Gamer looking for opinions on Viewsonic 19" vs Samsung 21"

[imported_FarNorth]

Hey there! I was torn between the Viewsonic 19" VP912b and the Samsung 21" 213T, but eventually ordered the Viewsonic, being swayed by its low response time of 12ms. Since then, however, I'd read articles on Tom's hardware suggesting that response time isn't as rock-solid an indicator of gaming performance as I'd once thought, and another gamer had posted about how he loved his 21" Samsung213T. Dell has since backordered my Viewsonic, and so I now have the option of cancelling the order, and buying a Samsung 213T from a local retailer. I'm looking for opinions on which direction to lean, and I've listed specs of each monitor at the bottom of this email.

System: WinXP, AMD3200+, 1GB RAM, Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB video with DVI.

Main applications: MMORPG gaming such as Worlds of Warcraft, EQ, DAOC etc. Less commonly, I'll use the monitor to watch DVD videos and, more rarely, television.

Favorite resolution: 1280x1024 (note that the 21" Samsung is 1600x1200 native), but I could probably live with 1600x1200 if I had a compelling reason to do so.

Price including shipping to Alaska: $940 for the Samsung vs. $700 for the Viewsonic. This isn't nearly as big a consideration for me as the quality of gaming experience.

To sum up, I'd originally shied away from the Samsung since I'd heard its response time was ~26ms. But I've begun questioning that choice. Any thoughts are appreciated!

Cheers,

Clay




For those that don't know the monitors well, here are the specs:
Samsung SyncMaster 213T - a pivoting 21.3" analog/digital LCD display that offers a 500:1 contrast ratio, 1600 x 1200 resolution, pixel pitch of 0.270mm H/V, Xtrawide 170?/170? viewing angle, scanning frequency of 30-81kHz horizontal and 56-75 vertical, and dual inputs to accommodate either an analog or digital signal. Brightness (Typical): 250 cd/m2

Viewsonic VP912b - full 19" viewable screen in the space of a standard 18" display. ClearMotiv 12ms video response delivers HD video at an amazing 83 frames per second for true broadcast-quality video. The VP912b offers a high-resolution, large screen for word processing and spreadsheet applications as well as the 400 nits (typ) high-brightness for gaming, motion pictures and photo viewing. OptiSync® connectivity and the ThinEdge, ultra-slim bezel design allow you to build multiple-display configurations that enhance productivity and accuracy while expanding your gaming experience. The VP912b is an excellent choice for video/web conferencing, gaming, e-learning and video editing applications.
Viewable Image Size: 19"
Contrast Ratio: 450:1
Interface: Analog and Digital
Max/Native Resolution: 1280 x 1024
Brightness (Typical): 400 cd/m2
Viewing Angle (H/V): 160/160 (degrees)

 

[Dman877]

I'd try the veiwsonic, my experience with bigger samsungs is they ghost too much. I can't play daoc on either my 192n or 910t, too much blur.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

My opinion. Very few Viewsonics leave the plant with dead pixels which means they are HQ as far as I'm concerned. I had an RMA situation last week with them and turnaround was quick and the problem was resolved and hold times are short. My VP171B with 16ms plays games perfectly and you can't see ghosting unless you look for it.

Also, 1280x1024 means being able to hold out on a video card upgrade over time as your current card gradually becomes less capable years from now unless you plan to upgrade by then. For me, a 6800GT was a big expense I'm planning to stretch out over time by keeping for 3+ years so I'll likely not be able to run new games at 16x12 towards the end.

 

[imported_FarNorth]

Hmm good points, thanks. I think I'll give the Samsung a quick acid test tonight, and see if the local retailer can hook it up to Doom3 to see how it performs. I'll try it on both 1280x1024 and 1600x1200 modes as well. Unless it performs beyond my expectations, I'll probably just stick with the Viewsonic, and suck it up and wait the extra week of shipping time rather than caving to short-term availability The problem with this test is that I have no prior LCD experience to compare it to, so I'll be more or less judging it against CRT performance.

Clay

 

[Raincity]

Any reason why your not considering the Viewsonic VP201 series.

 

[imported_FarNorth]

Very good question on the VP201. I haven't seen many gamers review the 20"+ LCD's, so I don't know enough about them. The only reason I was considering the 21" Samsung is that it caught my eye at a local retailer. Now, I know very little about resolution in general, but my impression is that most 20"+ LCD's, including the VP201, have native resolutions of 1600x1200, which is a little high for my aging eyes; I tend not to be able to read the text well, when playing games at that resolution. However, is it possible that I"ll have much better results reading text on 1600x1200 on a 20" LCD compared to on a 19" CRT? That's not something I'd considered, and is probably very true. I love the extra size; the jump from 19" to 21" really impressed me.

I've done a few Web searches looking for info on the VP201 series, and I notice an enormous range in prices, from $800 up to $3000, apparently for the same model (20.1" VP201b). Am I missing something? I was trying to determine the critical specs; response time in particular, even though Tom's Hardware suggests that it's not a consistent indicator. I'm not willing to go a whole lot past US$1000, given that LCD prices are dropping fast, and will likely continue to do so.

 

[shuttleboi]

1280x1024 means being able to hold out on a video card upgrade over time

On LCDs with higher resolutions, there is usually an option to display smaller images in 1:1 mode, meaning that a 1280x1024 image on a 1600x1200 will NOT be stretched; rather, the image is displayed in the centre of the screen with a black border. You would be foolish to decide against a monitor because it has too large a resolution.

 

[Trey22]

I tried two different Samsung 213T's on two different rigs (both having 9800 Pro or higher vidcards) and the ghosting was completely unbearable.

To rule out my discerning eye, I had a friend test them out, and he agreed the ghosting was too apparent to have a decent gaming session.

Games used: UT2004, COD, Far Cry, Battlefield 1942/Vietnam, all tested at different resolution w/ variable AA/AF settings.

IMO, those who can play FPS's on this monitor have to be close to legally blind.

Cheers,

Trey

 

[imported_FarNorth]

Well, I decided on the Viewsonic VP201b 20.1" after all. $800 from Dell plus shipping. I'll give the 1600x1200 a shot, and scale down if necessary. Thanks for sharing your experiences and advice, they're much appreciated.

Regards,

Clay

 

[Raincity]

Here is a mini gamers review of the VP201 Hard Forums

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: FarNorth
Well, I decided on the Viewsonic VP201b 20.1" after all. $800 from Dell plus shipping. I'll give the 1600x1200 a shot, and scale down if necessary. Thanks for sharing your experiences and advice, they're much appreciated.

Regards,

Clay

Scaling down hurts image quality drastically.....that's why they call it "native" resolution.

 

[AnnoyedGrunt]

It only hurts IQ if you stretch the image to fit the whole screen.

If you just run with a smaller picture, then you'll still have the 1:1 pixel ratio, but you just won't use the whole screen.

On a 20" LCD, that's probably a very good way to go.

-D'oh!