I bet you’d have a pretty tough time using your computer if you didn’t have a monitor. It’s the one peripheral we all have and need. Fortunately for us, the lovely folks over at Geeks.com sent me a nice monitor to try out and review. It’s a 21.5” Samsung SyncMaster refurbished unit that I’m pretty fond of and have been using for the majority of the day now.
There are a lot of functions a monitor can possess. While this one doesn’t have all the glitz and glam that many monitors have, it has a few basic features that make it a nice, low-cost piece. It doesn’t have tons of customization options or bonus goodies, but it does have a very nice contrast ratio, resolution and response time above many other monitors at its price point.
Info:
21.5″ Samsung SyncMaster 2233SW DVI Blu-ray 1080p Widescreen LCD
With a 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution, 15000:1 Dynamic contrast ratio and 300 cd/m² typical brightness, this Samsung SyncMaster 2233SW delivers superior image quality and brilliant colors for photos, games and movies! The 5 ms response time provides smooth motion graphics with virtually no blurring or ghosting.
Its wide viewing angle of 160 degrees offers a view of the screen from anywhere in the room. This Samsung SyncMaster 2233SW features programmable Custom Key that gives you one-touch access to the picture optimization function you use most. Its soft curves, piano black finish and acrylic accent bar will add style to any desk.
Features/Specifications:
General Features:
High Gloss Black cabinet color
Screen Size: 21.5-inch wide viewable display
Pixel Pitch: 0.248 mm
Brightness: 300 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 15000:1
Vertical Viewing Angle: 160°
Horizontal Viewing Angle: 160°
Response Time: 5 ms
Number of Colors: 16.7 million
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Horizontal Scanning Frequency: 30 – 81 KHz
Vertical Scanning Frequency: 56 – 75 Hz
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
MagicBright 3
MagicTune
Custom key
OSD Menu
Integrated rear cable housing
Wall Mountable: 100 mm x 100 mm VESA
CCFL backlight
Connectors:
-15-pin VGA
-DVI-D with HDCP
Power Consumption: 40-watts
Dimensions:
-With Stand: 15.44 x 20.43 x 8.22-inches (H x W x D, approximate)
-Without Stand: 13.6 x 20.44 x 2.8-inches (H x W x D, approximate)
Package Includes:
-21.5-inch Samsung SyncMaster 2233SW DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor
-DVI cable
-VGA cable
-Power cord
-Tilt stand
What’s in the box?
As I mentioned, this is a refurbished unit. It is packaged in a pretty plain brown Samsung box.
Inside is the standard padding/enclosure for a monitor in a box – foam on the sides, with the other equipment for the monitor packaged underneath.
Underneath the monitor is the base, which is a pretty standard and unexciting flat plastic oval. It doesn’t have any kind of hinging or rotation support, so however you position your monitor on the base is pretty much how it’s going to stay. It’s rather thin, weightless and simple, solid plastic, and doesn’t appear to be the sturdiest thing ever crafted. It actually took me a few minutes to get the thing situated, and even with it attached I’m not that impressed with its stability.
The cables included are the common monitor trio – a power cord, a VGA cable and a DVI cable.
The monitor itself is nice looking. Monitors are one of those things that are kind of a bugger to take pictures of – especially when you’re in the middle of moving and only have about 3 feet of area to take pictures in, like I currently do. Anyway, just about all Samsung TVs and monitors have the same general style these days. There is a very nice, sleek, black plastic outer shell with a rounded bottom. The bottom is tipped with a clear acrylic accent bar and a blue LED at the base that lights up when the monitor is powered on.
Even though this is a refurbished unit, if I didn’t already know, I would have had no idea. It looks absolutely flawless and I can’t find an imperfection anywhere. It truly looks factory fresh.
The monitor clocks in at a modest 14 lbs and is 21.5” diagonally.
The back of the monitor has some interesting snowflake-like pattern to it. It doesn’t do anything, I guess it’s just there to break the monotony of black plastic.
On the right hand side of the monitor is a row of buttons that control everything the monitor can do. We’ll get to those. On the underside of the monitor, we have the three receptacles for the three cords included with the monitor. Nothing else.
Installation, Performance, Comparison:
As you saw in the name of the product, this is a 1080p monitor that calls itself a “Blu Ray” monitor. Really, all that means is that with a a 5ms response time, 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution, a 15000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and 300 cd/m² typical brightness, it’s got the chops to handle a lot of graphical fanciness. Actually, those specs are better than my Samsung LCD HDTV that I use as my main television. Maybe I should upgrade…
Though I may have a super-reflective glass-top desk that looks awful, the monitor looks great. Of course, it doesn’t look as great in the picture, but that’s a given. When I plugged in the cables, it didn’t look perfect, but most monitors do need some adjustment right out of the box.
After experimenting with the brightness, contrast and sharpness controls that operate the same on every monitor in the world, I tried the MagicBright feature within this monitor. The third button on the button panel brings up the MagicBright menu, which lets you choose from a variety of presets including Text, Internet, Game, Sports, Movies and Dynamic Contrast. Display settings are all a matter of opinion, and for me, Dynamic Contrast works really well for day-to-day work.
After using it for a day’s work, watching a few videos and playing a quick game, I can’t say I saw any faults with the monitor. It has a great, smooth picture for the price point.
The viewing angle is also quite nice – above you can see a photo taken from almost directly beside the monitor. Everything can be seen just as well as straight-on.
The monitor does have HDCP capabilities as well.
The colors are great, everything is warm and pretty, and I’m amazed this isn’t a factory-fresh monitor.
Conclusion:
Aside from a fairly weak and unimpressive base, the monitor is swell. It doesn’t have too many bells and whistles, but if your main concern is a monitor that has the color clarity, response time and aspect ratio to keep up with high-demand pictures, videos, games and other media, this is a very worthwhile investment for $140.
Pros:
+Very nice picture
+Fast, responsive, great colors.
+It looks attractive, like all Samsung monitors and TVs – especially for a refurb
Cons:
-Not packed with features for feature junkies
-The base isn’t great
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