I just bought the Viewsonic VP171B from Dell?

[sep]

View at Newegg

You know once you buy something you start hearing bad things about it...so let me know. Anyone got bad things to say about this monitor?

In my research I found it to be the BEST monitor in the 17" LCD range. Priority was GAMING, COLORS/BRIGHTNESS, WARRANTY, OPTIONS and PRICE. This wins in my book hands down. Oh yea, I picked it up at Dell SB for $436 shipped. I'll get it next week and will update after I game a couple days...hard gaming that is.

-JC

 

[sep]

Got the monitor last night. After drooling on the box for about 15mins I finally opened it up. Nice packing!

This is one sweet monitor. Setup took seconds (DVI). It's bright, colorful, looks bigger than 17", viewable from an angle (up to 140'), games look great at 1280x1024x32 with all details on high, DVD Movie looks great (ICE AGE), etc.

I'm glad I got this monitor. I thought I wouldn't be happy since I've always played on a CRT. It looks like I'm not going back. Can't wait to take this little thing (14pds vs 50pds) to the next LAN Party! Speaking of lan party, anyone know where to get a good carring case for LCD's?

A friend is looking at the 18-19 of this model. The only difference we can see i the refresh (30 - 25ms) contrast (350 - 600). Do you think he's see any true difference in gaming?


-JC

 

[onza]

let us know exactly what games your gana be playing

i have my planar on order ATM. the 16ms version.

 

[sep]

GAMES THAT I PLAY REGULARLY

:beer: RTCW
:beer: RTCW ET
:beer: Battlefield 1942, RtR, Desert Combat
:beer: Spearhead
:beer: UT2003
:beer: UT

 

[GaryShandling]

The specs for this monitor dont outperform the others which you have probably researched such as the Hitachi CML series, and the NEC 1760nx....and probably planar, ben-Q e.t.c with all 16ms response times. Considering this monitor uses the same panel as the others i just mentioned the 500:1 contrast ratio that viewsonic state on the official website is not true. Its the same monitor, just design is different. It's $100 more then the Hitachi/NEC, so basically unless your in love with the design and must have anti glare.....its not worth the extra money.

 

[JZilla]

Wrong Gary. For $436 the Viewsonic is a little bit cheaper than the Hitachi. Dell has just had some of those hotdeals. You know, the ones we don't get over here. With coupon codes and rebates and blah blah blah. It's not fair Mr. Dell.

Congratulations to sep for buying a great monitor. We need a more detailed report.

Btw Gary, the VP171 is falling in price in Denmark. Slowly, but it is going down. It's now ?664. That's ?35 off since I saw it in a store. Not much yet, but it's getting a little bit cheaper every day. It actually cost the same as the NEC 1760NX now, the NEC is still ?450 in Germany.

 

[GaryShandling]

Originally posted by: JZilla
Wrong Gary. For $436 the Viewsonic is a little bit cheaper than the Hitachi. Dell has just had some of those hotdeals. You know, the ones we don't get over here. With coupon codes and rebates and blah blah blah. It's not fair Mr. Dell.

Congratulations to sep for buying a great monitor. We need a more detailed report.

Btw Gary, the VP171 is falling in price in Denmark. Slowly, but it is going down. It's now ?664. That's ?35 off since I saw it in a store. Not much yet, but it's getting a little bit cheaper every day. It actually cost the same as the NEC 1760NX now, the NEC is still ?450 in Germany.

I thought the VP171B was more expensive?...how is the hitachi more expensive then the others, i did a price review and hitachi came off as cheapest, then the nec, then the viewsonic being $100 more. Same for £. It just depends how determined you are to save money. In england the viewsonic is £100 more then the others because the retailers are being sold the monitor from the manufacturer at a higher price then the others which contain same spec, thats why i said do you want to pay $100 for design and anti glare?

 

[sep]

Originally posted by: GaryShandling
The specs for this monitor dont outperform the others which you have probably researched such as the Hitachi CML series, and the NEC 1760nx....and probably planar, ben-Q e.t.c with all 16ms response times. Considering this monitor uses the same panel as the others i just mentioned the 500:1 contrast ratio that viewsonic state on the official website is not true. Its the same monitor, just design is different. It's $100 more then the Hitachi/NEC, so basically unless your in love with the design and must have anti glare.....its not worth the extra money.

In my post I said I factured "GAMING, COLORS/BRIGHTNESS, WARRANTY, OPTIONS and PRICE". Hitachi no thank you, NEC 1760nx no comparison at all... The only one I considered compariable to this monitor was the Planar PX171M. Yes it was close, but in the end the Viewsonic won for the LOOKS, CONTRAST RATIO and PRICE.

Compair these two yourself and tell me how close these ones come: Viewsonic_PDF vs Planar_PDF

...at the time of purchase these two were identical (maybe $2-3 dollars difference) in price. Again, if I selected the Planar I'd have someone saying the Viewsonic is better.

Thanks jZilla!

 

[GaryShandling]

Originally posted by: sep

Originally posted by: GaryShandling
The specs for this monitor dont outperform the others which you have probably researched such as the Hitachi CML series, and the NEC 1760nx....and probably planar, ben-Q e.t.c with all 16ms response times. Considering this monitor uses the same panel as the others i just mentioned the 500:1 contrast ratio that viewsonic state on the official website is not true. Its the same monitor, just design is different. It's $100 more then the Hitachi/NEC, so basically unless your in love with the design and must have anti glare.....its not worth the extra money.

In my post I said I factured "GAMING, COLORS/BRIGHTNESS, WARRANTY, OPTIONS and PRICE". Hitachi no thank you, NEC 1760nx no comparison at all... The only one I considered compariable to this monitor was the Planar PX171M. Yes it was close, but in the end the Viewsonic won for the LOOKS, CONTRAST RATIO and PRICE.

Compair these two yourself and tell me how close these ones come: Viewsonic_PDF vs Planar_PDF

...at the time of purchase these two were identical (maybe $2-3 dollars difference) in price. Again, if I selected the Planar I'd have someone saying the Viewsonic is better.

Thanks jZilla!

LOL..you still dont get it do you. There all the same monitor. The contrast ratio on the viewsonic IS NOT 500:1. Viewsonic are lying, and thats why NEC are taking them to court. So now its narrowed down to looks and price which is irrelevant to your main question asking if theres anything bad about the monitor.

 

[JZilla]

Gary,

At the normal price the Viewsonic is a tad more expensive. But Dell had these hotdeals, 15% + 15% off or something. If you looked in the hotdeals section and saw those hotdeals, you would cast a curse on Dell Europe. Dell US has some spectacular sales almost every month.

If all these 16ms monitors cost the same, I would have no hesitation in picking out the VP171. IMO it's design is the best. Is the design worth an extra $100? In my mind, yes. I keep my monitors for several years, so $100 isn't that big of a deal considering I will most likely keep my future monitor for 4+ years. Until a year ago I was still using an IBM 15" crt. Then I got my parents old monitor, a Daewoo 17" crt. When the time comes this summer, when I will be the lucky owner of a lcd, I will pick out what is just right for me. $100 extra or not. Besides the VP171 comes with a dvi cable, the NEC 1760NX doesn't, and these cables also cost money and lessen the gap between the Viewsonic and the others. And yes, the Hitachi also comes with a dvi cable, but I can only find one dealer in Denmark and I find the Hitachi design to be rather boring compared to the Viewsonic. The NEC looks better than the most, but not better than the VP171.

I wouldn't mind a Planar, as their warranty should be top notch according to this forum. But unfortunately I can't find Planar anywhere in Europe.

But after all, everything boils down to what you want (pivot, design and so on), and what price you are willing to spend on these features. I believe this is even more important with the 17" 16ms monitors, as they should pretty much be the same, like you said. $436 is an amazing price for the VP171, I can barely get a Samsung 152T here for that price. Makes you wonder doesn't it?

Have you bought anything yet Gary? And what is that sniper site about? Are you a hitman or something?

 

[sep]

Originally posted by: GaryShandling

Originally posted by: sep

Originally posted by: GaryShandling
The specs for this monitor dont outperform the others which you have probably researched such as the Hitachi CML series, and the NEC 1760nx....and probably planar, ben-Q e.t.c with all 16ms response times. Considering this monitor uses the same panel as the others i just mentioned the 500:1 contrast ratio that viewsonic state on the official website is not true. Its the same monitor, just design is different. It's $100 more then the Hitachi/NEC, so basically unless your in love with the design and must have anti glare.....its not worth the extra money.

In my post I said I factured "GAMING, COLORS/BRIGHTNESS, WARRANTY, OPTIONS and PRICE". Hitachi no thank you, NEC 1760nx no comparison at all... The only one I considered compariable to this monitor was the Planar PX171M. Yes it was close, but in the end the Viewsonic won for the LOOKS, CONTRAST RATIO and PRICE.

Compair these two yourself and tell me how close these ones come: Viewsonic_PDF vs Planar_PDF

...at the time of purchase these two were identical (maybe $2-3 dollars difference) in price. Again, if I selected the Planar I'd have someone saying the Viewsonic is better.

Thanks jZilla!

LOL..you still dont get it do you. There all the same monitor. The contrast ratio on the viewsonic IS NOT 500:1. Viewsonic are lying, and thats why NEC are taking them to court. So now its narrowed down to looks and price which is irrelevant to your main question asking if theres anything bad about the monitor.

Oh I got it and I'm lovin it.

Yes your right. I did ask for anyone to comment on the bads. Thanks for your information about the false 500:1 ratio. Do you have any links you might want to provide for me...or us. It would be appricated.

Originally posted by: JZilla
Gary,

At the normal price the Viewsonic is a tad more expensive. But Dell had these hotdeals, 15% + 15% off or something. If you looked in the hotdeals section and saw those hotdeals, you would cast a curse on Dell Europe. Dell US has some spectacular sales almost every month.

If all these 16ms monitors cost the same, I would have no hesitation in picking out the VP171. IMO it's design is the best. Is the design worth an extra $100? In my mind, yes. I keep my monitors for several years, so $100 isn't that big of a deal considering I will most likely keep my future monitor for 4+ years. Until a year ago I was still using an IBM 15" crt. Then I got my parents old monitor, a Daewoo 17" crt. When the time comes this summer, when I will be the lucky owner of a lcd, I will pick out what is just right for me. $100 extra or not. Besides the VP171 comes with a dvi cable, the NEC 1760NX doesn't, and these cables also cost money and lessen the gap between the Viewsonic and the others. And yes, the Hitachi also comes with a dvi cable, but I can only find one dealer in Denmark and I find the Hitachi design to be rather boring compared to the Viewsonic. The NEC looks better than the most, but not better than the VP171.

I wouldn't mind a Planar, as their warranty should be top notch according to this forum. But unfortunately I can't find Planar anywhere in Europe.

But after all, everything boils down to what you want (pivot, design and so on), and what price you are willing to spend on these features. I believe this is even more important with the 17" 16ms monitors, as they should pretty much be the same, like you said. $436 is an amazing price for the VP171, I can barely get a Samsung 152T here for that price. Makes you wonder doesn't it?

Have you bought anything yet Gary? And what is that sniper site about? Are you a hitman or something?

Well said...

Planar's warranty RULES!

 

[onza]

i went w/ planar cuase i <3 3yr warranty and 2nd delivery, NOW that is service.

 

[GaryShandling]

Originally posted by: JZilla
Gary,

At the normal price the Viewsonic is a tad more expensive. But Dell had these hotdeals, 15% + 15% off or something. If you looked in the hotdeals section and saw those hotdeals, you would cast a curse on Dell Europe. Dell US has some spectacular sales almost every month.

If all these 16ms monitors cost the same, I would have no hesitation in picking out the VP171. IMO it's design is the best. Is the design worth an extra $100? In my mind, yes. I keep my monitors for several years, so $100 isn't that big of a deal considering I will most likely keep my future monitor for 4+ years. Until a year ago I was still using an IBM 15" crt. Then I got my parents old monitor, a Daewoo 17" crt. When the time comes this summer, when I will be the lucky owner of a lcd, I will pick out what is just right for me. $100 extra or not. Besides the VP171 comes with a dvi cable, the NEC 1760NX doesn't, and these cables also cost money and lessen the gap between the Viewsonic and the others. And yes, the Hitachi also comes with a dvi cable, but I can only find one dealer in Denmark and I find the Hitachi design to be rather boring compared to the Viewsonic. The NEC looks better than the most, but not better than the VP171.

I wouldn't mind a Planar, as their warranty should be top notch according to this forum. But unfortunately I can't find Planar anywhere in Europe.

But after all, everything boils down to what you want (pivot, design and so on), and what price you are willing to spend on these features. I believe this is even more important with the 17" 16ms monitors, as they should pretty much be the same, like you said. $436 is an amazing price for the VP171, I can barely get a Samsung 152T here for that price. Makes you wonder doesn't it?

Have you bought anything yet Gary? And what is that sniper site about? Are you a hitman or something?

I was about to order the vp171b, then thought screw it and wait for the 192T. I thought if i cant see any ghosting on this HP pavilion f50's with 35ms response then i wont be able to see any on the 25ms 192t, and its nicer and bigger and much better colours/quality and the gain of 4 inches would be excellent in watching dvds...and when a 19 incher with 16ms is out ill chuck the 192t away and go for that.

And yeah, im a hitman....after watching the charles bronson movie "the mechanic" i was influenced into buying a PSG-300 snipers rifle in parts from various warehouse gun manufacturers. Im currently doing a job involving the first lady of the united states, some of my russian associates seem to be convinced her status on cocaine export is hurtfull toward there line of business.

 

[sep]

My friends got a 15" Sony 50ms and at the last lan party I couldn't see any ghosting at all. I wondered why 16ms would be required for non ghosting when I didn't see it on his. He did say when he ran the program to find ghosting it showed a little.

 

[JZilla]

Originally posted by: GaryShandling

I was about to order the vp171b, then thought screw it and wait for the 192T. I thought if i cant see any ghosting on this HP pavilion f50's with 35ms response then i wont be able to see any on the 25ms 192t, and its nicer and bigger and much better colours/quality and the gain of 4 inches would be excellent in watching dvds...and when a 19 incher with 16ms is out ill chuck the 192t away and go for that.

And yeah, im a hitman....after watching the charles bronson movie "the mechanic" i was influenced into buying a PSG-300 snipers rifle in parts from various warehouse gun manufacturers. Im currently doing a job involving the first lady of the united states, some of my russian associates seem to be convinced her status on cocaine export is hurtfull toward there line of business.

That's not a bad conclusion, the part about you seeing no ghosting on the HP. I'm sure you will be fine with the 192T. But don't you mean 2 inches, or are you talking about 16:9 aspect ratio.

LMAO at the rest. First lady, haha.

 

[JZilla]

Originally posted by: sep
My friends got a 15" Sony 50ms and at the last lan party I couldn't see any ghosting at all. I wondered why 16ms would be required for non ghosting when I didn't see it on his. He did say when he ran the program to find ghosting it showed a little.

Ghosting/blur is a very subjective thing. I saw a 172T the other day, and I could see some very slight ghosting. But I doubt I would have spotted it, if I wasn't looking for any signs of ghosting. If I were playing some fast paced fps, I probably wouldn't have noticed it.

 

[GaryShandling]

Originally posted by: JZilla

Originally posted by: GaryShandling

I was about to order the vp171b, then thought screw it and wait for the 192T. I thought if i cant see any ghosting on this HP pavilion f50's with 35ms response then i wont be able to see any on the 25ms 192t, and its nicer and bigger and much better colours/quality and the gain of 4 inches would be excellent in watching dvds...and when a 19 incher with 16ms is out ill chuck the 192t away and go for that.

And yeah, im a hitman....after watching the charles bronson movie "the mechanic" i was influenced into buying a PSG-300 snipers rifle in parts from various warehouse gun manufacturers. Im currently doing a job involving the first lady of the united states, some of my russian associates seem to be convinced her status on cocaine export is hurtfull toward there line of business.

That's not a bad conclusion, the part about you seeing no ghosting on the HP. I'm sure you will be fine with the 192T. But don't you mean 2 inches, or are you talking about 16:9 aspect ratio.

LMAO at the rest. First lady, haha.

hehe...i dont know why but i think 15" lcds dont ghost, everyone ive spoken too says they cant see any ghosting on 15 inch LCD's i dont understand why even though the response times suck big ones.. but i ment 4 inches more meaning from my current 15 inch to 19 inch. I think it might have something to do with pixel/dot pitch...

 

[JZilla]

BAH, stupid me. I was thinking about 17" vs 19".

 

[GaryShandling]

Jizzila, you going for the VP171B? or even the 192T? or something else?

 

[JZilla]

I think I will wait for the VP171 price to drop ?75, and then buy that. Unless the 192T or other quality 19 inchers will have a fair price by then. Currently the 191T is ?765 in Denmark, and I will try and keep my purchase under ?600. So at the moment it looks like the VP171 or maybe a Samsung 172T. But I need to check out the 172T again, and this time more thorough. But it's still the Viewsonic, NEC 1760NX, Samsung 172T, or a 192T if the price is right, which it probably isn't.

 

[oldfart]

I just got a 1760NX. Very nice LCD. I'm very happy with it.

 

[JZilla]

Do you have any problems with glare effects, like lamps or sunshine on the screen. Gary and I have previously discussed this, the VP171 apparently has an antiglare screen. This is somewhat important to me, as I am sitting with a large window to the right and slightly behind me. On my 4 o'clock, if you can know what I mean. I seem to be speaking mumbo-jumbo right now.

 

[oldfart]

No glare issue at all.

 

[JZilla]

Gracias Senor. Do you use dvi or analog? If dvi, what's a good cable to get, are there any differences in dvi cables?

Then maybe I should go for the NEC, and save some money. It's only ?450 in Germany, shipping is ?46. And NEC Scandinavia has previously confirmed to me that there will be no problems with warranty, they will cover it like it was bought in Denmark. If I buy it in Germany, I could get a R9500 Pro or R9700NP to go with it, instead of my GF4 MX420. The video card would have to hold off for now if I bought the Viewsonic, unless I win the lottery.

 

[oldfart]

I use both! I use the dual input function to share the monitor between a desktop and laptop. Unlike the Hitachi CML174 I was looking at, I can switch between the inputs with a single button push on the panel.

It didn't come with a DVI cable which was a non issue for me. I need a 10' cable, and monitors usually come with a 6'. I had to buy a cable anyway. I got a
Belkin F2E4141B10-SD cable.