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Cheap Samsung SyncMaster 2494HM 24″ LCD Full-HD 1080p Computer Monitor DVI VGA HDMI Built-In Speakers Blu-Ray Compatible Discount Review Shop

I’ve had this monitor for just under 6 months now. The size is great for 1080p, anything smaller on the diagonal and the dot pitch would be too small for me to view comfortably without leaning in (I wear contacts usually, glasses occasionally, basic nearsightedness @ -2.00, nothing special). Note that 1080p is 1920×1080. Some tags associated with this listing incorrectly say 1920×1200. The viewing angle is pretty good and the sweet spot zone is large enough that sitting a little off-center isn’t bothersome, but the tilt adjustment of forward/backward is really only backward. My desk is built for computers, and the monitor stand is built-in and slightly high, so I have to sit up pretty straight or I’ll start to notice it if I’ve slumped enough. My previous monitor would tilt forward a couple degrees, this one not at all.

The image on the monitor is nice and crisp, good contrast and saturation. I’m plenty happy with the quality of photos, video, and artwork displayed on this unit. It handles resolution changes really well considering it’s an LCD and not a CRT (my previous monitor type). Note that this is a high-res unit, so built-in graphics on your motherboard will work fine, but video and animation and games may cause stuttering or slowness if you don’t dial back the resolution.

I recommend using an add-in graphics card with 512MB memory minimum. For ATI a 5450 GPU minimum, about -60, which should give you great video and light gaming capability, though a 5670 or higher is recommended if you do more gaming, which runs about -100. If you’re serious about trying games on this monitor, go for a 5770 (0), or if your case/power will accommodate, a 5830 or 5850 (both over 0) will play games very well. On the NVidia side, a GeForce GT 240 at about -80 is a good starting point, or a 9600/9800 GT, or even a GTS 250 works, too, for just a little more. A jump to the GTX 240/260 range puts you over 0 and should do games well, but again you need to consider case size and power. [...] are all reasonable review sites where you can get all the gory details, though I like [...] best and it’s daily “Shortbread” section always links you to everyone else’s reviews, so it’s a good starting point.

My one beef with the design of the 2494HM is the “buttons”. They’re essentially touch-sensitive spots on the bezel, so you can’t feel them. If it’s dark enough, you can’t see them, either. By default the input select was on auto, and every time I booted my computer it would cycle through the settings. I eventually figured out what the setting was that would “lock” it onto my DVI connection, but it drove me nuts before that, because I’d have to figure out exactly where the invisible “button” was in order to switch inputs if it got it wrong. I still like to tweak settings now and then, and the lack of real buttons makes it difficult.

For the price I paid, overall I’m happy. I would have liked to have been very happy, but I’ll settle for happy any day. This monitor should be on your short list if you are looking for this size/resolution and it’s in your price range, and you don’t think you’ll be adjusting settings a lot.

Note: there are two different entries in Amazon’s listings for the 2494HM if you do a search, and Amazon sells on both of them, for different prices. In other words, it’s not a stray listing for a non-Amazon merchant. They were added at different times, one in 2008 and the other in 2009. I don’t see anything to indicate they are different in any way, so I suggest going for the cheaper of the two.

Cheap “Samsung SyncMaster 2494HM 24″ LCD Full-HD 1080p Computer Monitor DVI VGA HDMI Built-In Speakers Blu-Ray Compatible” Discount Review Shop