Review: Gateway FHD2400 24" LCD Monitor

I got the Gateway FHD2400 4 days ago, heres another TBCS-Exclusive Indybird Review:

Gateway FHD2400 24" LCD Monitor Review

Purchase:
I purchased it from Circuit City (Store) for $499.99 on sale.
Here it is on their site.

Specs:
-24" Screen Size
-160° (Horizontal/Vertical) Viewing Angle
-16.7 Million Colors
-400 cd/m2 Brightness
-1000:1 Contrast Ratio
-92% Color Gamut
-3ms Response Time w/ "Ultra Response" and 5ms w/o*
-Glossy Screen Coating
-60KHz Refresh Rate
-Connections: DVI, HDMI, VGA, Component, S-Video, Composite
-4 Port USB Hub
-150W Power Usage
-Stand Adjusts Height, Tilt and Rotation (Portrait/Landscape)
-Supports HDCP
-Supports Picture-in-Picture
-Touch Panel OSD

Unpacking:
The FHD2400 comes in the classic cow-pattern Gateway box.

The box doesn't say too much other than the basic specs, but it doesn't really need to since, by the time you've gotten the box, you've already researched the monitor (at least you should've). Since I'm buying it retail I expected the box to be physically in good condition and it was.

The first thing you seen when you open up the box is the quick install guide. For the sake of this review I read this to see how easy to read it was (I would've thrown this aside otherwise).

It has everything someone (with or without computer knowledge) would need to setup this monitor. I always thought it was a good idea to have a quick start guide on top of everything, and I'm glad Gateway chose to include one.

Next, you'll find the monitor and stand encased in plastic-bags and foam. Everything here is very well protected and I am willing to bet would not be damaged even in a very rough shipping.

Contents:
The FHD-2400 comes with the monitor (of course), stand, DVI Cable, VGA Cable, Power Cable, USB "B" Cable, Manual, EzTune Software and stand screws.

In addition, this monitor comes with a theft-protection plan (in addition to the standard Kensington universal lock). This packet includes a sticker to put on your monitor that says "This display is protected by Gateway Shield Anti-Theft Software". I'm not so sure if a thief will even see that while stealing this, but more on all of that later.

The Monitor:
The FHD2400 is definitely one of the most visually appealing monitors I've ever seen. Though it doesn't look like a fancy, designer style monitor, it is still very attractive and matched my Black, Silver and Blue (Lights) setup.

The bezel of the monitor is glossy black with a brushed silver lower-portion. The screen itself is glossy and when combined with the glossy bezel, creates a very sharp look to the monitor.

The stand is also silver and is made out of very sturdy metal. In the arm has a much-welcomed cable-routing hole to keep the back nice and clean. The stand can adjust height, swivel and tilt. The height can be adjusted from 2" off the table to 7.25" off the table, and the movement is very fluid. The only problem with the height adjustment I had was that when you pick up the monitor, the strong spring causes the stand to extend itself, which can become very annoying. The swivel allows you to view the monitor in portrait mode. This also works very well, except when swiveled to portait it is not perfectly vertical, it is off by a little bit.

Lastly the tilt is very simple and fluid. It tilts from approximately 92° (90° is when monitor perfectly vertical) to 80°, which is more than enough. It can also be mentioned that Gateway has also implemented a means of rotation. They put small wheels in place of feet near the front of the stand, so that the monitor can be rotated with ease. However, I found this feature to be extremely annoying because the monitor would slip every time I adjusted it. Luckily, these wheels are removable, and I definitely chose this option.

Next up are the inputs. The FHD2400s lineup of inputs is definitely the most impressive I've ever seen in a monitor. You get an HDMI port, DVI, VGA, Component, Composite and S-Video.

The HDMI and DVI are both HDCP compliant. You can hook just about everything up to this. I currently have my computer hooked up through DVI. In the future, however, I will be getting a cable box and Xbox 360. It will be nice to know that I will have plenty of inputs for these. In addition to having a multitude of inputs, you can even do Picture-in-Picture across two of them at a time! I've seen picture-in-picture in only a few monitors, and it is definitely welcome here. Though I wasn't able to test it out yet I can tell you its features. You can change the location of the PIP, change it's transparency, change its source, position, size and PIP picture settings. There are also some more PIP features added with the installation of the software but more on that later. There is also a 4-port USB hub built-in. The USB upstream and 2 of the 4 downstream port(s) are in the back, with the other two downstream on the side. I actually didn't ever think I'd use a USB hub on the monitor, but I've found it to be a lot more convenient than the front USB on my computer case.

Lastly, the Power Light/Button and Menu Light/Button can be seen on the right side of the monitor. I say "Light/Button" because they are both back-lit touch-sensitive buttons. The lights are unobtrusive, and can even be set to more dim levels through the OSD. Both lights are blue when the monitor is on w/ a signal, Power is blue and menu is orange when it is on w/ no signal and only the power light is on and is purple when the monitor is off/in standby.

Picture Quality
But of course you don't buy a monitor for its physical looks and technical specs, you buy it for how good it's picture actually looks. This monitor definitely delivers in this area and will not leave you disappointed. Lets get started with the colors.

I am going to have to say that the 92% color gamut (advertised) looks just about amazing. The colors are vibrant and life-like, and never over-saturated. If there is one point on this monitor that I could 110% guarantee, it is the color. Your photos, videos, and games will look so much better with color like this. Seeing a grove of trees in Oblivion or Crysis actually looks more realistic thanks the the incredible color reproduction of this monitor.

Next up is the brightness and contrast. When I first took this monitor out of the box and hooked it up, I was a little disappointed here. The brightness seemed decent but the contrast was lacking. However, with a little bit of tweaking in the OSD I got this monitor's brightness and contrast on-par with the color. Blacks are blacks and whites are whites. At my settings, the contrast does not wash anything out, and keeps the blacks very dark. I actually have the brightness set to 100%, which I've never been able to do on a LCD without making the picture look bad. Its almost a strain on your eyes, but I kinda enjoy it. This is where I really run in to the picture's only physical flaw: the backlighting. Though it is very even in the middle, there is some backlight bleed on the right and left.

Thanks to my last monitor, I am used to this and it doesn't bother me too much, but it is still an annoyance none-the-less. Luckily that was the only physical flaw with picture; this monitor came with no dead/stuck pixels or visual "dents".

EDIT: See Update #2 below for revisions on the backlight bleeding problem.

Next is the sharpness of the screen. Once again, this monitor delivers, and strongly at that. Be it HD Movies, pictures or games, everything is razor sharp and extremely clear. My high-res car pictures can really show off their details thanks to the clarity of this screen.

There is only one quirk; text doesn't look as good as everything else. I immediately noticed this when I went onto a website. By any means, its not bad, its just not as nice as previous monitors that I've used. Also, this monitor upconverts lower resolutions absolutely beautifully (apparently thanks to the "DCDi Chip by Faroudja"). I lowered the screen to both 720 and 480 HD. At 720 I almost confused it with 1080, and even at 480 I was still impressed.

During this testing I've used my Computer and my friend's Xbox 360 (through VGA). Both looked exactly the same, so all of the comments above seem to apply to all of the HD inputs.

Performance/Use
I've used this screen for 4 days now, and have done: Photo Editing, Web Browsing, Gaming and Movies. I haven't noticed any problems relating to the performance aspects of this monitor (Response Time and refresh rate). During gaming I noticed absolutely no ghosting or blur (unless it was intentional). I even turned of the "Ultra-Response" feature (which lowers the response time to 3ms from 5ms), and I still could not see any ghosting.

Day to day use of the monitor and its functions were easy and effortless. The touch-panel menu controls work flawlessly and are an elegant solution to OSD control.

The OSD is very well laid-out and easy to control, two attributes of which are commonly lacking on most OSDs. In addition to that, the sheer amount of customization is mind-blowing (as far as monitors go). From here you can adjust the usual brightness and contrast, color, OSD position, language and input but you can also adjust things such as LED brightness, audio feedback on touch-panel buttons, PIP settings, video modes (DVI's color and VGAs geometrical adjustments) and lastly gamma. Thats right, gamma adjustment on the monitor. I love that feature, it is definitely a vital part of the picture adjustment.

Software
Gateway includes a custom Gateway version of Portrait Softwares "EzTune". This software normally just allows the customization of display settings but on the Gateway Edition paired with a Gateway monitor, it can do so much more. Sadly, I however could not witness any of these features first hand, because EzTune (even the latest version off their site) would crash every time I attempted to use it. I've sent them an e-mail, and when I get it working I'll update the review. So until then I'll tell you the features that I've read about from the menu and their site.

EzTune allows you to access every single one of the monitors settings from the computer, and even adds extra functionality not normally available with just the monitor. The first notable feature I saw was the automatic display rotation. When you rotate the monitor into Portrait mode, EzTune will automatically rotate Windows with it. So apparently there is some sort of sensor in the rotator (correct word?) that allows the software to detect it. Next up is the monitor protection, which I briefly mentioned earlier. With this option turned on the monitor will only work on computers given permission to use it by EzTune. You can protect it even more by setting a user-pin to this, so that it will not work without the PIN number. The last added feature is the PIP adjustments. Not only can you move the PIP, change its size, etc. but with the software you can set the PIP to go transparent whenever the mouse passes under it. I can't wait to try out these features because they all sound very cool.

Conclusions
This monitor really has blown me away in pretty much every aspect. The color, clarity, physical appearance/design, and performance has really shown me how a top-of-the-line monitor should look. Aside from small problems such as the not-as-sharp text and the backlight bleeding, I was thouroughly impressed with this monitor. I would definitely recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat, be it if they would be using it for web, movies, photos or games. Though the software didn't work, (I am currently talking with Portrait Software about that) the monitor was not left without almost all of its features and therefore it did not bother me.

Pros:
-Great appearance
-Solid construction
-Flexible stand
-Wide range of inputs
-Glossy screen (can be a con for some)
-Easy to use Touch Panel OSD
-Picture in Picture
-Amazing Color and Clarity
-Extremely good contrast and brightness
-Has Several security features
-Great software included
-No dead pixels or backlight bleeding

Cons:
-Text is not as sharp as everything else
-Springy stand can be annoying
-Software crashes

Ease of Use: 10
Build Quality/Appearance:10
Picture Quality:10
Performance:9.5
Software:9
Overall: 9.7

-Indybird

**Update #2**

After I finally re-installed windows onto my RAID 0 setup, I reinstalled the EZTune Software. This time...it works! I tried out everything from the advanced PIP control to the brightness/contrast to the calibration tool. Everything worked great, and I feel EZTune is a very cool and useful piece of software. There was one flaw though; the auto-pivot would not work. In case you are wondering, auto-pivot automatically rotates your desktop when you physically rotate your screen. I contacted Gateway and they seem to think its a monitor flaw. Anyway, after calibration the colors looked even better! I am in love with this monitor all over again.

**Update #1**

After 18 days of use I could not stand the backlight bleeding anymore. I don't know if it had gotten worse or if I am starting to mind it more but I had to return it. By the way, this is the reason I did not but it off of newegg. I took it to Circuit City, got a new one, brought it home, hooked it up and...
Its flawless! Yes, I said flawless. No backlight bleeding whatsoever! I didn't even know that was possible. But wait theres more! I am noticing that the vertical contrast is a little better. When I slouch in my chair the top of the screen doesnt go dark anymore.

Make sure you buy this monitor from a retail store because it seems as if you have a 50/50 chance of getting a flawless/small flaw monitor.

You had it on its native resolution right? Odd that the text looked funny. At first I thought you purchased a LCD TV, which is bad choice for up close clarity since the resolutions are much lower than the monitor brothers.

Awesome Review! +rep!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skriger

You had it on its native resolution right? Odd that the text looked funny. At first I thought you purchased a LCD TV, which is bad choice for up close clarity since the resolutions are much lower than the monitor brothers.

Awesome Review! +rep!

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Yeah, I had it set to full res. I read in some reviews that other people were having the same problem. The thing is, I've gotten used to it, and I can't even really notice it anymore. Its just that when I first started using it, it was a noticeable difference.

-Indybird

EDIT: I do have a question though:
How do I utilize the HDMI audio output for this monitor? I understand that that connector is made for the Gateway speaker bar, but it is labeled HDMI audio output which makes me think that I can still use it for other things.

you lucky bastard

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jdbnsn

you lucky bastard

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Ditto.

lol, I actually spent about 10 minutes at Best Buy the other day drooling over this thing. I had to fend off 3 sale associates. I've been looking for a laptop for months, then I saw this, now I'm trying to price out a desktop that can handle video editing (who games anymore, if it can handle video editing, it must be friggen fast).

Anywho, do you think you can get a picture of it straight on in portrait mode? You say it doesn't turn the full 90 degrees? That would annoy the crud out of me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aero

lol, I actually spent about 10 minutes at Best Buy the other day drooling over this thing. I had to fend off 3 sale associates. I've been looking for a laptop for months, then I saw this, now I'm trying to price out a desktop that can handle video editing (who games anymore, if it can handle video editing, it must be friggen fast).

Anywho, do you think you can get a picture of it straight on in portrait mode? You say it doesn't turn the full 90 degrees? That would annoy the crud out of me.

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It's only by the slightest bit, but it is noticeable. It honestly seems like a isolated flaw; I'm willing to bet most of these don't have the same problem.

Heres the pic of portrait mode:

I have the camera at a perfect 90° so you can see how off it is.

-Indybird

Nice review!

I have the old version but 22". Great monitor, least for my needs. At that time the 24" was ~700 so I went with the 22".

I was looking at the new 24", and although nice I will stick with the 22" i have. For one reason. The old version stands are extremely robust. The newer stands just don't seem to be of the same quality and sturdiness.

But, on the other hand the new ones consume much less power than last years model. Ehh...

Very nice!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NightrainSrt4

Nice review!

I have the old version but 22". Great monitor, least for my needs. At that time the 24" was ~700 so I went with the 22".

I was looking at the new 24", and although nice I will stick with the 22" i have. For one reason. The old version stands are extremely robust. The newer stands just don't seem to be of the same quality and sturdiness.

But, on the other hand the new ones consume much less power than last years model. Ehh...

Very nice!

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Really? You don't like the stand? In terms of construction this thing is absolutely solid, and it is very adjustable also. Whats the difference between the old and new stands?

-Indybird

Great review, one request though: Is there any way you could show me a pic of the lowest vertical adjustment and a side view of how much it tilts forward?
I have been searching for a new monitor for the past 3 weeks, and The problem I have is that my monitor sits on a hutch on my computer desk (about 7 inches from the table) and I need a monitor that is able to tilt forward considerably, and/or adjust vertically until it's very close to the desk. I really like this Gateway, but the tn panel it uses loses all its contrast when you start viewing it from slightly below center. I would appreciate it greatly, and it may be the deciding factor for my purchase.

Thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Indybird

Really? You don't like the stand? In terms of construction this thing is absolutely solid, and it is very adjustable also. Whats the difference between the old and new stands?

-Indybird

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It wasn't that the new stands were bad, as they were much better than most of the other manufacturers stands I looked at. It was just the old version was a "beast".

The only thing about the old stand I don't care for is that it is pretty difficult to dust because of the texture of it. Try dusting with a paper towel or something similar and its just going to eat up that piece of paper towel.

I guess I was looking for a reason to not upgrade. One of those things when you know you don't need something so you dismiss it because of the tiniest little thing just so you can walk away from it ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dancoulter

Great review, one request though: Is there any way you could show me a pic of the lowest vertical adjustment and a side view of how much it tilts forward?
I have been searching for a new monitor for the past 3 weeks, and The problem I have is that my monitor sits on a hutch on my computer desk (about 7 inches from the table) and I need a monitor that is able to tilt forward considerably, and/or adjust vertically until it's very close to the desk. I really like this Gateway, but the tn panel it uses loses all its contrast when you start viewing it from slightly below center. I would appreciate it greatly, and it may be the deciding factor for my purchase.

Thanks!

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Its not a whole lot. Like I said in my review about 2 degrees forward. But I feel your could-be-pain also:

But I fixed it with this ghetto-prop:

It works though...

Neeways you were right, if you have the monitor above desk level at all it becomes a problem. Even with this problem though, I'd recommend you overlook it and just do something like I did.

Hope that helps.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NightrainSrt4

I guess I was looking for a reason to not upgrade. One of those things when you know you don't need something so you dismiss it because of the tiniest little thing just so you can walk away from it ;)

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I know exactly what you are talking about. It was the exact same situation when I got this monitor and compared it with the 28" Hanns-G Monitor (of the same price). Heres my train of thought:
"Well this gateway has better specs, more inputs and a glossy screen, but this Hanns-G is HUGE. The gateway is technically sharper because it is the same resolution except smaller, but the hanns-G is HUGE."
The thing that finally made me accept my Gateway was the fact that the Hanns-G would be a b@$&% to carry around to lan parties.

-Indybird

Thanks for the pics, and the ghetto-fix solution. My girlfriend keeps trying to talk me back into the 22" hp, but I think I'm going to hold out and get this gateway. It just seems to have everything I'm looking for: inputs, size, resolution, and downright sexiness. I'm not sure how much I'll notice the wide color gamut without professional calibration, but it's nice to know it's there :) .

The only other one I've considered is the BenQ FP241vw, which is an S-PVA panel (better viewing angles/slightly slower response times) in roughly the same price range, but it has a stand that hangs the panel from two outside legs and needs about 28" of desk space. You can't get it at any of the big box stores, so you have to deal with online return policies if you get a dud. If you have the room though, and you're in the market for a 24" I would give it a look.

Thanks for the help Indy. :up:

WARNING! If you are searching for the best prices, be aware of the recent rash of electronics shopping site scams. They all seem to use this physical address:

3141 W Chapman Ave,
Orange, CA,92868
USA

Which has been shown to be nothing but a motel and an empty lot.

check out this article: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2217528,00.asp

If you see prices that are way too good to be true, they are!

Indy-Thats the firefox theme i have!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by noopypoop

Indy-Thats the firefox theme i have!

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I have it too. ^_^

Just bought my new FHD2400 on Jellyfish.com's smack shopping site for $450 shipped. woo! If you haven't seen this site I recommend checking it out. You can get brand new stuff (everything from Toboggans to Lcd monitors) for 20-60% off retail prices, and it's fun :banana: !

I'll let you know how it goes when it arrives.

-DC

I updated my ratings and conclusion post with something of interest to all of you.

-Indybird

Indy, check out this thread from hardforum http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1231866
It talks about BLB and progressive BLB problems with this monitor. Seems if you turn the brightness down a lot it will prevent the BLB from getting worse, or possibly even starting in the first place. Regardless, Gateway should have been using better QC standards for this monitor.

Also, I figured I could just go buy another one from CC or BB and put the old one in the box and return for refund. poof! instant exchange. Anyone see any problems with that plan?

-DC

My gateway doesn't have a big issue with backlight bleed, although some of the others had them from reviews I had read. Its an issue with the backlight but also the panel. The panel, atleast in mine is a Samsung panel and I believe they still use those on the new ones. Samsung makes some great panels along with LG. Sometimes the monitors just have an issue with blb while others don't.

I think they let the issue slip because the average user isn't going to notice something like that. By that I mean your "duhh dis is the windows button. And dis is how I get on the internets".

Enthusiasts this is going to be an issue, but the enthusiast market is such a small niche in comparison, they can get away with issues like that because most of the user base simply isn't going to notice it.

Glad to see your new panel is working correctly.




As for inputs, that is the sole reason I went with this panel over the other Samsung or LG that I was looking at. Being able to hook my pc up to DVI, another to VGA, the 360 through component, ps2 through composite all at the touch of a button is awesome.

Not being limited by connections is a great thing.

So I finally got my FHD2400 from FedEx today :D . I Just hooked it up and it looks great already. I have only a little BLB, no dead/stuck pixels. Tried my PS3 over HDMI, perfect 1:1 mapping with no overscan. I turned my brightness way down already, and I haven't used the EZtune software yet, but as long as it doesn't develop any more BLB issues, I think this one's a keeper. Thanks for the review Indy, it really helped me make up my mind between this and the Benq FP241vw :up:. Some pics.

me typing this post, lol

A picture of the BLB in the dark. It really isn't noticeable except on the complete black screen when I switch inputs.

That thing looks awesome. I wish I had the cash... but oh well, the ole 19 inch 4:3 is still holding strong, so I don't need a new one anyway.

I just got EZTune working! Updated my main post (post #2 really). If you want screenshots, just let me know.

-Indybird

Ok, why is there no 75hz refresh rate option for LCD monitor? My friend’s laptop is connected to this LCD monitor because he thinks his laptop monitor is too small. whenever he selects the max resolution for his LCD, there's no 75hz refresh rate which he wants to select to get rid of these wavy lines, but when he selects a lower resolution, but he wants the max resolution. What should he do?

The monitor can't support any more than that. The only thing that he really can do, if he wants both, is to buy a better monitor.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by navratilova

Ok, why is there no 75hz refresh rate option for LCD monitor? My friend’s laptop is connected to this LCD monitor because he thinks his laptop monitor is too small. whenever he selects the max resolution for his LCD, there's no 75hz refresh rate which he wants to select to get rid of these wavy lines, but when he selects a lower resolution, but he wants the max resolution. What should he do?

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This monitor goes to 75hz, but not on the full resolution. I believe it goes to 75hz up to 1440x900. It can only go to 60hz @ full resolution, but either way it should not be causing those wavy lines.

Hope that helps,
Indybird

How sharp is the picture quality on a lcd monitor with built in tv? Has somebody got feedback as i am thinking of buying a 17 to 20 inch lcd monitor which will be used as tv as well. Is it worth buying the external device to watch tv on my present 17 inch lcd monitor.
________________________

Quote:

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I know exactly what you are talking about. It was the exact same situation when I got this monitor and compared it with the 28" Hanns-G Monitor (of the same price). Heres my train of thought:
"Well this gateway has better specs, more inputs and a glossy screen, but this Hanns-G is HUGE. The gateway is technically sharper because it is the same resolution except smaller, but the hanns-G is HUGE."
The thing that finally made me accept my Gateway was the fact that the Hanns-G would be a b@$&% to carry around to lan parties.

-Indybird

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You are correct.

Hanns'g monitor is sharp as f@#$ though(1920x1200), Text is amazing (did you try enabling clear type on your comp?) it does "lamp" bleed a little at the top of the screen if your looking "up" towards it when the image is dark. But the screen is so flippin huge you never notice it. and unless its super dark up top, you'll never see the bleeding, Response time is also hilarious, You'll almost never see a tracer.

whats weird is the panel itself weighs but 8-9lbs. its the base (apparently full of lead) that makes moving it a pain.

But its still easier then that 22" glass CRT i had back in the day.

This HANNS-G 28" is probably one of the nicest picture quality screens i've used for being a older TFT panel. (so much i got two of them)

http://i45.tinypic.com/10z3cj6.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/w8nuxw.jpg

Mine works flawlessly when connected to my cable box or my buddies Xbox 360. played DVD's on it to (upconversion w/ HDMI player) btw who ever asked about that. I'm sure any other monitor would to as long as it has that accepted resolution for what the device puts out.