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Samsung 203B


Date
: 07/13/06 – 03:48:17 AM

Author
:

Category
: Monitors

Page 1 : Index

Manufacturer
: Samsung Canada

Price
: $431 CDN (NCIX)

Samsung is a name we frequently see here at Overclockers Online. The last monitor we had here was the Samsung 970P that Jody reviewed.

The 970P was a great 19" LCD and that particular size has been very popular for many years. In recent times I've noticed more and more people getting larger monitors. This is exactly where the 203B fits in.

Page 2 : Package

Unlike some of the higher end Samsung models available, the 203B came in the boring brown box we thought they eliminated.

While the box conveys all the important bits of information you'll want to know about, it doesn't show any color pictures of the product. In most cases this is acceptable as you'd be buying it either online, or at a store where the monitor is usually on display.

On the top face of the box, we get a glimpse of the monitor panel and a few specifications. Samsung also makes it known that you've bought a 20" LCD.

For those not too fluent in English, Samsung has provided specification in several other languages.

Beside the case handle, a UPC label gives a run down of a few features. This is the first place you'll see Samsung stating the 3 year product warranty.

Before we open up the package, we'll go over the standard specifications and features.

Page 3 : Specifications

It's not difficult to get a detailed amount of information about any Samsung product from there webpage. Taking a look 203B, this is what Samsung has to say:

Some of the features include:

The complete specifications:

The specifications look great and on par with how Samsung produces all of their monitors. I'm slightly surprised by the fact that the viewing angle is 160/160 as opposed to 178/178. Another disappointing feature is the lack of 1600*1200 on this 20" monitor. Seeing the aspect ratio is still 4:3, 1600:1200 should be doable and something that would certainly raise interest.

Page 4 : Package Contents

Samsung includes a complete package for this monitor including both analog and digital cables. While the monitor comes unassembled, we'll show you how to set up it up in the next page but first we need to show you exactly what you get.

The exact contents include some paperwork, a driver CD, power cord, two monitor cables and of course the monitor.

The monitor is separated into two different components. The first being the base and the second being the panel.

The back of the bezel supports VESA compatible wall mounts.

A detailed label gives you the exact location and date of manufacturing. My particular sample was made in Suwon, Korea in March 2006.

Also on the backside is a tiny spot for securing the monitor to a table.

The integrated power supply allows you to avoid having a bulky external converter but it also gives you the ability to completely shut the monitor off via the toggle switch.

I personally don't see too much of a use for the second power switch. For the two inputs, they're located beside the AC input.

It would have been real nice for Samsung to separate the two inputs by at least an inch. This would give you far more mobility when it comes to screwing the connectors.

Up at the front of the bezel, we have all the input controls squeeze in the very thin bezel.

Right in the middle of the bezel at the bottom is the printed Samsung name.

It's time to setup the monitor and for that we'll head over to the next page.

Page 5 : Installation & Setup

The first thing to do is install the base so you can set the monitor upright. This is a very simple task of snapping the base into panel arm and locking it tight with the screw. I showed a couple pictures of that process in my Samung 915N review so please refer to that for reference.

Once you have the monitor standing up right, you can bask in its glory.

One of the tasks certainly worth doing is adjusting the angle so it's comfortable for you. While this model doesn't have an adjustable height, it's still worth tilting it back until you're comfortable with the angle and height of the center.

Starting from a complete vertical, there's a fair bit of angle you can give this monitor.

Once you're comfortable with the angle, connect the cables and it's time to pop in the driver CD and get the software going.

The software installation is exactly the same as in my Samsung 915N review so please refer to that page for the exact details. With that said, it only takes a few clicks to get the drivers and software applications installed.

Page 6 : Testing

There aren't very many ways to benchmark a monitor other than repeated testing. For me, that's an incredibly easy task. I first started off the "testing" phase by making sure both inputs work. I connected my Acer laptop via Analog and my Dell laptop via Digital input. With a press of a button, I was now able to jump between inputs which happen to be a feature I find very useful.

Knowing that the dual interface works as expected, it was time to tweak MagicTune. There are five default settings (text, internet, movies, games and sports) and a custom one if you don't like any of those.

Text

Internet

Movies

Games

Sports

The differences lie in the contrast and brightness settings. For day to day work I leave the monitor set to
text
but for the remainder of this review I'll be in the
games
mode.

One of the beauties about having a large LCD monitor is that all your friends can gather around and watch what's going on. With that in mind, a large viewing angle is very beneficial. With the 203B, Samsung advertises 160/160 which is a good range.

From the above angle, we can still clearly see the image and colors. It didn't help that the sun was directly in front of me and glaring onto the monitor.

The native 1400×1050 didn't seem too awkward given that most twenty inches could have done 1600*1200. I didn't find icons to be too big and the amount of desktop space was actually pretty good. For those without great eyesight, the 1400*1050 may actually be a bit better than 1600*1200.

I watched a number of movies and played a few hours of games on this monitor and the 8ms response was more than sufficient with my X800GTO16.

On screen, the text was very crisp and the colors very vibrant. Sniping little soldiers off in the distance was not difficult.

The thin bezel would make pairing two of these monitors together real sweet. The light aside from the panel will be a blue illumination caused by the power button. It'll glow blue while the monitor is on and blink if the monitor is on standby. By no means was there any leakage coming from the monitor.

Page 7 : Conclusion

Samsung continues to produce excellent monitors one after another. Since receiving this particular model, I've see a number of new ones already on Samsung's website! Will we continue to see more products from Samsung at Overclockers Online? You bet!

The 203B came in a rather simplistic monitor, but it was by no means a simple product. With five great presets, the variety of contrast and brightness levels will certainly make your life a bit easier in manually tweaking the levels.

It would have been an added bonus if this 230B had a native resolution of 1600*1200. While the 1400*1050 is pretty close to it, the extra bit of desktop space could certainly be used in writing all my reviews. This beautiful monitor is priced at $430 CDN which is a touch less than other brands offering similar specification. However, for a couple dollars more it wouldn't be hard to find a 20" Ws monitor offering even more work space.

Advantages

Spectacular image and color
Sharp & crisp images with plenty of custom display settings
Analog and Digital Interface

Disadvantages

No 1600*1200 resolution support
No swivel base or vertical adjustment

Overclockers Online would like to thank Samsung for making this review possible.