Widescreen 1680 x 1050 LCDs

[Apocalypse23]

I must say I use that res on my rig and i absolutely love it!

 

[Makaveli]

I just got the Samsung 225BW and love it also. If u see them in store most of the time they aren't setup properly. IE not running native res, factory default color settings.

After seeing it at futureshop I wasn't too impressed with the colours. After bring it home and tweaking it, huge improvement. And when setup up instore u don't know if they are using VGA or DVI.

i'm running this on a X800XTPE and so far its good. Games i've tested so far Counter Strike Source, Day of Day Defeat, Scarface all run well.

All of these games also support widescreen. The games I have left to try are the EA games I have installed which don't support widescreen
like Battlefield 2, and Need for speed most wanted. I have to read the hacks on the Widescreen gaming forum to get them up and running.




My Specs
http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.aspx?rigid=16172

 

[Captante]

I looked at several of the TN panel 22 inch screens over the weekend (Gateway FPD2275W, Sceptre x22wg-Gamer, Samsung 225BW, Westinghouse LCM-22W2, HP w22) and I have to say I wasn't happy with any of them, even after spending time tweaking & making sure they were setup correctly @ native resolution... btw the Sceptre was by far the best of the bunch & uber-cheap @ $329 (Costco) but still I wasn't thrilled.

Compared to the 20 & 21 inch models colors were washed out to my eye & there was substantial banding visable in videos ...too bad because I really like the size of the 22 inch panels, but as others have mentioned, unless its only for gaming and/or you arn't too particular about color accuracy & clarity the TN's are best avoided.

I still havn't made a final decision, but it looks like its coming down to one of the discontinued 21 inch S-PVA screens (Gateway FPD2185W or Samsung 215TW) or a big jump in price up to a 24 inch screen like the BenQ FP241W. Good news is that my 21 inch CRT is still working fine so theres no real rush.

 

[IndyJaws]

Originally posted by: Matt2
1680x1050 is an awesome resolution for gaming.

I will never play a game on a 4:3 monitor so long as I live. I went from beautiful Dell 20.1" to my old 19" CRT running 1600x1200 when I visited my folks back home and let me tell you... The difference is astounding. The game just feels more immersive and the viewing angle just seems more natural.

When I played CS:S on that 19" CRT, everything just felt cramped and really tall.

QFT

I went back and forth between WS and non-WS. I had almost talked myself into going non-widescreen until I finally listened to everyone telling me widescreen was the only way to go. I'm glad I listened. Not only is it incredible for gaming (immersion!), it's excellent for general usage as well. Go for it!!!

 

[josh6079]

I choose my NEC 20WMGX2 over my IBM P275 everyday. It's that good.

 

[Mem]

My 21 inch Samung CRT is boxed away,I really like WS mode for gaming on my Belinea 10 20 35W, 20" P-MVA 8 bit widescreen LCD,it does suck that some really old games don't support WS mode, but then you aways have the choice of stretched mode or 1.1 with Nvidia drivers for these type of games.

I have got a big feeling WS gaming will be the standard not far down the road for game developers.

 

[mooseyfate]

I'd assume all Nvidia 7-series or later cards support 1680x1050. Know if this is assumption is correct?

Specifically, I just ordered a XFX PVT73GUGD3 GeForce 7600GT 256MB. I can't get the manual from the manufacturers site without a serial number.

 

[mooseyfate]

Yeah, so NOW I find the answer... after I post the question

You can also get the manual from the manufacturers site by entering the product number (just missed that option before).

It is the NVidia ForceWare Graphics Drivers release 80... branded NVidia, not XFX. There is mention of 6800 512mb in the manual, so I assume these resoltions apply to at least 6 series and later.

"Non-standard Modes Supported
1680 x 1050
1366 x 768"

There is also a gigantic list of standard supported modes.

 

[imported_RedStar]

"I have an EVGA 8800GTX which has HDCP..."

but you won't need hdcp until 2012..

and the inq (shudder) says that the 8800 series can't do 1080p!! omgawsh

or from this thread:

http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/63451/

(find: 1080p)

edit: well this thread has put me of the acer 22 inch again ..and back onto the Samsung 225BW. so ty

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: RedStar
"I have an EVGA 8800GTX which has HDCP..."

but you won't need hdcp until 2012..

and the inq (shudder) says that the 8800 series can't do 1080p!! omgawsh

or from this thread:

http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/63451/

(find: 1080p)

edit: well this thread has put me of the acer 22 inch again ..and back onto the Samsung 225BW. so ty

Make sure you go & look at one or two of the 22 inch TN's side by side with a non-TN 20-21 inch model before you buy.. I was ready to jump on the Gateway or the Samsung myself until I saw how washed out the colors looked in comparision.

 

[Apocalypse23]

Here's a link to how good this resolution looks for games:

Link

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: Apocalypse23
Here's a link to how good this resolution looks for games:

Link

No doubt it looks very good in games & the super-fast response time really cuts down on any ghosting ... if that will be the primary use for the moniter then the 22 inch TN is a decent choice, I'm not saying its all bad by any means!

I actually liked the Sceptre x22wg-Gamer the best of all I checked out over the past weekend & it can be had at Costco for $329 currently, plus has the highest contrast ratio & support for 1080p.

 

[sbuckler]

Originally posted by: Makaveli
All of these games also support widescreen. The games I have left to try are the EA games I have installed which don't support widescreen
like Battlefield 2, and Need for speed most wanted. I have to read the hacks on the Widescreen gaming forum to get them up and running.

BF2 didn't even support 1280*1024 when it came out. EA are beyond useless. Command line args work fine though.

 

[Boldar Blood]

Having just switched from a Samsung 204B to a Samsung 225BW I can safely say that widescreen is the way to go. It just feels more natural to look at the games that support it or can be modded to use it make it an any decision. I love Samsung's LCD and even bought their 61" DLP 1080p HDTV and love it as well (the Wii looks great on it), so that's what I'd recommend.

 

[xboxist]

I still can't decide whether to go for the $600 NEC, or save some cash and get the new VX2035. I just know for sure that I want to game at 1680x1050. Looks badass.

If you guys HAD to suggest a 24" for gaming, what would it be? I'm staying clear of the 22" monitors.

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: xboxist
I still can't decide whether to go for the $600 NEC, or save some cash and get the new VX2035. I just know for sure that I want to game at 1680x1050. Looks badass.

If you guys HAD to suggest a 24" for gaming, what would it be? I'm staying clear of the 22" monitors.

After doing a lot of research & review reading I finally decided to bite the bullet & go for the BenQ FP241W for $748 shipped from Newegg after my 1% Preferred discount & the $40 Promo discount they e-mailed me yesterday. (also free UPS 3-day shipping)

I chose it over the Dell 2407WFP & the Gateway FPD2485W because it seems to have better image quality overall & BenQ has a "zero dead pixels" policy, plus it has an HDMI as well as Component, DVI, VGA, S-video & composite inputs, also its HDCP compliant. The only serious negative to this moniter is that current shipping versions lack 1:1 pixel mapping which causes DVD players & game consoles to stretch images to fill the screen without keeping proper aspect ratio, PC video & game sources (in particular Nvidia-based) don't have this issue however & thats all I plan to use it for.

Should be here by Friday afternoon (maybe even today) & I'll be sure to update when I get it setup.

 

[mooseyfate]

Speaking of Gateway, I don't hear much about their monitors online. Do they use consistent cores (unlike Dell)? Are they just pretty much re-hashes of another monitor? Or maybe I'm just not looking in the right places.

 

[soydios]

I have the VX2025, and just about all my games run fine at 1680x1050. Some require config file edits (PlanetSide, when I still played it) or shortcut commands (BF2, which I still play). But, if anybody knows how to get FEAR working at 1680x1050, please let me know.

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: soydios
I have the VX2025, and just about all my games run fine at 1680x1050. Some require config file edits (PlanetSide, when I still played it) or shortcut commands (BF2, which I still play). But, if anybody knows how to get FEAR working at 1680x1050, please let me know.

Here you go.. hope this helps:

http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/index.php?title=Master_Games_List_-_F

 

[IndyJaws]

Originally posted by: soydios
I have the VX2025, and just about all my games run fine at 1680x1050. Some require config file edits (PlanetSide, when I still played it) or shortcut commands (BF2, which I still play). But, if anybody knows how to get FEAR working at 1680x1050, please let me know.

v1.08 now supports it (and looks great)

v1.07 to v1.08 patch

 

[gi0rgi0]

Thats cool fear now supports widescreen. And the Chargers are gonna be superbowl champs!!!

 

[Captante]

Well I got my BenQ FP241W yesterday afternoon (ordered Weds 4pm ... Newegg rocks!) & so far its better then I expected it to be... zero backlight bleed, even on a black background in a dark room, very little ghosting in FEAR & Oblivion which are the only games I've played so far & I havn't noticed a single dead pixel... havn't watched any video yet.

The only knocks are that coming from a 21 inch CRT its very its very bright even with the brightness turned way down & the buttons on the side of the bezel are awkward to use.


Edit: Ran Dead-pixel buddy & after a lot of staring confirmed that I have zero dead pixels & watched a couple episodes of Firefly which looked great even in the dark scenes ... I have to say that this LCD is awesome & well worth the extra cost over the TN-based '22 inch models.