Samsung SyncMaster 172X 17" LCD Monitor (Silver)

Rating:
Summary: The 'x' stands for extraordinary, and expensive
Review: Although Samsung claims a revolutionary 12ms response time the overall gaming experience was no better than a 2 year old 15" TN+film Samsung Syncmaster 151S. I'm not using the bogus PVA-based sample either, this review is based on a retail version purchased in Taiwan.

What IS most disturbing about this display is that out of the box: 1. whites are WAY too blue (probably 10,000K) and 2. the internal gamma circuitry is set way too high. You can fix problem 1 only in analog mode because the color temperautre controls are completely disabled in DVI, and problem 2 can only be remedied if your video card drivers support gamma correction. On my system I had to lower the gamma to around 0.65 to produce a similar image to the old 151S.

If you video card drivers don't support gamma correction, don't get this display, because everything will be permanently washed out. If your video card drivers don't support indenpdent RGB color correction, and you want to use DVI, don't get this display, because your display will be permanently blue.

Other than that, it's a great display... bright, vivid, decent blacks, and to my eyes, extremely minimal ghosting.

Rating:
Summary: It's not that special
Review: Although Samsung claims a revolutionary 12ms response time the overall gaming experience was no better than a 2 year old 15" TN+film Samsung Syncmaster 151S. I'm not using the bogus PVA-based sample either, this review is based on a retail version purchased in Taiwan.

What IS most disturbing about this display is that out of the box: 1. whites are WAY too blue (probably 10,000K) and 2. the internal gamma circuitry is set way too high. You can fix problem 1 only in analog mode because the color temperautre controls are completely disabled in DVI, and problem 2 can only be remedied if your video card drivers support gamma correction. On my system I had to lower the gamma to around 0.65 to produce a similar image to the old 151S.

If you video card drivers don't support gamma correction, don't get this display, because everything will be permanently washed out. If your video card drivers don't support indenpdent RGB color correction, and you want to use DVI, don't get this display, because your display will be permanently blue.

Other than that, it's a great display... bright, vivid, decent blacks, and to my eyes, extremely minimal ghosting.

Rating:
Summary: Buy Samsung at your own RISK
Review: I bought a Samsung flat-panel television in March, and it the panel went dead in April. I brought it to a one of Samsung's certified dealers for repair, and waited and waited. Finally in May, I was told that the the television panel was indeed defective and couldn't be fixed, so the manufacturer was obligated to replace it under the warranty. It's now September, and guess what, I'm still waiting for the replacement. Buy from Samsung at your own risk. From my own experience, Samsung does stand by their products. For a few dollars more, buy one of the better, more reliable brands.

Rating:
Summary: Good buy
Review: I bought this monitor in May. The only issue was single faulty pixel (it couldn't turn off, and would always show blue, but would not show up if any composite color, like white, was needed). I haven't seen a need to return it because the colors are bright and vivid, games and movies play fine, and the monitor looks great.

The design itself is very sleek, the buttons are very subtle and out of the way. This can be annoying when initially setting it up, but after adjusting the brightness, the buttons just disappear into the thin bezel.

I paid around $500 (after shipping) for this; it's a great monitor, and would be a bargain at that price or less.

Rating:
Summary: The 'x' stands for extraordinary, and expensive
Review: I just fired up this monitor three days ago and I don't want to leave my office. I am a regular windows user and semi-technical person. Not a certifiable geek. This review is from the perspective of a 39 yo guy who loves using computers but wouldn't build his own and isn't an overclocker.

There are many reviews that you can read on the net that cover this monitor from a gaming perspective. Initially these reviews panned the Samsung 172x for ghosting and blurring during game play.

Don't pay too much attention to these reviews. Apparently that was due to Samsung shipping models that had a 25ms response time. The version that you will receive has a 12 or 13ms response time. That means it is practically as good as any CRT you can buy. Color saturation and crispness is incredible. This the case whether you hook this up with the VGA cord or, if you are equipped with an advanced video card, DVI. Both are supported and you can switch between them. There are no hookups for S-video, cable or component video. Do not plan to put this in your kitchen to watch tv. This is meant to be hooked up to a computer.

This is the most beautiful consumer product that I have bought in some time. The thin bezel, the slim, narrow dimensions, the way the cords can be hidden so they don't clutter up your desk. This is one beautiful monitor.

If you want to buy a great LCD monitor for your office and are willing to pay $600 More than the typical 17" LCD by at least $100), buy this thing. You will not be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Awsome product, best purchase since a long time.
Review: I was using two laptop computers and sinec I work on them all day (one Apple, one Dell), after 8+ hours of use, my eye were always irritated in the evening (the worse one to use is a dell laptop, very bad screen). My vision in the left eye actually dropped of 0.75 after using that dell laptop screen for 3 months.

Then, I bouth the samsung 172x lcd display, and it's incredible. I plug the two laptops with the lit closed to both DVI and RGB input on the display, so I can switch between them with just a button click on the monitor. The image is superb, no visible ghosting, NO dead pixels (after a month os use so far), and it's so relaxing for my eyes, they don't hurt at ALL anymore. It's like using your computer for the first time, it's the most healthy purchase I done with computer equipment.

I was so happy with it, I bought another samsung monitor for my wife, and then again, no dead pixels, I'm very pleased with the quality of the monitors, I recommand them to everyone. I now think that a monitor is the best investment you can do with a computer, don't risk your eye sight!