Samsung SyncMaster 2243BWX 22-inch LCD Monitor

List Price: $329.95 Discount Price: $305.98

Features:

• 22 Widescreen display
• 1680 x 1050 Native Resolution
• 300 cd/m² Brightness
• 8000 - 1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio; 1000 - 1 Contrast Ratio
• 5 ms Response Time

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Monitor! [Posted on 2008-04-19]
I chose the Samsung SyncMaster 2243 BWX 22" black monitor after researching dozens of highly rated monitors. My old monitor was a 50 pound, 20 inch x 20 inch Optiquest monitor (great for its time). The Samsung monitor responded very well to my Dell Dimension 4300 analog, windows XP desktop. I now have working space on my desk. This was a quantum leap for sure.

Samsung 2243 came with three other cables: d-sub, dvi-d and audio. My desktop did not need the dvi-d cable which was made for digital only products. I connected the audio cable but I don't think this monitor is audio enabled. I continued to use my old but powerful Harman / Kardon speakers.

Other features are: 5ms, contrast 1,000 to 1 and direct contrast of 8,000 to 1. It comes with two USB ports built into the monitor stand for camera and other devices, adjustable height, swivel, and tilt, and numerous choices on the lower right of the panel to adjust the screen image. Packaging was great and delivery time was three days excluding the weekend.

Installation took about thirty minutes. I was surprised that my computer was much faster than before. You can use the optimal resolution (1680 x 1050) for this monitor or you can make things appear much bigger on the screen by going into control panel and changing it to a smaller resolution in display, settings. At this point, you can fine tune the brightness, contrast, etc. again. The result is you can sit several feet from the monitor and still see things very clearly.

I have a few cons: the price is a little steep at $299 but I think it is worth it. The ½ inch monitor border is a little glossy but I got use to it. I tried to register the product online but it said my email address is invalid. I will try again. Hope this helps!

Fantastic monitor! [Posted on 2008-04-28]
After researching many different 22" monitors, I chose the Samsung 2243BWX because of Samsung's proprietary use settings (e.g., a text setting) and its ability to pivot. I had reservations after reading about uneven LCD quality in other Samsung models and after reading that the monitor had to be tilted up slightly while pivoted. Neither reservation proved to be a problem: the LCD was flawless (with no dead pixels or lines) and, once pivoted, the screen's could be adjusted to a surprising extent. There was some backlight bleed at the top of the screen, but no more than other LCD monitors. I also can't speak to its suitability for gaming or video; for work-related purposes, it's perfect, however.

Clear and amazing [Posted on 2008-06-24]
This is by far the best display I have ever owned. I am using it with Vista and a good quality video card and this display is flawless.

Might have been nice.... [Posted on 2008-06-25]
This monitor might have been nice had Samsung bothered to put the correct EDID information on the monitor. Instead, however, my monitor reports its maximum resolution as 1280x1024, so I can't use the monitor as a widescreen monitor since the Windows Nvidia drivers have strict implementation of EDID. So, this POS is going right back to Samsung. Did I mention I recieved this as a warranty replacement for another Samsung monitor that died after a mere 2 years' service?

There's also a pretty major design flaw in the monitor itself. The buttons on the unit are touch buttons. Brilliantly, Samsung made the text of the buttons charcoal gray on a black background. Unsurprisingly, unless strong light is available, the buttons are not visible. I wouldn't recommend any Samsung monitor, or any Samsung product for that matter anymore if this is the best they can offer.

It's okay... [Posted on 2008-08-09]
I'm sure you can find better out there.

I bought this at Costco yesterday and was pleased, for the first five minutes...

So There is backlight bleeding on top and the bottom, a bit on the right and left sides... I have an older Samsung930B (not widescreen) and there is no backlight bleeding (well not enough for me to notice it and be irritated by it). I spent the last 2 hours trying to fix this, I know backlight bleeding is a problem with all LCD monitors but like I said, my 930B doesn't have this problem.

Also, my 2243BWX does not include the USB hubs, I have no idea why. I bought mine at Costco (Canada) and wrote to Samsung, but they didn't even offer my model from the drop down list.

And Dynamic Contrast Ratio is a terrible idea when watching movies or shows. It just keeps flickering, even when it's in the same scene. As soon as the different characters (with different colored shirts let's say) are on screen, the monitor adjusts itself. Sounds like a good idea but practically, it's a terrible one. If you're using Dynamic Contrast though for things like text and then going on the internet, it's a better idea since you won't switch between the 2 constantly and if you do, they are different "uses" so it wouldn't be bothersome.

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