Viewsonic VP201B 20.1" 16ms LCD "Mini-Review"

I thought they were the exact same, I was just posting the only discrepency I could find :)

I 2nd day aired my monitor cause it was free to 2nd day air it. I'll post plenty of pictures for ya'll when I get it so you can acurately see the size/look/quality.

HOPEFULLY my exerience will be good as many people's decisions seem to be riding on my impressions. I am going to tell you now that I'm a friggin hard ass when it comes to hardware and only accept the best so my review will reflect that. If I'm not crying out of happiness the entire first week I have it I'm returning it so keep that in mind :cool:
 
Again, also very interested in what you think. All regards to sandman, but we all realize one review doesn't seal the deal for technology products. Hope your experience is good.

Anyone wanna buy my current 25ms 19" lcd for $400 so I can get the VP201S? :D
 
ehZn said:
Again, also very interested in what you think. All regards to sandman, but we all realize one review doesn't seal the deal for technology products.
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Totally agree. You also can look back at previous posts in this thread from people who have purchased the monitor. There are 3 or 4 people in this thread now who have purchased the monitor.(That's not counting Poopman) Plus I hope anyone else who purchases it posts their experience in here.(Good or Bad)

On another note, I'm trying to decide between the Viewsonic Dual monitor stand(part# DS-ERG-33-092), or a third party stand.

There is a pic of the stand on this page--> http://www.viewsonic.com/multipanelsetup/index.htm

But from what I'm learning, there are quite a few different brands and types of stands that I could go with. The thing I like most about the Viewsonic stand, is that I KNOW it will work with the VP201 models.
 
^^ Link no worky, sandboy ;)

I would say if you can tolerate the look of viewsonic's own stand, stick with what you know will work and avoid some hassle.
 
ehZn said:
^^ Link no worky, sandboy ;)

I would say if you can tolerate the look of viewsonic's own stand, stick with what you know will work and avoid some hassle.
Click to expand...

Huh? It works fine. ;)
 
the two panel wide looks like one of the best set ups ive seen with dual lcd's due to the super thin bezels on the VP201's. they just look perfect side by side, i say go for the DS-ERG-33-092

my $o.o2
 
It's here ,it's here it's FINALLY HERE. It's package is friggin HUGE, almost the size of a CRT monitor in box volume...but no where near the weight. I'm going to open it up, hook it up and then edit this post with the first impressions and add to it as I go. Remember this will be displaying on a Radeon9800XT over DVI. I'll have impressions on a Geforce 6800GT by Saturday.
 
Nightrain said:
I purchased it. I just hope it was worth the money. :)
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Sweet! Like I asked "poopman", if you don't mind would you post in here about where you ordered it. How you like it, etc... (GOOD or BAD) I think it really helps others who are looking at the VP201 monitors, but can't find much information on it.

poopman said:
It's here ,it's here it's FINALLY HERE. It's package is friggin HUGE, almost the size of a CRT monitor in box volume...
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:D COOL!!! Glad you got it poopman! Hope all goes well and definitely keep everyone posted.
 
poopman said:
It's here ,it's here it's FINALLY HERE. It's package is friggin HUGE, almost the size of a CRT monitor in box volume...but no where near the weight. I'm going to open it up, hook it up and then edit this post with the first impressions and add to it as I go. Remember this will be displaying on a Radeon9800XT over DVI. I'll have impressions on a Geforce 6800GT by Saturday.
Click to expand...


Glad to hear that you got it dude!
icon14.gif
.. look forward to your opinions and pics! :D

Sandman ... that was a good mini-review. It has helped me greatly; much appreciated. :cool:
 
And we're back. I'll be using/editing this post here as my review so check back often.

First impressions:
WOW, just WOW.

Packaging:
If you don't wanna read the crap, I received it with 0 dead pixels and 0 problems. I ordered it from zipzoomfly.com for 879$ with free 2nd day air shipping. I wouldn't reccomend ZZF though because their return policy/cancel policy is shit. Viewsonic on the other hand did an incredible job packing it. Tons of packing material to ensure it arived saftely to my door despite the FedEx/UPS soccer game I'm sure ensued with my monitor. The box is huge and I am very impressed with the overall packaging.

The Monitor:
I'm quite surprised at how heavy it feels. Compared to my Sony 19" SDM S91, it's a beast. It feels very well constructed and makes a gorgeous addition to my desk. You can rotate the montior to a vertical position, raise and lower the height and swivel back and forth with ease, though it is a slight bit too easy to push it down and give it a little bump when it is lowered to the bottom. All and all it's very easy to manipulate it to the exact position you want it. Did I mention the thing is friggin sexay?

Setup/Install:
I plugged it in, connected the DVI card and bam it was up and running. It has two power switches, one switch in the back and a button in the front. I got a warning to swap to 1600x1200 to which I pressed [2] on the monitor and the popup went away forever. Moving to 1600x1200 I wanted to cry, GOD IS THIS THING HAWT! First thing I did was install the monitor INF from the CD and register it. I didn't have to make a single configuration change (cept for color, but that's preference based)...this monitor auto sized, set itself up and worked without a hitch. Next thing on my mind was to do some testin.

Performances/Tests:
If you get close, you can see the screendoor, but I work at microsoft and some of my buddies have a duel 2001FP setup and I thoroughly checked it out. I have to say I like the VP201B better in this respect end of story. But don't lie to yourself and think that if you don't sit close to your monitor you won't see the screendoor because it's there, at least when reading text. It is very, very subtle though so don't be afraid. My first test was to check the text scrolling effect. When I first got my Sony 19" and when to the [H] I started to scroll down and saw a mass of blurred text before my eyes and it made me want to cry. At work I use a 21" Sony CRT, and comparing the VP201B to it I can happily say they are equivalent. The text blur effect is all but gone (though there is no way to get rid of 100% of it) and I am so happy I could cry a 2nd time. The colors were a bit to red for my taste after playing with the monitor for a while so I quickly changed the color warmth and bam...I'm happy as pie.

3D performance
man, I'm so happy. I just watched some Anime, played some Doom3 and City of heroes.
CoH
It feels like a different game...the blurring is still there, though more in a CRT kind of way as opposed to a LCD slow response time kind of way. The diference is huge though...and I mean HUGE. The 9ms drop in response time is like night and day. I tried in both 1280 and in 1600...both worked great but 1600x1200 was just plain GORGEOUS!
Doom3
Same story. I am only able to run Doom3 at 1280x1024 high quality and still have it playable for the time being, but it still likes incredible. This monitor handles running in non-native resolutions like a champ! I couldn't be happier.
Anime/movies
There isn't much difference here in performance though what I was looking for was colors and the vividness of the display. There was a definite improvement in colors and I actually like the 400:1 contrast better than my old LCD which had 600:1 contrast...to my own surprisement.


1.jpg


2.jpg


3.jpg


4.jpg

-poops
 
I can't wait for the pics!

I think poopman's impression really sealed the deal for me now. I'm getting a VP201 in the next 3 weeks as soon as I save enough.
 
in the ocama game sphere voice for thirst for blood on south park

"THIRST- FOR- PICTURES"

:cool:
 
chr|stoph said:
in the ocama game sphere voice for thirst for blood on south park

"THIRST- FOR- PICTURES"

:cool:
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UPDATED. I'll get some pictures of Doom3 and CoH in action when it's darker out so I don't get distorted pictures.

Also, what color setting do you guys run at? I've decided on 5400 but it still doesn't feel quite right...
 
haha i like the sort of puzzled looking one at the bottom. man that screen is AWESOME. i love how monsterously sturdy it looks, man what a beast! im totally looking into these this fall.
 
I've been dying for someone to review this and once again the [HF] have contributed to [H]ard earned cash going out to Viewsonic yet again. But before I do I have I question:
What LCD's are the official ones at QuakeCon? New thread about to be born,
 
VP201B is an incredible monitor. Camera's are nice...but if you don't have a kick ass screen to view them on then what is the point! Plus if you have the money to sink for the VP201B now...I'd do it. Camera's lose their value much quicker, and thus will go down in price so when you have less money saved up next time, you can get the camera AND it will be cheaper. ;)

EDIT" AND DOH!!!!!!!!!!! I FOUND A DEAD PIXEL. well, I guess one isn't that bad...still a great monitor
 
poopman said:
UPDATED. I'll get some pictures of Doom3 and CoH in action when it's darker out so I don't get distorted pictures.

Also, what color setting do you guys run at? I've decided on 5400 but it still doesn't feel quite right...
Click to expand...


Thanks for the pictures dude!
icon14.gif
icon14.gif
 
i've had my vp211b (the more uncommon and older model (inferior?) that is one inch larger :yay: ) since its release slightly over a year ago. the response rate is a wee slower but it doesn't bother me.

i paid $1500 for it though. :( such is the folly of impatience and impulsive consumption.
 
What yu guys think about this review ? I m looking to buy a new TFT monitor and I am a gamer..Yur comments about this VP201B are so good...

«On the downside, the VP201b didn't do a very good job on CNET Labs' grayscale and color test screens. Lighter grays had a slightly beige-and-pink tint and dark grays showed hints of green. For day-to-day productivity tasks, the colors will be fine, but video editors and graphics pros may have some beefs. »

http://earthlink.com.com/ViewSonic_VP201b/4505-3174_7-30470966-2.html?tag=top
ViewSonic VP201b review - Intro - LCD Monitors - CNET Reviews
 
My Dell P1110 is slowly dying, so I thought I'd pick up one of these to see what all the fuss is about. Got a pretty good deal at Best Buy (in Canada).

The graphics are pretty amazing for Windows, everything is crisp and sharp. I do see the screendoor effect but I think that's something I could get used to over time. I also see some slight rainbow effects around black text (like it was out of focus), but it's only there if I think about it and I see that on all LCD's.

In gaming though it's good, but just not good enough. The scaling of lower resolutions is great, can hardly tell. The colours are quite good, almost as good as a CRT.. But the ghosting is still just too much for me personally. I can tell the difference quite a bit and I couldn't get comfortable playing BF1942. Doom 3 looked excellent for how dark it is (I expected less), but again the blur from playing just was too distracting.

I'm kind of a perfectionist and I love the perfectly square and proportional look of the LCD.. it's nice not to worry about focus or alignment or anything like that. EDIT: I also love the low power and low heat output, my office can get hot sometimes.

I'm going to give it a few more days of playing to see if I adjust, but as of right now I'm leaning towards returning it and getting a 21" CRT.
 
NewEnvy said:
What yu guys think about this review ? I m looking to buy a new TFT monitor and I am a gamer..Yur comments about this VP201B are so good...

«On the downside, the VP201b didn't do a very good job on CNET Labs' grayscale and color test screens. Lighter grays had a slightly beige-and-pink tint and dark grays showed hints of green. For day-to-day productivity tasks, the colors will be fine, but video editors and graphics pros may have some beefs. »

http://earthlink.com.com/ViewSonic_VP201b/4505-3174_7-30470966-2.html?tag=top
ViewSonic VP201b review - Intro - LCD Monitors - CNET Reviews
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Well like I was saying, I'm having a bit of trouble getting the colors just right. It's not neccesarily a bad thing, just different. I don't edit a lot of photo's or graphics...I play games. The gaming performance is off the hook and the colors are something you can adjust to your liking. I haven't found exactly what I like yet but that's cause I haven't gotten use to any specific configuration. I fyou want to play games, the VP201B. If you want to do graphic editing and are hella picky about colors being EXACT, then you should know how to set your own colors on your monitor and should be fine (and would be looking for different features in the monitor).
 
I am looking at picking up this display, but was wondering how the display of text is. I play games somewhat, but more than that I write computer software. I was wondering how black text looks on a white background? I'm talking a lot of text on a white background. Can anyone tell me how it will look on this display? I have seen on some LCD's that text is somewhat fuzzy looking when viewing a full screen document, say in Word. A comment on this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
 
I'm going to drive myself crazy. It should be here tommorow but I am so nervous whether it will pass my expectations. Before I open it tommorow I have a couple questions:

I do graphics probably a couple hours a week or less.

I game a lot.

I do a ton of reading on my computer (from forums, to reading up on the latest benchmarks)

Is this the right monitor for me?
 
I game a ton,
edit HTML for my site,
do some C++ on the side,
watch a lot of anime,
and read a lot of webpages.

I am loving the monitor so far, but haven't gotten to use it on my GF 6800 ultra yet as I was having massive problems with the video card at first. I just got it working last night and am still in the process of rebuilding my machine. So far I've loved the monitor minus the one dead pixel in the middle of the screen, but that's just being super picky as I almost never notice it.

-Poops
 
poopman said:
I game a ton,
edit HTML for my site,
do some C++ on the side,
watch a lot of anime,
and read a lot of webpages.

I am loving the monitor so far, but haven't gotten to use it on my GF 6800 ultra yet as I was having massive problems with the video card at first. I just got it working last night and am still in the process of rebuilding my machine. So far I've loved the monitor minus the one dead pixel in the middle of the screen, but that's just being super picky as I almost never notice it.

-Poops
Click to expand...

Thanks for the update and I think I will be ordering this in a few days. I have to get a new video card that supports DVI first. I'm thinking of getting the 6800GT 256MB. This card should be fine, right?
 
Yes it will be fine. That's the card that was running the VP201B in the review on the very first page. :D But yes, it will run it perfectly.

If you order it, please post your experience with it in this thread. So others can see how you liked it.
 
jtomlinson said:
Thanks for the update and I think I will be ordering this in a few days. I have to get a new video card that supports DVI first. I'm thinking of getting the 6800GT 256MB. This card should be fine, right?
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Good luck!!! I couldn't get one of those bastards for the life of me, had to go with a 6800 ultra
 
Well after reading this thread and looking over all the info out there I have just order a VP201B. I currently have a Samsung 213T, 25 ms response time, but I am going to return it because the ghosting and blurring during games is just too much for me. I am hoping this monitor does a lot better during games because of the faster response time. Also it is about $200 less than the 213T. Once I recieve it, hopefully tomorrow becuase I did overnight shipping from Amazon.com, I will let you all know how it compares with my 213T.

By the way thanks for all the great reviews and comments, I stumbled on this forum while looking for info, and it has proved a great resource.
 
Registrator said:
Well after reading this thread and looking over all the info out there I have just order a VP201B. I currently have a Samsung 213T, 25 ms response time, but I am going to return it because the ghosting and blurring during games is just too much for me. I am hoping this monitor does a lot better during games because of the faster response time. Also it is about $200 less than the 213T. Once I recieve it, hopefully tomorrow becuase I did overnight shipping from Amazon.com, I will let you all know how it compares with my 213T.

By the way thanks for all the great reviews and comments, I stumbled on this forum while looking for info, and it has proved a great resource.
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I had the same problem...a really nice sony 19" LCD but the 25ms response was killing me in games.

The difference between 25ms and 16ms response is so awesome that the first time you hop in a game and spin around super quick I think you'll want to cry out with joy at how much better the VP201b is!
 
poopman or sandman78,

I have an image request, would one of you mind taking close up pictures of the VP201B's screen so I can get a better idea of the "screen door effect". Similar to the pics in this post http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=782053.

I think myself and others would find it very useful for comparison, if its not too much trouble that is.
 
I've been looking for a good overall monitor, with the Samsung 213T, BenQ FP2091 and now the Viewsonic VP201B/S all coming in the picture. The Samsung just falls short do to its 25ms, which I don't expect to keep up with Doom3.

But I am reading that the VP201 uses the same screen as the 2001FP. Does this mean it has the same 'screendoor'-effect, that many people are complaining about?
And doesn't BenQ use the same screens?

Why is buying an LCD for your personal needs do darn difficult :(
 
Brainsnack said:
I've been looking for a good overall monitor, with the Samsung 213T, BenQ FP2091 and now the Viewsonic VP201B/S all coming in the picture. The Samsung just falls short do to its 25ms, which I don't expect to keep up with Doom3.

But I am reading that the VP201 uses the same screen as the 2001FP. Does this mean it has the same 'screendoor'-effect, that many people are complaining about?
And doesn't BenQ use the same screens?

Why is buying an LCD for your personal needs do darn difficult :(
Click to expand...

THey don't use the same screens...if I remember correclty the DELL uses the BenQ and the viewsonic uses an LG. The repot on Anandtech is incorrect.

I'll try and take a picture tonight.
 
Registrator said:
poopman or sandman78,

I have an image request, would one of you mind taking close up pictures of the VP201B's screen so I can get a better idea of the "screen door effect". Similar to the pics in this post http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=782053.

I think myself and others would find it very useful for comparison, if its not too much trouble that is.
Click to expand...

I can't take a PIC of that, because my monitor doesn't have it. If this--> http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=782053 is the screen door effect that is. I'm not "just used to it" or anything. I have a few posts towards the beginning of this thread discussing the panel manufacturers. However, people who do not have the monitor will say that the VP201B does have the same panel as the DELL. I have heard otherwise. And none of the people who post this information are in the LCD division at Dell OR Viewsonic. I'm not trying to start anything about someone else's monitor. I'm just simply saying my VP201B does not have anything that even closely resembles THESE PICS. I think I remember someone in a forum saying they had the VP201B and that hey did have the "screen door" effect. But again, if the PICS in the links above are the "screen door" effect, mine does not have it. Take that for whatever it's worth.:D
 
It is unusual some have this problem and some don't. I remember an audio receiver that had problems with some units and it turns out that the ones with the problems were made in China and those without were made in Sweden. Can you take a close up picture anyway? If there was a way to compare pic head to head with someone who sees the screen door we can see if it is subjective or a hardware problem in some units? Just an idea.
 
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