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Computer monitors are hardly something I’ve ever spent too much attention on. The ones I’ve had have served for lengthy time periods. My trusty AOpen 19″ CRT has been connected to numerous PC‘s. Mel’s 17″ CRT was in desperate need of an upgrade – even a Windows XP user wants to see more of her screen

P4 is now kitted out with a stylish 19″ Samsung 932BF.

For katana, something a bit more impressive was called for. The 22″ Samsung 2232GW

Unpacking these was similar to removing pizza from a box, unlike the experience of old when 19″ and 21″ CRT boxes could hardly fit through a door and included instructions on how to invert the packaging to safely extricate the content. Then, there was the anticipation of the desk cracking once the CRT had been gingerly maneuvered into position. Like pizza from a box: lightweight and easy. Both feature the same chassis design finished in high-gloss black. Except for the small, round power button on the lower right of the screen there is no other distraction. It glows blue to indicate the power-on state and flashes when the monitor goes to standby.

Setup is a no-brainer: the monitor stand is attached to the oval floor panel and screwed in tight. Hold the screen at a slight angle and wiggle it onto the two prongs of the stand. The design of the stand means that the screen can be tilted forward and backward, but no rotation is possible. Given the fact that the units are incredibly lightweight and generally stand in a fixed position I don’t consider this a serious omission.

Disclosure: I’m a Linux fan. The installation of the 19″ on P4, which is a Windows XP box was a one minute affair. Connect the DVI cable and the power. A brief flicker and the monitor is active, having changed the XP resolution to the maximum supported (1280×1024). On katana, which is a Fedora 8 system, the hardware installation was a similarly easy affair. But of course, the issue of achieving the glorious wide-screen 1680×1050 resolution is yet to be resolved. I have the nVidia Linux driver loaded, which seems to be stuck on the initial resolution and monitor definition of the 19″ CRT, curiously identified as a Tatung. There’s been no easy way of getting this changed – I generally tend to end up with a black display that forces me to reboot. Next steps: remove or deactivate the nVidia driver, then get X11 to detect the hardware change. I hope. So, in some respects, Microsoft is capable of a better user experience.

Both monitors provide both DVI and standard VGA inputs. Due to the rounded shape of the back part of the monitor, it’s unlikely that a standard VESA mount could be used to mount the monitor to a wall. But again, that’s not a consideration for me. The displays are crisp, super bright and a pleasure to behold, from all angles.

If you’re in the market, I’d recommend you shop around and befriend someone with access to dealer prices. My total saving on both monitors was in the region of ZAR 2000 when compared to prices currently bandied about by computer stores. That’s the price of another 19″, or maybe even a small advance in saving toward a PS3…gotta use that DVI connection for something