A model “A” long time user review for this great gaming monitor
Written: Nov 20 '08 (Updated Dec 04 '08)
Product Rating:
Ease of Use:
Pros: 2ms response time, 3-year warranty, perfect for game playing
Cons: The A, S, and C issue
The Bottom Line: We have not had any issues with this monitor after more than one year. The high quality fast graphics (2ms response time) makes it great for game playing.
texas-swede's Full Review: Samsung 226BW (Black) 22 inch LCD Monitor
When my kids hit my sons (then 10-years old) laptop screen with a lacrosse stick for the second time, Comp USA would not replace it again. To replace the screen was $700, so I decided to buy him a nice monitor instead. I ended up buying the black Samsung 226BW 22 inch LCD Monitor model A. This was back in August/September of 2007 so this review is a "long time user" review. Recently I replaced my sons' laptop with a Dell SMT-116B Desktop which I upgraded with a BFG GeForce 260 OC PCI Express Video Card (3DMark Score 11401). This monitor supports both VGA and DVI and we used VGA for the old laptop and DVI for the new desktop. What is unique about my two cents is basically that this monitor (comes with a three year warranty) works as new after more than a year, despite taking some abuse. Normally my stuff always breaks down (the day after the warranty expires).
Our user experience
Overall our experience with our monitor has been very good. The 2 millisecond response time is still considered a top notch response time. The contrast ratio of 1000:1, the crisp and clear colors, the dot pitch of 0.282 mm, the brightness and in general the high quality of the picture makes the graphics in the various games that my son plays look awesome. I am often in awe over the clear picture and the smoothly changing screen while watching him play. I should add that it is recommended that you use the native resolution of 1680x1050. It really looks good if you do. I can see no ghosting, and I have never seen any flicker, or strange colors. The monitor has been used day and night for more than a year and has taken some minor abuse (no lacrosse sticks yet) without any performance degradation. Since our LCD monitor works as if it is brand new after more than a year I can understand why they dared to offer a 3 year warranty.
The installation and the calibration were easy. I did not have any detection problem, or driver installation problem. The monitor comes with a swivel base and it swivels easily all the way left and right, however, the height is not adjustable and it does not pivot sideways. This is not a problem for us, but it could be to someone else. The fact that the screen is 22 inch wide (aspect ratio 16:10) makes the gaming experience better and allows my son to also have a good overview of several home work projects and web sites simultaneously. The size is perfect for game playing; not too big and not too small, and it is not heavy. This monitor is also a very classy and good looking LCD. It makes the room look better even when it is not on (decoration plus).
The A, S, C issue
Apparently there is a great controversy over the different versions A, S, and C. S is the best version of this monitor (made by Samsung), A is the next best and C is the worst one. Despite having the A version I cannot see anything wrong with the monitor, however, I might have if I had gotten the C version (lucky). This sounds like a huge bummer to some people but since we have not had any problem ourselves I cannot take off too many stars for that. However, having subcontractors producing substandard versions of a product and then selling it as if it was the original (S) is shady. I have to refer you to another review that discusses this issue at length.
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