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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Aquila76 - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
Chizow,Did you run the gradient test from xtknight's website (linked above)? I'm curious to see how yours fares. I handpicked a Dec '06 model from Best Buy, but it still borked that thing badly no matter what bright/cont/R/G/B etc. I had it set to. I got most of my settings from the thread over at , but none seemed to eliminate the transition issues / color accuracy for me. :(
chizow - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
Ok, I applied the color profile Jarred provided (thanks again!) and colors do look much better, a lot more like the 2407WFP out of the box. Ran the gradient tests in full and windowed mode. In windowed, there is no significant banding or gradients although there is some faint gradient lines and banding on the straight color strips at the transition between the corresponding 1st and 2nd blocks. Seem to be uniform vertically through the pattern although they're unnoticeable on the magenta strips.In full screen mode, the banding is more obvious but again, its limited to the lower dark areas and don't extend past the 3rd block. After the 3rd block, the transitions are flawless. I wish I ran these before I calibrated the settings to see if its my panel or the calibrated settings.
Unfortunately, it looks like these settings will only apply under WinXP.
Jarred did you change the OSD/EzTune settings at all? Also, if you're really bored, would you mind calibrating the panel using EzTune or the OSD? Lol, well was worth a shot at least. Thanks again for the help and review.
Aquila76 - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
Heh, somehow clipped the last phrase off....from the thread over at HardForums.
Aquila76 - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
WTF? I used a BRACKET H BRACKET and it hides the text?
Aquila76 - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
Sorry for all the quotes of myself.The first one should have ended with:
...the thread over at HardForums.
chizow - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
I haven't run any extensive tests, but I'll check out Xtknights later when I get home. The few tests I have run were just html-based static images, and I can honestly say I saw very little gradient issues on the 2 panels I had (DEC annd current JAN). Banding was another issue though and pretty severe depending on content, source resolution/quality, and colors etc. I'll have to look over the definitions to make sure they're not mutually exclusive, so I'll have to get back to you on that one.JarredWalton - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
Beware the open-bracket H close-bracket abbreviation used for a certain other site! :DWe use brackets for our pseudo-HTML, and that one just happens to correspond to turning on white text. It comes up now and then, but thankfully you figured it out before the thread was very long. LOL We had a thread a year or two back where about 20 people responded trying to figure out WTF happened to the text. I think a guy had posted a comment where he used {H} five or ten times, which only served to make things more difficult to "fix".
Aquila76 - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
Eeks. I'll have to keep that in mind! Another cool test on xtknight's site (www.lcdresource.com) is a Dark Grayscale test. It's in the same section as the gradient. Mine just showed all black unless I cranked the brightness up to eyeball-melting. Granted, this is difficult for any LCD to display properly due to the issue of backlighting.I think what really pushed me over the edge on this monitor is that the last few bands of the grayscale showed up on my HP L1706 at work and the gradient shows flawlessly on it. A ~$700 display beaten handily by a ~$150 display hurt much more than my wallet. That was the final deciding factor on my returning the Gateway. I don't know how they managed to screw up this panel so badly. AFAIK, the Dell and Samsung 24" (same panels) had this resolved before the Gateway was released.
JarredWalton - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
I believe my sample is an earlier run from around November, but I didn't notice any issues with PSU buzzing. Could be that the color banding was a result of the early run - I don't know for sure. As for settings, I set contrast to 60% and ended up with brightness at 61%. The color profile will of course vary somewhat from panel to panel, so I'm not sure how helpful providing my particular profile will be, but if you want to give it a look, here you go:http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/monitor/2007/g...">FPD2485W Calibrated Profile
Caveat Emptor! :)
chizow - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - link
Wow that was fast! thanks :) A lot of 2485W owners will be happy. I think a lot of people got the brightness/contrast settings similar to yours, but color accuracy is a whole different monster, like whack-a-mole almost. Solve one color problem only to make one much worst. For me, its like tuning a guitar. I know what doesn't sound right, I just don't know how to fix it. :) That profile should help a ton though, thanks again!