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I upgraded to this from my Samsung 172X. I love my 172X, and decided to return to Samsung for my next LCD. Found the best prices here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001066
here
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=232399
and here
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?SCriteria=3800685&CartID=done&nextloc=
SIZE/LOOKS:
Upon opening the Samsung packaging, i was blown away at how big this thing really is in comparison to my older 17". Not just the screen, but the entire thing. Its thicker, heavier, and a bit bulkier, aka "Manlier" (Insert Man Grunt). Upon installing the base and putting it on my desk it looked amazing. Very simple, yet very elegant. The buttons on the bottom right are small and are barely raised from the panel itself, and the little blue power button glows and looks sweet at night. Anyway, for looks, i give it a 8.5. It looks great, very well built and sturdy, yet if you want a small thin LCD, you may wanna keep looking. The screen tilt works very well to adjust to your height too. I also must comment that i am a bit annoyed that Samsung does not include a DVI cable with this LCD. I knew this ahead of time though and bought one for $12.99 from Newegg and it works great. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16812189047
8.5/10 for lack of DVI and rather bulky/manly size
INSTALLATION:
The simple plug and play worked great. Booted right up with no issues at all. One thing though, i do NOT recommend installing the Driver for this monitor. Doing this removes your 75Hz refresh rate for some reason and therefore not very good for gaming w/ Vsync on. One thing i recommend installing is "Natural Color", Samsungs color tuning software, i will explain further in a moment.
9/10 due to crappy drivers
CALIBRATION:
The one thing that i noticed that needed some calibration was the color. Although my 172X was a 6 bit panel as well, it never needed to be color adjusted, but the 940B does. Not to worry though, its not hard. Just boot up Natural Color and use that software to tune it to your liking. It took me about 48 hours to get it about perfect. Dont worry, just be patient and it turns out looking great! I recommend running Natural Color, click on Monitor Adjustment, and then Color Preference, and the set the three color levels to 1.05. This gave me the best color.
9/10 Color is great, but does require some messing with...
IMAGE QUALITY:
I have only tried DVI so far and i dont plan on trying analogue. To put it simple, if you get an LCD, you are much better off going with a DVI connection. That aside, all text, pictures, and internet surfing is a pleasure! Text is crisp and clear and even at 1280X1024 i dont have to strain my eyes to read it like on my 17". Another plus to Samsungs credit, NO Dead Pixels, YAY!
Viewing angle is excellent...
10/10 Excellent IQ
MOVIES:
Movies look gorgeous in my opinion. After getting the color calibrated, it looks simply stunning. Very clear picture all around. No streaking or blurring at all, even in fast paced scenes. I tested using Pearl Harbor when they are having a dog fight in the WWII fighter planes. Lots of explosions, lots of movement, and the 940B handled it wonderfully.
9/10 No problems at all, but still not widescreen lol
GAMES:
Now, we all know if you are looking at this LCD, then you are likely a gamer. Let me tell you the 940B will not let you down here. I have tried, but to no luck to get any ghosting or streaking of any kind. If you are an avid gamer, this LCD will not disappoint. Blacks are very deep, and backlight bleeding is next to non existant.
10/10 Perfect for the avid gamer
GENERAL ISSUES/COMPLAINTS:
My only issue with this LCD is having to fiddle with the color. I may have been spoiled with my 172X and its great color with no fuss, but the 940B does require some adjusting. Other than that, i think its rather stupid to not include a DVI cable with an LCD...
FINAL WORDS:
The 940B turns out to be an excellent panel for me. I love the style, very sturdy and thick. It couldnt be better as far as build quality. My only qualms with it is its necessity to adjust the colors. For gaming, i am in love with it. FEAR, HL2 Lost Coast, BF2, all look absolutely breathtaking! Movies look great, and all around IQ is very high. Very fast panel with a decent price. I got mine for $339 from Newegg on a weekend sale!
The only other review online so far is found here:
http://www.overclockersonline.com/index.php?page=articles&num=311
Here are gameplay pics and movies as requested. Although you see some lines and stuff in the picture, its just my little digicam's fault. I posted a Lost Coast SS to show the true difference. Although, keep in mind that my little point and shoot digi cam will not capture the true color of the LCD either...
You can find my collection of gameplay vids and pics here:
http://www.thecowsaysmoo.org/budwise/pics/[H] Forum/
Here is the Screen Shot of Lost Coast
UPDATE: After reformatting a few times, i have realized something interesting. I noticed that the color of the LCD was great right from the start before installing Natural Color. I then proceeded to install NC and found that after i did the colors changed a bit after the reboot. Everything seemed a bit off and needed to be put back. I quickly uninstalled Natural Color and everything is great! So, just a side note, NC is not always necessary! Each panel may be a bit different, but the color is beautifuly vibrant and accurate without NC for me, and i dont plan to reinstall it. Try different things and see what works best for you! Using default looks pretty much identical to me as using NC and my settings i wrote about above. Of course, installing nothing is easier
Here are some followup shots:
Once again, my digital camera isnt gonna quite do these justice... But you can see in the 2nd image that backlight bleeding is pretty minimal.
As a follow up a few months later, i cant be happier with this LCD. The color, speed, clarity, and quality is excellent. Its hard for me to ask for more until i move to a 20" or the next generation of panels "SED". I have logged quite a few hours on this panel now with F.E.A.R., BF2, BF2 Special Forces, Half Life 2, Counter Strike Source, Age Of Empires 3, and it has ripped through em with no ghosting at all that i can see. Thumbs up! I must say, these must be getting more popular now considering the price has gone up a bit!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001066
here
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=232399
and here
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?SCriteria=3800685&CartID=done&nextloc=
SIZE/LOOKS:
Upon opening the Samsung packaging, i was blown away at how big this thing really is in comparison to my older 17". Not just the screen, but the entire thing. Its thicker, heavier, and a bit bulkier, aka "Manlier" (Insert Man Grunt). Upon installing the base and putting it on my desk it looked amazing. Very simple, yet very elegant. The buttons on the bottom right are small and are barely raised from the panel itself, and the little blue power button glows and looks sweet at night. Anyway, for looks, i give it a 8.5. It looks great, very well built and sturdy, yet if you want a small thin LCD, you may wanna keep looking. The screen tilt works very well to adjust to your height too. I also must comment that i am a bit annoyed that Samsung does not include a DVI cable with this LCD. I knew this ahead of time though and bought one for $12.99 from Newegg and it works great. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16812189047
8.5/10 for lack of DVI and rather bulky/manly size
INSTALLATION:
The simple plug and play worked great. Booted right up with no issues at all. One thing though, i do NOT recommend installing the Driver for this monitor. Doing this removes your 75Hz refresh rate for some reason and therefore not very good for gaming w/ Vsync on. One thing i recommend installing is "Natural Color", Samsungs color tuning software, i will explain further in a moment.
9/10 due to crappy drivers
CALIBRATION:
The one thing that i noticed that needed some calibration was the color. Although my 172X was a 6 bit panel as well, it never needed to be color adjusted, but the 940B does. Not to worry though, its not hard. Just boot up Natural Color and use that software to tune it to your liking. It took me about 48 hours to get it about perfect. Dont worry, just be patient and it turns out looking great! I recommend running Natural Color, click on Monitor Adjustment, and then Color Preference, and the set the three color levels to 1.05. This gave me the best color.
9/10 Color is great, but does require some messing with...
IMAGE QUALITY:
I have only tried DVI so far and i dont plan on trying analogue. To put it simple, if you get an LCD, you are much better off going with a DVI connection. That aside, all text, pictures, and internet surfing is a pleasure! Text is crisp and clear and even at 1280X1024 i dont have to strain my eyes to read it like on my 17". Another plus to Samsungs credit, NO Dead Pixels, YAY!
Viewing angle is excellent...
10/10 Excellent IQ
MOVIES:
Movies look gorgeous in my opinion. After getting the color calibrated, it looks simply stunning. Very clear picture all around. No streaking or blurring at all, even in fast paced scenes. I tested using Pearl Harbor when they are having a dog fight in the WWII fighter planes. Lots of explosions, lots of movement, and the 940B handled it wonderfully.
9/10 No problems at all, but still not widescreen lol
GAMES:
Now, we all know if you are looking at this LCD, then you are likely a gamer. Let me tell you the 940B will not let you down here. I have tried, but to no luck to get any ghosting or streaking of any kind. If you are an avid gamer, this LCD will not disappoint. Blacks are very deep, and backlight bleeding is next to non existant.
10/10 Perfect for the avid gamer
GENERAL ISSUES/COMPLAINTS:
My only issue with this LCD is having to fiddle with the color. I may have been spoiled with my 172X and its great color with no fuss, but the 940B does require some adjusting. Other than that, i think its rather stupid to not include a DVI cable with an LCD...
FINAL WORDS:
The 940B turns out to be an excellent panel for me. I love the style, very sturdy and thick. It couldnt be better as far as build quality. My only qualms with it is its necessity to adjust the colors. For gaming, i am in love with it. FEAR, HL2 Lost Coast, BF2, all look absolutely breathtaking! Movies look great, and all around IQ is very high. Very fast panel with a decent price. I got mine for $339 from Newegg on a weekend sale!
The only other review online so far is found here:
http://www.overclockersonline.com/index.php?page=articles&num=311
Here are gameplay pics and movies as requested. Although you see some lines and stuff in the picture, its just my little digicam's fault. I posted a Lost Coast SS to show the true difference. Although, keep in mind that my little point and shoot digi cam will not capture the true color of the LCD either...
You can find my collection of gameplay vids and pics here:
http://www.thecowsaysmoo.org/budwise/pics/[H] Forum/
Here is the Screen Shot of Lost Coast
UPDATE: After reformatting a few times, i have realized something interesting. I noticed that the color of the LCD was great right from the start before installing Natural Color. I then proceeded to install NC and found that after i did the colors changed a bit after the reboot. Everything seemed a bit off and needed to be put back. I quickly uninstalled Natural Color and everything is great! So, just a side note, NC is not always necessary! Each panel may be a bit different, but the color is beautifuly vibrant and accurate without NC for me, and i dont plan to reinstall it. Try different things and see what works best for you! Using default looks pretty much identical to me as using NC and my settings i wrote about above. Of course, installing nothing is easier
Here are some followup shots:
Once again, my digital camera isnt gonna quite do these justice... But you can see in the 2nd image that backlight bleeding is pretty minimal.
As a follow up a few months later, i cant be happier with this LCD. The color, speed, clarity, and quality is excellent. Its hard for me to ask for more until i move to a 20" or the next generation of panels "SED". I have logged quite a few hours on this panel now with F.E.A.R., BF2, BF2 Special Forces, Half Life 2, Counter Strike Source, Age Of Empires 3, and it has ripped through em with no ghosting at all that i can see. Thumbs up! I must say, these must be getting more popular now considering the price has gone up a bit!
