CHIMEI CMV 221D Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 330 cd/m2 800:1 - Retail

Excellent Upgrade

Reviewed By: on 5/18/2007

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 week to 1 month

Pros: This monitor is very bright and has excellent contrast. Colors are crisp and vivid...somewhat unexpected from a TN panel. The refresh time is very quick, which has worked very well for gaming (Quake 4, BF 2142, HL2, C&C 3, CS: Source). Playing these games at a resolution of 1680 x 1050 is AMAZING!!! The monitor itself is also very light in weight. It is far lighter than my old Samsung 173P. The stand is also substantial enough that is supports the monitor very well.

Cons: One dead pixel on left side of the screen. However, the resolution is so high that you really have to look for it to find it.

Other Thoughts: This is a fantastic monitor! When I was shopping for a new display, I would always try and seek out the poor reviews for each. I always feel that those reviews tell you more about a product. Having said that, I would recommend this monitor to anyone. One thing to keep in mind is the high resolution. I'm not going to lie to you...playing games at 1680x1050 requires some serious graphics horsepower. I wouldn't plan on running a 7600GT or x1650 on this thing. I currently run an EVGA GeForce 7950 GT Superclocked and it actually struggles sometimes. BF 2142 and HL2/CS:Source run pretty smooth, but C&C 3 actually choked up my system a bit. I would imagine games like FEAR, Oblivion, and STALKER would be even more demanding.

So, if you've got the processing power and a little money to burn (not much becuase this is a great deal!), this monitor would be an excellent choice. DVDs are fantastic and games are immersive. ENJOY!!!

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Pretty amazing for the price!

Reviewed By: Chooser of Chimei on 8/2/2007

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 day to 1 week

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: This is a very affordable monitor, or was when I bought it, with a rebate. I'd been wanting a 22" widescreen, and at the time, this was the best buy and had pretty decent reviews on Newegg, so I gave it a shot. I'm pleased with the brighness and contrast, that it had no dead pixels when turned on. The image is clear, but not as crisp as my Samsung 204B (20.1", 1600x1200 resolution), but seems on par with what other 1680x1050 monitors would provide. It is a wonderful gaming and video monitor, but only a good desktop monitor, the Samsung is better. I like the look and placement of the buttons, keeping the front uncluttered, and the menus and adjustments are very intuitive. Tilt and rotation of the base is solid enough.

Cons: The color variance between angles both vertically and horizontally is pretty extreme. I've had two other LCD monitors and both were better at having less color variance when moving your head than this monitor. The stand is somewhat large, as is the monitor itself. It won't quite fit in my monitor's enclosure, but it does work. I'd recommend that because the base has no height adjustment, you be ready to provide a fairly tall platform (around 4" or so) to get the monitor at eye level, which will smooth out the variance dramatically. One pixel became stuck, and was quickly unstuck using the back of my fingernail. So far, so good!

Other Thoughts: Some will wonder what you're going to get for a similar monitor that might cost a bit more or be from a more well-known brand. For the most part, the additional cost will be for a webcam, speakers, or an adjustable stand (and perhaps vertical viewing, which I've personally never needed). While height adjustment is nice, it's typically unnecessary on a better monitor because the color remains true at a much wider viewing angle. While I'm not blown away by this monitor like I thought I'd be, I must say I'm more than happy with what I got for the price. To truly get the most from this monitor, though, I can't emphasize enough, it MUST be at eye-level! Do what it takes to make that happen, and I think you'll be a very happy customer. The only reason this got 4 eggs is because if you're going to make a monitor that is so sensitive to viewing angle, you should at least provide a height adjustment on the stand.

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Complete Garbage

Reviewed By: on 7/23/2008

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: more than 1 year

Pros: Cheap.

Cons: Screen quality is merely acceptable, but I suppose you get what you pay for.

Other Thoughts: We purchased four of these monitors just over a year ago. They were used for less than a week when one of them stopped properly syncing with the signal. It took over 8 weeks and hours on the phone with CHIMEI to get a replacement (which wasn't even the same color). When the replacement finally came, it powered off and stayed off within 5 minutes of being set up. Now another of the original 4 no longer powers on. That's 3 monitors out of 5 that are completely dead within the first year.

I'm astounded these have such a high rating.

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Still great after 7 months

Reviewed By: ts1sds on 7/15/2008

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 month to 1 year

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: When I first installed this display, I was immediately impressed with the vibrant colors and crispness of the text, even at small fonts. I actually had to reduce the brightness somewhat. The controls are in the most convenient place I can think of - on the thin side panel where they are both convenient AND out of the way. There were, and are, no dead pixels, and contrary to some of the existing reviews, I don't see any significant bleeding from the bottom or top edges. Except for the brightness, which is a personal issue, no other adjustments were necessary. Last, but certainly not least, was the price. Newegg.com's already competitive amount, plus a $10.00 promotion, plus a $30.00 mail-in rebate, brought it in at under $200!

Cons: There is no swivel capability, although the monitor can be tilted. Still, even this adjustment is limited - I estimate from -5 to +20 degrees. There is no vertical height adjustment, so one must be able to obtain the optimal viewing angle via the tilt. About one week ago, a thin violet vertical line appeared on the right side of the display, but it is intermittent, and usually disappears within 5 to 10 miinutes. It's not enough to lower the rating, but if it ever appears permanently, it will probably be an annoyance.

Other Thoughts: I want to respond to all those reviewers who were disappointed that powering off the monitor while in DVI mode caused the signal between it and the video card to be cut off, and that only a reboot would restore it. If you connect both the DVI and analog cables to the monitor from your video card, and set the multi-display selection to "clone" mode, the problem is eliminated. When you power back on, you will be in analog mode, but at least you can continue your work from where you left off.

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Reviewed By: on 7/12/2008

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 month to 1 year

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: I have had this monitor for just over 6 months now and I must say it was worth the money. I have had no problems no dead pixels no lines nothing.

Cons: Color is slightly skewed from the sides but other than that it is fine.

Other Thoughts: For the money this thing is top notch. I was weary of buying this because it was not "name brand" but it has been great and was well worth the money.

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