Samsung LCD Monitor

[kac1]

I am new to this LCD stuff and I have been looking to get a LCD monitor. One monitor that I have been looking at is the Samsung SyncMaster Monitor 204b. I will be using it for gaming as well as everyday tasks. My question is whether or not my geforce 6800 video card could handle the 1600x1200 resolution while gaming and still perform well?Thanks.

 

[Hadsus]

I tried a Dell 2001fp last year with that video card. I wouldn't even try 1600 lines of resolution with most games. Of course, it's dependent on the game but something like FEAR would be out of the question. And I think alot of games would be problematic at that resolution with that card. Of course, everyone has their own preferences and playing with low frames is not one of mine.

As long as the monitor scales well though it shouldn't be an issue. I used the Dell at 1280 lines of resolution for gaming (but had the desktop at native 1600) and you would be hard pressed to see any issues. I would say the better question is how well the 204b scales down. That I don't know.

 

[kac1]

Thanks for your quick reply. The games I would be playing are CSS and battlefield 2.

 

[BassBomb]

You will be fine in CSS, but BF2 you may not be able to run any AA

 

[kac1]

I guess I could always upgrade my video card. What video card would handle 1600x1200 resolution well without spending a ton on a card?

 

[Capt Caveman]

Welcome to the forums. You should be fine. I use to run a X800XL on a 1600x1200 LCD. No issues and I played BF2 regularly on it with all settings medium except dynamic shadows/lighting low with 2X AA. I avg'd around 60fps.

 

[kac1]

Thanks for the reply capt caveman. I noticed that in your sig you have the samsung 204b..how do you like it?

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Originally posted by: kac1
Thanks for the reply capt caveman. I noticed that in your sig you have the samsung 204b..how do you like it?

I had one and hated it, poor viewing angles meant the slightest movement and you saw the difference, backlight bleeding along the bottom was a huge line noticable gaming for my unit, also screen uniformity was poor.

 

[zephyrprime]

I have a 204B and everything WaTaGuMp says is true. Also, my 204B was defective (something wrong with DVI interface) and I have to ship the darned thing back to Amazon.

 

[Hellotalkie]

Some samsung montors are awesome but some aren't. I have a 930B and its good. Also I would get a decent card that will last you for maybe a another year or so. A x1900xt would do great.

 

[Hadsus]

I think if you have a 3.0 ghz processor or below (Intel) you will struggle at 1600 lines with FEAR, Quake 4 , Oblivion and Doom 3 with HQ settings whether or not AA is turned on......IMO. Sure it will work but not without slowdowns. Also need to consider memory.....1 gig minimum.

 

[kac1]

Wow if these monitors seem to have all these issues then its definitely not something I want. If not this monitor, what would you guys suggest I look into getting?

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: WaTaGuMp

Originally posted by: kac1
Thanks for the reply capt caveman. I noticed that in your sig you have the samsung 204b..how do you like it?

I had one and hated it, poor viewing angles meant the slightest movement and you saw the difference, backlight bleeding along the bottom was a huge line noticable gaming for my unit, also screen uniformity was poor.

A couple of minor annoyances but nothing that would stop me from recommending it. The screen is very bright(too bright) and the color is excellent. It doesn't have the viewing angles that my HP L2335 does but I only notice it if I'm standing above it or if I purposely try and look at it from an angle. Looking at it straight on, like you normally would, the limited viewing angle issue is a moot point.

My unit has a slight backlight bleed at the top but b/c the default brightness of the monitor is so bright, when I turned it down to Internet(the monitor has profiles with different brightness/contrast settings), no backlight bleed.

Note I bought this monitor as a secondary monitor in a dual monitor set-up. I bought it for $284 AR and it's excellent for the price.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman

Originally posted by: WaTaGuMp

Originally posted by: kac1
Thanks for the reply capt caveman. I noticed that in your sig you have the samsung 204b..how do you like it?

I had one and hated it, poor viewing angles meant the slightest movement and you saw the difference, backlight bleeding along the bottom was a huge line noticable gaming for my unit, also screen uniformity was poor.

A couple of minor annoyances but nothing that would stop me from recommending it. The screen is very bright(too bright) and the color is excellent. It doesn't have the viewing angles that my HP L2335 does but I only notice it if I'm standing above it or if I purposely try and look at it from an angle. Looking at it straight on, like you normally would, the limited viewing angle issue is a moot point.

My unit has a slight backlight bleed at the top but b/c the default brightness of the monitor is so bright, when I turned it down to Internet(the monitor has profiles with different brightness/contrast settings), no backlight bleed.

Note I bought this monitor as a secondary monitor in a dual monitor set-up. I bought it for $284 AR and it's excellent for the price.

For me the thing was pure crap cause at the time it was brand new and still a $500 monitor so there was no way I was keeping it. I got lucky tho very close to my 30 days being able to return it the 215tw came out and was only 50 bucks more so I jumped on it and have been very pleased its miles above the 204b. I even called Samsung about the screen being so uneven with the borders and the guy said that its normal lol, little did he know it was far from normal IMHO.

 

[Capt Caveman]

OP - you may find some of this feedback on the Samsung 204B useful - http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustratingReview.asp?Item=N82E16824001226

As for other options for a 20.1" 1600x1200 LCD monitor, I think most folks here would recommend the Dell 2007fp.

 

[kac1]

What if I went down to a 19"..what would you recommend. Thanks for all your help so far guys.

 

[Hadsus]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman

Originally posted by: WaTaGuMp

Originally posted by: kac1
Thanks for the reply capt caveman. I noticed that in your sig you have the samsung 204b..how do you like it?

I had one and hated it, poor viewing angles meant the slightest movement and you saw the difference, backlight bleeding along the bottom was a huge line noticable gaming for my unit, also screen uniformity was poor.

A couple of minor annoyances but nothing that would stop me from recommending it. The screen is very bright(too bright) and the color is excellent. It doesn't have the viewing angles that my HP L2335 does but I only notice it if I'm standing above it or if I purposely try and look at it from an angle. Looking at it straight on, like you normally would, the limited viewing angle issue is a moot point.

The unit kicks out brightness at 300 cd/m², which is near the low end of LCD monitors. I think LCDs are generally more bright than CRTs but the brightness spec for this monitor doesn't appear to be out of line for LCDs.

 

[kac1]

What about the Viewsonic VX2025WM..good monitor?