PowerColor X1900 XT 512MB ATI card
The Register reviews the PowerColor X1900 XT 512MB ATI-based graphics card.
The PowerColor X1900XT is a very fast card for the money and it’s a much more affordable option than the company’s own X1900 XTX which doesn’t offer a huge amount of extra performance considering the price difference. The downside is the fan noise - particularly when there are cards out there that perform as well but do so much more quietly.
The review found performance to be considerably good, with the downside being some extra noise that the card generated.
Apple 30″ Cinema Display upgraded
TUAW.com reports that Apple’s 30-inch Cinema Display LCD monitor has recently been upgraded.
Specifically, brightness has been boosted to 400 cd/2 (from 270 cd/m2). Also, the contrast ratio is now 700:1 (from 400:1).
This is great for Apple (and even PC) users who are into watching movies on their computers. I don’t think those who had recently purchased the non-updated models are going to be happy, though. Price is reported to be the same, at US$ 2,500. Wait, for that price, I’d rather get myself a spanking new MacBook Pro!
Samsung SyncMaster 970P review
ZDNet UK reviews the Samsung SyncMaster 970P, a 19-inch LCD monitor with a minimalist look.
The Samsung SyncMaster 970P combines excellent performance with a uniquely clean design. The monitor’s bezel has no buttons of any sort, and the connections, typically located on the back of the panel, have been exiled to a separate block that’s connected to the monitor by a lone cord. This arrangement gives the 970P a very simple look, with just one visible cable and no other visual distractions, but it makes adjusting the picture somewhat more complicated. At £299 (ex. VAT), the SyncMaster 970P is expensive, although we think its top-notch performance, flexibility and design are worth the price.
ZDNet liked the simple design, with the control buttons laid out of sight, and the video and power connectors likewise relegated to a separate block outside of the monitor’s body itself. You also get a rotary jog-dial. Sounds like Apple-inspired, indeed! Color-reproduction was found to be good, save for some pink flushes.
The monitor got an above-average score of 7.2, meaning it’s good but not quite an excellent choice yet. I’d say the price factor is a hindrance, at £299.
This LCD is a great choice for anyone who wants an uncluttered desktop.
ViewSonic VA1912w review
ZDNet UK reviews the ViewSonic VA1912w, a 19-inch wide-screen LCD monitor with good, but not great, features.
For business users, wide-aspect LCDs offer enough screen space to accommodate multiple document windows at once, and are becoming increasingly popular. Although the 19in. ViewSonic VA1912w looks modest, it packs a punch with above-average performance, full-sounding built-in speakers and a very sweet £205 (ex. VAT) price. You can find better performance, however, in the Samsung SyncMaster 970P and more adjustability in the NEC MultiSync LCD1970VX, but neither offer the bang-for-the-buck of the VA1912w.
The verdict: ZDNet gave the VA1912w only 6.8 out of 10. Above average, yet still not up to the mettle of excellent monitors. The basic gripe was bad design and ergonomics. But the £205 price would warrant a second look.
Sapphire Blizzard X1900 XTX water-cooled graphics card review
The Register reviews the Sapphire Blizzard X1900 XTX water-cooled graphics card. In the face-off between a regular ATI X1900 XTX and the similarly-endowed NVIDIA 7900 GTX, the ATI seems to lose the efficiency battle because of extreme heating up.
An X1900 graphics card draws about 150W from your power supply almost all of which ends up dissipated as heat … [In contrast,] a 7900 GTX has to shed but we’d estimate that it’s about 50W - half that of an X1900
…
Deciding whether you should buy a Radeon X1900 or a GeForce 7900 GTX is a tough decision, but on balance we would favour the Nvidia card because it’s quieter and has better drivers. Blizzard changes that and means that we now vote for the X1900 provided you have no plans to run more than one graphics card inside your gaming PC.
We’re in an era where watercooling does not only pertain to auto engines, but computer peripherals as well. When the fight comes to performance, it pays to stay cool, because heat generated usually means inefficiency in the way a device uses energy. So if a graphics card requires that much cooling, then it means it’s probably not using the power it sucks in from your power supply efficiently–most of it goes not to the display output but lost. Better cooling helps out, and if you’re in it for the raw power, then go for the water-cooled X1900.
Dell 2407WFP coming soon
The Dell 2407WFP 24-inch display has been shipping in Japan, but will it be available on US soil soon? Looks like it, since prices for the 2407WFP’s predecessor, the 2407FPW, have been falling on Dell’s retail site.
This opens up some possibilities here at home, though, where you can now pick up Dell’s 24-inch 2405FPW LCD, the older model with similar specs, for $799.20 at Dell’s website. It was $999 before. We’re staring at one right now, and we’re here to tell you, this monitor is going to be hard to beat, especially at that price.
Here’s another monitor to watch out for, with a slightly better-than-average (for its price range) resolution of 1900×1200, 1000:1 contrast ratio and 6 ms speed. HDCP is also supported.
iiyama Prolite 486S-S
The iiyama Prolite 486S is a 19-inch LCD screen that features an infrared sensor that powers the unit on or off automatically depending on whether a user is in front of the computer. A great power saver isn’t it? What’s more, you can expect less headaches and eye strain, as the ambient light sensor automatically adjusts brightness according to the environment.
The specs are quite average, with native resolution of 1.3 megapixel (1280 x 1024), an 8 ms speed and a 700:1 contrast ratio. But you do get stereo speakers with the set and multiple input options, including USB, DVI-D and VGA.
All this for a price of 249 British Pounds.
Split that screen!
If you’re too cheap to go dual-view by purchasing two monitors and graphics cards, you might want to check out SplitView. Say, you have a large-resolution monitor (okay, not so cheap after all) and you’d like to maximize the desktop real estate, you can split your view into two (or more) distinct “screens” so you can get the benefits of dual-screen view without the need for added hardware.
SplitView increases productivity by making it easy to work with two applications side by side. It helps make full use of your high resolution monitor and gives the benefit of dual-monitors without their associated cost.
This is a great app for those into heavy dragging-and-dropping or simply comparing several documents against one another. SplitView is not free, though, costing US$ 19. But that’s pretty cheap, and it’s definitely cheaper than having to purchase an additional monitor and graphics card to support your dual-view needs.
Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP review
ExtremeTech reviews the Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP, Dell’s 30-inch, four-megapixel widescreen offering that packs a punch.
To summarize our lab results, the Dell 3007WFP offers excellent contrast ratio and luminance numbers, good color-temperature tracking, and a typical CIE color response curve. Uniformity is a bit of a concern, though in daily desktop use, it’s not an issue.
…
The real question is, should you? Not everyone really needs the display size offered by the Dell 3007WFP. At $2,199, it may be cheaper than the competition, but that’s a relative thing. Paying two kilobucks for a display is hard to justify unless you’ve got the application mix and productivity needs. Financial analysts, video editors, 3D content creators, and other professional types can benefit, but the rest of us may have to wait until costs drop.
The 3007WFP was found great for the average desktop computing use, although the monitor faced some color and fidelity issues when playing high-def videos from DVD.
Also, you’ll have to check if your graphics cards can handle the native 2560×1600 resolution. The primary requirement is that your adapter supports dual-link DVI, which effectively limits you only to a handful of choices, such as the Nvidia GeForce 7800 series, ATI X1600 and X1800 series, and Nvidia and ATI professional-series adapters. Otherwise, you’ll have to be content with a 1200×800 resolution, which is quite a waste for a monitor of this stature.
The screen is a bit pricey, though, at US$ 2,199, and it’s said to be more cost-effective to run two 1600×1200 displays, if you really need that four megapixel resolution.
ViewSonic VX2025wm review
BIOS Magazine reviews the ViewSonic VX2025wm.
ViewSonic’s latest LCD monitor is a 20.1-inch widescreen model suitable for both work and play. While it doesn’t produce the best image quality available - and its connectivity options are basic - the built-in speakers and widescreen aspect ratio make it a relatively attractive offering for those tight on deskspace or those running a home theatre PC (HTPC).
The reivew found the monitor to be great-looking and fast, but not as ergonomically-friendly, since there are no pivot nor swivel options. But overall, the wide screen and the built-in speakers are a plus.
Categories
- Acer
- AOC
- Apple
- Articles
- Asus
- ATI
- BenQ
- Dell
- Gateway
- Graphics cards
- HP
- IBM
- iiyama
- LG
- NEC
- News
- Nvidia
- Other
- Projectors
- Samsung
- Sharp
- Sony
- Tips
- Toshiba
- ViewSonic
- Westinghouse
Recent Posts
Fatal error: Call to undefined function get_recent_posts() in /home/bmonitor/public_html/wp-content/themes/bloggywide/sidebar.php on line 11