It's really no use to criticize unless you can be more specific. What is wrong with it? The writing style or the knowledge of the writer? Or something else?
Haters are always gonna hate. If you want things to change, the way is to provide feedback and tell WHAT IS WRONG.
The writing style is more juvenile, hyperbolic and chatty than I've come to expect from Anandtech. There are also some grammatical issues which obscure meaning. As a result the reader has to sift the article more carefully for the relevant information.
Clear, concise writing which conveys the information precisely indicates a greatery mastery of the subject material. The author may have a complete grasp of the issue, but it is not presented in a manner which would lead the reader to trust the author's, erm, authority.
Yep. I've been saying recently that AT is going down in quality. These new writers just aren't any good. Their writing style and content just isn't up to the old standards.
I mean, look at those pictures of the OCZ PSU on the first page. Someone even thought they were included as an error. This isn't a blog. Don't write about how your computer couldn't handle 3D and then detail how you upgraded it to support it. This isn't a case or PSU review. We don't need to know the details of your PSU installation for a monitor review.
We weren't asked to do that by anyone (nor do we allow "advertorial" content on the site - I'll be posting some updated AT guidelines in the not too distant future). From time to time we get updated hardware for our testbeds and we typically call it out in our reviews, the intent here was no different although I do understand that it was interpreted quite differently.
If you were thrown off by seeing pictures of the PSU, then you weren't reading the article very well. It was obvious to me why Chris might put pictures of the PSU he put in the computer he used to run the video card to run the monitor he was testing. :)
I haven't read the whole article, but I suspect some of what is going on here is inflexibility and an inability to read properly. In this day and age, people commonly don't read anything longer than a sentence or two without zoning out.
It's in large part due to a culture in which we have so many distractions (at least in the "western civilized world") that we feel pressed for time, all the time. It's hard to take the time to read an article properly. However, if you are going to read an artivle, I suggest doing it right, and doing it thoroughly, if you really are wasting your time.
Agreed, I wasn't bothered by this at all either. The bit about upgrading the GPU and PSU was useful and Chris even specifically states why he included it. It is to stress the fact that if you want to use this monitor for 3D gaming, you are going to need a high power system. About the product, I agree 120hz is very interesting, even more than 3D I think, but it's a shame you have to sacrifice in other areas to get it for now. Hope we soon get 120Hz non-TN panels and some standardisation in 3D gaming.
I found it a tad odd that the person reviewing the display wasn't initially using it with a system which would show it at its best and needed to upgrade their pc on the fly, which could introduce additional bugs.
I also take issue with the following bit:
"Since LCD phosphors don’t turn on and off instantly but have a bit of decay time"
This is not a correct explanation of why motion can blur and 3d images can ghost on an LCD screen, more likely a plasma display if we're talking about phosphors and decay-time!
Thanks for the review though, and I'm sure everybody takes time to settle into a role.
I think it is informative enough to the people who haven't gone through the procedure, who don't understand what running at 120Hz requires, that the information be included. It's not like he did an in-depth review of the PSU, he just devoted a couple of brief paragraphs with pictures in between.
As far as quality - Anandtech has added more editors, and they don't all have the same style as Anand. They shouldn't; they should write in their own style. I suggest you develop a broader mind. I'm not saying there aren't mistakes in grammar and sloppiness, but I do think this "going down hill" business is stating the situation too strongly.
Thanks for your feedback (as well as everyone else in the thread). AMD and OCZ provided the hardware to augment Chris' testbed for the review and I asked him to include his thoughts on the upgrade experience here to hopefully provide more of the end-user side of things. It was a one-time thing that won't be repeated in future reviews, just sort of a stake in the ground indicating a change to the standard display reviews testbed.
I do hear you loud and clear though and it's not hard for us to change the way we report changes like that in the future. I've added a section header to the GPU + PSU changes to hopefully explain the intention of that section a bit better.
My interpretation was that this was a shameless way to slip in a plug for OCZ and AMD. And while that may not be the case it is important to think about how different people will interpret an action.
"Since LCD phosphors don’t turn on and off instantly but have a bit of decay time"
Also this one quote jumped out at me. This is an LCD with LED backligting. It does not have any phosphors because it does not have a fluorescent backlight and on top of that even if it did there would be no fade away. Typically LCD backlights are just ON and the pixels just hold until they switch to a new orientation.
Also I do not get the point in sending a light to non gamer to review a monitor with 120hz gaming and 3D gaming as it's major function.
Actually, I thought that Chris presented himself early on as someone who wasn't an "authority", but was putting himself in the role of an average Joe User adopting his setup to a 120Hz monitor for the first time, and describing what the experience was like from that viewpoint. Not everything has to be written like a technical brief presentation or be a class on the electronics of how TN panels work.
Erm, makes me wonder if some of the nitpickers would complain about getting too much money in their EBT checks. Before complaining, one may want to remember that this info is, erm, Free! The writing is fine. Some of them may not use English as their first language. Some of the readers may not either. I, at least, like the chatty style more than the antiseptic, scientific style that more anal retentive types seem to like. I even like comments about power supplies. Naturally, I can understand that some would prefer to change all that to make the rest of us more like themselves. Erm, that is all I have to say...
I have a problem with posters that use caps lock in a potentially rude manner.
The tone of your post is already flirting with "rude". Using upper case characters nudges it over the edge. I cannot tolerate rude comments from individuals that represent Anandtech.
I suggest not replying using language that could be interpreted as rude.
To help achieve this goal, I suggest reading some of Anand's comments from past articles. He has an especially fantastic tone to every one of his comments.
I hope Anandtech maintains its exemplary reputation of mature and thoughtful staff.
I used caps because there is no bold (yes, this system is in need of an update). I wasn't trying to be rude, sorry if it sounded like that. I was just trying to get the message out in as short as possible. The poster didn't bother reading the article, so I couldn't be sure that he bothers reading my comment as a whole.
Also, thanks for the feedback. We (well, I in this case) can't really learn without someone else saying what is wrong. If someone bothers to comment about it, it must be something that actually has a value to someone.
I'll be sure to pay more attention to my language in the future. Not that I post replies like the above often (first time I think)
I honestly did try to give examples. I spent a good 15 minutes trying to copy/paste a few sentences, but I can't change pages in the article without losing the post I'm writing. So then I started using print screen and erased my entire post that was in clipboard, so I said screw it.
Here are some from "Lag and Power Usage".
", so the effect should feel like less." Like, for sure!
"The power use of the Samsung was a bit higher than a normal LCD, though this could easily be due to the 120Hz refresh rate that uses more power." should be something along the lines of "Power consumption of the Samsung was a bit higher than a normal LCD, though this could easily be due to the 120Hz refresh rate."
There are tons in the summary page from what little I saw of it.
Hey thanks for calling out a 13-year account as a "hater."
Sorry about the hater part, I would edit it out if we had that option. It just triggered me because it was the second comment and you clearly admitted that you only took a glance and still said it's bad. Okay, I know taking a glance has varying interpretations but from a writer's standpoint, your earlier comment was among the worst ones.
The good thing is that you came back and did what you should have done in the first post: Provided some examples. That is how we can learn and also edit or explain ourselves if needed.
For future use, you can open the article in another tab/window so you can keep posting the comment in one tab/window while reading the article in the other ;-)
OK, here's my opinion: I don't really want to know about the writer's _off-topic_ difficulty in setting up an environment or rig to test the equipment, unless it's actually very interesting or amusing or written in an entertaining style (but that sort of thing should belong on a blog or a different section ala Byte's Chaos Manor or an entertainment-oriented publication/show e.g. Top Gear).
Unfortunately the entire section on the lack of suitable PSU and display card and the resulting solution was not interesting, amusing nor entertaining. An editor would cut that section (and PSU gallery) entirely out. It just gives me the impression that the writer may be shilling for something/someone. Like those clumsy product placements in movies.
The rest of the review is OK from a glance, assuming the measurements etc were correct and done correctly.
I agree. I probably wouldn't have said anything for fear of coming across as a douche, but since you said it first I feel a little more justified. It reads like a high schooler wrote it, or an educated ESLer.
As I've said before, the reviews here are better than most places but they are still written for the masses. In this respect they are meant for the common, average Joe. Writing a technical review or article is nothing like this, I should know I do this for a living. But if they were most people would probably fall asleep. Might as well pick up a technical journal or magazine. Some people are glad it's not like that and some people are not.
Blogging mixed with technical reviews is a touchy subject and while I don't really like them I can live with them knowing that they are not meant to be the same as what I do for work.
I did hook it up to my Macbook Air (I hook everything up to my Air actually), and it ran at 120Hz just fine I believe. I can't check anymore, but I believe with 99% certainty that it did.
If I wanted to have a mirror to shave with I could get a mirror a lot cheaper than $400. I've switched over to my tablet for most things because I find all these reflections very annoying.
It could be dependent on how it operates at 60 Hz vs 120 Hz. If it runs at 120 Hz when fed a 60 Hz signal, but just repeats the same signal twice, you would expect identical results. If it runs at 60 Hz, the decay time could be slower than 120 Hz possibly. It's unlikely, but without being able to test both, there is no way to know for certain.
I have a S27A950D, which is pretty much the same panel but 27". I actually have been pleased with the interface and have had no problems with it - although perhaps the buttons are more spaced on the 27"?
The picture is amazing and I can't imagine buying another monitor that isn't at least 120hz - its not just the smooth motion and drag, etc - it's hard to describe how good and crisp the picture on this monitor really is. I have a really nice 240hz TV in the same room and if I play a Blu-ray and mirror it on the 2 screens it looks noticeably better on the monitor - better colors, better color depth, better blacks, brighter ... just all around an amazing monitor.
It would be nice if we could get a 2560 x 1440 monitor at 120hz ... which i think Displayport could handle rather than having to choose between the 850D which is 2560 x 1440 or the 950 which is 1080p but 120hz.
Quite correct. And the response-time of phosphors has never been an issue anyway as every CRT display used them and they could have a near instant response time.
AnandTech is certainly going downhill these days.
If Anand reads these comments, he should seriously consider the quality of the reviews being posted on his site, as the quality is becoming increasingly variable, from superb articles which delve into new CPU micro-architecture, to pot-boilers like this which consist mainly of recycled previous stuff combined with the author's own input which is of very dubious quality.
Minor feedback, but I think it would be better if there was a more sensible order to the pictures. I'd expect to see overview shots first and then details like the ports on the back! It's not just this article either, a few have had an 'odd' order to the pictures.
Also I'd drop the power supply tale... initially thought something had gone wrong and munged two articles together! When I re-read it I thought maybe you were trying to say I *needed* a decent PSU for this monitor...which made even less sense! Still not quite sure what PSU's have to do with monitors!
AT you have lately been reviewing TN monitors, including some pretty crappy ones, and I feel this is not helping to push the manufacturers towards introducing better quality panels (since I believe that AT reviews do have some influence on hardware manufacturers).
The monitor industry has stagnated with a glut of TN panels and few IPS ones. Instead of progressing to higher resolutions and greater bit depth, what new IPS panels we are getting are actually 6-bit. It is ludicrous that the smartphones are getting higher resolutions than new notebooks and ultrabooks!
120Hz is a technology breakthrough. It is the future, actually the future is here but some people are stuck in the past, and comparing monitors based on old technolgy.
Most guys I know are selling their U2711's for this 120Hz monitor. If you're a gamer this monitor(or another 120hz monitor) is a must have.
This monitor compares well and has better colours than most 6 bit IPS, so saying IPS is always better is wrong. Moving image quality on a 120Hz TN monitor is MUCH better than a 60Hz IPS or VA. It also has a much clearer panel.
Sure, if you're a photographer or use cad, the higher resolution 8 Bit IPS are the way to go but as a gaming/media panel this is much better. The clear panel looks much better than Dell's crappy AG coating.
It would be nice if they introduce some 120Hz IPS or VA panels but this monitor is much better than most on the market today.
Anyway, Chris the reviewer must be new to Samsung menus, I dont have any problem with mine, but there is a knack to it that comes with experience.
Also I'm not sure if you used frame sequencial 3D when testing the 3D, most reviewers use the wrong mode when testing 3D on a AMD card.
Other reviewers have this monitor as the fastest ever tested for response time and lag, did you use the "faster" setting Chris?
If you're a gamer and still on 60Hz you're missing out.
I used to get annoyed whenever my dad used to say --" video games kill your brain cells" and would argue against it. Now if he said the same thing today I would say " I agree and they fry the cones (retina) too". I mean there are all these gamer panels, short (nothing taller than 16:9), low bit depth, Low resolution, TN panels. If gamers buy these there has to be something wrong with their retina as well as their neurons. YUK
I don't know what's the deal with AT articles these days, but I jumped into this one straight from a RSS link, and it just jumped straight into action without any introduction whatsoever. I know there's a brief introductory piece on the front page, but I kinda miss a proper introduction chapter.
This article as a whole seemed quite rushed, and didn't cover even all the basics. It's nice that there's calibration tests, but it didn't even mention that the monitor comes with Samsung's 3D glasses and Tridef software was only briefly mentioned in the conclusion. Overall the 3D section of the review was quite lacking.
I do agree the capacitive touch buttons on monitors are annoying in general and unresponsive at times, but at least this one had them illuminated, unlike my older LG 120 Hz panel, where the capacitive buttons were impossible to detect other than in perfect lighting conditions.
After a month or two of using this monitor I'd go as far as say it's probably the best 23" 120 Hz monitor out there at the moment. The only big problem is the glossy reflections, you really need to think about your room lighting before you buy a glossy monitor. Also the lack of physical adjustments might scare off some people. Other than that the Samsung panel doesn't have the viewing angle problems as bad as most TN. It works perfectly as my center monitor for my Eyefinity setup since it has thin bezels too.
Thanks for the feedback. I'll work on making it so the review isn't so rushed at the start when coming from an RSS feed, though I don't want to have redundant information for people coming from the front page either. When the monitor was setup and in use, I really enjoyed it, but the controls on my unit were so sensitive and often unresponsive that it led me to hate to adjust it, which was a huge issue in the end. While performance is undoubtedly important, poor ergonomics and UI can make even the best product something you wouldn't want to use on a daily basis.
I'm trying to get out of a backlog of displays for review so everything in the future will be as fresh as possible, but I'll make sure to be more careful than usual on the next few reviews so that any issues with readability or captions are fixed. It's also always a fine line between making assumptions about what needs to be explained in detail (such as 3D) and what can be assumed as common knowledge, as many people don't want to slog through a 5,000 word review that goes into depth about things that most people might already know. Getting feedback on what was too detailed, and what was lacking, makes future reviews better as we can properly tailor them to what people expect.
I agree the article seemed very abrupt. I also jumped to it via an RSS then went to the home page of AT and back again -- I though I had missed a page or 2.
Does the monitor not support 3d through HDMI using 3D Vision? You can usually force a 120hz signal through HDMI even on 3dtv displays. I have never heard of 120hz only through displayport before
So this is an oddity of HDMI. There are plenty of graphics cards that support HDMI 1.4a, which is the latest standard. For example, HDMI 1.3 category 2 supports up to 10.2Gb/s bandwidth, which should be enough for 120Hz at 1920x1080 (a 32-bit signal would require 7.96Gb/s). The problem is that HDMI uses HDCP, and I believe most (all?) consumer HDMI implementations use a chipset that can't do 1080p120.
I can tell you from experience that every NVIDIA implementation I have used supported it. I have tested it on an 8600m, a 460, a 9800gt and a 460m. It only worked properly at the standard TV resolutions but it did work. While for video games the performance hit is significant enough that it doesn't matter, with a 27 inch screen I am thinking more about the applications in regard to 3d blu rays. I haven't tried AMD systems but I may give it a shot next time I am around one. I have tested it with a 3d viewsonic projector through HDMI and on a 3d tv which I cannot recall the brand of. The reviewer may have to wait for official 3dvision support to try an automated test through HDMI but you can tell the nvidia driver to push 120hz and it should go through. I know theoretically it should work but I thought you needed 1.4 do to 3d, I wasnt aware 1.3 supported it
Just to update on this, I chatted with Chris and he said with an HDMI connection to the LCD there was no way to send a 120Hz signal. This could be something on the AMD driver side of the equation, or it may be the HDMI chipset in the Samsung LCD just doesn't accept that. In terms of specifications, it's important to note that 1080p120 isn't mandatory or even listed as an optional resolution; anything sending 1080p120 over HDMI is using HDMI more as a carrier for a DVI signal.
HDMI technically has the bandwidth for 120Hz, but it's not in the standard for HDMI 1.4a. Neither the Windows settings nor the Catalyst Control Panel would allow a refresh rate of 120Hz to be selected without using DisplayPort for the interface. For 3D over HDMI, the required formats are:
- 1080p24 Frame Packed (so 24p for each eye) - 720p60 Frame Packed (for gaming, 60p each eye) - 1080i60 side by side - 720p60 top and bottom - 1080p24 top and bottom
There is no 1080p60 frame packed there, which is what you would need to support a true 120Hz refresh rate at 1080p resolution. Some vendors might support this, but it's not in the standard, but it is fine with DisplayPort, so that's the route that Samsung went.
I am not really interested in seeing reviews of 120Hz monitors as long as they are 1080. I own a 24" 1200 right now and would really like to see more reviews of 1440 monitors (Dell U2711, Fujitsu P27T-6, Samsung S27A850D, Hazro HZ27WB/C). Especially the Samsung has been making waves. Some complain about the backlight bleed, but other praise the great matte finish which does not add grainyness (like e-IPS 27" have). :-)
Terrible review. Why would a non-gamer without anappropriate GPU try and review a 3D Monitor? Jeez at least start with the prerequisites filled. Furthermore testing with AMD GPU was a bad choice anyway...Everyone knows AMD 3D software support is a poor second best to nVidia's.
The Samsung S23A750D is tested and certified by AMD to work with their cards in 3D, and so that is why it was tested with an AMD card. It appears on the AMD website as a supported device for 3D, but not on the NVIDIA website. Reading up on the matter showed that you can force it into 3D mode to work with NVIDIA cards, but at the moment it works more easily with AMD cards. Hopefully there is a unified standard soon so this won't be an issue going forward.
Samsung has had issues with touch for quite some time and I'm kind of surprised they still have not fixed it. I have used them almost exclusively since my first syncmaster 15 back in early 90's right up to the 2693 HM I have now and as far as picture quality I love them. The touch is horrible (all your same issues then some) and has always been a problem including several periods of time where it had a mind of its own. Nothing like being in the middle of a game and having it shut off or worse yet pop up the menu and go ape cycling menu's and changing settings at random. I still have occasional power button response issues but the menu cycling finally went away after I readjusted the front panel a bit by pulling it out around the touch panel. I have a much older Samsung 22" with real buttons and it is flawless to this day.
I'm not sure why you would have a non-gamer test what is obviously a gamer oriented monitor. I hardly think there are many people who would buy a 3D monitor to watch movies on. That's what 3DTV's are for.
If Samsung wants to sell 3D monitors, they're going to have to make sure that everyone's current favorite games look great in 3D. Skyrim, Battlefield, SWTOR, etc. Unfortunately this aspect of the review was simply glossed over with small references to WoW and Half Life 2.
If you enjoyed 120hz (I've been enjoying 120hz for quites a whiles now,) Sony is going to be releasing a 240hz gaming screen soon, which I have my eye on..... Although, in all fairness, you won't find many games that run >120fps these days, even if you buy top end hardware. I think the only way you're going to get this kind of performance, is through Source games (l4d, hl2 etc.) and the COD series.
Wouldn't it be nice if they shifted their arses into gear, to develop a 120hz IPS screen? It's been nearly 10 years since CRTs were outlawed, and flat panel displays STILL haven't caught up in terms of all-round performance in one panel standard (colour reproduction, contrast, refresh rate etc.)
I wish I could beat whom ever came up the 60hz is smooth. I can see motion up until about 90hz. Its subtle over 60hz, but certainly detectable. Back in the CRT days with larger monitors it was really easy to see this flicker in your peripheral vision.
Why is there no comparison to the Acer GD235HZ or LG W2363D, two very popular 23" 120hz displays. I own both and while the response times are very similar the input lag is miles apart. The "thrumode" on the LG makes it perform so close to a CRT I can't believe it.
I use my 120hz displays for 2D desktop/gaming and the LG is the benchmark (even against a CRT, yes really) in my opinion. It's a pity this display wasn't compared to it's direct competition. I'd bet this monitor is best in 3D tests, but that's not how everyone uses them. The only way I care about another 120hz display is if it's 27" and has zero input lag like the LG.
I don't know where you arrived at nearly 12ms - the real figure for this series of monitors is around 4ms and I can say from experience they are as close as you can get to a CRT in terms of input lag.
Chris, even though I feel the rest of the guys here make a few valid points regarding the structure of the article and perhaps a bit on the technical side, there are a few things I think you should know:
There are people like me, who would never use an Nvidia graphics card, simply because they a) just really don't like Nvidia and enjoy supporting the underdog (I know several of them) or b) people like me who absolutely require a silent PC. AMD are way ahead of Nvidia when it comes to the maximum performance of passively cooled GPUs and that is why I liked this article. I have been waiting for ages for an AT article regarding how AMD 3DHD folds out.
While I know this is not a 3DHD in-depth review, the fact that you blamed the artifacts in the games on purely the monitor (it seemed that way), is a bit disappointing. There are also the IZ3D drivers. This article also has a mission of showing a glance of the 3D gaming capability of the monitor. It would have been nice to see you try another driver, especially since there's only -one- other. That might have given you a better experience.
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
80 Comments
Back to Article
DParadoxx - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
Chris, there is an OCZ 850 PS gallery on page one. I suspect this is unintentional.DParadoxx - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
Spoke too soon, I see it is.Iketh - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
Sorry to be a d**k, but I could only glance through the article. It felt like is was written by a 7th grader. Not AT worthy.MonkeyPaw - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
I'm sure your thoughtful and constructive comment will really be a force for change at AT.Kristian Vättö - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
It's really no use to criticize unless you can be more specific. What is wrong with it? The writing style or the knowledge of the writer? Or something else?Haters are always gonna hate. If you want things to change, the way is to provide feedback and tell WHAT IS WRONG.
Galcobar - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
The writing style is more juvenile, hyperbolic and chatty than I've come to expect from Anandtech. There are also some grammatical issues which obscure meaning. As a result the reader has to sift the article more carefully for the relevant information.Clear, concise writing which conveys the information precisely indicates a greatery mastery of the subject material. The author may have a complete grasp of the issue, but it is not presented in a manner which would lead the reader to trust the author's, erm, authority.
MonkeyPaw - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
That's a much better way to put it. Nice ironic twist in there too. :pReikon - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
Yep. I've been saying recently that AT is going down in quality. These new writers just aren't any good. Their writing style and content just isn't up to the old standards.I mean, look at those pictures of the OCZ PSU on the first page. Someone even thought they were included as an error. This isn't a blog. Don't write about how your computer couldn't handle 3D and then detail how you upgraded it to support it. This isn't a case or PSU review. We don't need to know the details of your PSU installation for a monitor review.
claytontullos - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
agreedjohnf1285 - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
I agree with this too. I was thrown off when I was reading through the article, and glanced down to see a photogallery with pictures of a PSU.AnnihilatorX - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
Agreed too.I suppose it's some form of advertising contract with AMD and OCZ acting kind of a sponsor to the site.
Anand Lal Shimpi - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
We weren't asked to do that by anyone (nor do we allow "advertorial" content on the site - I'll be posting some updated AT guidelines in the not too distant future). From time to time we get updated hardware for our testbeds and we typically call it out in our reviews, the intent here was no different although I do understand that it was interpreted quite differently.Take care,
Anand
Sabresiberian - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
If you were thrown off by seeing pictures of the PSU, then you weren't reading the article very well. It was obvious to me why Chris might put pictures of the PSU he put in the computer he used to run the video card to run the monitor he was testing. :)I haven't read the whole article, but I suspect some of what is going on here is inflexibility and an inability to read properly. In this day and age, people commonly don't read anything longer than a sentence or two without zoning out.
It's in large part due to a culture in which we have so many distractions (at least in the "western civilized world") that we feel pressed for time, all the time. It's hard to take the time to read an article properly. However, if you are going to read an artivle, I suggest doing it right, and doing it thoroughly, if you really are wasting your time.
;)
Finraziel - Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - link
Agreed, I wasn't bothered by this at all either. The bit about upgrading the GPU and PSU was useful and Chris even specifically states why he included it. It is to stress the fact that if you want to use this monitor for 3D gaming, you are going to need a high power system.About the product, I agree 120hz is very interesting, even more than 3D I think, but it's a shame you have to sacrifice in other areas to get it for now. Hope we soon get 120Hz non-TN panels and some standardisation in 3D gaming.
robinthakur - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
I found it a tad odd that the person reviewing the display wasn't initially using it with a system which would show it at its best and needed to upgrade their pc on the fly, which could introduce additional bugs.I also take issue with the following bit:
"Since LCD phosphors don’t turn on and off instantly but have a bit of decay time"
This is not a correct explanation of why motion can blur and 3d images can ghost on an LCD screen, more likely a plasma display if we're talking about phosphors and decay-time!
Thanks for the review though, and I'm sure everybody takes time to settle into a role.
Sabresiberian - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
I think it is informative enough to the people who haven't gone through the procedure, who don't understand what running at 120Hz requires, that the information be included. It's not like he did an in-depth review of the PSU, he just devoted a couple of brief paragraphs with pictures in between.As far as quality - Anandtech has added more editors, and they don't all have the same style as Anand. They shouldn't; they should write in their own style. I suggest you develop a broader mind. I'm not saying there aren't mistakes in grammar and sloppiness, but I do think this "going down hill" business is stating the situation too strongly.
;)
Anand Lal Shimpi - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
Thanks for your feedback (as well as everyone else in the thread). AMD and OCZ provided the hardware to augment Chris' testbed for the review and I asked him to include his thoughts on the upgrade experience here to hopefully provide more of the end-user side of things. It was a one-time thing that won't be repeated in future reviews, just sort of a stake in the ground indicating a change to the standard display reviews testbed.I do hear you loud and clear though and it's not hard for us to change the way we report changes like that in the future. I've added a section header to the GPU + PSU changes to hopefully explain the intention of that section a bit better.
Take care,
Anand
PubFiction - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
I agree,My interpretation was that this was a shameless way to slip in a plug for OCZ and AMD. And while that may not be the case it is important to think about how different people will interpret an action.
"Since LCD phosphors don’t turn on and off instantly but have a bit of decay time"
Also this one quote jumped out at me. This is an LCD with LED backligting. It does not have any phosphors because it does not have a fluorescent backlight and on top of that even if it did there would be no fade away. Typically LCD backlights are just ON and the pixels just hold until they switch to a new orientation.
Also I do not get the point in sending a light to non gamer to review a monitor with 120hz gaming and 3D gaming as it's major function.
crimson117 - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
And then he only tests half life 2 and wow...Sabresiberian - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
Actually, I thought that Chris presented himself early on as someone who wasn't an "authority", but was putting himself in the role of an average Joe User adopting his setup to a 120Hz monitor for the first time, and describing what the experience was like from that viewpoint. Not everything has to be written like a technical brief presentation or be a class on the electronics of how TN panels work.;)
Sebec - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
"Not everything has to be written like a technical brief presentation or be a class on the electronics of how TN panels work."Maybe not, but on Anandtech, I'm come to expect that level of precision technical writing and explanation.
kris79 - Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - link
Erm, makes me wonder if some of the nitpickers would complain about getting too much money in their EBT checks. Before complaining, one may want to remember that this info is, erm, Free! The writing is fine. Some of them may not use English as their first language. Some of the readers may not either. I, at least, like the chatty style more than the antiseptic, scientific style that more anal retentive types seem to like. I even like comments about power supplies. Naturally, I can understand that some would prefer to change all that to make the rest of us more like themselves. Erm, that is all I have to say...ImSpartacus - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
I have a problem with posters that use caps lock in a potentially rude manner.The tone of your post is already flirting with "rude". Using upper case characters nudges it over the edge. I cannot tolerate rude comments from individuals that represent Anandtech.
I suggest not replying using language that could be interpreted as rude.
To help achieve this goal, I suggest reading some of Anand's comments from past articles. He has an especially fantastic tone to every one of his comments.
I hope Anandtech maintains its exemplary reputation of mature and thoughtful staff.
Cheers!
Kristian Vättö - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
I used caps because there is no bold (yes, this system is in need of an update). I wasn't trying to be rude, sorry if it sounded like that. I was just trying to get the message out in as short as possible. The poster didn't bother reading the article, so I couldn't be sure that he bothers reading my comment as a whole.Kristian Vättö - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
Also, thanks for the feedback. We (well, I in this case) can't really learn without someone else saying what is wrong. If someone bothers to comment about it, it must be something that actually has a value to someone.I'll be sure to pay more attention to my language in the future. Not that I post replies like the above often (first time I think)
Anand Lal Shimpi - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
"I hope Anandtech maintains its exemplary reputation of mature and thoughtful staff."We most definitely will :)
Take care,
Anand
Iketh - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
I honestly did try to give examples. I spent a good 15 minutes trying to copy/paste a few sentences, but I can't change pages in the article without losing the post I'm writing. So then I started using print screen and erased my entire post that was in clipboard, so I said screw it.Here are some from "Lag and Power Usage".
", so the effect should feel like less." Like, for sure!
"The power use of the Samsung was a bit higher than a normal LCD, though this could easily be due to the 120Hz refresh rate that uses more power." should be something along the lines of "Power consumption of the Samsung was a bit higher than a normal LCD, though this could easily be due to the 120Hz refresh rate."
There are tons in the summary page from what little I saw of it.
Hey thanks for calling out a 13-year account as a "hater."
Iketh - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
This is what I saw in the introduction."Virtually every game now is rendered in 3D, and so all of the information is there that is needed to show the game in 3D to the user..."
"Virtually every game today is rendered in 3D and thus have all the information needed to be displayed in 3D..."
I did not understand what was being said in the very next sentence. What is "running in active 3D"?
Kristian Vättö - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
Sorry about the hater part, I would edit it out if we had that option. It just triggered me because it was the second comment and you clearly admitted that you only took a glance and still said it's bad. Okay, I know taking a glance has varying interpretations but from a writer's standpoint, your earlier comment was among the worst ones.The good thing is that you came back and did what you should have done in the first post: Provided some examples. That is how we can learn and also edit or explain ourselves if needed.
For future use, you can open the article in another tab/window so you can keep posting the comment in one tab/window while reading the article in the other ;-)
lyeoh - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
OK, here's my opinion: I don't really want to know about the writer's _off-topic_ difficulty in setting up an environment or rig to test the equipment, unless it's actually very interesting or amusing or written in an entertaining style (but that sort of thing should belong on a blog or a different section ala Byte's Chaos Manor or an entertainment-oriented publication/show e.g. Top Gear).Unfortunately the entire section on the lack of suitable PSU and display card and the resulting solution was not interesting, amusing nor entertaining. An editor would cut that section (and PSU gallery) entirely out. It just gives me the impression that the writer may be shilling for something/someone. Like those clumsy product placements in movies.
The rest of the review is OK from a glance, assuming the measurements etc were correct and done correctly.
Boogaloo - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
I agree. I probably wouldn't have said anything for fear of coming across as a douche, but since you said it first I feel a little more justified. It reads like a high schooler wrote it, or an educated ESLer.The0ne - Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - link
As I've said before, the reviews here are better than most places but they are still written for the masses. In this respect they are meant for the common, average Joe. Writing a technical review or article is nothing like this, I should know I do this for a living. But if they were most people would probably fall asleep. Might as well pick up a technical journal or magazine. Some people are glad it's not like that and some people are not.Blogging mixed with technical reviews is a touchy subject and while I don't really like them I can live with them knowing that they are not meant to be the same as what I do for work.
zdw - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
Any chance you have a Mac with Displayport there?I'd love to know if a display like this will work at 120Hz on a Mac.
cheinonen - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
I did hook it up to my Macbook Air (I hook everything up to my Air actually), and it ran at 120Hz just fine I believe. I can't check anymore, but I believe with 99% certainty that it did.tzhu07 - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
Glossy. Deal-breaker. The end.aranyagag - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
If I wanted to have a mirror to shave with I could get a mirror a lot cheaper than $400. I've switched over to my tablet for most things because I find all these reflections very annoying.cheinonen - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
It could be dependent on how it operates at 60 Hz vs 120 Hz. If it runs at 120 Hz when fed a 60 Hz signal, but just repeats the same signal twice, you would expect identical results. If it runs at 60 Hz, the decay time could be slower than 120 Hz possibly. It's unlikely, but without being able to test both, there is no way to know for certain.Conficio - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
The first graph in the Color uniformity is titled BenQ...Threnx - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
Is there a technical limitation that prevents an IPS panel from displaying 120hz? I can never go back to TN panels...ananduser - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
TIME...that is the limitation, be patient, soon 120Hz IPS will be available. :)sviola - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
Well, I hope it doesn't take much longer. Also, I hope they'll release them with 16:10 aspect ratio.DanNeely - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
It'd be nice if they manage to get top flight LED backlight color accuracy above that of top flight CFL models before the 120hz refresh too.MadAd - Sunday, December 25, 2011 - link
This is my problem too.I have a triple desktop including x2 1920x1200 IPS screens. Any new 120hz monitor has to fit in, in the center, 1080 isnt going to work.
Why cant we get
-120hz
-displayport
-1200 lines
in one package? I could even wait for IPS, but the aspect ratio is a dealbreaker.
MadAd - Sunday, December 25, 2011 - link
-24"(forgot that one)
The only one ive seen even close is that horrible shape one for an insane amount of money
dingetje - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
screw that 16:9 paneli need vertical space....not horizontal space....i don't need a television, i need a pc screen
mac2j - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
I have a S27A950D, which is pretty much the same panel but 27". I actually have been pleased with the interface and have had no problems with it - although perhaps the buttons are more spaced on the 27"?The picture is amazing and I can't imagine buying another monitor that isn't at least 120hz - its not just the smooth motion and drag, etc - it's hard to describe how good and crisp the picture on this monitor really is. I have a really nice 240hz TV in the same room and if I play a Blu-ray and mirror it on the 2 screens it looks noticeably better on the monitor - better colors, better color depth, better blacks, brighter ... just all around an amazing monitor.
It would be nice if we could get a 2560 x 1440 monitor at 120hz ... which i think Displayport could handle rather than having to choose between the 850D which is 2560 x 1440 or the 950 which is 1080p but 120hz.
wtfbbqlol - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
I don't think an LCD's response time is dependent on phosphors.PrinceGaz - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
Quite correct. And the response-time of phosphors has never been an issue anyway as every CRT display used them and they could have a near instant response time.AnandTech is certainly going downhill these days.
If Anand reads these comments, he should seriously consider the quality of the reviews being posted on his site, as the quality is becoming increasingly variable, from superb articles which delve into new CPU micro-architecture, to pot-boilers like this which consist mainly of recycled previous stuff combined with the author's own input which is of very dubious quality.
Zan Lynx - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
CRT phosphors were always an issue in multisync monitors.The issue is that the phosphor had to be chosen so that its persistence matched the refresh rate.
If it lasted too long there would be ghosting. If it was too short the image would flash and cause eye strain.
This was a big problem with CRTs designed for a 75Hz refresh. Running them at 60Hz was pretty awful, yet lots of people did that anyway.
ggathagan - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
All true, but the overarching point is that LCD screens don't involve phosphor, hence the complaint.DanNeely - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
LCDs do have potential ghosting issues from other factors; this threads so busy arguing in the weeds that it's missing the whole point.cjb110 - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
Minor feedback, but I think it would be better if there was a more sensible order to the pictures. I'd expect to see overview shots first and then details like the ports on the back! It's not just this article either, a few have had an 'odd' order to the pictures.Also I'd drop the power supply tale... initially thought something had gone wrong and munged two articles together! When I re-read it I thought maybe you were trying to say I *needed* a decent PSU for this monitor...which made even less sense! Still not quite sure what PSU's have to do with monitors!
UzairH - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
AT you have lately been reviewing TN monitors, including some pretty crappy ones, and I feel this is not helping to push the manufacturers towards introducing better quality panels (since I believe that AT reviews do have some influence on hardware manufacturers).The monitor industry has stagnated with a glut of TN panels and few IPS ones. Instead of progressing to higher resolutions and greater bit depth, what new IPS panels we are getting are actually 6-bit. It is ludicrous that the smartphones are getting higher resolutions than new notebooks and ultrabooks!
cactusdog - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
Stop making ignorant comments please.120Hz is a technology breakthrough. It is the future, actually the future is here but some people are stuck in the past, and comparing monitors based on old technolgy.
Most guys I know are selling their U2711's for this 120Hz monitor. If you're a gamer this monitor(or another 120hz monitor) is a must have.
This monitor compares well and has better colours than most 6 bit IPS, so saying IPS is always better is wrong. Moving image quality on a 120Hz TN monitor is MUCH better than a 60Hz IPS or VA. It also has a much clearer panel.
Sure, if you're a photographer or use cad, the higher resolution 8 Bit IPS are the way to go but as a gaming/media panel this is much better. The clear panel looks much better than Dell's crappy AG coating.
It would be nice if they introduce some 120Hz IPS or VA panels but this monitor is much better than most on the market today.
Anyway, Chris the reviewer must be new to Samsung menus, I dont have any problem with mine, but there is a knack to it that comes with experience.
Also I'm not sure if you used frame sequencial 3D when testing the 3D, most reviewers use the wrong mode when testing 3D on a AMD card.
Other reviewers have this monitor as the fastest ever tested for response time and lag, did you use the "faster" setting Chris?
If you're a gamer and still on 60Hz you're missing out.
aranyagag - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
I used to get annoyed whenever my dad used to say --" video games kill your brain cells" and would argue against it.Now if he said the same thing today I would say " I agree and they fry the cones (retina) too". I mean there are all these gamer panels, short (nothing taller than 16:9), low bit depth, Low resolution, TN panels. If gamers buy these there has to be something wrong with their retina as well as their neurons.
YUK
Pantsu - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
I don't know what's the deal with AT articles these days, but I jumped into this one straight from a RSS link, and it just jumped straight into action without any introduction whatsoever. I know there's a brief introductory piece on the front page, but I kinda miss a proper introduction chapter.This article as a whole seemed quite rushed, and didn't cover even all the basics. It's nice that there's calibration tests, but it didn't even mention that the monitor comes with Samsung's 3D glasses and Tridef software was only briefly mentioned in the conclusion. Overall the 3D section of the review was quite lacking.
I do agree the capacitive touch buttons on monitors are annoying in general and unresponsive at times, but at least this one had them illuminated, unlike my older LG 120 Hz panel, where the capacitive buttons were impossible to detect other than in perfect lighting conditions.
After a month or two of using this monitor I'd go as far as say it's probably the best 23" 120 Hz monitor out there at the moment. The only big problem is the glossy reflections, you really need to think about your room lighting before you buy a glossy monitor. Also the lack of physical adjustments might scare off some people. Other than that the Samsung panel doesn't have the viewing angle problems as bad as most TN. It works perfectly as my center monitor for my Eyefinity setup since it has thin bezels too.
ananduser - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
They should take a page out of Xbit Labs' monitor reviews.cheinonen - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
Thanks for the feedback. I'll work on making it so the review isn't so rushed at the start when coming from an RSS feed, though I don't want to have redundant information for people coming from the front page either. When the monitor was setup and in use, I really enjoyed it, but the controls on my unit were so sensitive and often unresponsive that it led me to hate to adjust it, which was a huge issue in the end. While performance is undoubtedly important, poor ergonomics and UI can make even the best product something you wouldn't want to use on a daily basis.I'm trying to get out of a backlog of displays for review so everything in the future will be as fresh as possible, but I'll make sure to be more careful than usual on the next few reviews so that any issues with readability or captions are fixed. It's also always a fine line between making assumptions about what needs to be explained in detail (such as 3D) and what can be assumed as common knowledge, as many people don't want to slog through a 5,000 word review that goes into depth about things that most people might already know. Getting feedback on what was too detailed, and what was lacking, makes future reviews better as we can properly tailor them to what people expect.
aranyagag - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
I agree the article seemed very abrupt. I also jumped to it via an RSS then went to the home page of AT and back again -- I though I had missed a page or 2.Starzty - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
Does the monitor not support 3d through HDMI using 3D Vision? You can usually force a 120hz signal through HDMI even on 3dtv displays. I have never heard of 120hz only through displayport beforeJarredWalton - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
So this is an oddity of HDMI. There are plenty of graphics cards that support HDMI 1.4a, which is the latest standard. For example, HDMI 1.3 category 2 supports up to 10.2Gb/s bandwidth, which should be enough for 120Hz at 1920x1080 (a 32-bit signal would require 7.96Gb/s). The problem is that HDMI uses HDCP, and I believe most (all?) consumer HDMI implementations use a chipset that can't do 1080p120.Starzty - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
I can tell you from experience that every NVIDIA implementation I have used supported it. I have tested it on an 8600m, a 460, a 9800gt and a 460m. It only worked properly at the standard TV resolutions but it did work. While for video games the performance hit is significant enough that it doesn't matter, with a 27 inch screen I am thinking more about the applications in regard to 3d blu rays. I haven't tried AMD systems but I may give it a shot next time I am around one. I have tested it with a 3d viewsonic projector through HDMI and on a 3d tv which I cannot recall the brand of. The reviewer may have to wait for official 3dvision support to try an automated test through HDMI but you can tell the nvidia driver to push 120hz and it should go through.I know theoretically it should work but I thought you needed 1.4 do to 3d, I wasnt aware 1.3 supported it
JarredWalton - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
Just to update on this, I chatted with Chris and he said with an HDMI connection to the LCD there was no way to send a 120Hz signal. This could be something on the AMD driver side of the equation, or it may be the HDMI chipset in the Samsung LCD just doesn't accept that. In terms of specifications, it's important to note that 1080p120 isn't mandatory or even listed as an optional resolution; anything sending 1080p120 over HDMI is using HDMI more as a carrier for a DVI signal.cheinonen - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
HDMI technically has the bandwidth for 120Hz, but it's not in the standard for HDMI 1.4a. Neither the Windows settings nor the Catalyst Control Panel would allow a refresh rate of 120Hz to be selected without using DisplayPort for the interface. For 3D over HDMI, the required formats are:- 1080p24 Frame Packed (so 24p for each eye)
- 720p60 Frame Packed (for gaming, 60p each eye)
- 1080i60 side by side
- 720p60 top and bottom
- 1080p24 top and bottom
There is no 1080p60 frame packed there, which is what you would need to support a true 120Hz refresh rate at 1080p resolution. Some vendors might support this, but it's not in the standard, but it is fine with DisplayPort, so that's the route that Samsung went.
Death666Angel - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
I am not really interested in seeing reviews of 120Hz monitors as long as they are 1080. I own a 24" 1200 right now and would really like to see more reviews of 1440 monitors (Dell U2711, Fujitsu P27T-6, Samsung S27A850D, Hazro HZ27WB/C). Especially the Samsung has been making waves. Some complain about the backlight bleed, but other praise the great matte finish which does not add grainyness (like e-IPS 27" have). :-)dj christian - Thursday, December 22, 2011 - link
Yes agreed! And AT somehow forgets my login everytime. Running FF 9.IceDread - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
Good review, I however lost all trust in samsung after the scandal with samsung 226bw.http://www.behardware.com/articles/667-1/samsung-2...
DanNeely - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
Meh. At this point is there any major vendor who hasn't done a component lottery at some point?IceDread - Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - link
Well, which companies do you know about that has done it?If you keep purchasing products from a company with bad business ethics the industry will never improve.
justniz - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
Terrible review.Why would a non-gamer without anappropriate GPU try and review a 3D Monitor?
Jeez at least start with the prerequisites filled.
Furthermore testing with AMD GPU was a bad choice anyway...Everyone knows AMD 3D software support is a poor second best to nVidia's.
cheinonen - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
The Samsung S23A750D is tested and certified by AMD to work with their cards in 3D, and so that is why it was tested with an AMD card. It appears on the AMD website as a supported device for 3D, but not on the NVIDIA website. Reading up on the matter showed that you can force it into 3D mode to work with NVIDIA cards, but at the moment it works more easily with AMD cards. Hopefully there is a unified standard soon so this won't be an issue going forward.millisec - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
Samsung has had issues with touch for quite some time and I'm kind of surprised they still have not fixed it. I have used them almost exclusively since my first syncmaster 15 back in early 90's right up to the 2693 HM I have now and as far as picture quality I love them. The touch is horrible (all your same issues then some) and has always been a problem including several periods of time where it had a mind of its own. Nothing like being in the middle of a game and having it shut off or worse yet pop up the menu and go ape cycling menu's and changing settings at random. I still have occasional power button response issues but the menu cycling finally went away after I readjusted the front panel a bit by pulling it out around the touch panel. I have a much older Samsung 22" with real buttons and it is flawless to this day.blau808 - Monday, December 19, 2011 - link
I'm not sure why you would have a non-gamer test what is obviously a gamer oriented monitor. I hardly think there are many people who would buy a 3D monitor to watch movies on. That's what 3DTV's are for.If Samsung wants to sell 3D monitors, they're going to have to make sure that everyone's current favorite games look great in 3D. Skyrim, Battlefield, SWTOR, etc. Unfortunately this aspect of the review was simply glossed over with small references to WoW and Half Life 2.
Steveymoo - Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - link
If you enjoyed 120hz (I've been enjoying 120hz for quites a whiles now,) Sony is going to be releasing a 240hz gaming screen soon, which I have my eye on..... Although, in all fairness, you won't find many games that run >120fps these days, even if you buy top end hardware. I think the only way you're going to get this kind of performance, is through Source games (l4d, hl2 etc.) and the COD series.Wouldn't it be nice if they shifted their arses into gear, to develop a 120hz IPS screen? It's been nearly 10 years since CRTs were outlawed, and flat panel displays STILL haven't caught up in terms of all-round performance in one panel standard (colour reproduction, contrast, refresh rate etc.)
Midwayman - Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - link
I wish I could beat whom ever came up the 60hz is smooth. I can see motion up until about 90hz. Its subtle over 60hz, but certainly detectable. Back in the CRT days with larger monitors it was really easy to see this flicker in your peripheral vision.Earballs - Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - link
Why is there no comparison to the Acer GD235HZ or LG W2363D, two very popular 23" 120hz displays. I own both and while the response times are very similar the input lag is miles apart. The "thrumode" on the LG makes it perform so close to a CRT I can't believe it.I use my 120hz displays for 2D desktop/gaming and the LG is the benchmark (even against a CRT, yes really) in my opinion. It's a pity this display wasn't compared to it's direct competition. I'd bet this monitor is best in 3D tests, but that's not how everyone uses them. The only way I care about another 120hz display is if it's 27" and has zero input lag like the LG.
Earballs - Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - link
why was my comment deleted? It was on topic, well thought out, and made good points. That's just not okay.Earballs - Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - link
scratch that. >.>Darkimmortal - Saturday, December 31, 2011 - link
I don't know where you arrived at nearly 12ms - the real figure for this series of monitors is around 4ms and I can say from experience they are as close as you can get to a CRT in terms of input lag.Spiritless - Friday, January 6, 2012 - link
Chris, even though I feel the rest of the guys here make a few valid points regarding the structure of the article and perhaps a bit on the technical side, there are a few things I think you should know:There are people like me, who would never use an Nvidia graphics card, simply because they a) just really don't like Nvidia and enjoy supporting the underdog (I know several of them) or b) people like me who absolutely require a silent PC. AMD are way ahead of Nvidia when it comes to the maximum performance of passively cooled GPUs and that is why I liked this article. I have been waiting for ages for an AT article regarding how AMD 3DHD folds out.
While I know this is not a 3DHD in-depth review, the fact that you blamed the artifacts in the games on purely the monitor (it seemed that way), is a bit disappointing. There are also the IZ3D drivers. This article also has a mission of showing a glance of the 3D gaming capability of the monitor. It would have been nice to see you try another driver, especially since there's only -one- other. That might have given you a better experience.