Cost Analysis

When we looked at the pricing of 19" LCD monitors two months ago, most models hovered around the $450 price point. Since then, a lot has changed – BenQ FP931 retails for almost $80 less than it did two months ago! However, price does not mean everything in the world of displays. Even though the BenQ FP931 is the first 19" LCD to hit the sub $350 range after rebate, we still wouldn't recommend it over the better rated models from the roundup.

As one of the newer models, the Dell 1905FP is actually one of the most expensive units in our price category. However, keep in mind that the $669 Samsung 193P and the Dell 1905FP utilize the exact same LCD panel. There are a few fundamental differences between these monitors outside of style; for example, the SyncMaster 193P does not use an exterior user interface. Although both monitors use different signal processors, image quality between the two monitors is very similar.

Most of the other monitors in the 19" range dropped approximately 10% in price since the roundup, with the exception of the Samsung 910V, which actually increased in price since the previous analysis. Since that product is getting closer to its EOL, we would not be surprised if the monitor stops showing up in the retail channel altogether in the very near future.

When we first went to Dell.com to price out the 1905FP, we noticed that the price jumped from $499 to $599 over the course of a few weeks. Shopping around for a third party reseller, we found several vendors selling the monitor for under $499 and one even as low as $469. Dell runs dozens of rebates and promotions at any given time – so if you look hard enough, you should be able to find some extremely promising deals on the 1905FP.


User Interface Quantitative Analysis
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  • TheDotProduct - Monday, January 31, 2005 - link

  • TheDotProduct - Monday, January 31, 2005 - link

  • Gelisob - Monday, January 31, 2005 - link

    wow, a "that car looks nice, i dont care howmany horsepowers it has, no dont tell me how much gas it takes, so what i maybe can only drive it backwards, it doesn Look that bad" kind of guy :)

    gg hf :P
  • blckgrffn - Monday, January 31, 2005 - link

    Have you guys looked at newegg? There are a ton of 19" LCD's under 350 - I just picked up one with DVI and 21ms response time 600:1 contrast for $320 - no rebates or anything. I have never heard of CVM, but the monitor looks very nice, IMHO.

    Later,
    Nat
  • rivethead - Sunday, January 30, 2005 - link

    Does anyone know if the Dell UltraSharp 1705FPT is also a Samsung panel and/or an 8-bit panel?

    I've asked the folks at Dell this 6 times over the past two weeks. They have no idea. It's been a very frustrating experience for me. Maybe I'm asking the question wrong, but you would think "Is the Dell UltraSharp 1705FPT an 8-bit or 6-bit panel?" is pretty clear enough.

    Supposedly it's a 13ms response time monitor, so I'm betting it's 6-bit. I just can't seem to find a 17" 8-bit panel with a response time less than 25ms.....

    Sorry if you've already read this question on the "General Hardware" forum.
  • rivethead - Sunday, January 30, 2005 - link

  • Nessism - Sunday, January 30, 2005 - link

    The comments below were stolen from another Anandtech member Sharkeeper :)

    I find a good test is go here.
    http://science.nasa.gov/RealTime/JTrack/3D/JTrack3...

    Accept any security messages you get. When the applet loads, maximise the window. It should look like this. Use your mouse to move the position of the globe. All those white pixels are indicating where satellites are in real time. If you orient the orbit lines parallel to the Y axis (up and down) and drag the mouse around you will perform a very good test on pixel update rate. Slower monitors will cause the satellites to disappear in the background as the scene is moved. Faster monitors will show them available at all times.

    Nessism comments:

    When moving the satellites on my 1905, they change from being a dot to being a small moving line (ghosting image of the dot). I'm not trying to bash this monitor, after all I do own one, just want to make people understand that there are limitations.

    Good test.
  • Nessism - Sunday, January 30, 2005 - link

    I have a 1905 and can assure everyone that it DOES ghost when moving quickly. As stated, everyone has a different sensitivity level...just don't expect this thing to perform like a CRT for fast motion because it does not. If you want a true gamming monitor, check out one of the fast TN monitors like the new Hyundai; they give up viewing angles and color but they are fast.

    Fast with small viewing angles (TN) or slightly slower with better color and viewing angles (PVA). Take your pick, you can't have both.
  • OvErHeAtInG - Sunday, January 30, 2005 - link

    Looks like a great deal but I can relate: having a "dell" logo on something I own is just not kosher. :) Good thing I'm not in the market for an LCD.

    My viewsonic vp181s has a usb hub, I didn't think it was that rare.

    Call me bass ackwards, but I think 1280*1024 is just right for 19". Okay my panel is 18.1" but I would like to be able to sit a few inches father away and still read standard-sized text. On a notebook you're going to be sitting closer, so a little more resolution is okay, but those microscopic ones with 12" screens and huge resolutions are over the top. Most people I've seen turn the res down, which is a shame b/c then you're wasting the screen's potential.

    Regarding the aspect issue, yes 1280*1024 is a little "squished," there's more vertical pixels. 1280*960 would be the "usual" 4:3 aspect ratio. To anyone thinking this is a drawback, honestly you don't notice that everything's a little shorter, I've been working at that res for some time.
  • Gelisob - Sunday, January 30, 2005 - link

    Hello all,

    Some words to all the crt-to-lcd gamers out there, buzzled with anandtech guys politicaly correct statements about gaming on it:D

    I happen to have Samsung 193P, so it's pretty much the same panel and so on.
    long story short:

    1. If you play stuff like mmo's and rts games, you will have no problems, and all gain from picture quality + less strain on eyes (than crt)

    2. If you play stuff like CSS, UT2k4, BF1942, you will have serious ghosting. Dunno how come they dont see or recognize it. So shooting stuff wile running AND turning, is not simple, you must stop moving to aim properly.

    I offer very simple way to see it, for Anandtech guys too, just fire up bf1942 and move the view left/right fast, with mouse, edges of buildings and vehicles etc jump over the screen, not like OMG wtfbbq is that wall doing here, but its indeed "ghosting", it doesnt exacly get in a way but it disturb seeing clearly and fast, while moving whole picture.

    ps. I cant figure out how to set backlight temperature on my 193p, there is no temperature option in the soft, brightness isnt temperature.. can anyone help me find it? thnx in advance

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