HP ZR24W ... Are There Different Revisions To This Monitor? Is Newer Better?

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falconman515

Limp Gawd
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Aug 2, 2006
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I am looking purchase a used HP ZR24W monitor that is about 6-8 months old (one of the first ones to come I would assume) and according to the seller is fault free.

I am saving about 100 bucks from purchasing used instead of new but wanted to know if its possible that HP has released any kind of newer revision here lately that would possibly be worth spending the extra 100 on for a better panel.

I know these have had Tint, Backlight Bleed, White Glow issues and etc. Have they came out with a newer revision that would be worth the extra money? Or should I move forward on the great deal for a used ZR24W with about 1000 hours of use on it for just about 100 less than if new.

Also since I am purchasing used I will not have any kind of warranty (though the seller said he would help facilitate the warranty but I would have to pay to ship it back to him and pay to have it shipped back to me... about $80 round trip) and have there been a lot of issues that this may play a part in spending the extra hundred as well.

I think its a good deal but based on whether a new revision is out that would look beter and also the warranty issue will be my basis on whether or not to move on the used panel or get the new one.

Thanks for all your help guys, I really appreciate any feedback you guys can give me on my dilemma.
 
I'm always wary of used purchases, or even refurbs (have had issues in the past). That said, usually HP monitors are pretty good from what I've seen, and usually hold up well. However, if you're willing to give up a little real estate (1920x1080 instead of 1920x1200) and want an IPS, I'd go with a Viewsonic VP2365wb. They're about $283 new from Amazon, and have a pretty good picture, but have a touch of backlight bleed, and no overdrive. Some have complained of a touch of darkness difference across the screen, but that seemed to be for early models, and I haven't noticed it with mine. The only issue I have with it is a slightly-too-bright power LED...why are blue ones these days so dang bright?
The other I'd suggest is another 23" 1920x1080 PVA monitor. It's a Samsung F2380. It has a better static contrast ratio than an IPS, and still can be viewed from any angle. I found a place that sells them for $189.95 with free shipping. My roommate bought two about a month ago, and these things look great. There is a touch of input lag that seems to go away when overdrive is enabled. I'm not a hardcore gamer, so I doubt it would be quite as suitable for that, although I can game on the thing just fine. The IPS Viewsonic I can't even see ghosting on, at least no more than my previous 23" Acer H233Hbmid (that had a 8ms rating, I think).
For the money the Samsung has my vote, although I think the Viewsonic (or a competing NEC of the same size/specs) would be a great choice, too. If you're bent on a 24", then go for the HP. But if you're not so set on it, go for the Samsung, and get a brand new item, with warranty, for an excellent price. Keep in mind, normal price for that Samsung is $300. I'll be getting myself a couple, most likely in the coming month or so. The link is below for the Samsung.

http://www.pcconnectionexpress.com/IPA/Shop/Product/Detail.htm?sku=9986591&cac=BrandsItem

I hope this helps.
 
Look at it this way, buying new may be new, but you could also get one with dead pixels etc. At least the one you are looking at has been used and verified to be solid. The very 1st monitor I ever bought was a refurb, it was a CRT and it rocked. It also happened to be an HP. So my ZR24W is my 2nd HP monitor.
 
WaTaGuMp said:
Look at it this way, buying new may be new, but you could also get one with dead pixels etc. At least the one you are looking at has been used and verified to be solid. The very 1st monitor I ever bought was a refurb, it was a CRT and it rocked. It also happened to be an HP. So my ZR24W is my 2nd HP monitor.
Click to expand...

That's true, I would be ordering new from Amazon and they have a no question exchange policy and would send me a new one next day if I had a dead pixel but you are right is is nice to have a panel confirmed to be good and no issues at over a hundred dollar discount.

So do you like your HP ZR24W WaTaGuMp?

I just may take the plunge if there's nothing different in newer revisions.
 
falconman515 said:
That's true, I would be ordering new from Amazon and they have a no question exchange policy and would send me a new one next day if I had a dead pixel but you are right is is nice to have a panel confirmed to be good and no issues at over a hundred dollar discount.

So do you like your HP ZR24W WaTaGuMp?

I just may take the plunge if there's nothing different in newer revisions.
Click to expand...

I do like it. I came from a Benq FP241W, which was pretty pricey. I had them side by side and both looked really good to me. The Benq wasn't even calibrated with hardware, so I did get to compare the color differences. The Benq was more brownish on the grey scale at default. No LCD out there is perfect, they all have their little quirks.
 
IMO it comes down to how much you value having a warranty. You save a $100 upfront but if the monitor develops any issues within the warranty period you're SOL. I value a warranty, especially for any type of electronic gear, and it factors heavily into my purchasing decision. I will only buy monitors from manufacturers that offer at minimum a 3 year warranty. My zr24 arrived yesterday from MacMall which is impressive considering I ordered it last Friday.
 
catchthecarp said:
IMO it comes down to how much you value having a warranty. You save a $100 upfront but if the monitor develops any issues within the warranty period you're SOL. I value a warranty, especially for any type of electronic gear, and it factors heavily into my purchasing decision. I will only buy monitors from manufacturers that offer at minimum a 3 year warranty. My zr24 arrived yesterday from MacMall which is impressive considering I ordered it last Friday.
Click to expand...

How you liking it so far?
 
So far I'm very impressed with it, definitely a solid, well constructed piece of gear. The Samsung P2370 TN monitor I also own seems flimsy in comparison. I haven't spent much time putting it through the paces yet other than running some of the basic diagnostic tools available online. No dead or stuck pixels or any other obvious problems out of the box. All I've done so far is turn the contrast up a little(85) and the brightness down to 10 until l I get more familiar with it. With only these changes it looks pretty good to my eyes. I think you're going to be very pleased when it arrives.....
 
catchthecarp said:
So far I'm very impressed with it, definitely a solid, well constructed piece of gear. The Samsung P2370 TN monitor I also own seems flimsy in comparison. I haven't spent much time putting it through the paces yet other than running some of the basic diagnostic tools available online. No dead or stuck pixels or any other obvious problems out of the box. All I've done so far is turn the contrast up a little(85) and the brightness down to 10 until l I get more familiar with it. With only these changes it looks pretty good to my eyes. I think you're going to be very pleased when it arrives.....
Click to expand...

Always nice to hear :D Mine is being shipped with TFTCentral settings and since its used I have no worries of dead pixels or bad backlight bleed as he showed pictures and has tested for pad/hot pixels and its solid. So for $294 bucks guaranteed to have no issues and settings already somewhat calibrated I think I got a steal of a deal! :cool:

I will update my thoughts when it arrives next Monday.
 
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