2 x Samsung SM2053BW Aqua 20"

[ScarySquirrel]

Hello,

I am planning on buying a new monitor in about 1-2 months to upgrade from my 19" Samsung SM940BF.

Ideally I will be upgrading my PC at the same time but I face a dilemma. I want plenty of real estate on my desktop but I don't particularly want a monitor over 20" because I plan for the upgrade (if it happens) to last me a long time. I am concerned that further down the line when my hardware is becoming outdated, that I won't be able to run new games in the native res of a 24" monitor. I had this issue years ago when I bought a Dell LCD and my PC couldn't handle games in the native res and it was so annoying that I sold it.

So, I am thinking that if I get two Samsung SM2053BW Aqua 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-094-SA&groupid=17&catid=948&subcat=) which will work out about the same (perhaps less) than a single 24" then I get the benefit of a good LCD for gaming (low MS time, and from my experience of my existing Samsung there is no input lag, I assume this one will be the same or better), plus having dual screens really appeals to me as I use it at work and find it annoying going back to 1 screen at home.

So, based on what I have said do you think getting 2 x 20" will suit me better than 1 x 24"?

I think I have kind of answered my own question, but I know that having a smaller screen and then upgrading to a beefy system might seem a bit of a waste, but I am thinking in the long term as well.

Hope this post makes sense

 

[MoRT489]

2 is def better than one! I currently have the 20" Aqua and a 17" sony and i think the Aqua is fantastic, bright colours, no ghosting, looks nice, much lighter than it's predecessor too (may be a consideration if wall mounting but no biggy). I'm actually going to invest in 2 more of them soon and go triple

 

[ScarySquirrel]

2 is def better than one! I currently have the 20" Aqua and a 17" sony and i think the Aqua is fantastic, bright colours, no ghosting, looks nice, much lighter than it's predecessor too (may be a consideration if wall mounting but no biggy). I'm actually going to invest in 2 more of them soon and go triple

Cool, having read various other opinions elsewhere I think I will go for 2 x 20"

How do you find the aqua for gaming? What type of games do you play?

 

[wuyanxu]

my friend just bought one for his Macbook Pro. colours seems on the blue side when comparing with 2 year old macbook pro, but the macbook seems to be on the yellow side.

but desktop performance is very good, IMHO the colour is also good, and i prefer viewing the Samsung rather than his Macbook probably because i use a Sammy T240 myself.

next week or so, i'll try to get him to bring his Macbook to my house and hook it up to my Sammy T240 or my temporary Dell Ultrasharp 17inch for a compare.

only downside is the buttons are hard to get to, but i totally love the blue power LED when compared with my T240's rose red.

 

[MoRT489]

Not sure if last poster was referring to the Aqua but the buttons are easily accesible on the bottom behind a clear plastic lip.

Re games, i play mainly FPS (COD4, BF2, RvS) and also BFME and it looks great, no ghosting and colours are bright and vivid. Out of the box it is a really bright screen but once calibrated it is very nice. Also there is a button that allows u to switch between modes (i.e. movies, games, text) which have varying contrast/brightness levels. At it's excellent low price it is definitely worth.

Re Samsung RMA, my brother just RMAed his 206BW (predecessor to the Aqua) because the backing plate (inside the monitor housing - used for wall mounting) came loose when we removed the VESA wall mount. Samsung collected it, fixed it and returned it free of charge in less than a week so the 3yr warranty is obviously good too (tho most monitors seem to have this now - dunno why it doesnt apply to TVs too )

 

[ScarySquirrel]

Not sure if last poster was referring to the Aqua but the buttons are easily accesible on the bottom behind a clear plastic lip.

Re games, i play mainly FPS (COD4, BF2, RvS) and also BFME and it looks great, no ghosting and colours are bright and vivid. Out of the box it is a really bright screen but once calibrated it is very nice. Also there is a button that allows u to switch between modes (i.e. movies, games, text) which have varying contrast/brightness levels. At it's excellent low price it is definitely worth.

Re Samsung RMA, my brother just RMAed his 206BW (predecessor to the Aqua) because the backing plate (inside the monitor housing - used for wall mounting) came loose when we removed the VESA wall mount. Samsung collected it, fixed it and returned it free of charge in less than a week so the 3yr warranty is obviously good too (tho most monitors seem to have this now - dunno why it doesnt apply to TVs too )

Cool thanks for your thoughts.

I can't see any issues with it to be honest. I have been extremely happy with my 19" SM940BF (which finally converted me from CRT) so adding an extra inch and some better spec, it isn't going to be any worse

They are so cheap too

I have been out of the PC Hardware/gaming scene for about 2 years now due to living with my girlfriend. But we just broke up and I can't wait to get back into it

 

[wuyanxu]

Not sure if last poster was referring to the Aqua but the buttons are easily accesible on the bottom behind a clear plastic lip.

that's the problem. the text on the plastic transparent plat is hard to read, and the buttons don't feel clicky. my T240 buttons are have distinct clicking feel and its got OSD of what it does corresponding to its locations.

i just set everything to 50, and the colours are perfect.

for RMA, i tryed to RMA a T240 with Samsung earlier last month, they arranged door step exchange. but they never have the stock. (probably because T240 has just been released) so i contacted OCuk and the good people here sorted it out for me. got a new one from OCuk instead.