I don't know why, but i was unable to put all pictures here. So, I decide to give You a link for a "full ver. of this review"
NEC 1980 SXi „Mini-Review” by Peacemaker
Specs :
Screen size – 19’’
Revision – A1
Matrix type– S-IPS (probably by NEC)
Number of colors – 16.7 mil
Pixel response time– 25 ms
Native resolution (pixels)– 1280 x 1024
Dot pitch – 0.294 mm
Viewable area – 376 x 301 mm
Brightness – 270 cd/m2
Contrast – 500 : 1
Viewing angles – 176/176
Extra features – Ultra thin bezel – 17 mm, OmniColor (sRGB), Ambix+ (D-Sub, DVI-I, DVI-D), TORO (pivot), RapidResponse, RapidMotion,
Warranty – 36 months
NEC 1980 SXi – links :
At a glance :
Base – heavy, very stable, takes up little space
Monitor stand– forward/backward, up/down tilt adjustment
Setup buttons – there’s as much as eight of them! ( that’s including the POWER key). Easily accessible, convex., properly spaced, allow for hassle -free adjustment
Drivers – smooth installation from CDR, NaviSet ( allows you to alter all parameters from Windows level, no need to touch the front panel), extra software for Gamma-correction etc.
Adjustments – the monitor comes set up a bit too bright for my liking. I’ve decreased brightness to 20%, contrast to 46.3%, changed color depth to 6500 K (default 9300 K), the AutoBrightness feature works nice (decreases brightness while browsing www sites, increases it in games and movies).
Resolution – 1280 x 1024 crisp as ice ! Lower resolutions work very well, fonts appear slightly blurred in Windows, working& surfing comfortable down to 800 x 600). Games show little difference, I bet that in hot combat you’d never notice that you’re not viewing in native resolution ( unless your machine can handle max details at native frequency).
Monitors I’ve worked with :
MAG 71V, CTX PR 711 F, Samsung Syncmaster 959 NF, and several other eye burners... As you can see, the list does not include an LCD monitor.
I’ve decided to write this mini-review because I have been unable to find one. It is dedicated to all those looking for a perfect LCD monitor.
The last from the above list had been standing on my desktop until my first LCD monitor finally got shipped to me last Friday. I’ve slowly grown fed up with having a 20-kg hunk of junk taking up ¾ of my desk space. After a lengthy search, after many inquiries on various forums, my choice changed from the seemingly obvious TN+ (because I’m an avid gamer and I was mighty hot for the Viewsonic VP 912S which, unfortunately, seems to be an effing mirage in my country) to the none-too-popular and perhaps just a tad pricey
S-IPS matrix, which was theoretically designed to merge the speed of the TN+ with the viewing angles and colors of the PVA matrix.
When I finally knew what I was looking for, all that remained was to choose one of the LCD monitor manufacturers. I dropped a few questions here and there. I got many different answers, but after a short debate I withdrew to pre-planned positions and ordered a NEC 1980 SXi Black (it matched the rest of the setup, hehe).
There’s no disputing about taste, but.… this monitor has caught my eye with its simple form and design, creating a stunning visual effect, especially when it’s already in front of you.
Out of the box with it, then! Upon opening, your eyes meet a really nice black piece of plastic. A small piece, since the rest of the monitor is taken up by the matrix ! I honestly didn’t believe that the great appearance seen on photos could have such a stunning effect at a close encounter !
The monitor is very easy to adjust for height and tilt. As far as turning is concerned, you need to turn the whole base. It’s kinda heavy, but not too heavy to move.
NEC 1980 SXi works, like almost every 19’’ and 17’’ LCD, at 1280 x 1024. However, going down even to 800 x 600 can be achieved by Windows, IE etc. 1024 x 768 is perfectly OK, not to mention 1280 x 960. Even if you lose a little focus in those applications (and let’s not exaggerate – it still is good), the difference is really minimal in games !
IMHO the opinion that LCD’s can only be used at native resolutions is greatly exaggerated.
As far as colors go – well, I’m no CG artist but this monitor has a massive range of color adjustment – separate for the three basic colors, six others, text screens, geez there’s lot of that stuff ( I might find the time to play with it sometime)!
Finish quality – nothing to pick on. Black plastic, ultra thin bezel, ascetic look, no flashy lights, chrome rims and other dispensable sh#t.. Driver installation from the enclosed CD and...the desktop...looks just great, crisp focus, perfect icons, stunning colors.
No dead pixels.
Just a quick setup to keep the eyeballs from burning out too fast and...here we go!
The standard: Test machine :
Monitor connected through DVI-I and DVI-D (no particular difference noticed, so I stuck with DVI-D) to a Leadtek 6800GT card.
ForceWare 66.93 WHQL drivers.
Resolution: 1280 x 1024 @ 60 Hz
AA x 4, AF x 8, V-sync ON.
Digital Camera – Sony CyberShot DSC – P12
Heineken – 6 pack :D, salt sticks, etc (to cancel out smearing effect heeheeehee !)
Games :
Unreal Tournament 2004 (favorite killer of LCD monitor testers in reviews I’ve read), America’s Army – my personal favorite, Pacific Fighters – yet another consumer of precious time.
Movies :
Underworld, Animatrix, Garfield, Star Wars – Episode I, Dark Blue World (DVD).
Photos were taken during pause or when the (ingame) object was at a standstill. Trust me or not, I’ve got no problem with smearing.
UT2K4 - (1280 x 1024, maxed out) seemed a little suspicious at first, slightly blurred picture, a little choppy but after 3 hrs of play I was totally satisfied – finally got those Shock shots in hee hee heee! At this moment I have totally forgotten just what smearing in UT2K4is and I’m. fully enjoying the game.
The rest of the aforementioned games, due to their more peaceful nature, performed superbly.
America's Army – at first a little impression of choppiness..like a tiny lag or sthg.. this wasn’t caused by a drop of FPS or a large ping. Perhaps this is just the way LCD’s are, it might also be a driver issue. I don’t know. After a little while my eyes probably adjusted and I could happily join a VIP hunt.
Pacific Fighters – started at 1280 x 960 due to the lack of higher resolutions for LCD’s in the game’s options (next step is 1600 x 1200). Visual settings- at Perfect.
Looks brilliant, zero smearing, great focus, I fly around shooting sushi, happy as a kid !
I also played Doom 3 Demo, Richard Burns Rally for a little while. Well. My impressions were identical to described above.
Sure, there is some „smearing effect”. But smearing surrounds us in everyday life – ever try downing three quick ones at night, fixing your eyes on the nearest streetlight and tilting your head sideways?? Now THAT is what I call smearing! Kinda makes you nauseous, don’t it? Hee hehee.
Movies look brilliant, no hangups, no smearing, black color is black as should be. At night, in complete darkness, sure you can see the matrix glowing! I ain’t gonna watch movies with my monitor turned off, am I ?? 
The matrix is lit up pretty even, but what do I know. I’m but a layman.
Animatrix :
Darkblue World (DVD) :
I, Robot :
Underworld :
SW Epizod I :
A little note here – bye bye CRT.
Pictures of the NEC - desktop, views, resolutions, toro (pivot) :
All those remarks of LCD “testers” on smearing that you can find on the Net belong among my son’s fairy tales. Don’t take what they say for granted. Information you can get from them, e.g. on smearing, has nothing to do with reality. IMHO some guys, like those from Hardware Tommy’s, are a tad too harsh in their reviews.
I realize that these are individual opinions, but just don’t take them overly seriously. At this moment, even the trees outside the window seem a bit smeary hehe!
To sum it all up - I am very happy with my new monitor.
Pros : Quality, quality and more quality in design and finish, image at native and non-native resolutions, OSD display, bezel, On switch , heeeheee, the taste of Heineken J, software, TORO (even though I don’t know how to turn it on LOL) – what you see in the pictures is a 900 rotation by nVidia driver (the image is sort of blurry, as if the resolution were 1024 x 768), short name, you can surf, play , watch movies, create Cg art, you name it. And finally my eyes aren’t all teary and bloodshot in the morning.
Cons : ……….. I want the NEC 2080 UX+ BK already ! ( too much room on the desktop all of a sudden hahaha!) the price could be 300 – 400 PLN less ( though the price is always disputable), 1 (one) fried subpixel ( visible on white background on the left, centre portion of the screen if you strain your eyes real hard) It doesn’t hurt anything, even though sometimes while flying in PF I mistake it for a barely visible contact and alert my wingmen - Bandit 11 o’clock! Break, break ! heheheeee !
Sincerely,
Peacemaker.
P.S.
The pictures do not give full credit to the quality of the display they were taken “by hand” on a borrowed camera and all...
I want to thx Kuba – for translating.
I'm starting to read Your review 