Review of Samsung SyncMaster™ 245BW 24 inch LCD Monitor

LCD monitors now are becoming very prevalent on desktops systems everywhere as prices drop and users discover the joys of the crisp and vivid pictures around. Samsung is arguably the leader in LCD display technology. Samsung SyncMaster™ 245BW 24 inch LCD comes with a three year warranty which covers all aspects of the product. Fine image quality and color accuracy, highly adjustable. Imagine having more room to spread out. The Samsung 245BW combines a 24" screen with a 16:10 widescreen aspect ratio to give you a bigger window on your world. Whether you use that power to work more efficiently or to watch a bigger blockbuster, you get shart text and crisp motion through a fast 5 ms (GTG) response time, 3000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and exclusive technologies like MagicColor and MagicBright. And it's all topped off by a height-adjustable stand and optional integrated speakers. With the Samsung 245BW, it's not hard to imagine!

The Samsung 245BW is in a class by its own.

Currently I'm using two of these SyncMaster 245BW monitors with my PC. They have kept an excellent picture over the past 4 years of use. Even while gaming, there is no sign of ghosting or artifacting. I just purchased a third one of these for my AMD Eyefinity setup. Can't wait, 5760x1200 FTW!

FYI- The new version of this monitor (2443BWT) is much less appealing. It's lighter sure, uses less energy sure, has a higher dynamic contrast great, but the picture is not as good as the 245BW. I believe this is because the new back lighting has a blue tinge to it. I have placed both the 245BW and the 2443BWT side by side and the 245BW's picture looks much better IMHO. Plus the new version is matte black and the older 245BW is a glossy black. I like the glossy black, it looks better :)

The best and last real quality monitor that Samsung ever made. Snap it up!

I Have a couple of these - one purchased new, maybe four or five years ago, another I bought used on ebay. These monitors are terrific for CAD work or if you just plain need a huge desktop or any other high-res purpose. The high resolution modes provide substantially more workspace real estate than more current 1080p standard monitors can provide. Unfortunately the 1080p standard clobbered the high-res market and high-res (1920 x 1200; 16:10) monitors are now extremely expensive.

The 245BW picture is always clear and sharp with terrific color and high-contrast that Samsung is well known for. It stacks up extremely well against newer LED backlit LCDs. In fact I bought a new Samsung 27" (S27B350H) and was so disappointed with this newer $360 monitor after owning the 245BW that I returned it. I though it was a piece of junk compared to the 245BW. What a step back Samsung! The new S27B350H lacks a DVI connection (The 245BW lacks HDMI but you can get a DVI to HDMI cable if you really want that - for myself I way prefer the solid screw-on connection that DVI provides over HDMI which always seems to fall out and disconnect). The newer Samsungs also have cheapo plastic stands. If you want a solid stand you can find the 245BW stands selling for around $50 on ebay and they're a bargain at that. This is the most solid metal monitor stand ever made by any monitor manufacturer. The newer Samsungs like the S27B350H also lack VESA mounts. (The 245BW is 100x200 VESA so you can mount it to a wall or cubical unit).

The 245BW is also fairly energy-wise though not as much so as an LED backlit monitor. Not a biggy for me.

All in all - I don't know of a better 24" monitor. I have been only disappointed about one thing with this monitor. The supplied monitor cord that Samsung stuck in the box is a piece of junk. I don't understand how the manufacturer could build such a quality product and then package it with a cheapo cord that is going to pick up 60 cycle noise and make the monitor look bad. So if you get this make sure you buy a quality cord worthy of this monitor.

Best. Monitor. Ever.

Most large widescreen monitors these days to noty have the vertical resolution of this one. Bright, sharp, clear, crisp, great color fidelity, fast response. Check the specs and compare. No longer made but if you can, buy one used. Perfection in a dual monitor system. Absolutely NO cons to this monitor.

This monitor is BIG. And the resolution is AMAZING.

I had been using a 17 inch monitor for the past 10 years and I started to notice that many of the websites I visited were formatted for a wider screen - at least at the setting I was using. It was annoying scrolling left and right to see all the content. If I changed settings to accomodate the width of the site then it was too small for me to enjoy. Once I started looking into larger screens I figured it wasn't enough to upgrade to a 19 or 22 inch screen, I might as well go for something really big. A leading consumer ratings magazine rated the Samsung 245BW as the top rated 24 inch monitor and I have to agree. This is a superb monitor - 24 inches is a BIG monitor and the resolution is OUTSTANDING. I set it up in about 15 minutes. It fit on my desk easily and has height and viewing angle adjustments. With more websites featuring streaming video this is a great upgrade. It does take some getting used to. If I use the full screen mode I need to make the cursor move farther from one icon to another - my mouse gets a workout. One thing I noticed - the large monitor does not make small images larger, but it does make it possible to see all of a large image at once... or at least more of it. I plan to use this monitor for at least 10 years. I did find a great bargain on eBay - under $400 - brand new with full warranty available.