Got this monitor yesterday, and love it! 22" is just the right size, the 24" would have been too much. I have the room, but to mouse navigate and head turning side to side on a 24" would be a little much.
The 1680 x 1050 resolution on this screen is not quite as detailed as my old Dell Ultrasharp 17" with 1280 x 1024 pixels, but it's hardly noticable. I just push the screen back a little farther and it looks awesome. Asthetically, it is a gorgeous monitor, gloss black rim with a hint of silver border top and bottom. The stand base is a little large and clunky looking, but it does house the keyboard nicely out of the way if you need the desk space.
I love the different screen settings with the touch of a button... Text, Gaming, Photo, Movie, and Custom. It really does make a difference, and is quick to navigate. This screen is big enough to run two Word programs side by side, or two photo programs.... I can see this monitor is going to come in real handy. It's fun to look at certain photos in the Movie setting... it pumps up the dynamic contrast, and some landscape shots look breathtaking. Some reviewers complain that if you move your head up or down, the contrast changes quite a bit. It is true, but I'm not a bobble head, and I don't see the problem.
Like all other reviews on this silly monitor, if you have a nice graphics card with a DVI digital output, you'll need to purchase a new cable, as this monitor only has HDMI and VGA input. (forget the crappy VGA analog input) Just buy a HDMI/DVI cable. I found one localy for $20... there are cheapo cables on Amazon, but be careful, some people have had trouble with them... why spend $300 on such a beautiful monitor, and link it with a [...] cable? Also, don't bother using your existing DVI cable with a DVI to HDMI adapter. The adapter is fairly long, and will cause the cable to hang down below the bottom of the monitor for a messy look... just get the DVI/HDMI cable. If your wondering, yes the digital hookup does give a slightly better picture than the analog VGA. The crispness is noticable. On another note, My two year old Dell XPS 410 was easily able to handle the 1680 x 1050 resolution... just pluged it in, drivers were detected, went into monitor properties and changed the resolution up a notch, no problems. Make sure your computer graphics card can handle the higher resolution, otherwise just stick with a smaller resolution monitor, you wouldn't like the picture otherwise.
As for fingerprints on the gloss bezel.... come on folks, no big deal, just wipe them off. One thing to consider, HP monitors only come with a one year warranty. A lot of other brands come with a 3 year. I just figured, my other LCD monitors never gave me any trouble. Hopefully I never need any HP phone support... some have really trashed it in these reviews. I'm just crossing my fingers.
One more thing. I picked this monitor because it has the High Gloss screen. If you do some research, you'll learn there are two types of screens, Anti-relective, and Anti-glare. Matt screens are anti-glare. There is a matt finish to the screen that diffuses reflected light, thereby eliminating glare, BUT, this "rough" screen coating so to speak, also diffuses the light coming out to your eyes through the monitor, giving it a barely noticable "hazy" look. On the other hand, a Gloss, or Anti-relective screen, is smooth like glass, and has an anti-reflective "tint" added to help tone down reflected light. For a laptop being used outdoors, this may not be ideal, but in my case, I have no windows behind me, so this gloss screen reflects nothing, and I have to tell you, once you see colors through a gloss screen, there's no going back to a "hazy" matt screen monitor.
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That about raps it up. This is a VERY impressive monitor. Just buy it. Thanks again Amazon! Best price, no shipping charges!
| Standing screen display size | 22 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1680 x 1050 pixels |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1680 x 1050 Pixels |
