Review: ASUS VW266H LCD Monitor

Okay after 13yrs of faithful service, my Nokia 445Xi Plus CRT monitor finally was laid to rest at recycling center today after it was dying on me after only 5 minutes of being "ON" everyday the past couple of weeks. So after researching the forums on the web (i.e. NewEgg.com, CNet, ZDNet, Tom's Hardware, HardForum), I narrowed down the choices on brand:

1. Samsung
2. Asus
After reading more and more reviews, I went for Asus (never heard of them but apparently are big in the LCD arena and lots of people like them) as Samsung I've heard bad reputation in terms of the company.

My requirements were simple in highest priority first:

1. PC Gaming (not console)
2. Web browsing
3. Occassional movie/video watching

Since I didn't want to wait for a week to get a monitor from NewEgg.com (as it's the 4th of July weekend and any shipment made after this past Tuesday, I probably wouldn't get until next Tuesday), I bougth the 26" (actually 25.5 diagonally) Widescreen LCD Asus monitor (model VW266H).

My reviews are as follows: Comes with speakers...but who buys a computer monitor for speakers? Size: WOW! Like living in a condo then moving to a farm! TONS of acreage. Resolution is the max at 1920x1200 (rare 16:10 as now more monitors are going towards 1920x1080 - 16:9 ratio) @60Hz refresh rate with a 2ms input lag. It's a simple PnP (plug-and play) installation right out of the box. Comes ONLY with a VGA-to-VGA cable so be forewarned that you'd have to buy a DVI-to-DVI cable for your PC video card or an HDMI-to-HDMI card. I already had a VGA to DVI adapter but got a DVI-DVI cable anyway.

My Nvidia GTX 280 card (on my DELL XPS 730) immediately reset the settings upon detecting the new monitor tested it out by playing the mutiplayer version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, as well as the sequel Modern Warfare 2. This game has lots of clouds, smoke scenes and rapid fire movements so input lag had to be unnoticeable.

Verdict? More like 0ms lag! I could not tell the difference from my CRT (Cathode Ray Tube). Only lag was internet server lag, as there was no ghosting whatsoever. The OSD (On-Screen Display) is simple, though getting used to how to maneuver with the buttons takes a bit getting used to but once you get it, it's easy.

I do echo comments from other posts I've read that it is a bit BRIGTHER right out of the box where it can be a little strong burn on the eyes but just dial it down and you should be fine. No motion sickness for me after playing CoD for a few hours.

The stand is fine (plastic but hey wasn't expecting steel or aluminum as that would raise the cost). It tilts back a few degrees which is fine, but not height adjustable. I like the black border around the monitor. Also the back has a plastic cover that you can remove when so you can install any one of 4 types of cables:

1. Composite (RGB)
2. VGA
3. DVI
4. HDMI

I bought this one at a retailer Fry's since I didn't want to wait, and I got one as an "Open box" item. Saved 5% (about $15). So add tax, and my cost would've been $345....BUT...because I live in the state of California I get hit with a Recycling Waste Fee for the gov't Act of 2003 that applies to monitors, etc..at a cost of $16. So there goes my open box discount. So total was $360. Now it's 30 day return policy at Fry's but ASUS gives you a 3yr limited warranty on parts and labor so at that point I'd deal with ASUS. So save your box that it came in just in case you have to ship it back (hopefully I won't have to).

There was an open box item on NewEgg for a ridiculous low price of $179 (but I was too late). Anyway, if you can wait get from NewEgg. Overall the real-estate on this monitor is HUGE. Playing games immerses you, and watching video or surfing the web is ideal. This is not a monitor to expect precision colors for photo editing or great graphics.

But for the hard-core PC gamer, I highly recommend it.