Samsung 953BW review (19-inch)

World of Warcraft, as usual, looked great on the SyncMaster 953BW and the Gateway HD1900. On both monitors, the game exuded vibrant colors and the polygonal characters looked full and three-dimensional.

When we watched the Superbit DVD version of Spiderman 2 on the Samsung, we saw the same vibrant colors and no evidence of backlight bleeding. Overall, we felt that the Samsung had shallower blacks than the Gateway, which makes it less suited for watching movies.

The optimal viewing angle for a monitor is usually directly in front, about a quarter of the screen's distance down from the top. At this angle, you're viewing the colors and gamma correction as they were intended. Most monitors are not made to be viewed at any other angle. Depending on its panel type, picture quality at non-optimal angles varies. Most monitors use TN panels, which get overly bright or overly dark in parts of the screen when viewed from non-optimal angles. Both the Gateway and the Samsung displays use TN panels, and when they are viewed from a non-optimal angle, the screens appeared to darken and we were unable to see the picture details when playing a game. As long as it's being viewed from the optimal angle, however, we had no problems.

Juice box

Samsung SyncMaster 953B	Average watts per hour
On (Default Luminance)	37.47
On (Max Luminance)	31.47
On (Min Luminance)	15.34
Sleep	0.75
Calibrated (200 cd/m2)	24.8
Score	Fair
Annual energy cost (@$0.1135/kWh)	$9.90

Find out more about how we test LCD monitors.

Service and support
Samsung backs the SyncMaster 953BW with a three-year parts-and-labor warranty that covers the backlight. It also offers support through a 24-7 toll free number, as well as 24- to 48-hour turnaround e-mail and Web-chat support. Navigating Samsung's site and finding the drivers, product manual, and quick guide was simple and easy.