Gateway FPD2485W: 24" LCD Beauty or Beast?
by Jarred Walton on February 22, 2007 10:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Displays
Specifications
From the previous page, it's probably apparent that manufacturer specifications don't necessarily mean a whole lot. In some cases, the numbers appear to be purely for marketing purposes, and the importance and accuracy of the quoted figures are often suspect. Before we get to our measured values, however, let's take a look at the manufacturer specifications.
The FPD2485W is a 24" LCD, and many of the features are similar to competing models. As expected, the native resolution is 1920x1200, and most of the other specifications are similar to other recent 24" LCDs. Brightness, contrast ratio, pixel response time, and viewing angle are what we'd expect to find in a good-quality LCD, but we will wait until we do some actual testing to say whether it meets the specifications are not.
One of the nice aspects of this LCD is that you get a variety of connections. Dell's 24" LCD nearly matches the FPD2485W in terms of input possibilities, but Gateway goes one better by including two component video inputs. HDCP support is also included for the DVI input, which is one of the problems people face with older LCDs. While the display is clearly designed to function as a computer display first, it is also fully capable of functioning as a 1080i HDTV (as well as a 720p HDTV), although you will need to provide your own speakers or purchase the optional speaker bar.
1080p support is present if you use the DVI or VGA ports, but the component video appears to be limited to 1080i support. Users hoping to hook up an Xbox 360 to this display will likely be disappointed with the lack of 1080p support over component video, but at least they can still use a VGA adapter. PS3 users on the other hand would want to use an HDMI to DVI adapter to get 1080p support; the problem with using the DVI port that way is that it's more likely you would want to have your computer using the DVI input.
The LCD panel is an S-PVA active matrix TFT, which is again similar to what many other 24 inch LCDs are using. There aren't all that many LCD panel manufacturers, so the display manufacturers will often use the same base panel. Backlighting and signal processing can still utilize different components, however, which can affect various aspects of the display. The Gateway FPD2485W uses a Faroudja DCDi signal processor, which is one of the more respected brands.
One area that is definitely important to a lot of people when looking at LCDs is the warranty/replacement policy. Unfortunately, here the Gateway LCD doesn't fare as well. It comes standard with a one-year limited warranty with the option to purchase a two-year extended warranty (three years total) for an additional $30. That warranty will cover problems with the backlight and panel up to a point. What the warranty doesn't cover to a large extent is stuck pixels. While it is unusual to get a display with more than one or two stuck pixels these days, there's always a risk, and some companies offer a 30 day guarantee that there will be no pixel defects. Gateway takes a more lenient approach and will only replace panels if there are ten or more total stuck pixels, or three stuck pixels clustered within a one-inch area. For a 24" display, most people could probably live with a few defective pixels provided they aren't in the center of the display; up to eight or nine is quite a lot, and even though $700 isn't a lot to pay for a large LCD, anyone that purchases such a monitor only to discover several pixel defects is going to be disappointed.
If you're concerned about the warranty/replacement policy, it is also possible to find the Gateway FPD2485W at major electronics chains. By purchasing locally you should be able to either try out a display in person before buying it or else return it immediately if you discover a problem. If you purchase the display direct from Gateway, any repairs will also require you to pay for shipping the LCD back to Gateway. However, it may be possible to get on-site service if you purchase a display along with a Gateway computer. We spoke with customer service a few times regarding this and they could not give a definitive answer, so for now the best way to get local service is going to be purchasing locally.
From the previous page, it's probably apparent that manufacturer specifications don't necessarily mean a whole lot. In some cases, the numbers appear to be purely for marketing purposes, and the importance and accuracy of the quoted figures are often suspect. Before we get to our measured values, however, let's take a look at the manufacturer specifications.
| Gateway FPD2485W Specifications | |
| Video Inputs | Analog (VGA) Digital (DVI with HDCP support) (2) Component Composite S-Video |
| Panel Type | LCD Active Matrix TFT |
| Pixel Pitch | 0.270mm |
| Colors | 16.7 million |
| Brightness | 500 cd/m2 |
| Contrast Ratio | 1000:1 |
| Response Time | 6ms (gray to gray) |
| Viewable Size | 24" diagonal |
| Resolution | 1920x1200 |
| Viewing Angle | 178 vertical/horizontal |
| Power Consumption | 125W |
| Power Savings | 5W |
| Power Supply | Built-in |
| Screen Treatment | Antiglare |
| Height-Adjustable | Yes |
| Tilt | Yes |
| Rotation | Yes |
| Auto-Rotation | Yes |
| Swivel | No |
| VESA Wall Mounting | 100mmx100mm |
| Dimensions w/ Base (WxHxD) | 22.25"x17.5"x10.5" (lowered) 22.25"x22.5"x10.5" (raised) |
| Weight w/ Stand | 20 lbs |
| Dimensions w/o Base (WxHxD) | 22.25"x15.25"x2.75" |
| Weight w/o Stand | 15 lbs |
| Lamp Life | 50000 Hrs |
| Mtbf (excluding lamp) | 50000 Hrs |
| Approvals | UL, cUL, FCC Class B, NOM,CE, TUV/GS, VCCI, TCO'99 |
| Additional Features | (4) USB 2.0 (USB connection to PC required) |
| Audio | Optional Full-length Speaker Bar (Integrated power connection to main panel) |
| Limited Warranty | 1 year parts/labor 3 year parts/labor extended warranty available |
| Pixel Defect Policy | 10 or more total stuck pixels 3 or more clustered (one inch circle) |
The FPD2485W is a 24" LCD, and many of the features are similar to competing models. As expected, the native resolution is 1920x1200, and most of the other specifications are similar to other recent 24" LCDs. Brightness, contrast ratio, pixel response time, and viewing angle are what we'd expect to find in a good-quality LCD, but we will wait until we do some actual testing to say whether it meets the specifications are not.
One of the nice aspects of this LCD is that you get a variety of connections. Dell's 24" LCD nearly matches the FPD2485W in terms of input possibilities, but Gateway goes one better by including two component video inputs. HDCP support is also included for the DVI input, which is one of the problems people face with older LCDs. While the display is clearly designed to function as a computer display first, it is also fully capable of functioning as a 1080i HDTV (as well as a 720p HDTV), although you will need to provide your own speakers or purchase the optional speaker bar.
1080p support is present if you use the DVI or VGA ports, but the component video appears to be limited to 1080i support. Users hoping to hook up an Xbox 360 to this display will likely be disappointed with the lack of 1080p support over component video, but at least they can still use a VGA adapter. PS3 users on the other hand would want to use an HDMI to DVI adapter to get 1080p support; the problem with using the DVI port that way is that it's more likely you would want to have your computer using the DVI input.
The LCD panel is an S-PVA active matrix TFT, which is again similar to what many other 24 inch LCDs are using. There aren't all that many LCD panel manufacturers, so the display manufacturers will often use the same base panel. Backlighting and signal processing can still utilize different components, however, which can affect various aspects of the display. The Gateway FPD2485W uses a Faroudja DCDi signal processor, which is one of the more respected brands.
One area that is definitely important to a lot of people when looking at LCDs is the warranty/replacement policy. Unfortunately, here the Gateway LCD doesn't fare as well. It comes standard with a one-year limited warranty with the option to purchase a two-year extended warranty (three years total) for an additional $30. That warranty will cover problems with the backlight and panel up to a point. What the warranty doesn't cover to a large extent is stuck pixels. While it is unusual to get a display with more than one or two stuck pixels these days, there's always a risk, and some companies offer a 30 day guarantee that there will be no pixel defects. Gateway takes a more lenient approach and will only replace panels if there are ten or more total stuck pixels, or three stuck pixels clustered within a one-inch area. For a 24" display, most people could probably live with a few defective pixels provided they aren't in the center of the display; up to eight or nine is quite a lot, and even though $700 isn't a lot to pay for a large LCD, anyone that purchases such a monitor only to discover several pixel defects is going to be disappointed.
If you're concerned about the warranty/replacement policy, it is also possible to find the Gateway FPD2485W at major electronics chains. By purchasing locally you should be able to either try out a display in person before buying it or else return it immediately if you discover a problem. If you purchase the display direct from Gateway, any repairs will also require you to pay for shipping the LCD back to Gateway. However, it may be possible to get on-site service if you purchase a display along with a Gateway computer. We spoke with customer service a few times regarding this and they could not give a definitive answer, so for now the best way to get local service is going to be purchasing locally.
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Justin Case - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
As you say, the problem isn't so much the LCDs themselves (with reaction times of 10ms and below, they can do 100 fps), it's the DVI interface. Not because it's digital, just because it's (relatively) slow.The "reaction time" of a CRT isn't zero (unlike what some LCD vendors and tons of clueless retailers claim); in fact, a white-to-black transition takes longer on CRTs than it does on most LCDs. So all this obsession with reaction times ends up hurting consumers, that treat that number as a magical definition of a panel's quality, and completely ignore other (far more relevant) aspects, such as the actual number of displayable colors (without dithering or flipping), color variation with viewing angle, luminance uniformity, etc.
To quote an engineer working for a major (high-end) LCD manufacturer: LCDs are still 2-3 years away from catching up with top CRTs in terms of color reproduction. But when 90% of people can't even tell the difference between a 6-bit panel and an 8-bit one, I wonder what incentive the manufacturers have to improve that...
yyrkoon - Friday, February 23, 2007 - link
If we're talking about ghosting / screen lag, I use a 8ms 19" widescreen LCD, and see none. The only real problem I have, is when I'm playing a graphics intensive game, at the monitors native resolution, and my video card ( 7600GT) can not keep up.This is not to say, that some 'lag' does not exist, but in my case, it is not percievable.
Justin Case - Friday, February 23, 2007 - link
Lag is not the same as ghosting. Lag refers to the fact that the frame you are seeing on screen is not the last frame your graphics card rendered. Some flat panels display the image with a delay of 1 or even 2 frames. This is fine for LCD TV sets (as long as the audio is also delayed, by the same amount), but in interactive applications like games it can be a killer.yyrkoon - Friday, February 23, 2007 - link
As I said above, I see none, and seriously, I play Oblivion, F.E.A.R., not to mention a multitude of other games ;)StevenG - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
The game I play doesn't support 1280x960 so I play at 1280x1024. Sure there's some distortion, but it doesn't bother me. And the higher res looks much better than 1024x768 (the next lowest supported resolution in the game).Aquila76 - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
This is by far one of the worst LCD's for color accuracy, IMO. I bought one at Best Buy a couple weeks ago, and no matter what settings I used, gradients did not look fully smooth. It is what is refered to as a 'gradation' not a banding.Check here for more info: http://lcdresource.com/index.php?option=com_conten...">Gradation v. Banding
Check here for a test: http://lcdresource.com/index.php?option=com_conten...">Gradient Downloads
What's really sad is that the HP L1706 I use at work (came bundled with the PC) does the gradients flawlessly. A $150 display outperforms this $650 one. I noticed this in games and movies a lot, especially when in a dark place, looking at the sky, etc. I ended up returning mine and am waiting for the NEC 24WMGX3 to come out. I loved the size/resolution for my desktop workspace, but the rest was too much for me to stand.
demani - Monday, April 16, 2007 - link
I wish I had seen this review and comments before I bought mine- The gradient thing is horrible. I am trying to see if I can return mine it is so bad. I haven't seen a panel have that much of an issue with gradients in years-and it ruins what would otherwise be a great panel.If only the Dell could dimmed to regular brightness...
Bastiches.
JarredWalton - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
Yikes! Glad someone pointed this out. Some things slip through the cracks when you're trying to come up with a good set of display evaluation tools. I had intended to check color gradients but forgot to actually do it. Ummmm... wow. The Gateway FPD2485W is definitely inferior to competing LCDs in this respect. I will try to get a good picture of the result, but have been unable to do so at present. Regardless, there is definitely a lot of banding visible, something that I didn't see at all in a quick test of a Dell 2407WFP. My 2405FPW shows a slight amount of banding, but not as much as the Gateway.To be honest, this isn't something that was really a problem for me during actual use, but that's likely because I don't do a whole lot of gradient work on a day to day basis. I have updated the text accordingly on pages 8 and 9. Thanks, and I will definitely remember to run this sort of test future display reviews!
mcfraggel - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
Input lag is a concern for 24" displays and larger. Some displays have more than 50ms delay. Google for it and you'll find quite a lot about it. Shouldn't this be adressed in this review somewhere?Aquila76 - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
I didn't notice any input lag. I had my old CRT side by side for a bit to test this and didn't perceive any difference. Note my post below for the deal killer, though.