Home > Consumer Reviews > Samsung SyncMaster 2243BWX 22-inch LCD Monitor

I chose the Samsung SyncMaster 2243 BWX 22" black monitor after researching dozens of highly rated monitors. My old monitor was a 50 pound, 20 inch x 20 inch Optiquest monitor (great for its time). The Samsung monitor responded very well to my Dell Dimension 4300 analog, windows XP desktop. I now have working space on my desk. This was a quantum leap for sure.

Samsung 2243 came with three other cables: d-sub, dvi-d and audio. My desktop did not need the dvi-d cable which was made for digital only products. I connected the audio cable but I don't think this monitor is audio enabled. I continued to use my old but powerful Harman / Kardon speakers.

Other features are: 5ms, contrast 1,000 to 1 and direct contrast of 8,000 to 1. It comes with two USB ports built into the monitor stand for camera and other devices, adjustable height, swivel, and tilt, and numerous choices on the lower right of the panel to adjust the screen image. Packaging was great and delivery time was three days excluding the weekend.

Installation took about thirty minutes. I was surprised that my computer was much faster than before. You can use the optimal resolution (1680 x 1050) for this monitor or you can make things appear much bigger on the screen by going into control panel and changing it to a smaller resolution in display, settings. At this point, you can fine tune the brightness, contrast, etc. again. The result is you can sit several feet from the monitor and still see things very clearly.

I have a few cons: the price is a little steep at $299 but I think it is worth it. The ½ inch monitor border is a little glossy but I got use to it. I tried to register the product online but it said my email address is invalid. I will try again. Hope this helps!

After researching many different 22" monitors, I chose the Samsung 2243BWX because of Samsung's proprietary use settings (e.g., a text setting) and its ability to pivot. I had reservations after reading about uneven LCD quality in other Samsung models and after reading that the monitor had to be tilted up slightly while pivoted. Neither reservation proved to be a problem: the LCD was flawless (with no dead pixels or lines) and, once pivoted, the screen's could be adjusted to a surprising extent. There was some backlight bleed at the top of the screen, but no more than other LCD monitors. I also can't speak to its suitability for gaming or video; for work-related purposes, it's perfect, however.

Text was blurry. Samsung could not help on the phone and they could not find the model code in order to open a service ticket (interesting!). So, we had to send it back.

I'm sure you can find better out there.

I bought this at Costco yesterday and was pleased, for the first five minutes...

So There is backlight bleeding on top and the bottom, a bit on the right and left sides... I have an older Samsung930B (not widescreen) and there is no backlight bleeding (well not enough for me to notice it and be irritated by it). I spent the last 2 hours trying to fix this, I know backlight bleeding is a problem with all LCD monitors but like I said, my 930B doesn't have this problem.

Also, my 2243BWX does not include the USB hubs, I have no idea why. I bought mine at Costco (Canada) and wrote to Samsung, but they didn't even offer my model from the drop down list.

And Dynamic Contrast Ratio is a terrible idea when watching movies or shows. It just keeps flickering, even when it's in the same scene. As soon as the different characters (with different colored shirts let's say) are on screen, the monitor adjusts itself. Sounds like a good idea but practically, it's a terrible one. If you're using Dynamic Contrast though for things like text and then going on the internet, it's a better idea since you won't switch between the 2 constantly and if you do, they are different "uses" so it wouldn't be bothersome.

Every once in a while, something works out just perfectly.

I bought this monitor for my daughter, who lives in a different part of the country. (This in itself was an achievement because it is sometimes difficult to find a vendor who will ship to an address other than the billing address on the credit card. Thank you, Amazon.)

The name of the vendor, FactoryDepot, implies "refurbed" to me but this item was described as new and we have no reason to believe that it isn't. The price was excellent -- as low as many refurbs. Shipping was prompt, via FedEx Ground (not Home Delivery), at an extremely reasonable cost. The item arrived in perfect condition and looks excellent. My daughter is not particularly computer-literate but she reports no defects of any kind.

Contrary to the current trend, I specifically chose the 16x10 resolution instead of the currently popular 16x9 as it feels more comfortable for general purpose computing. The USB connections are handy for those of us who don't like to crawl under the desk to access rear connections on the PC.

Bottom line is, We're all happy.