and everything is in the box, but that's about it.


bootstrap said:
Thanks for the review, duh FooL. Very thorough. I'd also be interested in hearing your impressions after viewing some DVDs. One point to note -- Gateway does advertise this monitor as supporting 1080p over component. There have been a few earlier posts in this thread in which Gateway representatives confirmed that 1080p over component should be supported -- the manual is subject to change (they print it before the specs are finalized?), but they said the data on the website is accurate. So whether or not it actually supports 1080p over component is another story, but it's supposed to, at least according to Gateway.
I did notice the posts about the 1080p support. The only notice I saw on the US website about 1080p is the first page lists 1080p HD support, but no details as to which connector.
I usually treat the web site specs as "look for the fine print", since a lot of monitors will list PIP support, but not state the limitations, such as the BenQ FP241W limitation of one digital and one analog.

As for getting answers from Gateway, I tend to place little faith in answers from customer service/tech support/sales people in general, since most don't really know the product.
I'll grab my 360 later on again to check component 1080p.
That's my only 1080p source, and I know it works, since it works with my Westinghouse.
Nothing like empirical evidence.

I have never noticed a fan on any CRT monitor nor on the HP or Gateway.
I'm assuming it's designed to be air cooled since there are a lot of vents in the casing.
Main reason I got the 3 yr service plan is just in case the monitor does die on my due to heat issues.
 
alright guys i just bought this screen and i think it is amazing my only problem that i am having is that i adusted the screen to my liking and everything but the cursor remains bright white i mean really bright and white that its distracting. is there anyway to tone down the cursor brightness or something ?
 
Hi All,

After reading all the post in this thread as well as the BenQ & Samsung I pulled the trigger & picked up the Gateway FPD 2485W 24" Monitor today. Once the rest of my parts come in from the Egg, I'll post pictures & feedback on this Monitor
 
Well I returned mine a couple of weeks ago, after I had it for a couple of weeks...

I was thinking of going w/ a 37" westy, but I just don't have the desk space...so I went back to BB and bought another gateway haha...

I plan on just having it for PC/movie use...don't have any consoles so no biggie on the 1080P component issue...and although the crush blacks bugged me a lil bit...I really do enjoy gaming on this monitor...

so here's my setup =P

dsc01825ir8.jpg
 
I've got this monitor ordered from CC. I hope to have it on Friday.

I'll need lotion and tissues nearby just like you! ;)

:p
 
I just bought one of these last weekend. I've been a biased CRT user since forever ago but I'd seen the Dell 24 in action on a few occasions and am becoming an LCD convert.

Lo and behold! This beautiful product appears. A nice big hi-res desktop monitor replacement, hi-def ready console screen, tv, and movie screen! WOW!

Unfortunately I can't weigh in too much as to the reality, since I have only played a bit of medieval 2 total war on it, which, so long as I didn't try to play native res, worked great ;)
My Nvidia 7800GTX is definitely not up to the task of spewing 1920x1280 pixels at a high frame rate with all the effects on.

I definitely am a bit suprised by some of the things I'm reading here and have feared the screen's impending doom, but I guess time will tell and all said and done it's a fairly cheap screen. How much did a CRT of this size cost in its heyday, $2,000?

In any case, all this back and forth has me wondering: most of those people most disappointed with this screen (me included) appear to be interested in its ability to display other hi-res content from other sources (xbox, ps2, ps3, hddvd, current dvd), effectively the things that we would expect a decent TV to be able to do.

Why then, I wonder, am I trying to find a computer LCD that acts like a TV (as well as being a competent monitor), when what it seems I truly want (and I suspect at least half of the disillusioned buyers would agree) is a good LCD TV that can also be a competent monitor???

I have seen all kinds of LCD TV's out there playing 720 and 1080 content and they look great! I expect they suffer from far less of these ridiculous problems with the various inputs. I imagine the nice ones wouldn't look too bad pushing out 480p at 1:1. Am I wasting my time trying to go uphill when I should just be looking for a great LCD TV instead? Anyone care to weigh in? Sorry if this post is a little fuzzy, but my brain's cooked cuz I just spent the last 2 days reading this whole thread while at work. Maybe the truth is I just need to suck it up and fork over the extra dough to have a quality scaler built in (aka nice TV) and try to find one with a DVI input.
 
pfunk said:
I just bought one of these last weekend. I've been a biased CRT user since forever ago but I'd seen the Dell 24 in action on a few occasions and am becoming an LCD convert.

Lo and behold! This beautiful product appears. A nice big hi-res desktop monitor replacement, hi-def ready console screen, tv, and movie screen! WOW!

Unfortunately I can't weigh in too much as to the reality, since I have only played a bit of medieval 2 total war on it, which, so long as I didn't try to play native res, worked great ;)
My Nvidia 7800GTX is definitely not up to the task of spewing 1920x1280 pixels at a high frame rate with all the effects on.

I definitely am a bit suprised by some of the things I'm reading here and have feared the screen's impending doom, but I guess time will tell and all said and done it's a fairly cheap screen. How much did a CRT of this size cost in its heyday, $2,000?

In any case, all this back and forth has me wondering: most of those people most disappointed with this screen (me included) appear to be interested in its ability to display other hi-res content from other sources (xbox, ps2, ps3, hddvd, current dvd), effectively the things that we would expect a decent TV to be able to do.

Why then, I wonder, am I trying to find a computer LCD that acts like a TV (as well as being a competent monitor), when what it seems I truly want (and I suspect at least half of the disillusioned buyers would agree) is a good LCD TV that can also be a competent monitor???

I have seen all kinds of LCD TV's out there playing 720 and 1080 content and they look great! I expect they suffer from far less of these ridiculous problems with the various inputs. I imagine the nice ones wouldn't look too bad pushing out 480p at 1:1. Am I wasting my time trying to go uphill when I should just be looking for a great LCD TV instead? Anyone care to weigh in? Sorry if this post is a little fuzzy, but my brain's cooked cuz I just spent the last 2 days reading this whole thread while at work. Maybe the truth is I just need to suck it up and fork over the extra dough to have a quality scaler built in (aka nice TV) and try to find one with a DVI input.

I feel your pain. I am trying to find a great LCD 24" but every one of them has something wrong with them. What is a man to do. I am not in the price range for a sick 40" LCD but I only want to spend about $800 at the most. This gateway is a hate it or love it monitor and I would much rather be in the later. I only hope when I pick it up that I won't be returning it. Also I hope that my notebook video card can run at its full rez.
 
Just got notice this monitor is available at JR.com for $650. Great deal if you still want to get this monitor.
 
duce 3, I run mine w/ my laptop (both running @ native resolution 1920 x 1200

and it's a pretty weak x1800 go

I play CSS and BF2142 w/ approximately 60 fps on average...so it's still pretty good imho
 
Ok, for some hopefully useful information I'd just like to add that my LCD is not hot at all after 1 hour of playing gran turismo 4 on it. I touched the front panel, the top of the vents and the side vents; all of them were merely warm to the touch, enough that a mild radiating warmth could be felt on my palms 2 inches away from the vents.
 
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