Gateway's FPD2185W: a 21in widescreen 2005fpw killer!

BB does not pricematch online deals

got my dvi cable (which does not come with it, grr), hooked up my reciever with the component cables i have, and now i have hidef xbmc glory, and my receiver (denon 885, if you were wondering) up converts from composite to component, so i need to use one input.

a very good upgrade from a 5 year old gateway 17" crt
 
weird. i'm coming from a 213t and i feel like there is virtually NO motion blur on the gateway compared to the older samsung. of course it's not as good as a CRT, it cant be right now. but for an LCD i think the response is very good.
 
Jim S. said:
Buzzing: None with the brightness set to the default level of 80.
Click to expand...

Grrrrrr... Last night I turned the brightness down to 50 since I thought 80 was way too bright, and I still heard no buzzing whatsoever. When I turned the monitor on this morning, it was buzzing slightly. I turned it back up to 80 and it changed to a higher pitch and got slightly quieter, and beyond 85 it gets higher and quieter still, but never completely disappears all the way up to 100. Still, it's not that loud. I can hear it over my fans and hard drives (the tower is under the desk), but I can't hear it if there are other noises in the house. With a video playing through my speakers it would be a complete non-issue.

It's also developed a hot pixel, a dull red one. Maybe I just missed it last night. It's in a noticeable area, but it only shows up if the area is lit at all. It doesn't show up on a black area. I still think I'm going to keep the unit. How do I know I wouldn't have bad pixels with the next one, and they only had one other in stock anyway.
 
I just got my Gateway last night from Best Buy the Screen is great and the size is perfect!
Only thing is that the Software that comes with it doesent let me do any adjustments cause it keeps saying to check for an update when i click on the button a webpage comes up and says my software is up to date but the software never lets me get into adjust why is this?

Another thing that i did noticed was the text is kinda hard to see is this because i am using my Mobos on board video or that im not using DVI? Im rebuilding my computer thats on my profile thats why im using it on my Modded Ecube now.

What are the best settings for this screen?

Thanks.
 
Those of you thinking of getting rid of this monitor because of minor banding need to think twice, as this is the nature of the beast of LCDs for now. Other 8bit panels have greyscale issues as it as well. Here are just a few words from Trusted Reviews not word for word.


Dell 2405FPW
http://www.trustedreviews.com/article.aspx?page=3126&head=18
There’s was some indication of compression at the high end, and the colour blocks were true but not particularly vivid, confirming my original impression. Colour fades were even all the way to the end in the colour scales test and there was also some banding in the 256 colour intensity ramp.

ViewSonic VP930
http://www.trustedreviews.com/article.aspx?page=5109&head=18
This is why we use DisplayMate to highlight strengths and weaknesses in monitors. Unfortunately DisplayMate did manage to highlight some shortcomings in the VP930. The Dark Greyscale test proved to be an issue for the VP930 where it failed to bring out the low intensity greys no matter how much adjustment I tried.
The problems with greyscales became more apparent as I pushed through the tests, with tinges of green and pink clearly visible on the 64 step greyscale test. The 256 level intensity colour ramp test also showed signs of compression at the low intensity end of the scale.

To be fair though, these shortcomings didn’t seem to creep into day to day use. I’ve been using the VP930 for the past couple of weeks as my main display and it has performed admirably, even when doing Photoshop work.
 
jokerx225 said:
Another thing that i did noticed was the text is kinda hard to see is this because i am using my Mobos on board video or that im not using DVI? Im rebuilding my computer thats on my profile thats why im using it on my Modded Ecube now.

What are the best settings for this screen?

Thanks.
Click to expand...


Yes, using a DVI connection clears up text considerably. And using onboard vid is xrobably hindering anything the display is capable of. Use NATIVE res of 1650x1080, and force a 75hz refresh as detailed earlier in this thread, it usually clears up some of the inherent LCD banding.....


This is a GREAT display, I am loving every minute of mine...and yes, I have had several good Trinitron CRT's....and I won't be using any more 4:3 ratio displays either.... :p
 
This is the Worst Software ive ever seen its installing and after it restarts it says that i need to reinstall Eztune do to an error. I try to open Eztune and it keeps asking me to update but there isent a update out yet.
 
Is there really any reason to install the extra software? I just hooked my 2185 up and it came up 75hz and 1650x1080 without having to add anything.
 
jokerx225 said:
This is the Worst Software ive ever seen its installing and after it restarts it says that i need to reinstall Eztune do to an error. I try to open Eztune and it keeps asking me to update but there isent a update out yet.
Click to expand...



Gert rid of EZ Tune....junk....you don't need it....
 
amalgamas said:
Is there really any reason to install the extra software? I just hooked my 2185 up and it came up 75hz and 1650x1080 without having to add anything.
Click to expand...

can u tell me what week was urs manufactured in?
 
whats are the best settings for this display "clock and phase" an where are the drivers?
 
Hmm.

Just got this monitor. Not gonna give a full review, since that has been done to death. But I will hit upon a few points.

Backlight- Im no expert with monitors, as my old monitor that I have used for years wasn't really good at all. But , from watching a DVD, I could tell that there was some "backlight bleeding' near the corners. But it really isn't going to affect me at all.

Buzzing- After about 30 minutes of using this monitor, I remembered there was supposed to be an annoying buzz. I shut off the TV, and listened. There is a very quiet buzz coming from the lower right hand corner, but I can hardly hear it over my PC. In fact, I only notice it if i press my ear to that place on the monitor, or if i try to hear it. I don't see how this could affect anyone. Then again, the brightness is set at 80 atm, and that could have an effect.

Pixels- I loaded up a monitor test app to look for dead pixels. I can't remember ever actually doing this before, so it was new to me. Unless I did it wrong, I didnt notice any. But even if there was one, I think i'd be o.k.

Color banding- I bought a DVI cable to use with this, any I tried to force 75Hz. It didnt help. However, i just went into the monitor menu,at it said it was still only at 60Hz. Ill try to update my video drivers or something.

EZ Tune- Seemed to work fine for me. However, this may or may not be related, but when i started up HL2 and tried to change my resolution, the game crashed. And it keeps crashing when it starts up.

Monitor adjustment- Monitor adjusts nicely--except for the side to side pivoting. That is a bit hard to adjust.


Now, what kinds of settings are people using for brightness and contrast? I really dont want to mess with them, especially with contrast.
 
SystemERRor said:
Hmm.


EZ Tune- Seemed to work fine for me. However, this may or may not be related, but when i started up HL2 and tried to change my resolution, the game crashed. And it keeps crashing when it starts up.




Now, what kinds of settings are people using for brightness and contrast? I really dont want to mess with them, especially with contrast.
Click to expand...



Are you trying to use Quinquinux AA? (or however you spell that).....that was giving me FITS in HL2 and Far Cry.....for some reason....use 2x or 4x.....works fine at my end....


I use ~50 brightness and ~50 contrast.....
 
I got this monitor about 3 weeks ago from BB.

My Xbox, PS2, and Gamecube are all hooked up with component cables to a component switch I picked up at RadioShack. That is then connected to the component jacks on the monitor, and I have audio routed to the Line In on my sound card. I have only had one problem with console games, and that is the monitor would lose sync when I was playing games and had the computer on & connected with the standard VGA cable. The problem has not happened after I switched to a DVI cable.

When using a KVM connected to the VGA port, Windows XP would sometimes detect the KVM instead of the monitor itself, and try to use a resolution that was too high for the monitor. When this happened I would have to reboot using VGA mode from the F8 menu. I found the problem occured if I switched the KVM to a different port manually, when turning on the computer. If I leave the KVM alone, the problem doesn't happen, and I have since connected my computer directly to the monitor with a DVI cable.

I still use a Mac Mini and a Linux box conencted to the KVM, so I ordered the speaker bar from Gateway for this monitor(arrived xmas-eve), so I wouldn't have to turn my main computer on when I wanted to hear sound from those computers. Well, there is one big problem with the speaker bar, it doesn't fit when a DVI cable is attached. At least, it doesn't fit with the current DVI cable I am using. I checked Gateway's website, but there is no indication if the DVI cable they sell has a 90 degree connector like the VGA cable the monitor comes with, so I did a search and ordered a cable with a 90 degree connector from a Yahoo webstore called dvigear. I'll update again after I get that cable.

Other than that, I love this monitor. It is the first LCD panel I have ever purchased. My previous monitor was a 21" Nokia CRT that was massive and nearly came to the front of my desk. The Gateway fits all the way back on my desk, and has freed up a shocking amount of desk space. I haven't noticed any problems with color washing/banding, or anything else. I have seen LCD displays with backlight bleeding, and don't notice any at all with this monitor. The only thing I have noticed, is this monitor looks at its' best when my room light is on, when lights are off images appear much darker. I haven't tried Doom3 with it yet, but have been playing Diablo 2 and watching movies without any problem.

Any questions? (sorry, but I do not yet own a digital camera)
 
TheRapture said:
Are you trying to use Quinquinux AA? (or however you spell that).....that was giving me FITS in HL2 and Far Cry.....for some reason....use 2x or 4x.....works fine at my end....


I use ~50 brightness and ~50 contrast.....
Click to expand...


Quinquinux AA? Im not gonna lie, I have no idea what you are talking about....

unless you are talking about that weird ati aa that i heard about once, long ago.


But regarding HL2 again-- i cant seem to get a custom resolution to work. It worked after i uninstalled Ez Tune, but it took away all the custom resolutions that were offered. So the only choice i have for 16:10 is 1680 X 1050. Now there is nothing wrong with this, except it is too big--it dropkicks my framerate. Anyone know how to get a custom resolution to work in HL2? I tried putting a setting in the launch options but it reverted to some other weird resolution and had artifacts everywhere.
 
Oh one more thing:

I was looking through the booklet that came witht he monitor, and it says that 1680X1050 runs at 60Hz...
 
Can anyone tell me how to get this thing to work at 75Hz on an ATI 9800? All I get is 60Hz even when I uncheck the hide modes check box.
 
SystemERRor said:
Oh one more thing:

I was looking through the booklet that came witht he monitor, and it says that 1680X1050 runs at 60Hz...
Click to expand...


OK, I agree...I can force 75hz in my video card control panel, and the actual display's advanced screen reports 60hz...now....some LCD's will take whatever refresh rate you "shove into it" and then convert it to 60hz...I think this is what the Gateway does....but whatever it does, I have an INCREDIBLE difference in gradient image quality between the two settings on the exact same hardware. All I did was force a 75hz custom refresh/resolution setting in my NV control panel...
 
TheRapture said:
Read here..... http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2010
Click to expand...

It turned out to be a lot simpler. I just added a custom resolution of 1440 X 900 @ 75 Hz in Nvidia settings. Like 30 more FPS with that resolution, despite the fact that it doesn't look as clear and pretty.

And also, i didn't notice any change in gradients when i tried to input 75Hz. Tomorrow im gonna do a clean install of the newest nvidia drivers and try my luck.
 
Hi,

I don't know what to do. Everything was working fine for more than a month and today after like 5 minutes that I was with the computer on the screen went black the power bottom kept blue. I turned the monitor off then turned back on, DVI signal detected, able to see the screen again for about 15 seconds and then off.. and its like this forever. After gets black the only thing that works is to turn off and turn back on for another 15-20 seconds of normal view. I have screen saver off, power saver off. I uninstalled Ez-tune, and N-Vidia drivers..no luck.. put them back still nothing. I connected thru the VGA cable still no luck. Exchanged the LCD monitors between my other computer it didn't worked either., but the other LCD works with the computer that is having problems with the FPD2185W
.
I don't know what to do.. Has anybody else had the same problem??/

please any help will be really appreciated
 
duker733 said:
I really noticed the color banding today when playing fear. Man it's quite bad. I have not noticed any other problems with any other games.

I really want to be able to run it in the 75hz refresh mode but am unsuccessful. I have an ati 9700 pro video card running the latest catalyst drivers from ati. I can't change the refresh rate above 60hz in the windows settings or the ati control center. It simply won't let me. Can anyone else running an ati card help me get the higher refresh rate?
Click to expand...

Fear shows noticeable gradient banding even on a good CRT. I tried it on my NEC 22 inch CRT and my Gateway LCD.

Rob
 
So whats the general consenses on this monitor? Worth buying or not? Really dont feel like reading all the pages lol.
 
OK I'm all DVI confused now. Do I want the DVI cable with the 18 pins or the 24 pins. I have the 18pin version sitting on the floor here that came from a Samsung LCD. Any suggestions before I try this monitor out for my 14 day FutureShop/Best Buy trial period?
 
zidion said:
So whats the general consenses on this monitor? Worth buying or not? Really dont feel like reading all the pages lol.
Click to expand...



Yes. As noted, FEAR has banding issues even on a CRT....it's a moot point. The display is incredible, and I did not have to keep mine had I not been 100% satisfied. It offers more features than the equivalent Dell model as well. Two pages side by side are easily done. Any of the recent "medium high to high end" vid cards can handle the native 1680x1050 resolution.
 
jddesigned said:
OK I'm all DVI confused now. Do I want the DVI cable with the 18 pins or the 24 pins. I have the 18pin version sitting on the floor here that came from a Samsung LCD. Any suggestions before I try this monitor out for my 14 day FutureShop/Best Buy trial period?
Click to expand...


DVI-D or DVI-I will work on this display. So yes, that Samsung DVI cable you have will work fine.
 
I have been using VGA since the beginning, and the picture, including the text is simply awesome. Text could not be any clearer than this. I am glad that I did not spend the money buying a DVI cable when I bought the monitor. I find hard to believe a DVI cable would produce better picture than what I have. But who knows maybe it is just my setup. Or am I missing something?

I'll just leave the DVI input for now to my sat receiver for whenever I want to watch TV on this.

jddesigned said:
OK I'm all DVI confused now. Do I want the DVI cable with the 18 pins or the 24 pins. I have the 18pin version sitting on the floor here that came from a Samsung LCD. Any suggestions before I try this monitor out for my 14 day FutureShop/Best Buy trial period?
Click to expand...
 
rek981 said:
CNET has a review up: http://reviews.cnet.com/Gateway_FPD2185W/4505-3174_7-31563945-2.html?tag=nav

This is my favorite part: "The FPD2185W's grayscales were a cut above the usual as well, featuring solid blacks, crisp whites, and a smooth range of in-between tones . . ."
Click to expand...

Maybe they just used a VGA cable?


Also-- is this monitor dazzlingly bright to anyone else? I have brightness down to 50, and it is still really bright. It burns the eyes, and even the face! And it does warm up my room quite a bit.
 
TheRapture said:
DVI-D or DVI-I will work on this display. So yes, that Samsung DVI cable you have will work fine.
Click to expand...
A DVI-I cable will not work for the monitor. Look at the connector on the bottom of the display. It doesn't have the four pins around the long pin on it. It will take a dual link DVI-D, but not I.
 
Does the USB hub on the back work well? I've never used a USB hub, never trusted one. Do they have any drawbacks?
 
SystemERRor said:
Does the USB hub on the back work well? I've never used a USB hub, never trusted one. Do they have any drawbacks?
Click to expand...


Mine works fine....


And I was told that the DVI-I would work....but I apparently was misinformed.... :p I know mine is a DVI-D dual link....
 
I picked it up in Canada for boxing day price of 699.99 plus taxes...lowest yet in Canada. Bought it at Future Shop at boxing day sales. Its a great price for boxing day only...saved 100 bucks.
 
Anyone interested in hearing experiences of a low-end, non-gamer over 60? I primarily use my computer for programming image databases, doing Photoshop work, web site management and surfing the 'net. Text size on screen is very important to me.

I got my FPD2185W on 1st Dec at BB, knowing their Christmas returns rule would allow my 14-day return privilege to be extended until after New Year's to prove it out.

I'm using:
NVIDIA GeForce 4MX 420 with 64mb
WinXP Pro SP2
Pentium 4, 2.0 gHz, 512MB

My old eyes are accustomed to a 17" CRT at 800x600 res. The first shock was that none of the 4:3 aspect ratio resolutions are available without distortion due to stretching. I cannot seem to make WinXP at 800x600 appear in letterbox format, no matter what I try. Nor 1024x768, etc. My first test for any resolution is to check aspect with the circle drawing at http://parthia.com/images/circle.gif I finally realized I had to run at 1680x1050 and try some new tricks.

At native resolution 1680x1050, 60hz VGA, I have seen none of the banding, backlighting, buzzing or other problems discussed in this thread. I have no dead pixels I can find, but don't know the scientific way to locate them. (Hints welcomed.)

I found Windows desktop's type and icons so small I had to do something. First I tried just increasing font size using Windows Display Properties dialog, Appearance tab, Font size to Large, but this was unsatisfactory.

So I used the Windows Display Properties, Settings tab, Advanced button to change the Display setting from the default 96 dpi to "Large size (120 dpi)" to get the 125% normal size effect. It is absolutely beautiful, so long as the Appearance tab, Effects button, Clear Type option is set. Note that I am at VGA 60hz, not DVI. If I pump the VGA refresh rate up to 75hz, the type quality is so crappy it hurts the eyes.

I need to view my web sites at the common resolutions/aspect ratios used by my sites' visitors. Will a new graphics accelerator card allow me to have letterbox format 800x600 or 1024x768? I am considering Mad Dog's Dominator FX 5500 GeForce FX PCI 128mb.

Charax
 
Charax said:
Anyone interested in hearing experiences of a low-end, non-gamer over 60? I primarily use my computer for programming image databases, doing Photoshop work, web site management and surfing the 'net. Text size on screen is very important to me.

I got my FPD2185W on 1st Dec at BB, knowing their Christmas returns rule would allow my 14-day return privilege to be extended until after New Year's to prove it out.

I'm using:
NVIDIA GeForce 4MX 420 with 64mb
WinXP Pro SP2
Pentium 4, 2.0 gHz, 512MB

My old eyes are accustomed to a 17" CRT at 800x600 res. The first shock was that none of the 4:3 aspect ratio resolutions are available without distortion due to stretching. I cannot seem to make WinXP at 800x600 appear in letterbox format, no matter what I try. Nor 1024x768, etc. My first test for any resolution is to check aspect with the circle drawing at http://parthia.com/images/circle.gif I finally realized I had to run at 1680x1050 and try some new tricks.

At native resolution 1680x1050, 60hz VGA, I have seen none of the banding, backlighting, buzzing or other problems discussed in this thread. I have no dead pixels I can find, but don't know the scientific way to locate them. (Hints welcomed.)

I found Windows desktop's type and icons so small I had to do something. First I tried just increasing font size using Windows Display Properties dialog, Appearance tab, Font size to Large, but this was unsatisfactory.

So I used the Windows Display Properties, Settings tab, Advanced button to change the Display setting from the default 96 dpi to "Large size (120 dpi)" to get the 125% normal size effect. It is absolutely beautiful, so long as the Appearance tab, Effects button, Clear Type option is set. Note that I am at VGA 60hz, not DVI. If I pump the VGA refresh rate up to 75hz, the type quality is so crappy it hurts the eyes.

I need to view my web sites at the common resolutions/aspect ratios used by my sites' visitors. Will a new graphics accelerator card allow me to have letterbox format 800x600 or 1024x768? I am considering Mad Dog's Dominator FX 5500 GeForce FX PCI 128mb.

Charax
Click to expand...

Im not sure if your card can do it, but check the nvidia driver settings (and check to see if you have new drivers). On mine i have "Digital flat panel settings", which lets me change the way my monitor displays things ( stretch, strech (but maintain aspect ratio), center, etc).


On that note, what setting are people using for this? I am using "Monitor Scaling". Should i be using "Display Adapter Scaling" or "Fixed Aspect Ratio Scaling"?
 
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