Samsung SyncMaster 226BW any good?

[LucifurFox]

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX16621(ME).aspx

Im going to be using for gaming mostly, half life series, fear, crysis, etc

[Flip-Mode]

Yes, if you get the right panel.
Link (http://www.behardware.com/articles/662-1/22-inch-lcd-monitors-the-second-coming.html)
Link (http://www.behardware.com/articles/667-1/samsung-226bw-a-and-s-series-the-verdict.html)

[LucifurFox]

well i'll be purchasing it from memory express, hopefully they will let me check the back of the monitor before I pay for it

[Flip-Mode]

well i'll be purchasing it from memory express, hopefully they will let me check the back of the monitor before I pay for it

I'm sorry to inform you that Samsung have stopped writing the panel type on the sticker, you have to go into the service menu to find out which panel it is.
Hope that place will let you check it.

[LucifurFox]

GAH! O_< thats pushing it, but they normally have good customer service there..so maybe I can still get away with it

[redrumy3]

i love mine i have the right panel as well, very awesome monitor :D

[Bugalaman]

I love my 226BW for gaming and internet usage, but when it comes to editing photos or watching movies, its terrible.

[mrbobc]

i have an A panel and i must say its awesome! i fully tested it when i got it as i had read the articles you've been linked to beforehand, but i neednt have worried, it rocks!

then again every panel is different with every monitor/tv made, so i guess its pot luck! but dont immediately dismiss the A panel, try and see 2 together and see if you can see a difference. :) i also heard the 'dodgy' panels were only for a limited time also, when there was high demand.

[imperiousleader]

I'm also thinking of getting the 226bw, but I would like to know if old games that run in 4:3 ratio only will run in their intended resolution, that is with black bars on the sides, and not stretched like some widescreen monitors do.

[nightelph]

I have the 226bw and like it very much. Games look great. I'm going to check tonight which version I have, tho.

[Drinkyoghurt]

hey guys, in my 226cw I accidently reset the panel no. and cycle, is this a bad thing?

I hope not

[silkshadow]

The 226bw is a TN panel. I've got 2 of the 245bw (24" version of the 226) which I am happy I got for cheap (close out sale by Taiwanese distributor got them for ~US$300 total) otherwise I'd be ****ed. Turns out one of these LCD panels is from Samsung and the other is not. As people have said above, Samsung will use their panels and generic panels and not diferenciate anywhere (on the 245bw) so you cannot tell the difference till you use it for a while. The difference is very noticable, color is just off and pixels are fuzzy. It drove me mad after just 1 day and I ended up buying a pair of NECs to replace them on my main work rig and use the Sammys on my fun setup.

The TN panles suck at color reproduction (so any professional use is out) and are painful in gaming. When I say painful I mean in the neck. The viewing angle is pretty bad so you have to keep turning your head instead of using perifrial vision. You eventually get used to it, but it does take a split second off your reaction times. This will be less a factor in a single monitor setup and on the smaller 22" monitor. Still if you put it next to, say, a p-sva panel you will cry if you spent any large amount of money on the TN monitor. For daily use, its a good monitor. No complaints for basic stuff and the lack of color reporduction and color display is not noticalble in gaming if you don't look for it. So if you can get it cheap, go for it, otherwise its not worth spending bank on, that's for sure.

[Careface]

I'm sorry to inform you that Samsung have stopped writing the panel type on the sticker, you have to go into the service menu to find out which panel it is.
Hope that place will let you check it.

And Im sorry to inform you, but there are some monitors (like my 226BW) that dont have the number on the sticker OR the panel number in the service menu.

I guess theres not really anyway of telling whether its A or S, other than looking for the "blue dominant" hue, but Im colourblind so I cant tell anyway. Either way, I have a strong feeling mine is the S panel.

Its getting RMA'd, as theres an entire line of bright pixels half way along the screen, which apparently is caused by a lose connection inside the monitor. Gonna record the S/N and see if they repair or replace it :P

[Fhaarkas]

The only way to figure what the panel is now is to crack open the back of the monitor and look at the sticker on the panel itself. I imagine it'd be quite a fuss to do that in stores :D. By the way, here I'm loving mine. But the colors (for Photoshop job and stuff) indeed are a bit off. Might as well grab a calibrator now.

[Careface]

a calibrator?

[nightelph]

Yeahhh I think I'm going to invest in a monitor calibrator. Theres a review of several here (http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/monitor_calibration_tools.htm). Its an optical sensor that is positioned on the screen to measure actual colors the screen is outputting, compared to what it should. You can then 'calibrate' your screen for more accurate colors. The differences can be drastic, and you see how TN panels usually stack up. Check out a review of several 22" monitors (including the 226) at BeHardware (http://www.behardware.com/articles/689-4/22-inch-lcd-monitors-the-3rd-wave.html). They test each one and give you the before and after calibration results. Very useful site.

[donny_paycheck]

I love my 226BW for gaming and internet usage, but when it comes to editing photos or watching movies, its terrible.
Why does it suck for watching movies? Backlight bleedthrough? Asstastic contrast ratio?

I'm about to pull the trigger on one of these. My alternative, right now, is a LG L226WTQ. I found a killer deal on a refurb 226BW, though, so I'm headed that way unless someone can talk me out of it.

[Sonny]

2232GW should be a much better option. Its the updated version of the 226BW & it has the hi gloss screen & the panel might not be Samsung but it is precalibrated.

[neonlazer]

Super good monitor...i can tell the difference in how its better than a 220WM LOL..i had to get the 220wm on black friday..now i know why 226bw is $100 more...

[nightelph]

I never had major gripes watching dvds on my 226bw.

[donny_paycheck]

2232GW should be a much better option. Its the updated version of the 226BW & it has the hi gloss screen & the panel might not be Samsung but it is precalibrated.
Thanks for the suggestion Sonny but I'm not a big fan of the glossy screen. I like my monitor to be a dark abyss that can suck me into a game, not a mirror I can shave in. :)

Has anyone heard of the 226CW? Apparently it is a 226BW that is guaranteed to have a Samsung TFT panel in it, thus obviating the A/B/C lottery that has plagued enthusiast buyers since inception. Samsung claims a "wider color gamut of 97%", but I have no idea how arbitrary that is or how it relates to the previous 226 iterations.

http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/detail/spec.do?group=computersperipherals&type=monitors&subtype=lcd&model_cd=LS22MEXSFV/XAA&fullspec=F

[Sonny]

The 226CW like you say is a Wide Gamut but is still a TN panel. You get 97% of the software enhanced 6BIT to look like an 8BITpanel when you used to only get 89%. The earlier models have had RTC issues. They are not guaranteed to have Samsung made panels either. The high demand for the "budget" 22" segment has created a shortage & has forced Samsung to purchase panels from other manufacturers.

Be aware that the 226"X"W series is being phased out & the newer fragile stand 2232"X"W models will be the replacement. The BEHARDWARE (http://www.behardware.com/) links posted above are great resources for LCD monitors.

[donny_paycheck]

The BEHARDWARE (http://www.behardware.com/) links posted above are great resources for LCD monitors.
Yeah, I've read a bunch of articles over there recently and have found them far more helpful than anywhere else I've been.

I am starting to think that the 2232GW might be my best option after all, at this point. The screen gloss shouldn't be a huge issue since my PC is located in an area out of direct sunlight or glare from room lighting. Plus, I am fairly well convinced that a 22" panel is my happy medium: 24+ is too big for this desk and anything less seems too small for a widescreen.