Review: Samsung SyncMaster 204B 20.1 Inch LCD Monitor

After doing some research for an new monitor, there were two things I decided. One, I was going to go large, and two, I wanted an LCD screen. Once I decided that and did a little more research I decided to go for the Samsung 204B 20.1 inch LCD monitor. I was able to find one at right about $300, not bad.

When opening the box, you will notice that the monitor and accessories come well packed and protected. It comes with the monitor, analog cable, DVI cable, power cord, installation CD, and of course the warranty information.

The Samsung 204B has a very clean design, and being an LCD is of course, thin. It also appears to be of solid construction, which is great.

Image Quality

The image quality of the Samsung 204B is very good. The sharpness and color reproduction are nice, although the display is not perfect. The screen illumination is a little uneven, but nothing to be expected from a LCD screen. One interesting aspect of the screen is that if there is nothing on the screen or you have a screensaver, the image is dark blue instead of black.

Controls

The Samsung 204B allows for a lot of adjustment and fine tuning of the display. Located on the bottom right you will find the Menu, MagicColor/Downward scroll, Brightness/Upward scroll, Source/Select, Auto, and Power buttons. All of these buttons and features allow for a large amount of fine tuning to adjust to anyone's taste.

The screen of the 204B can be rotated as well. You can rotate it clockwise to a vertical position, and images can be rotated 0, 90, 190, or 270 degrees to meet your needs. There are many ways that rotation can be helpful.

The Verdict

For what you get with the Samsung 204B, it is certainly reasonably priced. It has a very large screen and the unit is very nice looking. The 204B produces sharp text, nice, accurate color, and clear images. It is also a good LCD for gaming if that is important to you. There are some negative aspects to the Samsung 204B, however. Samsung's LCD needs work in some areas such as uniform screen illumination, color casting, and even some debris inside the screen.

The Samsung SyncMaster 204B is a very nice monitor, however, for the most part. With its combination of size, features, quality, and price you really can't go wrong.