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Scooterboy · Jan 23, 2006, 04:09 AM

I'm shopping around for a display to compliment my 17" PowerBook and stumbled across the Samsung 244T. It's a 1920 x 1200 24" LCD featuring a 6 ms response time and 1000:1 contrast ratio.

Has anyone used one of these displays? It looks good (in black or silver). Specs look great. How does this compare with Apple's 23" Cinema HD display? I know Apple's displays feature 16ms response times. The shorter response times will be better for gaming and video watching I assume? Or doesn't that really matter at 16ms and below?

mduell · Jan 23, 2006, 04:55 AM

Since that display isn't priced well into the stratosphere, I'd say the 6ms response time is using a different metric than Apple uses (could be black-white instead of gray-gray).

I'd also look at Dell's 2405FPW... since theses are the only two 24" HD LCDs I've seen, they may be using the same panel.

Scooterboy · Jan 23, 2006, 06:42 PM

Samsung says the 6 ms response time is "G to G".

It's more expensive than Apple's 23", but it looks, spec-wise, like it's much "better".

Scooterboy · Jan 23, 2006, 06:53 PM

But it looks like the Samsung lacks DVI in, unless I'm reading the specs wrong?

The Dell looks like a really good value. Thanks, mduell, for the suggestion. Apple's displays look the best alongside my PowerBook, but they seem lacking in performance specs compared to the the Dell and especially the Samsung.

meelk · Jan 23, 2006, 07:56 PM

it DOES support dvi in. Samsung monitors are absolutely wonderful. If you can afford it, go for it.

Scooterboy · Jan 28, 2006, 06:15 PM

Originally Posted by meelk

it DOES support dvi in. Samsung monitors are absolutely wonderful. If you can afford it, go for it.

I think I will, as long as I can connect via DVI. I really love the looks of the Apple display's design, but at the end of the day I've spent more time looking at what's displayed on the monitor than the hardware itself. I wish Apple would upgrade their Cinema HD displays to Samsung's level of performance.

owolfe · Feb 8, 2006, 07:08 PM

I strongly recommend you check out the new Gateway FPD2185W monitor. It's a 21" ws monitor with all the features of the Samsung at half the price ($600). You will want to know about the GW before you buy your Samsung.

mduell · Feb 8, 2006, 09:09 PM

Originally Posted by owolfe

I strongly recommend you check out the new Gateway FPD2185W monitor. It's a 21" ws monitor with all the features of the Samsung at half the price ($600). You will want to know about the GW before you buy your Samsung.

That Gateway has 25% less screen area and 25% less pixels than the 24" HD so you can't watch 1080p HD; it should be compared to the $400-500 20" screens from Samsung and Dell, where it falls short in warranty (only 1 year instead of 3, standard).

plastiqueusa · Feb 9, 2006, 02:39 PM

I've heard that Dell uses Samsung's LCD panels for their 24" monitor, and I *really* like my 24" Dell, except the component input isn't great for video games--it has a weird shudder. I'd say go for whichever you can get cheaper, but the Dell (surprisingly) looks nicer because it's not all black (silver base/black frame). I got a great deal on the Dell because of a sale+coupon combination, so look for specials if you can wait for a little while--Dell is always running sales and coupons on various things.

I think the Gateway is probably better if you're going to hook up video devices in addition to a computer, since it has a Faroudja video processor in it--too bad the screen's not bigger/better resolution.

EDIT: okay, I didn't see the silver version of the Samsung--I personally like that style. Anyhow, you may still get a better price from Dell--they're like the OEM version of the Samsung monitor. I've also heard the "Magic" software has some bugs in its Mac version and doesn't work quite right.