I am a graphics professional and a web developer so I always demand a lot of performance out of my displays. I had read rave reviews of the Samsung Syncmaster 955 DF so when I found a great deal on it, I jumped at it. After I received the monitor and hooked it up though, I was sorely disappointed. The few saving graces of this monitor are:

1.) Big flat screen - Yes, it is a true flat screen. It is so flat that it makes you think it is concave at first because most people are used to using convex "fish-bowl" monitors. And it is big: 19" with a 18" viewable is pretty sizable.

2.) VERY inexpensive - I got a great deal on this monitor at dell.com. They had 20% off, free shipping, $30 off coupon and plus there was a $50 mail in rebate. Thus, I got the monitor brand new for $160. There are still abundant deals on the internet for this model and you should be able to find it for around $250 shipped which is a pretty good price for a flat 19".

These two pros are vastly overshadowed by the following cons however:

1.) Poor text display - when displaying text on the screen, the edges are always jagged. I couldn't get sharp lines on anything, including the display windows and graphics.

2.) Moire problems - this monitor has some of the worst moire problems I've seen for at least 4 or 5 years. When you go to shutdown and the screen goes grey, you can see huge moire lines on the entire screen. Same goes for any big grey squares on the screen.

3.) Bad refresh rates - this is the worst problem. At 1600x1200, this monitor is unusable. At 1280 x 1024, the claimed 75Hz doesn't provide a flicker-free image, even when viewed dead on. If you view it from the side or far away, it gets REALLY bad.

I played with the geometry and other controls on this monitor for hours (literally). I could never get a perfect picture. However, I did like how there was an abundance of geometry controls available.

Now, you'll notice a lot of people have rated this monitor positively. I don't know why because I thought this monitor was poor, the only saving grace being the price.

Being a graphics professional, I may be a little biased, but I do know a good monitor when I see/use one. I would recommend you try the Sony CPD-G400 if you are in the market for a 19". I know that the extra hundred dollars might hurt your wallet, but your eyes will thank you for it. I guarantee it.

Recommended: No

Amount Paid (US$): 160.00
Operating System: Windows