Gateway's FPD2185W: a 21in widescreen 2005fpw killer!

SystemERRor said:
Im not sure if your card can do it, but check the nvidia driver settings (and check to see if you have new drivers). On mine i have "Digital flat panel settings", which lets me change the way my monitor displays things ( stretch, strech (but maintain aspect ratio), center, etc).


On that note, what setting are people using for this? I am using "Monitor Scaling". Should i be using "Display Adapter Scaling" or "Fixed Aspect Ratio Scaling"?
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The monitor can do scaling but not sure on Nvida cards. On my ATI card>>>Digital Panel Properties>>>Attributes>>>Image Scaling, I choose "Use centered timings". Once done you have to choose a resolution (desktop or gaming) that is in the 4:3 ratio. You will get black boaders around your gaming or desktop screen.

Hope this helps.
 
not sure if this was talked about before... but does this monitor have a hum to it? I saw a few online reviews that say the monitor has a slight hum to it.
 
Avengeance said:
not sure if this was talked about before... but does this monitor have a hum to it? I saw a few online reviews that say the monitor has a slight hum to it.
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I've never noticed one in mine and I generally have a pretty good ear for these things.
 
Avengeance said:
not sure if this was talked about before... but does this monitor have a hum to it? I saw a few online reviews that say the monitor has a slight hum to it.
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Only 'cuz it doesn't know the words.

Anyone try that BestBuy 10% off 'accessories' coupon? If that flies and with my BB $100 gift card, I'm finding it hard to wait for Dell's next offering.
 
wonkman said:
Only 'cuz it doesn't know the words.

Anyone try that BestBuy 10% off 'accessories' coupon? If that flies and with my BB $100 gift card, I'm finding it hard to wait for Dell's next offering.
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It won't work, it's only for accessories, which means everything you would want with the monitor (DVI cables, etc.). Though you're welcome to try.
 
amalgamas said:
It won't work, it's only for accessories, which means everything you would want with the monitor (DVI cables, etc.). Though you're welcome to try.
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Maybe I'll give it a try. It might depend on how good of a season they had.
 
Avengeance said:
not sure if this was talked about before... but does this monitor have a hum to it? I saw a few online reviews that say the monitor has a slight hum to it.
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It really is hard to hear, unless your PC is dead silent.
 
This is my first LCD so i dont know what the problem is called but i usually see thin lines going a across my screen when im playing Condition Zero or when i have a black screen up what is causing this? They arent that noticeable but if i really try to look at the screen and the textures on the screen i can see it. Could this be the fact that im using my on board video and that im not using DVI? Are there any drivers for this display?
 
jokerx225 said:
This is my first LCD so i dont know what the problem is called but i usually see thin lines going a across my screen when im playing Condition Zero or when i have a black screen up what is causing this? They arent that noticeable but if i really try to look at the screen and the textures on the screen i can see it. Could this be the fact that im using my on board video and that im not using DVI? Are there any drivers for this display?
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Sounds like tearing too me, when your FPS exceeds your monitors refresh rate (75Hz). This monitor doesnt have any problems with stuttering does it?
 
Avengeance said:
Sounds like tearing too me, when your FPS exceeds your monitors refresh rate (75Hz). This monitor doesnt have any problems with stuttering does it?
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It would only be tearing if the line appear when you (or something on screen) moves.

If you see the lines, when you are stationary, could just be a driver/video card related error.
 
Just got the monitor and I am really impressed. I felt weird buying something gateway, but this monitor is amazing.

No dead pixels (that ive noticed so far), no ghosting, no real problems ive noticed. Its awesome. I am soooo happy i took back my 204t (piece of crap compared to this!)
 
amalgamas said:
It won't work, it's only for accessories, which means everything you would want with the monitor (DVI cables, etc.). Though you're welcome to try.
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gateway considers monitors an "accessory"

so bestbuy might as well

i'm going to attempt tomorrow
 
Hi all, just got this monitor and I was fairly impressed with it at first, but now I'm noticing some weird things.

Not sure if this is the monitor or some other kind of issue (video card, drivers, etc.) but if anyone has any idea what could be causing it I'd appreciate it. When I first plugged in the monitor I used VGA (didn't have a DVI cable yet) and forced a 1680x1050 resolution at 75hz. At first there were no issues. After several hours of use, however, glitches started showing up in the image. The icons on my desktop were, I guess the only word to describe it is wavering. After changing the refresh rate to 60hz all these issues have vanished. (As for the other common problems with this monitor that people in this thread have mentions, I have seen none of them. No banding, humming, bleed, or dead pixels here, so I really hope the problems I'm having are not related to the monitor because I'd hate to return a panel that doesn't have any of these problems).

Right now I'm running on VGA 1680x1050 60hz and everything is running alright, but I'm having big problems with DVI. Before updating my graphics drivers (I run an Nvidia Geforce FX 5900 Ultra, it's a little outdated but it seems to be able to handle the resolution alright at least over VGA) I couldn't even get an image to display over DVI. The screen would simply black out after getting past the windows boot screen. Now, with the updated drivers it will boot in, but random pixels will flicker on and off, or change colors, and every 20 seconds or so the entire screen flickers on and off. The DVI cable is single link 6ft Dynex (Best Buy's brand). I'd read on here that generally DVI cable quality isn't a big issue, as long as it's not too long, but could this be the problem?

Anyway, thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out. This is my first LCD so I really don't know how to diagnose problems like this.
 
Does anyone know how to get rid of the annoying hum/buzz sound coming from the monitor? It's annoying the hell outta me. I even tried speeding up my case fans to drown out the monitor, but my case is below the monitor and the monitor buzz is too high pitched so that didn't work. I'm not sure if I can get used to this sound. Also, I've been playing around obsessively with the component output. Has anyone else tested out the component input? I'd like someone else's opinion on how the image quality is for 720p and 1080i sources. I'm not an expert with LCD scaling so I don't have a good reference point to compare the scaling for 720p, 1080i sources on this monitor. Anybody else happen to have a console connected to the component input of the this monitor?
 
Someone was saying that the level of brightness changes the volume of the humm sound. Not sure how that works but he said it did....

Thats probably the only thing holding me back from buying this monitor because it seems like a really nice one. Maybe I will have to order a 2005FPW.
 
fluc02 said:
but I'm having big problems with DVI. Before updating my graphics drivers (I run an Nvidia Geforce FX 5900 Ultra, it's a little outdated but it seems to be able to handle the resolution alright at least over VGA) I couldn't even get an image to display over DVI. The screen would simply black out after getting past the windows boot screen. ...The DVI cable is single link 6ft Dynex (Best Buy's brand). I'd read on here that generally DVI cable quality isn't a big issue, as long as it's not too long, but could this be the problem?
.
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Actually, some older cards willl have issues with DVI...it has something to do with the frequency and/or strength of the DVI output of the card...for instance it takes more "force" to run a 21" LCD at 1680x1050 than it does say, a 15" LCD at 1024x768....for grins, try running your display on the DVI connection at say 1280x1024, see if your condition gets any better....

But I seriously doubt the monitor has a problem. There is an articale out there describing what you are seeing, and it is related to the vid card....
 
Avengeance said:
Someone was saying that the level of brightness changes the volume of the humm sound. Not sure how that works but he said it did....

Thats probably the only thing holding me back from buying this monitor because it seems like a really nice one. Maybe I will have to order a 2005FPW.
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Man, how quiet ARE some of these pc's? The buzz occurs when you get into the lower brightness levels...say, about 80 or less it starts to occur. However, I can only hear mine if I put my ear within 3 or 4 inches of the lower right corner....it is completely normal though, almost all devices that regulate brightness or energy levels will do this....

Anyway, if you can deal with the bright ass levels, setting your brightness to 85 will take away any buzz, although it is so low I can't see how anyone could complain...I can't hear it if the pc is on, much less if I am gaming or have music or tv playing....I run my brightness at 50.
 
TheRapture said:
Man, how quiet ARE some of these pc's? The buzz occurs when you get into the lower brightness levels...say, about 80 or less it starts to occur. However, I can only hear mine if I put my ear within 3 or 4 inches of the lower right corner....it is completely normal though, almost all devices that regulate brightness or energy levels will do this....

Anyway, if you can deal with the bright ass levels, setting your brightness to 85 will take away any buzz, although it is so low I can't see how anyone could complain...I can't hear it if the pc is on, much less if I am gaming or have music or tv playing....I run my brightness at 50.
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Is your PC placed right near the monitor because that would definitely help drown out the buzzing that I'm hearing. The previous LCD montor I had was inaudible to my ears.
 
Gmeister said:
Is your PC placed right near the monitor because that would definitely help drown out the buzzing that I'm hearing. The previous LCD montor I had was inaudible to my ears.
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It is to my right side, about 3 feet away and down close to the floor, on a side extension of my desk...it is a very nice and quiet case, slow speed 120mm intake and exhaust, adjustable 120mm fans in the power supply, and a Big Typhoon cooler...the hard drives reading and writing are louder than the fans! The buzz on mine can only bea heard if I try hard by putting my ear right next to the display...

Maybe some of you are sitting to close to your display :)
 
TheRapture said:
It is to my right side, about 3 feet away and down close to the floor, on a side extension of my desk...it is a very nice and quiet case, slow speed 120mm intake and exhaust, adjustable 120mm fans in the power supply, and a Big Typhoon cooler...the hard drives reading and writing are louder than the fans! The buzz on mine can only bea heard if I try hard by putting my ear right next to the display...

Maybe some of you are sitting to close to your display :)
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I'm a little more than an arms distance away. Should I set it further back?
 
TheRapture said:
setting your brightness to 85 will take away any buzz, although it is so low I can't see how anyone could complain...I can't hear it if the pc is on, much less if I am gaming or have music or tv playing....I run my brightness at 50.
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I think we get the idea that you can't hear the buzz unless you have the corner of the LCD in your ear canal. Keep in mind that manufacturing variances mean that your LCD != my LCD.

Playing games, listening to music, watching movies all drown out the buzzing sound. However, most of my time is spent in quiet contemplation of .NET, so the noise is definitely an issue for me, and I'm usually slouched back at more than arm's length. Which is a good thing, because I've been tempted to smack it a few times!
 
Scunner said:
I think we get the idea that you can't hear the buzz unless you have the corner of the LCD in your ear canal. Keep in mind that manufacturing variances mean that your LCD != my LCD.

Playing games, listening to music, watching movies all drown out the buzzing sound. However, most of my time is spent in quiet contemplation of .NET, so the noise is definitely an issue for me, and I'm usually slouched back at more than arm's length. Which is a good thing, because I've been tempted to smack it a few times!
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Finally, someone who knows where I'm coming from. I like to do a lot of non-multimedia tasks as well such as programming and I can definitely hear the buzzing noise. So how far away is the monitor from you? Also, what are you brightness and contrast settings under DVI?


....Oh yea, I've already smacked the monitor once or twice. Doesn't do anything to help the annoying sound. Someone tell me the new batch of this monitor fixed this problem.
 
I dont know where to buy this monitor for a decent price. Bestbuy has it for 599.99, and I think that is too high of a price. The costco near me doesnt carry it seperately.
 
Avengeance said:
I dont know where to buy this monitor for a decent price. Bestbuy has it for 599.99, and I think that is too high of a price. The costco near me doesnt carry it seperately.
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Circuity City?
 
Gmeister said:
So how far away is the monitor from you? Also, what are you brightness and contrast settings under DVI?
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Arm's length or greater, which is 30"+. In full-on slouch-mode, add another 15". So at times I'm almost 4 feet away from the monitor, and I can hear it happily buzzing away, no problem.

I've got brightness at 86, contrast at 38. The balance isn't too bad for text work, but for movies and darker games, the high brightness and low contrast is noticeably bad. It's a pain in the arse switching back and forth!
 
circuitcity.com sold out :( bestbuy is my only choice now... wish I had a 10% off from them, cause then I would buy it.
 
Gmeister said:
Does anyone know how to get rid of the annoying hum/buzz sound coming from the monitor? It's annoying the hell outta me. I even tried speeding up my case fans to drown out the monitor, but my case is below the monitor and the monitor buzz is too high pitched so that didn't work. I'm not sure if I can get used to this sound. Also, I've been playing around obsessively with the component output. Has anyone else tested out the component input? I'd like someone else's opinion on how the image quality is for 720p and 1080i sources. I'm not an expert with LCD scaling so I don't have a good reference point to compare the scaling for 720p, 1080i sources on this monitor. Anybody else happen to have a console connected to the component input of the this monitor?
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I have my PS2 and Xbox hooked up through the components. Avalaunch and XBMC look very good in 720p and 1080i, though I think there is a littler flickering going on in 1080i due to the xbox's lack of power.

16:9 720p games like Fifa 06, Freedom Fighters, and the X-Men Legends series look awesome while filling the whole screen and seeming to be scaled properly, while 16:9 480p games don't fill the whole screen, though setting the scaling option to wide or panoramic do a very good job of filling the screen

I too have been obsessing over the component input of the monitor, so I'm also interested in others comments about 720p 1080i/p performance/scaling through the component and dvi inputs.
 
Scunner said:
Arm's length or greater, which is 30"+. In full-on slouch-mode, add another 15". So at times I'm almost 4 feet away from the monitor, and I can hear it happily buzzing away, no problem.
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That is definitely not good....if I was that far away, I doubt I could hear the buzz even if my pc was OFF.....exchange yours, it's under warranty....
 
You guys who supposively can't hear the buzz nead to post your brightness and contrast settings. Right now under DVI, my brightness and contrast are set to 60 and 50 respectively. Keep in mind that I'm still trying to find the setting that I want for the DVI. I'd appreciate some of you guys to post your brightness and contrast settings. That would definitely be useful information.
 
Scunner said:
Arm's length or greater, which is 30"+. In full-on slouch-mode, add another 15". So at times I'm almost 4 feet away from the monitor, and I can hear it happily buzzing away, no problem.

I've got brightness at 86, contrast at 38. The balance isn't too bad for text work, but for movies and darker games, the high brightness and low contrast is noticeably bad. It's a pain in the arse switching back and forth!
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My monitor stops buzzing when I set the brightness to 86. So from what you're saying, you still hear the buzzing sound with brightness at 86? It should go away at 85.
 
SystemERRor said:
Im not sure if your card can do it, but check the nvidia driver settings (and check to see if you have new drivers). On mine i have "Digital flat panel settings", which lets me change the way my monitor displays things ( stretch, strech (but maintain aspect ratio), center, etc).

On that note, what setting are people using for this? I am using "Monitor Scaling". Should i be using "Display Adapter Scaling" or "Fixed Aspect Ratio Scaling"?
Click to expand...

Thanks but, unfortunately, my GeForce 4 MX 420 card is not providing the "Digital flat panel settings" (its the original card that came with my Dell Dimension 8200). I just loaded the nvidia 81.98 drivers which I think are the latest.

Could someone with an nvidia FX 5500 128mb card please let me know if they can set the 800x600 resolution in letterbox format? Or reports on other low-to-medium priced cards that definitely show 800x600 or 1024x768 in letterbox (that is, in the correct 4:3 aspect ration with the black bars on the sides) with the Gateway FPD2185W monitor?

I'll go to an expensive card if I must, but since I'm just a Photoshop-er, not a gamer, it will certainly be overkill to go to a high end graphics accelerator.

Thanks,

Charax
 
Avengeance said:
800x600? Why?
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Thanks for asking. I need it for viewing the web sites I design at the exact same resolutions and aspect ratios they are viewed by my customers.

Also, my old eyes need larger type for some projects such as designing fonts, etc., so stretching is unacceptable.

Were you able to switch into 800x600 or 1024x768 with black bars on the sides? If so, which graphics card do you have?

Thanks,

Charax
 
Gmeister said:
My monitor stops buzzing when I set the brightness to 86. So from what you're saying, you still hear the buzzing sound with brightness at 86? It should go away at 85.
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No, the buzzing goes away at 85 or 86.
 
TheRapture said:
That is definitely not good....if I was that far away, I doubt I could hear the buzz even if my pc was OFF.....exchange yours, it's under warranty....
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Thing is I've exchanged it twice, so I'm on my third. I've decided that it's going back today and I'll wait for a month or so until the buzzing batch that's currently circulating the Cincinnati area has dried up.
 
I am beginning to think that they all buzz, just some people can't hear it as well as others.
 
Add me to the list of people who can hear the buzz very loud and clear. It's barely perceptible on 89 brightness, noticeable at 87, and annoying at 85 (haven't noticed any difference when I adjust the contrast, maybe I should try that too). Glad to know it's not only my monitor. That said, I keep the brightness at 91 and though it's a little brighter than I'd like it the picture is fantastic. I love the "portrait mode" aspect as well - I use that pretty much every time I work in Word and sometimes in Excel too.

The other thing people have talked about is the "X" pattern when the screen is black. I do notice that too but it's barely perceptible and it doesn't bother me (and I'm a perfectionist when it comes to stuff like that).
 
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