Gateway FPD2485W - 24" HD LCD

That is using an hdmi cable into an HDMI switch which leads to the Gateway. I am running at 1:1 for PS3. However wouldn't 1280x720 be kind of small on this monitor if it did run with bars?
 
Agreed, yes it would. I was just wondering cause when i fired up madden, it didnt look very good and smooth. I'll take pictures tonight and show you and you can look to see if you don't mind. I'll also fire up motorstorm to see if it looks like your screenshots. Thanks for the replies ferris.
 
torino420 said:
The only thing that is holding me back from this monitor is the 1 year warranty. Kinda crappy since the Dell's come with 3 year standard so I'm still on the fence between the two.
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Thats one of the reasons I went with the Dell 2407,its base 3 year warranty,and for only 49 extra dollars it becomes a 5 year advanced exchange warranty :D

I compared that to BB and Future Shops 'Service Plans',etc,and they wanted near 220+ extra dollars!!! to do something almost as comperable,but not equal to Dells 5 year.
No contest ! for 49 bucks I get a new model in 3 or 4 or 5 years if this A04 dies on me.


Quick question guys...

I'll be picking up the monitor tomorrow from the nearest BB. Should I get the warranty for it or no?
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deeplove,you'd be crazy to buy a 24" 600 dollar LCD with only a 1 year warranty.get the 29 dollar 3 year warranty from Gateway.I have heard though,that some people could not go that route,if they bought it brick and mortar,and had to
instead get a 'Replacement Plan' or whatever they call it.they are way more expensive... a PRP from BB was 179+ tax and a PSP (Product service plan) was qouted to me as 219 + tax :( On top the LCD's original price
 
How does the Gateway FPD2485W compare to the Westinghouse LVM37W3? It seems the Westinghouse is a lot bigger, about $400 more expensive, but has a lot less reported problems. What has been your experience?
 
deeplove said:
I called Gateway and asked them, you can only get it through them. If you buy at Best Buy, Circuit City, etc you'd have to buy there plan. So through gateway its:
3 year-709
4 year-758
5 year-838

Best Buy told me with the 679 price a 3 year warranty is 99 bucks.

Dell looks better, specially if i can get a 10% coupon somewhere.
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needo said:
How does the Gateway FPD2485W compare to the Westinghouse LVM37W3? It seems the Westinghouse is a lot bigger, about $400 more expensive, but has a lot less reported problems. What has been your experience?
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LOTS bigger yes, but the same resolution of 1920x1200, meaning larger pixels and less clarity, especially if you are too close to the display.

The westinghouse is an awesome display, but unless you are going to be sitting at LEAST 3 feet away from it (5 is better) then the 24" Gateway is going to have superior crispness. If you sit too close to the 37" it appears grainy...
 
I got a 3 year warranty from Best Buy for 86 bucks or so. Not bad and for the most part dead displays just get replaced.
 
Yes, I bought mine via online tech support from Gateway, and my display came from Circuit City.
 
What is the link for online tech support?

The Gateway phone support says I need to purchase a retail purchased monitor warranty from the retailer.
 
uluvbs said:
So, do most ppl who currently have this display recommend it?
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Yes, definitely buy this over the Dell 2407 if input lag and 1:1 are important to you. The BenQ is probably a bit better all around, but it carries a price premium and is more difficult to service/exchange. If you go with this monitor, definitely try to hand-pick it and look for an MGL6C or D,E etc. model or later as that'll minimize any problems with the panel itself.

Also thanks to everyone who posted their brightness/contrast settings, they helped a lot. No more crushed blacks although there's still a bit of "glazing" on some objects. Could easily be my 8800GTS and nVidia's drivers though. Still liked the colors and panel uniformity better on the Dell but overall the Gateway is far superior (lag, ghosting, 1:1).

I'm really happy with this panel but I may still exchange it. There's 1 dead pixel and a good bit of backlight bleed (that mostly goes away), but I'm a bit concerned that the backlight isn't that uniform causing the colors to be a bit different from one side of the panel to the other. Other than the small flaws with the panel I have, I'm finally done second-guessing which panel I should've bought and sticking with the Gateway.
 
TheRapture said:
LOTS bigger yes, but the same resolution of 1920x1200, meaning larger pixels and less clarity, especially if you are too close to the display.

The westinghouse is an awesome display, but unless you are going to be sitting at LEAST 3 feet away from it (5 is better) then the 24" Gateway is going to have superior crispness. If you sit too close to the 37" it appears grainy...
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I own both of these displays. The westinghouse is a 1080p display, which means it's 1920x1080, not 1920x1200.

I do some gaming on the Westinghouse, but in my opinion it's inappropriate for desktop use at any distance.
 
needo said:
Why is that?
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Other than browsing at 5 - 7 feet in the living room from the HTPC, why would you use a 37-inch display as a computer display? I'd much rather have a compact and higher-resolution display right on my desktop, rather than hanging on the wall. It just seems unwieldy.
 
aaronjb said:
Other than browsing at 5 - 7 feet in the living room from the HTPC, why would you use a 37-inch display as a computer display? I'd much rather have a compact and higher-resolution display right on my desktop, rather than hanging on the wall. It just seems unwieldy.
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I have heard that the optimum distance to view the Westy 37 is 3-4 feet. I am still going back and forth between this monitor and the Westy. I think the only thing that will fully make up my mind is to go in to the brick and mortor and look at them.
 
chizow said:
Yes, definitely buy this over the Dell 2407 if input lag and 1:1 are important to you. The BenQ is probably a bit better all around, but it carries a price premium and is more difficult to service/exchange. If you go with this monitor, definitely try to hand-pick it and look for an MGL6C or D,E etc. model or later as that'll minimize any problems with the panel itself.

Also thanks to everyone who posted their brightness/contrast settings, they helped a lot. No more crushed blacks although there's still a bit of "glazing" on some objects. Could easily be my 8800GTS and nVidia's drivers though. Still liked the colors and panel uniformity better on the Dell but overall the Gateway is far superior (lag, ghosting, 1:1).

I'm really happy with this panel but I may still exchange it. There's 1 dead pixel and a good bit of backlight bleed (that mostly goes away), but I'm a bit concerned that the backlight isn't that uniform causing the colors to be a bit different from one side of the panel to the other. Other than the small flaws with the panel I have, I'm finally done second-guessing which panel I should've bought and sticking with the Gateway.
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Could you point me to the place for the contrast/brightness settings?

Also, i got a "B" model. Not a lot of backlight bleed and the buzzing, i can't hear it since my comp is so loud, but it definitely buzzes can i put my ear up against the back. Outside of that the picture looks great. Would you all still recommend i trade it in and try to get a C?
 
Drant posted B80 and C50 and Ferris23 posted:

Brightness - 76
Contrast - 59

Red - 96
Green - 91
Blue - 95

I'm using something similar based on their suggestions at B78 and C56. If you don't have any glaring problems with your panel I wouldn't take it back. There's plenty of reports of good November runs in this thread. QC on panels is better nowadays, but it seems like getting a good Gateway is still more of a risk than a good Dell or BenQ.

As for the Westy, its roughly the same number of pixels on a much larger screen so you're going to get larger pixels and higher dot pitch. If you're too close, things will look grainy and pixelated, especially text. Plus you'll have extreme viewing angles to the corners which might cause eye/neck strain.
 
Just a quick question for chizow or anybody else who can comment.

How do you "hand-pick" a fpd2485w? I understand that there are at least two different versions/batches (MGL6B and MGL6C, potentially a D too) but when I looked at the boxes at a local BB, this info was nowhere to be found. I can see the MGL6* info on the back label of the panel but obviously not without opening the box.

Now chizow mentioned something about the color of the outside label. The fpd2485w that I actually bought (and BTW has bleeding, dead pixels etc.) has a bronze/brown (I am not good with colors) label and it is a MGL6B.

Is there a definite mapping between label color and panel version? Should I just go and ask a BB sales rep for a MGL6D*?

Please advise a good hand-picking strategy so I can return my MGL6B.
 
I got the monitor for the 360 and I will say that I'm very PLEASED!!!

It's great. It's a Nov model but doesn't have much bleed if not any, and it doesn't lag for sh*t. I'm also getting a new PC tonight with Vista and I'll post about that. But man is this thing bright. I'll try some of the settings that are posted.

But really...

I've read a bunch of sh*t and from experience...

This is a very nice monitor. It's HUGH.

I have a couple of days to test it and I will. To the ground I'll drive it. But I'm sure I'll stay with it.

November Monitor here.
 
Hand picking consists of buying it, taking it home and trying it out. The beauty of Brick and Mortar is you can take it back if you get a dud. You can search this thread for sticker colors as they do tend to identify Nov from Dec, but both Nov and Dec have flawless models and not so great models (like any product)

Go and buy one, don't worry about lables IMO. Hook it up and give it a good run through over a week, if it sucks, try another. I went through 4, 3 of which I would have been happy with but why not try for better. I now have a screen with NO buzzing and not a lick of bleed after over 2 weeks.


Vista on this thing is beautiful btw.
 
tzitziki said:
Just a quick question for chizow or anybody else who can comment.

How do you "hand-pick" a fpd2485w? I understand that there are at least two different versions/batches (MGL6B and MGL6C, potentially a D too) but when I looked at the boxes at a local BB, this info was nowhere to be found. I can see the MGL6* info on the back label of the panel but obviously not without opening the box.

Now chizow mentioned something about the color of the outside label. The fpd2485w that I actually bought (and BTW has bleeding, dead pixels etc.) has a bronze/brown (I am not good with colors) label and it is a MGL6B.

Is there a definite mapping between label color and panel version? Should I just go and ask a BB sales rep for a MGL6D*?

Please advise a good hand-picking strategy so I can return my MGL6B.
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Its near the UPC barcode on the top or bottom of the box (if looking at the box 3D, its the smallest portion, H, L, and W <---) There should be 2-3 barcodes and 3-4 numbers. One is the product #, one is the UPC that the retailers scan, and the last is the actual Serial # of the monitor itself. The Serial # is the only thing I could find to reliably corrolate with the monitor in the box and it does seem to hold up. MGL6B = NOV. MGL6C = DEC. Possibility of D/E/F etc. with later month runs but none have popped up afaik. There's also batch stickers with the top portion having a color and the bottom portion being white. I wasn't able to find any reliable corrolation from that with the 5-6 boxes I checked, although reports here say Blue and Yellow are DEC. Mine had a bronze/brown tag though. This could possibly be a factory/plant ID.

But ya, like Ferris23 said, hand-picking still involves trial and error although it does seem like you can cut down on the chances of defects by going with a DEC panel. The loud buzzing from the PSU seems largely corrected and although its still there, its nothing like some of the early reviews found on the Gateway and CC sites. But thats the benefit of going to a B&M and a large retailer with a 14-30 day return policy. They deal with these types of returns all the time and justify it with massive premiums to cover their overhead. I'm still not sure if I'm going to exchange mine. There's enough wrong with it to justify the exchange, just not sure its worth the risk of getting a worst panel and having to pack it up etc. I'll end up with a Gateway either way though, as I'm extremely pleased with this panel overall. Hope that helps, good luck!

Edit: As for approach, in the stores they're on the floor you can just poke around or even if they're behind a locked cage. Just tell them you're interested in buying one and you wanted to pick which one yourself. In the stores they're not in visible sight, look for a friendly employee and ask them if they have any of the 24" Gateway in stock and that you didn't see any on the floor (usually underneath the displays or PCs throughout the Computer area). They'll say they probably do in the back. Tell them that if they have multiples, if they wouldn't mind checking the Serial #s for MGL6C or later and explain you did some research online and found that the MGL6C and later serial #s seem to have less problems and that you're picky about LCDs and wanted to avoid any potential returns. The employees I asked produced an MGL6C at both a CC and the BB without any hassle.
 
Ferris23, I am going to get back on with them this evening and see if my display is showing an extended warranty. Since my CC has been charged, I damn well better be covered or I will be getting that charge reversed.

Actually, the tech I spoke to OFFERED me the warranty......so something fishy is going on here. No big deal to me if I had not been able to do that, but heck, I figured for $29.95 for an extra 2 years....more to come in this thread after I talk to them tonight.

BTW: Mine is a November model, and has very little backlight bleed, although it has some minor banding, a bit more than I am happy with, as compared to my 21" model. I amy get it exchaged in a couple months so that I can practically be guaranteed a December or later model....
 
Yeah please do. I just got in a huge debate with 2 techs and a supervisor and STILL was not able to get the warranty. They said that it has to be purchased online along with the monitor and only from Gateway. IMO it has to be a contract that retailers have with these companies so that Best Buy, Circuit City and such can sell their warranties and not have to compete with warranties of products they sell.

I don't know for sure, but I give up trying to get the cheaper warranty. I do kind of like having the Best Buy plan however because it's right up the road and I can get it swapped on the fly. They rarely try to repair LCD's. That being said it was 60 beans more than the Gateway plan.
 
Ya the nice thing about BB warranty is whoever is on shift at the time usually goes with the path of least resistance. That usually means replacing the item with a new one and more often than not in the world of tech gadgets, replacing your old model with the comparably priced but much nicer current equivalent. :) I had my Nikon Coolpix 885 replaced after 1 1/2 years with a Coolpix 2500 because the zoom lens was busted with no hassle at all.

But I passed on this warranty. I've never had a monitor flat out die on me and I don't do anything crazy with em like lug em around to LAN parties every week so low risk of physical damage. Backlight will wear with time for sure but I set it to standby after an hour of inactivity so its never burning unnecessarily. Still sucks that Gateway isn't offering the warranty for monitors sold in the retail channel, but I guess it makes sense.
 
The only thing I really dislike about the monitor is the color banding. Some times it makes the image look really blocky. Is this something that could be different between Nov / Dec or QC doesn't affect banding? I did notice that changing the color profiles affected banding quite a bit but it didn't eliminate it. Does anybody have banding-optimal color/brightness/contrast settings?

BTW, I have a lot of bleeding on 3 corners and minor on the last. No buzzing 1 dead pixel.

Ferris23 amd chizow thanks so much. It was actually my bad, I guess the sticker was on the only side I didn't look at. Now I know how to get a C (or hopefully a D) when I go back to my local BB.
 
I don't notice any color banding so possibly. Post a picture that can really test it and Ill let you know, but I have analyzed this puppy like you wouldn't believe.
 
Has it been confirmed that there is a model D?
Also, if i keep my "buzzing" LCD, is it considered defective and eligible for a replacement? The reason i ask is mine has a buzzing, not that loud and i can't even hear it since my computer is so loud and i always have it on... but if i were to buy the extended warranty, i could potentially "trade up" in like 3-4 years from now right since i'll still have the 'buzzing'. Would that work?
 
skagen said:
Has it been confirmed that there is a model D?
Also, if i keep my "buzzing" LCD, is it considered defective and eligible for a replacement? The reason i ask is mine has a buzzing, not that loud and i can't even hear it since my computer is so loud and i always have it on... but if i were to buy the extended warranty, i could potentially "trade up" in like 3-4 years from now right since i'll still have the 'buzzing'. Would that work?
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I was thinking the exact same thing as what you were thinking. Although I like this monitor and it's good, if I see 27" LCDs becoming more common I was hoping to use the credit to apply to something else down the road. Also, if I just settle for an exchange on the 24" at least by then the Dec models or newer ones are more available to where I have a better chance of receiving a newer version. So..even if the buzzing is there, it can work to ones advantage if you got the extended warranty. Hehe...this sounds crazy but when the 27" are out, I don't mind if my 24" craps out. At least I can apply the extra warranty that I spent for a bigger screen or if not, a newer 24" model. This way, at least I didn't spend the extra money on the warranty for nothing.
 
Hey all, I've been following this thread for a few weeks now. Picked up this monitor about a week and a half ago and thought I'd share my opinion...

For reference, I have a MGL6B (week 47), running with a GeForce 7800GS (still in AGP land for now).

Overall, I really do like this monitor. My 360 games play great in 1080p, I have no buzzing from the power supply, and no backlight bleed (none that I notice anyway). Thus far, my only complaints are:

  1. Ghosting
    More and more I'm starting to notice a little bit of ghosting. Primarily it's on the desktop, when I move windows around, I'll see a small black trail as I move the window. In games I only notice it very rarely, and it's not bad enough to distract me at all.
  2. Banding
    I was a little disappointed at how much the monitor bands. A good example can be found here (scroll down to the gradient test). I definitely notice banding on that horizontal gradient. I also see it a little bit on the Xbox 360 dashboard. I've not noticed any in games.
  3. Viewing Angle
    I think someone mentioned this earlier in the thread, but my viewing angle doesn't seem to be centered quite right. If I sit in front of the monitor and stare straight at it, I notice that the left side is lighter than the right. If I move my head a few inches to the left, everything looks great.

I'm torn on whether or not to return it. It sounds like if I could pick up a December model that I'd have a good chance of alleviating a lot of these issues. Alone, none of the aforementioned problems would have been deal-breakers, but together they've started to bug me more and more. I think I'm gonna pack it up and try to hand-pick a December model this weekend from the local BB.

Oh, one other "odd" thing I've noticed - occasionally when I adjust the video scaling after I fire up games (games run from the computer, not Xbox 360 games), the screen will just go black. I'll have to physically unplug/replug the monitor in to fix it (simply powering down/up again does not work, I gotta yank the cord out of the back). It's annoying because I play my 360 games in 1:1 mode, but not for my computer games (rig isn't beefy enough to run them at 1920x1200). Has anyone else experienced this?
 
I got sick of asking questions so after work today I headed to by local Best Buy and got a first hand look at this monitor at the 37" Westy.

The Gateway was hooked up to a computer running Vista via VGA and the monitor looked very nice. It looks like whoever set it up actually calibrated the colors. If they didn't I can only imagine what it would look like if it did. I was highly impressed. There appeared to not be any backbleed or ghosting.

I then found the Westy. Wow, that thing is huge. It looked like crap but that's cause people had been messing with the colors and the signal looked to be iffy. The big thing for me is I had to sit to far away from it for it to be any use. I did a couple quick measurements. When I got home and applied the measurements to my computer desk it just wouldn't work. (I am blind in one eye, so that does affect things a bit.)

So it looks like it will be the Gateway FPD2485W for me in a month or so.
 
needo said:
So it looks like it will be the Gateway FPD2485W for me in a month or so.
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Me and a buddy were going to get the 37" westy, but after considering how far we would need to sit away from it, the impractibility (sp?) of taking it to LAN parties, haha, and seeing another buddy's 2485W in action, the Gateway it was. It gets used as a PC gaming display, XBox360 display, and as a TV for the bedroom via HD cable box, works GREAT for all of it....
 
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