Samsung SyncMaster 930BF
The 930 BF is with the 730 BF (we took the opportunity to test this identical 17” version at the same time), the first Samsung monitor with a 4 ms panel. This manufacturer´s intentions, however, weren´t always that clear. Unveiled last March at the CeBit, this panel was supposed to be released in a monitor named 930B before summer. In May they changed direction and said the 930B would be suspended, maybe even cancelled, and replaced by another monitor to come in August at best. When we had lost almost all hope, here´s the 930BF, in a version close to the one revealed in the CeBit. With the same black plastic body, only the base changed to being round instead of rectangular. Here comes the revolution!
The first thing to notice is the panel´s origin. Was it manufactured by Samsung or, to release the monitor on time, did they use an AU-Optronic panel? 30 seconds later thanks to our saw (just kidding), we found out it was a Samsung!
It´s a completely new panel. Dismantling the monitor also helps us to see more about the product´s overall quality, which in this case was quite mediocre. Inner pieces can be taken apart and nothing is fixed down, a real pleasure for testers like us who were Lego champions in our youth. We took the screen apart, took a few pictures of the interior and reassembled in exactly 30 seconds. The cables and metal protection were moveable, and all in all, we found this to be in harmony with the screen´s unrefined appearance. Despite the lowest response time, the new panel and the DVI interface, the 930BF is an entry level monitor. Finishing touches have nothing to do with the P series, but in the end this is for the best as this monitor is more affordable.
Ergonomics
The base is non-moveable, non-vertically adjustable and there is no pivot mode. There is just the internal power supply (now almost always the case) and a DVI input.
Color quality
The 930BF claims a 700:1 contrast ratio with 160° viewing angles. If the number of reproduced colors wasn’t 16.2 million, we would have even doubted the panel´s technology. On paper, TN monitors have once again evolved. In practice, you will see it´s also the case if you own a colorimeter. Without this precious tool reserved for professionals (costing from 150- 300 €), monitor adjustments are extremely difficult. The contrast ratio is really 700:1 (with the white at 210 cd/m² and 0.3 cd/m²), but colors aren’t accurate. This isn’t catastrophic, however. For example, black is dark but not a true black. Also, other colors are slightly inaccurate being a little too cold (with a predominance in blue). To play games, watch movies, or launch a slide show this isn’t a problem and probably won´t bother you. On the other hand, it isn´t ideal for picture editing. You may make corrections for your monitor, possibly your printer (if you can progressively anticipate the difference), but not for a professional printer or your friends´ screens.
The OSD menu design is unpleasant and difficult to use, so we advise you to avoid it. It´s best to use the graphic card´s parameters to adjust brightness, contrast, backlighting and gamma settings. Take a gray scale on one side and adjust the other parameters until seeing all levels. This is better than nothing.
How to interpret the graphOn the left is the spectrum and the monitor´s colorimetric range compared to the sRGB range (usually used for digital cameras). This doesn’t correspond to its accuracy, but to the range of reproducible colors.
For accuracy, there is the graph on the right, the DeltaE. This is a measure between the desired color and the one actually displayed on the monitor. The result obtained is also counter-balanced by human eye color sensitivity.
When Delta E > 3 the desired color is noticeably different from the one on the screen.
When 1 < Delta E < 2 colors are accurate. When Delta E < 1, the result is perfect.
Before calibration :
After calibration :
Viewing angles
Photos are taken at a 50° angle. You can immediately see that it´s indeed a TN panel with the lower viewing angle almost equal to zero and the image immediately darkening. From each side and above the image is still good at 40°, but after this brightness changes, being less homogeneous and ambient light reflections start to appear.
Interpolation
Quality is strictly identical to the VP191b and slightly above average. But we are still far from the expected result. As usual, only work and play games in standard mode, otherwise images are blurred.
Video games
Up until now, tests of fast Samsung panels always gave very different results. In terms of TN panels, we were disappointed by the 12 ms, then we loved the 13 ms, which we encountered for the first time in the Belinea 10 17 35. We also liked the 8 ms a lot, probably a version of the13ms with
overdrive that in practice didn´t change a thing. We didn’t see any differences between the two, and as both were excellent we can expect nothing more.
For PVA technology, results were clearly less satisfactory. The 16 ms followed by the 8 ms panel haven’t brought any improvements in terms of afterglow. The overdrive probably improves measurements and is good for a product´s specifications, but in practice the result brings strictly nothing! The PVA 8 ms (in the Fujitsu-Siemens P19-2) is far from being comparable to the ViewSonic VP191b MVA 8 ms panel.
In short, for games Samsung is capable of the best but also the worst results.
For this 4ms, performance was excellent! It´s much faster than the previous 8 ms, which is obvious in clone mode. There is an improvement, but it isn’t the revolution we expected. The most finicky users will still notice some afterglow.
Once again, its perception depends on the user. It definitely exists, but only bothers a minority. There are some that claim they are demanding, but don’t notice it on an IPS 16 ms monitor, which we find totally unacceptable. On the other hand, there are those that won’t understand how we could qualify this monitor with a high enough reaction time for intensive gaming. No one is right or wrong. The afterglow is here but it affects us differently. We´ll just say that 5% of users will still find it excessive.
Compared to the BenQ FP91V+, 6 msWe couldn’t compare this monitor to the VX9224, which at the moment is still only available in its pre-series with a couple of bugs (acknowledged by ViewSonic). They will be corrected with the final version, which will be available in next few days. So we asked BenQ once more to send us their current fastest monitor, the FP91V+.
At first sight, the main difference between the two monitors in gaming isn’t the level of afterglow but the difference in colors. The FP91V+´s are much brighter and more accurate and pleasant to the eye. They are so much brighter that unfortunately they still have a mirroring effect. We immediately preferred playing with the BenQ. If we consider the afterglow in deciding which one is fastest we declare Samsung the winner. Differences were minimal, however. We really had to look for details to give the advantage to the 930BF, and it does have the lowest reaction time. Once again this doesn’t mean that afterglow is non existent.
Films : DVD, HD
As usual with TN panels, and especially for Samsung, there is a strong twinkling effect in videos. This is not the strong point of this monitor, all the more so that the lower viewing angle is very small. Children will have a hard time with this screen and they won’t see anything. In addition, you can´t move the monitor toward the user. A tall person can incline it a few degrees but a smaller one can’t.
Verdict
Samsung has suspended its zero dead pixel policy, standard adjustments aren’t very good, and the OSD menu isn´t easy to use. In addition ergonomics are at a minimum and the plastic body has no interest whatsoever. Well, nothing makes this monitor stand out except for its performance in gaming. Our opinion is that this screen is for games only, especially fast ones. Otherwise why buy the monitor with the highest reaction time?
Take a look at this manufacture’s dead pixel policy by clicking here! P.S. Next week we will receive the new version of the ViewSonic VX924. We will see if the 930BF can keep the title fastest monitor…
