Hi I've spent the last 2 days researching 22" monitors and I feel like I'm getting nowhere (and that I've gone mad). Oh, I notice that there are other posts on this forum about 22" monitors but I thought I'd start my own as I haven't been able to get the answers I want from them. I'll be using my monitor mostly for gaming, watching films and web browsing with the occasional work in photoshop/illustator (non professionally though). I realise that all 22" use the TN technology but this doesn't bother me as I found out that I've only ever used TN monitors. Anyway, I've managed to boil my choices down to 3 contenders: Samsung SM-226BW Iiyama PLE2201W-B1 Dell E228WFP The main problem here is the Samsung SM-226BW. The only thing stopping me from buying it is the supposed "panel lottery". I've read in many places that there are 4 types of panel for this model (A, C, S, and R). Many claim that there are massive differences between them whereas other claim that with a little jiggery pokery in the OSD settings they are all practically equal. I also understand that this panel does have input lag also. However, what I'm not sure about is whether this matters at all. The Iiyama has always come second under the Samsung in most of the reviews I've read. It does, however, have zero input lag and I also know I'm not going to be entering into some panel lottery. It's supposedly very good for gaming, apparently more responsive than the samsung with less ghosting. The Dell is in the list but only because it has also faired well in many online reviews and as far as I can remember dell have a good reputation with monitors and customer service so these are also a bonus. Interestingly I found this on the scan website. http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=604046 What does the V2 in the item title mean? Does it gurantee a good panel? I haven't been able to find any mention of a V2 SM-226BW anywhere else so is this just scan cleverly marketing the monitor? I've e-mailed to ask them about it but it normally takes a good while for them to respond. So, what would you do or what are your experiences of these monitors? P.S. I don't want a 24" monitor. My 8800GT would probably struggle on some of the more recent games at 1900 x 1200. Oh, and there isn't enough room on my desk for one either. Many thanks!
i heard Samsung 2232BW pebble series uses the same panel as the best 226BW, so why not take a look into that monitor? my LG L22WTQ is also superb, same image quality as my friend's Samsung 2232BW
I did have a good look at that monitor (Samsung 2232BW pebble). However, it seems that from the bottom of the stand to the bottom of the screen is a quite large distance mostly due to the rounded bottom of the casing. This means that the actual display is a fair distance from the desk. This may sound like an odd gripe but the reason this is an issue is that my monitor will be sitting on the higher tier of a 2 tier desk (the 17" monitor on it now is at my head height). I need the actual display to be as low as possible. I've also read that the stands on the pebble series are a bit flimsy and the monitor has a tendancy to wobble about as a result. Other than that it's a very tempting monitor. I could, of course, buy a third party monitor stand for it with height adjustment and a firm fixing to the desk but this is yet more cost. The same applies for the LG (it's got a tall stand) and I've also read some bad reviews for the LG too along with lots of users complaining about negative ghosting.
good point on pebble's stand, in comparison to my LG, it's way too flimsy. the ghosting LG is before July 2007, i think it's a safe bet those are cleared out. my LG don't have that kind of issue. my advice is to just go with Dell. they have superb monitors if you have the money.
I very nearly went for the dell but what stopped me was the fact that it's not an ultrasharp, the contrast ratio is 800:1 and the response time is 5ms. The price isn't an issue either because all three of these monitors are ranged from around £200 - £220. I'd also read that it can have some pretty bad backlight bleeding, not that I think this would bother me too much but it's still a consideration. Checked up on the samsung pebble and they don't have VESA mount holes so it wouldn't be possible to get a better stand for it, for a monitor of it's price I think that's a pretty big thing for samsung to not include. I've seen many cheapie 17" monitors come with them. I think I've looked into 22" monitors far too much and worried myself about every single model.
I think you'll be happy with any of the above monitors. I looked into 22" monitors as well and I ended up with a Dell 2408WFP. Having said that, this monitor has "problems" too. You have to decide whether these "problems" are just other people being picky or whether you won't notice them at all.
Very true. I think the main problem is that there's so much conflicting information out on the net it can be hard to make your mind up. I'd really like a S Panel samsung as it has come tops in all the professional reviews I've read. Of course, the annoying thing about it is the panel lottery. Damn you samsung for making life complicated. Incidentally I've already had a 22" monitor. It was an Asus MW221U but it had some serious negative ghosting on it and since last week the OSD stays permanently on in the centre of the screen. I've never been happy with it since I got it and my warranty has run out so I'm after a better quality monitor. I just don't want to get burned again.
i agree with the above comments about which one to pick, but i also agree, when looking for a new monitor i got the dell 24" ultrasharp
the dell 24 ultrasharp would be something I'd get if I could afford it, had the room and my GFX card could handle it. Heard nothing but good news about it.
Regarding the TN panels you might want to take a look Here. Gives a brief explanation of the panel types. TN is seen as the inferior panel. As for the type S and A panels this is down to the Samsung SM-226BW only. In a nutshell they were made with TFT panels from different companies and each of them varied in quality. The S panel is regarded to be the best whilst the A is generally considered to be inferior. The only problem is, when you're buying one, you can't tell what panel you're going to get. Hence the term "panel lottery".
Pebble is an awesome monitor, flimsy? No it isn't (maybe you haven't fitted it correctly). Anyway one of the best investments I've made.
i have read that the a,c,s,r were the factory designators. when the 22" panels first came out, some of the factories had better quality control than others, so some of the panels were more likely to be "bad" than others. since they have first come out, however, the quality control has been leveled out to the point where it doesn't matter what panel you get anymore. fwiw, i bought the cheapest acer 22" i could find when they first came out, it has no lag, no ghosting, no dead pixels, good horizontal viewing angles, and good color. after about 1.5yrs or use, i still can't find a single thing i don't like about it (except that i've started lusting over a pair of 2408fpw). i really don't think it matters which one you buy. @giovanni - no. there should be a sticker somewhere in the monitor saying the panel type.
I've looked and it says model 216bw and model code ls22mevsmv the next character is either a forwad slash (/) or an i followed by xaa. I don't see panel listed on the sticker anywhere nor in the samsung pdf manual. Where else could it be found, please? mine looks similar to the following without the part circled in red.
Yes, I hope so but I've heard about bad panels on other forums as well so I was just wondering. I absolutely love my monitor. I have no issues with it but I was just curious about the panel.
i had a samsung 225 when they first came out and there was all sorts of storys about bad backlight bleeding and tn panel but to be honest i was more than happy with it and only sold it to upgrade to a 24" and if i was looking for a 22" today then i would buy the 226bw
