Customer Reviews

HP F2105 21" LCD Flat Panel Monitor

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Stay away from this product. Like many others, I was very happy with the picture quality on this monitor. However, 4 weeks out of warranty, the small round power button on the front of the monitor broke (disappearing into the case) which renders the whole monitor useless. HP customer support couldn't care less--they tried to sell me another monitor. HP doesn't even offer any kind of paid-for repair service that would help me recover part of my investment. Since I can see from Google searches that the power button problem is common with the HP F2105 (many are breaking inside the warranty after only light use), you would do well to trust this product no longer than its warranty period.

This monitor has an excellent resolution. Everything looks awesome on it. Unfortumately the power button was not well designed. After having the monitor for 6 months, the power button broke (this button is hardly used). I have read other reviews about this monitor and this is a frequently reported problem.

Yes, this monitor looks great. I like everything about it except for its extremely flimsy power button, which has broken in two different occasions. On both occasions the power button just sank in when pressing it with normal pressure. Once it happens it is almost impossible to turn it on or off so you need to get it replaced. (As a side note, we rarely use the power button because we have a screen saver so it did not happen from excessive use). HP has replaced our monitor 3 times (free of charge), two for the power button issue and another because one of the monitors they shipped was damaged in transit. It looks like this is a serious quality issue. I am not sure if the power button will break again now that we are on our fourth monitor, but we'll probably look for another monitor if it does.

Good points:

* The S-PVA screen is a compromise between speed (the monitor is stated to do anywhere between 8ms and 16ms depending on site one looks at. However, I saw no problems with gaming or watching a DVD.)
* True 8-bit panel rendering 16.7 million colors, with no appreciable dithering. (the S-PVA technology is inherently incapable of dithering anyway...)
* I don't need to tilt the monitor downward to get an even lighting of the display. Colors appear even through and through.
* Excellent customization and menu buttons. There is even a status screen telling how long the monitor has been turned on and how long the backlight has been on (the light's rating is about 40,000 hours)
* No dead pixels upon purchase
* 0.27 dot pitch, while note as nice as one competing brand, is very nice. (and the competing brand isn't entirely truthful when it claims PC compatibility...)

Bad points:

* Some minor backlight bleed. Only at the 4 corners and you'll never see it unless the screen is all black. I've seen far worse.
* While virtually ideal for graphics, text seems a tad overprocessed. Even with ClearType(tm) turned on.
* Why the speakers? They're pointless for a computer monitor, which is what the unit is sold as.
* I am aware of the power button problem (maybe incidents like this are why HP is losing popularity - hint hint, execs...). Naughty on HP's part, but I'll put the monitor in sleep mode and never have to press it or worry that it'll break.
* The stand seems a bit flimsy; I worry that too much realignment will loosen its bearings and won't hold itself up. (it also makes pressing the menu buttons on the monitor somewhat annoying too...)
* If I work on an image, I do have to occasionally turn my head slightly to the side -- zooming in on the image for closeup work negates any color washing. This problem I saw on a competing model, but on that model it was far, FAR worse.

As with all LCD monitors, buy an extended warranty. Dead pixels and backlighting are a hidden market and repair costs are nasty.

Plusses and minuses aside, I am very happy with this monitor. And thanks to an extended warranty, if the thing goes back within a couple years, I'll be fine. I'd rather hope it does hang together, it is usable and far better than most of the lower priced entry level gimmicky stuff out there that can't deliver the visual quality.

I have owned this for half a year now. This monitor is based on the same Samsung S-PVA panel that you can find in Eizo CE210 monitors at 3x the price. After I calibrated the monitor with the Optix XR, the screen test turned out to be exceptionally good, matching the CE210 visually (I borrowed one for comparison). It also has individual RGB control, making calibration a breeze. I am a working photographer, I run a fully calibrated workflow and accuracy is extremely important to me. So far, I have not seen a print out of a prolab with custom profile that does not closely match what I see on this screen. Banding is minimal and the color rendition is fantastic. Based on the calibration, the screen (white point) maybe a tad on the bright side, but it is still well within the calibration limits.

The build quality is good, except maybe the buttons (as other people have suggested). That said, with the computer on automatic sleep, I have not had a need to use the buttons at all, I don't honestly understand why others would need to manually turn their monitors on and off. Using the DVI input is a must, the VGA connection compares very poorly, and that is simply an interface fault, not the monitor's. The only complaint I might have is the warranty, which is shorter than many other manufacturers. That said, being an EE, I do not foresee anything that can happen to it that I cannot fix myself; nor is that something that cannot be rectified by buying an aftermarket MACK warranty for a little money. At this current price, I don't know of any better deal for a high-end LCD panel even with that warranty tagged on top.

I would highly recommend this; just be gentle with the power button.

Finally made the switch to an LCD monitor. Was waiting for a decent lcd monitor with widescreen to watch DVD's and watch HDTV in addition to work stuff. Wanted to eliminate a TV from the study. This is a good 2 in 1 device as u can work and watch TV/movies on it. Has a DVI interface for my HD satellite box. The USB ports/speakers are a nice addition. I use a Thinkpad T41 laptop, so had to refresh my ATI Radeon driver in order to get the maximum resolution of 1680x1050. The movies look awesome on it. If like me, u spend too much time in front of a computer monitor, this is an essential investment. Comes with a nice stand and all the cables. HP provides very decent post sales technical support through its website.

I purchased my HP Media Center system with the HPf2105 monitor in Feb of 2006. On August 23, 2006 my power button broke and unlike others it dropped on to my desktop! Since it was within the 1 year warranty period, HP promplty sent me a replacement. Here I am 7 months later (just over 30 days outside of my original warranty) and this power button is broken as well. Over an hour on the phone and still waiting to hear what will be done. I'd pass on another HP monitor since they obviously can't last more then 6 months of moderate use.

My girlfriend got this monitor for me as a gift, and I am in love with it (and with her too). I also disclaim all responsibility for needless digressions in this review.

This monitor is bright, and has excellent build quality. The 21 inches of widescreen look magnificent. The actual H*W dimensions are a little bigger than two pieces of computer paper placed side by side vertically (11.25" by 18" are the actual dimensions.) The USB ports are nice to have, though I consider the speakers to be worthless - I actually wish HP hadn't included them. About the power button - I have read those reviews, and in response, I do not power off my monitor - it goes to "sleep" automatically. Yes, I realize that this may be detrimental to the environment on a small-scale, but I am afraid of that power button breaking. I can see that it could break, especially with heavy finger-tip-blows. The other buttons are a little iffy as well, but I doubt that you'll use them much.

Besides these minor complaints, once again, I am in love with this monitor. Oh, and did I mention that there is only height and tilt adjustment (no swivel or pivot). Besides that, the bezel looks great. While you would never be able to use this monitor as part of a dual-monitor set-up, it looks spectacular alone. Indeed, the bezel makes the monitor look bigger and more substantial than other 21" monitors, and even 22" monitors. The color quality is excellent - I believe this is a true 8-bit panel, after running some banding tests. The screen is very bright, and I have no dead pixels (although there was one stuck pixel that invariably disappeared after the first night and has not reappeared).

There is some confusion about the actual response time of this monitor. I have seen it listed as 16ms, 12ms "Optimized", and even 8 ms per the HP specs PDF. What the true response time is, and how the "optimization" works is beyond me, but I do know that I have no problems with ghosting. Playing Battlefield 2 and 2142, I experienced no problems (besides the fact that I had to make some modifications to make Battlefield run in widescreen. Age of Empires, on the other hand, is great of this computer because you can actually see more of your people.)

Movie playback works as expected, with the source quality being the limiting factor. Two windows fit comfortably side by side on the screen, so work is a lot easier to do.

Lastly, the large U-shaped base is very sturdy. This is a great price for a high-quality 21" monitor, and although LCD prices are dropping continuously, I highly recommend this monitor.

I am just thrilled every time I sit down in front of this monitor. My previous monitor is a Sony Trinitron 21" Flat Screen Hi Res CRT monitor and it pales (literally) in comparison to the HP f2105p. The color, detail, and refresh speed are outstanding. It is very bright without washing out. I love to watch the aquarium screen saver on it, it looks so real!
I briefly tried other settings than its native 1680x1050, but they just don't do the monitor justice. So I have it set up at 1680x1050, but I increased font sizes so my old eyes don't have to work too hard! I have already watched two movies on it and am delighted in the theater experience. I added a subwoofer to the built-in speakers and really enjoy the excellent sound as well. The built-in USB ports make it easy to plug in my joystick and flashdisk. I highly recommend it!

Excellent quality...A surpising value...by far the best display I've ever owned. Very easy to install and set up too. Love the adjustable stand...

Manaual adjustment controls are very easy to use and intuitive.

Highly Recommend!