Samsung 22" SM 225BW or Samsung 20" SM 204B

FYI there is a new 226BW from Samsung. Not many places have it from what i can tell, but Circuit City apparently does.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Spe [...] on.do#tabs

Hi,

using 225bw E6600 2GB Ram and 8800gts.

Work very good, fun with games and movies.

Not many games support 1680x1050, but those that can, you can play them at full details.

I recommend it, but if you can buy the 226bw (if it has good reviews), go for it.

DJBrad

yes I have a samsung 204B (20.5 inch, 1600 x 1200) and I also have an LG 1710B (17 inch, 1280 x 1040). The LG I have had for 2 years and the Samsung I bought just this xmas gone. There are many differences between these 2 monitors. The price of the Samsung was £280 (but £300 including delivery) and the price of the LG was £370 (bought from shop). On the LG the screen is much smaller resolution and the characters on the screen smaller (because only 17 inch). The samsung screen by comparison seems huge, while not taking up so much desk space. The samsung is also very heavy, not that weight really matters. On the smaller LG it is only really possible to view 1 window at a time, whereas on the samsung it is easy to view multiple windows open on the screen at a time (just resize the windows until they all fit nicely on the enormous screen). So ends the case for the Samsung. However, the colours on the LG are so much better, on the samsung the colours seem a bit washed out, I think there is something that you can do about this perhaps by playing around with the settings or involving some software that is supplied with the monitor, but I have not tried this yet. Also I am sad to say that the samsung has developed 1 stuck pixel already, despite me only having it for a short time. It is a red one, fortunately though right near the top of the screen so I hardly notice it (although perhaps I will in flight sims against a blue sky). In all the time that I have used the LG I have not had any pixel problems. Because of some problems I had with my newer computer, I had to go back to using my old computer, which wouldnt' work properly with the larger samsung monitor, so I had to go back to using the smaller LG one. Even though I have got my new computer back, I'm still using the smaller LG monitor! Perhaps I just prefer the sharper, brighter colours on the LG. However I'm sure I will go back to using the larger samsung one at some point. If I had a larger desk, then I would set up both monitors on the desk and enjoy the best of both worlds! Both monitors seem ok for gaming on, although I tend to play mostly strategy games. Also both monitors are free of any 'gimmicks' so you are not paying extra for such useless items as built in speakers or usb ports, which I like.

I agree with your opinion. I have owned numerous Samsung products over the years. Monitors, phones etc. I even get comments on my phone all the time if I show people a picture on it. They can't belive the pic is so much more colorful and clear than their even more expensive "shaving" phones etc. As for my latest monitor, a 940BF 19" 4:3 aspect, I love it. It shows a slight bit of light around edges on a solid black screen in windows loading, thats about it. Don't notice it at all in movies, games or anything else. I use it mainly for gaming and have seen no ghosting, I'm fairly sensitive to it and have seen none.

To the OP: I haven't gone with the widescreen format yet mainly because I don't really like hte look of them in stores, in person. They are much shorter than 4:3s and in many applications and games this would drive me nuts. If/when I can afford a decent 24" widescreen I might make the jump because the bigger the screen the less noticable the height difference to my tastes at least. Yes things will eventually have widescreen resolutions standard but right now many things still don't. In another year I will make the jump I suspect, maybe less if prices come down. This is my view on it anyway. Go see some in stores and compare the size, see what you think would look best to you by seeing it in person.

I bought a Samsung 204b monitor this past week and I had been asking myself and others the same question you posted here. When I was not sure which one I wanted, I went to electronics stores and luckily one store had both of them displayed side by side. I adjusted the settings on both monitors on display and ran a few applications; then I decided I preferred the images produced on the 204b better than the images produced on the 225bw.

If it is possible, I suggest you go to a store and compare the two monitors side by side, and then decide what you like.

It is nice to play games that support widescreen resolutions on a widescreen display, but some games stretch the image or don't support widescreen at all.

Here is a website which lists some popular games and the extent to which they support widescreen displays: http://www.widescreengamer.com/wid [...] _database/

Do you want a wider screen or an even higher resolution?

It is nice to play games on a 1600 x 1200 resolution if your card can handle it. All the games I play on my recently built computer support 1600 x 1200, but not all of them support widescreen.

I made my choice and I am very pleased with my recent purchase of the Samsung 204b.