Samsung S23A750D 3D LCD Display
by Chris Heinonen on December 17, 2011 2:45 PM ESTConclusion
When it comes to the Samsung S23A750D display, I’m a bit conflicted in my use of it. I do think that 120Hz panels are the way of the future, as the increased smoothness is visible even on simple tasks like dragging a window around the screen. After using it, I really want my next display to have it. I’m somewhat prejudiced away from TN panels as I’m far more concerned with color quality than I am with being ideal for fast twitch gaming sessions, but I think everyone will want 120Hz once they use it.
However, the hardware interface on the Samsung was very irritating. From not being able to switch inputs at first to always hitting the wrong button, the touch sensitive buttons just have to go. Samsung either needs to space them out more or go to buttons that you can click, as the current implementation is completely style over substance. I thought I was making too big a deal out of it after a couple of weeks, but whenever I had to switch inputs, I was ready to be done with the display.
For 3D, the 60Hz crosstalk numbers on the Samsung were very good, but the implementation inside of games appears to have a lot of artifacts. Both World of Warcraft and Half Life 2 had a lot of visual issues that bothered me, but DiRT 3 fared much better. Perhaps the native HD3D support of DiRT 3, instead of using the TriDef 3D software, is the reason for this and things will improve in the future; Deus Ex: Human Revolution is another title that's supposed to be excellent in HD3D. For watching a movie in 3D over Blu-ray the Samsung was fine, but as Active 3D gives me a headache, I’d recommend that people try it out before buying it if that’s a major use for them.
While I do love the Samsung for both gaming and general use, I have a difficult time giving it my full recommendation due to the interface issues that I kept running into. The $400 online price is similar to what you'll pay for other 120Hz TN displays, but most of those probably don’t suffer from the same interface issues. We also have to give NVIDIA's 3D Vision a clear edge for non-movie use, and right now the S23A focuses more on AMD's HD3D so keep your GPU vendor in mind when considering 3D displays.
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Boogaloo - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
I agree. I probably wouldn't have said anything for fear of coming across as a douche, but since you said it first I feel a little more justified. It reads like a high schooler wrote it, or an educated ESLer.The0ne - Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - link
As I've said before, the reviews here are better than most places but they are still written for the masses. In this respect they are meant for the common, average Joe. Writing a technical review or article is nothing like this, I should know I do this for a living. But if they were most people would probably fall asleep. Might as well pick up a technical journal or magazine. Some people are glad it's not like that and some people are not.Blogging mixed with technical reviews is a touchy subject and while I don't really like them I can live with them knowing that they are not meant to be the same as what I do for work.
zdw - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
Any chance you have a Mac with Displayport there?I'd love to know if a display like this will work at 120Hz on a Mac.
cheinonen - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
I did hook it up to my Macbook Air (I hook everything up to my Air actually), and it ran at 120Hz just fine I believe. I can't check anymore, but I believe with 99% certainty that it did.tzhu07 - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
Glossy. Deal-breaker. The end.aranyagag - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
If I wanted to have a mirror to shave with I could get a mirror a lot cheaper than $400. I've switched over to my tablet for most things because I find all these reflections very annoying.cheinonen - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
It could be dependent on how it operates at 60 Hz vs 120 Hz. If it runs at 120 Hz when fed a 60 Hz signal, but just repeats the same signal twice, you would expect identical results. If it runs at 60 Hz, the decay time could be slower than 120 Hz possibly. It's unlikely, but without being able to test both, there is no way to know for certain.Conficio - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
The first graph in the Color uniformity is titled BenQ...Threnx - Saturday, December 17, 2011 - link
Is there a technical limitation that prevents an IPS panel from displaying 120hz? I can never go back to TN panels...ananduser - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - link
TIME...that is the limitation, be patient, soon 120Hz IPS will be available. :)