We had our first chance taking a look at a Samsung monitor larger than 19 inches.  Today, we will be reviewing the Samsung 204B LCD Monitor, a whopping 20 inch LCD monitor.  In this review, we will examine the overall design and features of the monitor; we will also discuss the benefits of having a larger LCD monitor compared with a slightly smaller LCD monitor or even the person still stuck in the CRT monitor realm.
 

The monitor stays consistent to the overall Samsung design.  You have your typical thin silver bezel around the main display.  The monitor has a simple silver and black contrast in colors both at the base of the monitor and the display itself.  The base stand may look small, but it is actually more than enough from keeping the monitor from toppling over because of its heavy weight.  A smaller base, when placed on your desk, does make your desk feel more 'roomy'.

At the bottom right corner of the display are the main controls.  Some of the control icons may seem a bit unusual while the power and menu buttons are easily recognizable.  With a few button presses, it is not difficult to find out what each button does.  When the monitor is turned on, the power button will glow blue as a visual indicator to the user that the monitor is turned on.

 

Again, you have the typical Samsung logo below the main display.

The back of the monitor shows the monitor hanging on a solid pillar extending from the base.  One would expect a large LCD monitor to have a very thick width; In actuality, this monitor is rather compact for its size.

The ports on an LCD monitor can sometimes be difficult to access.  This is especially true when you're trying to reach behind your monitor on a crowded desk.  By rotating the monitor 90 degrees, you can access the ports much easier on the side, rather than reaching upside down.  This monitor supports both VGA or DVI making it very flexible for legacy computers.  Powering the monitor uses the typical power supply cable found on most computers and other monitors.  There is a master power switch next to the power jack if you want to completely turn your monitor off.
 

The monitor is height adjustable allowing you to extend it from the base up to 3.1 inches above the base ( a specification from Samsung's website).  The height of the monitor is useful when you're trying to adjust the monitor to work well in your conditions.

All the necessary wires needed to make the monitor work immediately have been included in the package.  You have both a DVI and VGA cable.  Also, there is a power supply cable.  There is a CD-ROM included with Samsung's software if you need help with adjusting the contrast and color or if you just need a tool that you can use to configure the monitor anytime.
 

If you are still using a CRT monitor, you will appreciate the clarity and color that an LCD monitor has to offer.  Unlike an LCD monitor, a CRT monitor creates a picture by quickly scanning line by line across the screen.  This is why some people notice these kinds of monitor seem to flash quickly before their eyes.  This doesn't happen on an LCD monitor since the image is displayed all at once.  This gives the benefit of having less stress on the eyes when reading a document

If you already have an LCD monitor, let's say a 19 inch monitor.  The benefit comes in terms of size.  You'll be able to fit more icons on your desktop making it feel more spacious.  For gamers, you will be able to experience games at a high 1600x1200 resolution.  If you wish to play at a high resolution, be expected to have a decent graphics card.  The 5ms response time will certainly please gamers with even less ghosting and blurring.  At 5ms, it is at the point where the difference between LCD and CRT almost is hardly detectable.  I was able to play games without any problem at 1600x1200.

Overall, I was very pleased with the very bright and vibrant colors of the display.  There is an appreciation when you look at high resolution photos on the screen making this monitor suitable for Photoshop users or those who work heavily with multimedia.
 

Samsung is at the point where they can easily release new monitors with consistent quality across most of their models.  To the consumer, that generally means that you can buy one of their LCD monitors with generally the same level of quality you can expect from Samsung.  This monitor follows that model.  This monitor was very bright with vivid colors.  With a 5ms response time, gamers will appreciate this monitor the most.  This monitor is comparable to a 21 inch CRT monitor in size.  Therefore, if you are interested in looking to replace that old monitor on your desk, this may just be the product for you.  This also is a good monitor if you're looking to upgrade from a 15 inch or 17 inch monitor.
 

Review by: richard@digitalreviews.net