I purchased the Samsung Syncmaster 193P on June 12th. After reading some of the sparse reviews (though Toms Hardware and Andantech had very good ones) on the Web, I figured it would be an excellent choice for me.

I have tried several 19in LCD Monitors, looking for one that will work with the least amount of "ghosting" and streaking of images in fast-motion games, good color and image quality for Windows and General Applications, and finally decided that the SyncMaster 193P is the BEST choice.

Unpacking the monitor, it comes with both a standard VGA Cable AND a DVI Cable, which great so you can experience the true quality of this monitor. A wall mounting kit is also included, which is rare to find included. The usual assortment of manual, CD and Power Supply were also present. The monitor is beautiful, and includes a Pivot feature so you can view your images either horizontally (regular) or vertically for Photos, etc. Height adjustment is a little low, but does not seem to be a big problem for me. The panel can also be tilted.

This monitor has only one button on the front, which is the Power and VGA/DVI input select. The adjustment settings for the monitor is made with Software included by Samsung called MagicTune. It runs on all Windows OS's and Mac. The software is relatively easy to use, and I had no problems with it. 2 other programs are also included, one called Natural Color, which adjusts both the Monitor and Printer to output the exact same color on screen and printer, and PivotPro, which adjusts the screen to appear properly when the monitor is pivitoed. These programs also worked fine.

The image quality, brightness and colors on this monitor are amazingly crisp and sharp. Photos are lifelike. Most games play very well, but their is some noticable ghosting/streaking in fast-motion games, though it is considerably less than other 19 inch LCD's with a 25ms Response time (the 193P has a 20ms Response Time). Unfourtanently, this issue is unavoidable on 19in LCD's until manufacturers improve response time. The 193P is the nearly the only 19 inch LCD to feature a response time with less than 25ms. DVD's play nicely without any of the above mentioned problems.

If you have 2 computers, you can switch between the two using one monitor by connecting 1 to the VGA and the other to the DVI. Switching between them is simple by pressing the Power button for 2 seconds. Also mentionable is the Power button makes a nice little "beep" sound on power on/off and input switching.

Overall this monitor is one hell of a pick, it does everything and does it well. I would VERY HIGHLY recommend the SyncMaster 193P to anyone looking for a 19in LCD.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 799
Operating System: Windows