I dont notice any ghosting in CS:S. I do notice slight blur when I move, but I think thats more related to refresh. I always run everything at 1600x1200 now. My 7800gtx is just about up to the task, but I wouldnt mind something faster. I was one of the guys that said I will never give up my CRT. But I've finally accepted a cross between quality and practicality.
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My Samsung 204B Review
- Thread starter Budwise
- Start date
shockwave85
Gawd
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- 761
I bought the 204B at Best Buy just to try it out (really waiting for the Dell 2407). BF2 and UT2004 play great with plenty of speed and no noticable ghosting. Color looks great too. Oddly though, the screen has a strange effect where looking from an upward position makes everything a little brighter, but looking from a lower position makes everything darker. This means when I look at the center of the screen directly, as most people do, the top appears VERY slightly darker. Hardly noticable though.
Bone said:
after using the LCD for a while now, i still am not effected by any vertical difference in brightness or color. I just dont see it. Does that mean its not there? Im not sure. Perhaps because i have always used TN panels i dont notice it? I am a gamer at heart so i have always gone for TN.
I recently saw a 204B and a 204T at Best Buy side by side and really couldnt see much color difference. I actually thought the 204B looked a bit better. However, BB comparisons are never very good as they are all hooked up via D-Sub and they are all sharing one video source which can make the picture even worse.
I was thinking about picking up one of these for use with Photoshop, CAD work, and some gaming. I was looking at the Dell 2007fpw but the whole banding issue has turned me off of it. Would this monitor be a good choice? What's the difference between the 204b and 204t? Should I still wait for the 2007fpw for all of the extra ports it provides? Will the 204b be sufficient for Photoshop work?
I would be upgrading from a dying 17" CRT so anything is an improvment, and I like the fact that this monitor does 1600x1200. What do you guys think?
I would be upgrading from a dying 17" CRT so anything is an improvment, and I like the fact that this monitor does 1600x1200. What do you guys think?
i do use Photoshop CS2 on a regular basis as i just bought a new Canon DSLR and am a budding photographer. For serious photo editors, CRT's are still the best as they will provide the most accurate color. I have not had any issues with color with the 204B in CS2 though. 1600X1200 surely is nice as it gives you a nice big workspace.
Get the 204T. I have had one since late last year and the color reproduction and darkness levels are better than any TN panel I have ever seen. The 204T is a 16ms SPVA panel and I'd gladly sacrifice the pixel response time for much better color reproduction.jobodaho said:
I just bought the 204B at Newegg for $355 w/free shipping.
It's funny, the Viewsonic VG920 I'm using now (and just recently bought, but wish I didn't) looks as if the top is darker than the bottom. If you're using XP with the default blue style, is the blue color on the taskbar brighter than the blue on the active title bar (on a window)? I've been moving a small window up and down and I think that when the blue bar on the top of the window gets almost 1/3rd of the way down the screen, it gets much brighter
I like it this way
I can't wait to play Crimson Skies at 1600 x 1200!
It's funny, the Viewsonic VG920 I'm using now (and just recently bought, but wish I didn't) looks as if the top is darker than the bottom. If you're using XP with the default blue style, is the blue color on the taskbar brighter than the blue on the active title bar (on a window)? I've been moving a small window up and down and I think that when the blue bar on the top of the window gets almost 1/3rd of the way down the screen, it gets much brighter
I like it this way
I can't wait to play Crimson Skies at 1600 x 1200!
Wow! Thanks guys, and thanks for the great pics! I was looking around for a good 1600x1200 LCD with a good pixel response time so that I could make the jump from CRT to LCD - but I couldn't really find any... until I found the 204B.
It looked like a sweet LCD, but I had heard some bad things about it. However with no reviews to be found I was in a pinch. So thanks a lot for writing this one!! This just convinved me to go for the 204B.
I'll be picking one up a black one from Newegg at the beginning of August for my new system.
-- I hope the one I get is fine. Hopefully Samsung fixed the earlier batches that had the bad quality control...
It looked like a sweet LCD, but I had heard some bad things about it. However with no reviews to be found I was in a pinch. So thanks a lot for writing this one!! This just convinved me to go for the 204B.
I'll be picking one up a black one from Newegg at the beginning of August for my new system.
-- I hope the one I get is fine. Hopefully Samsung fixed the earlier batches that had the bad quality control...
i got one friday. suppoused to get here mon-wed. my was "open-box." payed only $320 newegg.com.
pic:
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/rochacarlos/DSC00160.JPG
pic:
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/rochacarlos/DSC00160.JPG
FPBBrandon
n00b
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- Jul 6, 2006
- Messages
- 51
Ive had one since may, and I absolutely love it.
The computer I run it on is by no means beastly whatsoever, Im lucky to crank 20FPS out of BF2 with all settings on low, but this monitor makes me enjoy it. I noticed Zero ghosting/smearing issues, not even in DOD Source where everything is moving extremely fast. Going from my laptop's 15.1WXGA to this was a massive Jump, but I love everything about this panel, especially for the price.
The computer I run it on is by no means beastly whatsoever, Im lucky to crank 20FPS out of BF2 with all settings on low, but this monitor makes me enjoy it. I noticed Zero ghosting/smearing issues, not even in DOD Source where everything is moving extremely fast. Going from my laptop's 15.1WXGA to this was a massive Jump, but I love everything about this panel, especially for the price.
rampantandroid
[H]ard|Gawd
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- Jun 14, 2006
- Messages
- 1,962
Just got mine today from Circuit city - $340 (USD). Have it sitting next to my old Sony SDM-X73...
DAMMNNNNN. My X73 SUCKS (I thought it was awesome...till now...)
Everyone who bitches about the viewing angle...well, um...seriously. Unless you REALLY need to use the portrait mode, stop bitching...I can slouch in my chair and not notice any real difference. This moniter is awesome SO far...no dead pixels, vibrant colors...
I'm going to try out BF2 and CS:S with it tonight, see how it looks...then load into Oblivion and see how that looks at something other than native resolution. I'll post more info on it later.
DAMMNNNNN. My X73 SUCKS (I thought it was awesome...till now...)
Everyone who bitches about the viewing angle...well, um...seriously. Unless you REALLY need to use the portrait mode, stop bitching...I can slouch in my chair and not notice any real difference. This moniter is awesome SO far...no dead pixels, vibrant colors...
I'm going to try out BF2 and CS:S with it tonight, see how it looks...then load into Oblivion and see how that looks at something other than native resolution. I'll post more info on it later.
I'm thinking about buying the 204B this week, and I want to clarify something..
What will happen if I try to play games at 1024x768 or 800x600 instead of the native 1600x1200 resolution? My graphics card is a 7800GT, and I don't think my computer can handle running the latest games at 1600x1200, so does playing at a lower resolution cause a noticeable amount of lag or blurring?
What will happen if I try to play games at 1024x768 or 800x600 instead of the native 1600x1200 resolution? My graphics card is a 7800GT, and I don't think my computer can handle running the latest games at 1600x1200, so does playing at a lower resolution cause a noticeable amount of lag or blurring?
Good bus also bad review.
No, Seriously, i cannot agree with all your 10/10's and 9/10's.
How can you rate a TN-film panel with a 10 out of 10 when there are much better panels out there. For instance, you give a 10 out of 10 for watching movies, while this is a 4:3 screen. Hello, widescreen is better for watching movies??!
And viewing angles 10/10..
You could be a little harder on yourself and be more realistic while re-viewing.. Maybe you should rent some other monitors like a widescreen 24" PVA screen and see the difference.
I mean, if you would rate that, it'll get 20 out of 10 for movies, right ??
No, Seriously, i cannot agree with all your 10/10's and 9/10's.
How can you rate a TN-film panel with a 10 out of 10 when there are much better panels out there. For instance, you give a 10 out of 10 for watching movies, while this is a 4:3 screen. Hello, widescreen is better for watching movies??!
And viewing angles 10/10..
You could be a little harder on yourself and be more realistic while re-viewing.. Maybe you should rent some other monitors like a widescreen 24" PVA screen and see the difference.
I mean, if you would rate that, it'll get 20 out of 10 for movies, right ??
RumblingMan
n00b
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2006
- Messages
- 1
204B vs. 193P+
Thanks++ for the best review on 204B yet!!
Done some heavy Googling to find out what to buy - 204B or 193P+. (I know Budwise already dispatched 19" / 1280X1024 / 940B into eternal upgrade heaven, explanation further down.)
5 reviews on 204B found:
http://www.modthebox.com/review459_1.shtml
http://20-1-lcd-flat-panel-game-monitor-review.toptenreviews.com/samsung-204b-review.html
http://reviews.cnet.com/Samsung_SyncMaster_204B/4505-3174_7-31676719-2.html?tag=nav
http://management.cadalyst.com/cadman/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=328176
http://www.hardwarecentral.com/hardwarecentral/reviews/article.php/3597426
Everybody is more or less euphoric about 204B, and reading this one - I'm drooling too!
Then a not so happy camper and fellow countryman from BROS (Banana Republic of Sweden) had some serious complaints about 204B. I'll try to translate from the Swedish site:
"I'm not really pleased... the display might be okay, but I think I overestimated my eyesight because 1600x1200 on 20" feels really small (i.e. the text)... To run in 1280x960 is no option since it gets blurry. I don't know what to think... It's supposed to have 5ms response time, but if you take a browser or any other window and move it really really slow, then the text will flicker quite a lot... this is not what I expected. Somehow I experience 204B much tougher for my eyes, compared to my old 17" CRT..."
And finally, a last blow from HardwareCentral:
"We were also mildly disappointed with image quality in portrait mode. Redrawing the screen (as in paging up or down through a Web page or switching between applications with Alt-Tab) sometimes showed a pronounced right-to-left flicker or transition effect, and text looked just a bit thicker or fuzzier, with text and icons at the bottom edge of the screen seeming slightly smudged."
BOINK BANG!! There goes my dream of a perfect 1600x1200 LCD!
193P+ does not get this kind of comments anywhere, rather "probably the best PVA-panel out there" yada yada. But it's only 1280x1024 and I want a fast 1600x1200 in a sleek package.
Help someone! I don't know what to buy...
Thanks++ for the best review on 204B yet!!
Done some heavy Googling to find out what to buy - 204B or 193P+. (I know Budwise already dispatched 19" / 1280X1024 / 940B into eternal upgrade heaven, explanation further down.)
5 reviews on 204B found:
http://www.modthebox.com/review459_1.shtml
http://20-1-lcd-flat-panel-game-monitor-review.toptenreviews.com/samsung-204b-review.html
http://reviews.cnet.com/Samsung_SyncMaster_204B/4505-3174_7-31676719-2.html?tag=nav
http://management.cadalyst.com/cadman/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=328176
http://www.hardwarecentral.com/hardwarecentral/reviews/article.php/3597426
Everybody is more or less euphoric about 204B, and reading this one - I'm drooling too!
Then a not so happy camper and fellow countryman from BROS (Banana Republic of Sweden) had some serious complaints about 204B. I'll try to translate from the Swedish site:
"I'm not really pleased... the display might be okay, but I think I overestimated my eyesight because 1600x1200 on 20" feels really small (i.e. the text)... To run in 1280x960 is no option since it gets blurry. I don't know what to think... It's supposed to have 5ms response time, but if you take a browser or any other window and move it really really slow, then the text will flicker quite a lot... this is not what I expected. Somehow I experience 204B much tougher for my eyes, compared to my old 17" CRT..."
And finally, a last blow from HardwareCentral:
"We were also mildly disappointed with image quality in portrait mode. Redrawing the screen (as in paging up or down through a Web page or switching between applications with Alt-Tab) sometimes showed a pronounced right-to-left flicker or transition effect, and text looked just a bit thicker or fuzzier, with text and icons at the bottom edge of the screen seeming slightly smudged."
BOINK BANG!! There goes my dream of a perfect 1600x1200 LCD!
193P+ does not get this kind of comments anywhere, rather "probably the best PVA-panel out there" yada yada. But it's only 1280x1024 and I want a fast 1600x1200 in a sleek package.
Help someone! I don't know what to buy...
Happy Hopping
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2004
- Messages
- 7,837
But because this is a 6 bit TN panel, doesn't your eye get tired after prolong usage vs. the 204T? I mean the T series do cost more than the B for that as one of the reason
Schmiggy_JK23
Gawd
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
- Messages
- 636
Hrm.
I had recently been considering a move to 1600x1200, and the price on the 204b seemed about right, especially on newegg.
My 940b does have one bright stuck pixel in the lower middle, that i see every now and then.
I wonder if i could pull this off.
What exact number did you call, and how did you go about working the upgrade. Id like to give this a try.
I had recently been considering a move to 1600x1200, and the price on the 204b seemed about right, especially on newegg.
My 940b does have one bright stuck pixel in the lower middle, that i see every now and then.
I wonder if i could pull this off.
What exact number did you call, and how did you go about working the upgrade. Id like to give this a try.
Zumino Zufeilon
Gawd
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2004
- Messages
- 917
Just to toss this out, this monitor is 320 at Best Buy right now after instant rebate.
I'm looking at either the 204b or the 19" Viewsonic vp230b; they are about the same price. Let it suffice to say that this review pushed me significantly in the direction of the 204b . My only qualm is that the Viewsonic has an 8-bit panel, but... that isn't too much of an advantage considering the size difference, and Viewsonic's customer service is bad.
Thanks for the review! I'm convinced.
. My only qualm is that the Viewsonic has an 8-bit panel, but... that isn't too much of an advantage considering the size difference, and Viewsonic's customer service is bad.Thanks for the review! I'm convinced.
Schmiggy_JK23
Gawd
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
- Messages
- 636
Awesome.
Talking to samsung finally. (ya i work crappy hours i know, hard to get ahold of them).
They told me they will do upgrade swaps on defective units and told me they would work out a deal to upgrade to a 204B-BK from my 940B. They are going to call me back in a few days to work out pricing and the details, and they even cross ship. Nice.
So now I just have to wait to hear from them, and I will be rocking and rolling.
Talking to samsung finally. (ya i work crappy hours i know, hard to get ahold of them).
They told me they will do upgrade swaps on defective units and told me they would work out a deal to upgrade to a 204B-BK from my 940B. They are going to call me back in a few days to work out pricing and the details, and they even cross ship. Nice.
So now I just have to wait to hear from them, and I will be rocking and rolling.
Hi there,
I'm new to these forums, so I'll introduce myself, I'm Dave. I've read the review of the 204b - very nicely written
It helped a lot with my current dilemma of which TFT to buy
I've been scouting around the net for as many reviews on this monitor as I can find, I came across one saying that there are actually two versions of this monitor. One listed as a 20" (Made in Mexico) and one listed as a 20.1" (Made in China). The reviewer said the 20.1" was more evenly lit and was overall better quality. Perhaps this is why some of you were reporting uneven backlights and Budwise wasn't?
Then I went to see where I could buy one, and they had two versions of it for sale. One was listed as a 20" and one as a 20.1" - There was an £80 price gap between the models (The 20.1" was the more expensive)
Has anyone got any ideas why there are two models, or had any experience with the two different models?
I'm new to these forums, so I'll introduce myself, I'm Dave. I've read the review of the 204b - very nicely written
It helped a lot with my current dilemma of which TFT to buy
I've been scouting around the net for as many reviews on this monitor as I can find, I came across one saying that there are actually two versions of this monitor. One listed as a 20" (Made in Mexico) and one listed as a 20.1" (Made in China). The reviewer said the 20.1" was more evenly lit and was overall better quality. Perhaps this is why some of you were reporting uneven backlights and Budwise wasn't?
Then I went to see where I could buy one, and they had two versions of it for sale. One was listed as a 20" and one as a 20.1" - There was an £80 price gap between the models (The 20.1" was the more expensive)
Has anyone got any ideas why there are two models, or had any experience with the two different models?
Schmiggy_JK23
Gawd
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
- Messages
- 636
http://www.clubit.com/product_browse.cfm?cat=LCDs&scat1=20"&scat2=Samsung
Clubit has them both listed, but only one available. That was where I first noticed the 20 vs 20.1. However I really dont know anything about the differences.
On further note, an update to my situation. I have been waiting almost a month now since samsung got a hold of me. $90 to upgrade from the 940b to the 204b. They told me end of Oct it would ship. Then today they called me and told me that they now have no ship date for the monitor, and dont know when it will be back in stock and asked if they could send a new 940b. (of course not, i want to upgrade, duh)
How can the manufacturer have no stock of their own product? Dont they have to have some for RMA's on the 204b or something? I also noticed that many of the online retailers are currently out of this monitor. Could samsung be readying a 204b refresh, ala the 940BF? Hence the lack product? It just seems odd how few there are and samsung not having any either. If any one has an idea let me know.
I guess I am just going to wait out a new shipping date, as minus my one dead pixel my 940B is fine, i just wanted to game and run my benchmarks and reviews at 1600x1200. So heres to a new ship date, and getting this monitor or a refresh sometime this quarter.
Clubit has them both listed, but only one available. That was where I first noticed the 20 vs 20.1. However I really dont know anything about the differences.
On further note, an update to my situation. I have been waiting almost a month now since samsung got a hold of me. $90 to upgrade from the 940b to the 204b. They told me end of Oct it would ship. Then today they called me and told me that they now have no ship date for the monitor, and dont know when it will be back in stock and asked if they could send a new 940b. (of course not, i want to upgrade, duh)
How can the manufacturer have no stock of their own product? Dont they have to have some for RMA's on the 204b or something? I also noticed that many of the online retailers are currently out of this monitor. Could samsung be readying a 204b refresh, ala the 940BF? Hence the lack product? It just seems odd how few there are and samsung not having any either. If any one has an idea let me know.
I guess I am just going to wait out a new shipping date, as minus my one dead pixel my 940B is fine, i just wanted to game and run my benchmarks and reviews at 1600x1200. So heres to a new ship date, and getting this monitor or a refresh sometime this quarter.
doubleJ
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2004
- Messages
- 221
Well, I purchased the 204b with the intention of getting a second one and running them both in portrait. I received it today and as soon as I pivoted it for the first time, I noticed the lighting difference. In order for it to be evenly lit I have to rotate it about 15 degrees to the left. That would be even more noticeable if I paired it with a second one, as it would fade from bright to dim then do it again.rampantandroid said:
It is a dandy monitor, though. 1200x1600 certainly is nice for websites.
JJ