Customer Reviews

Samsung SyncMaster 173P 17" LCD Monitor (Silver)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wanted an LCD with top image quality for precise photo editing, as well as general use. The 173P was above average in price, but the image quality is outstanding. I use the DVI input at the native resolution of 1280x1024 and it looks great. In my opinion, the image quality is the best of any monitor I have seen. Contrast, color, and angle of view are all excellent.

I was worried about color and tonal accuracy when editing my images because many serious photographers recommend against LCD monitors for photo editing. These "experts" must be behind the times because my images on the 173P come the closest I have experienced to looking at my original slides on a light table. I calibrated with an eye-one display calibrator, but even before calibration I would rate the color accuracy as excellent.

I also use this monitor for text and gaming. Text looks great and is very readable, especially using ClearType on Windows XP. When gaming, I don't see any visible ghosting or other motion artifacts, so the response time must be adequate.

As you can tell, I am extremely satisfied with this purchase. I'm a picky buyer and usually have some nits to pick with almost anything I buy, but after 2 months of use I am 100% satisfied with this monitor. Not only does the image on the screen look great, the monitor itself has a very elegant design. It looks clean and simple and has a great range of position and angle adjustments. My 173P doesn't have a single bad pixel. You can get a cheaper LCD if you only want to use it for text, but if you want the best, you won't be disappointed with this one.

I just replaced a 19" Sony Trinitron CRT with this monitor and my only regret is that I didn't go Digital LCD sooner! What a difference! As sharp as the Trinitron is, this Samsung will eat it for breakfast....and here is the reasons why-

Eye Strain- Goodbye eye strain! Flicker free images....no glare...nice sharp text and edges.

Colors- The reds are red and the blacks are black and the whites are BRIGHT!...no bleeding or faded colors. I work extensively with Photoshop and Illustrator....The colors are true and crisp with this monitor and this is the big issue that keeps most graphics designers from going to LCD.. well, this and price. Believe me, this monitor is worth every penny and the colors are more vivid than you'll ever get from a CRT.

Functionality- This baby can be tilted and turned in uncountable positions. You can actually tilt the screen 90 degrees to view the display on it's vertically longer side... the included Pivot Pro software will flip the text and images on the screen for you....this is great for MS Word, surfing the net and etc.. because you don't have to scroll as much.

Adjustments- The feature that makes this LCD so user friendly is the feature that it lacks...buttons! There is a power-on button and that's it...everything is controlled with the included Magic Tune software...No More clumsy menus! The software is a breeze to use and your results come much quicker than with the typical button layout found on other monitors. One cool thing about the included software is that it has a color calibration feature so that what you see on the screen is what you get when you print to paper. This is great for anyone that uses Photoshop or similiar image editing software because "What you see is what you get"... software like this is fairly expensive if you had to purchase by itself.

Digital- If you use the DVI output on this monitor all you need to do is plug it in and adjust the contrast, resolution, and brightness...color adjustment is spot-on with no adjustment necessary when you go digital. Have I mentioned brightness?....this LCD can be adjusted to be very BRIGHT!

Reputation and Warranty- The 173P was voted best 17" LCD by Ziff Davis (www.zdnet.com) and CNet.com. Read the reviews and you'll soon see why this bad boy is untouchable. You get a great 3 year warranty with this monitor, and if you fill out the registration and send it in within 10 days of the purchase date you'll get an extra 3 months added to the warranty.

It's packaged very nicely and comes with all the necessary cables and software to have you up and running in a few minutes time. Just be sure to go to the control panel (Windows OS) and adjust the resolution to 1280 x 1024 (native LCD resolution).

I do have one gripe about the resolution. I'm used to using 1024 x 768 on a 19" CRT....going to 1280 x 1024 does make the icons and text a little smaller, but it's still well worth it! I'm slowly adjusting to this and I almost prefer this resolution over the other now. You can use this LCD in whatever resolution you want but you'll notice a big difference if it's not set to the recommended 1280 x 1024.

That about sums it up. If you're weighing cost vs. quality then you're wasting your time. This monitor is worth it. You can keep my Sony Trinitron and 10 others just like it for the 173P...there's no comparison and this is the BEST 17" out there!

I recently purchased two of the 173P displays for use in a dual-monitor setup. They are truly gorgeous, with respect to both image quality and exterior fit and finish.

Unfortunately, Samsung's choice of the MagicTune software instead of a true hardware-based On-Screen-Display can be problematic. In my case, I wanted to calibrate the displays using my EyeOne system. Now, the first step in any good color calibration process is to accurately set the white point. I expected to use MagicTune to accomplish this, but found it sorely lacking. With a DVI-powered 173P I got no white point control--there was just nothing to click, a blank spot in the interface! Portrait Displays, the vendor that makes Display Tune (the software OSD rebranded by Samsung as MagicTune) says on their support site that "[the white point] sub menu may not function if you are using the digital connection of your graphics card and monitor".

(Update: 2004-12-17)

I finally got everything calibrated after using a DVI to VGA adapter to run both displays in analog mode. That enabled color controls for both monitors, so I could set the white point and calibrate as usual. Nevertheless, I was very disappointed that I was effectively unable to use my new monitors with DVI.

I emailed Portrait Displays tech support, and they claimed that the reason color options are limited when running via DVI is that the 173P does not fully support DDC/CI (the VESA standard used to communicate the settings to the monitor) over DVI. Bummer!

Some googling indicated that NEC/Mitsubishi may have a more robust software-only OSD solution. Their NaViSet program is advertised as working over DVI and VGA, on both Windows, OS X, and OS 9. (I have no personal experience with this product.) It might be worth considering an NEC or Mitsubishi monitor instead of the 173P if you want better compatibility with DVI or the Mac. However, the 173P gives beautiful (although untunable) images with Linux and the Mac after auto-adjustment, which is done by holding down the monitor's power on button for a few seconds.

In spite of my ordeal, I really love the 173P and am satisfied. MagicTune is great when it works, but there are some significant shortcomings with the 173P that are not well documented by Samsung.

(NB: my primary system runs Windows XP w/ a Radeon 9600XT)

After my 21 inch trinitron monitor started to go, i decided it was finally time to jump into the flatscreen arena. My desk is now supporting 50 less pounds, is much more open and i couldn't be happier. All thanks to Samsung's 173P monitor.

For the longest time, i've been one to say, "there's no way any flat screen could ever match (let alone beat) my trinitron in terms of image quality." Once the trinitron began to die, the idea of purchasing a new 60 pound beast with the knowledge that lighter and sleeker looking monitors are availabe, was not too appealing to be honest. So i began to search around online.

Quite quickly, i arrived at the conclusion that i wanted a Samsung LCD. i found an endless supply of accolades for Samsung's LCDs. i thought about the apple cinemawide monitor, but i absolutely despise apple as a company, and the technology in their cinema displays is outdated anyway - thus my decision to go with Samsung was finalized.

I narrowed my choices down to either the 172X or the 173P.

I initially purchased the 172X. The 12ms pixel refresh rate really hooked me. Ghosting has plagued LCD's since they first came about. The idea of no ghosting, really made me feel comfortable purchasing my first LCD.

I received the 172X and was impressed by the sleek look and the small footprint of this monitor. There was absolutely no ghosting. However, as was said before in an earlier review here, the viewing angle is ATTROCIOUS on this monitor. Even when looking at this monitor dead on, it can still be difficult to aviod seeing washed out colors...bright whites melting into yellows, deep reds bleeding into pink. It was really dissappointing. So, after about a week with the 172X, i decided to send it back and shell out another 50 dollars for the Samsung 173P monitor...

boy, was it worth it.

The Samsung 172X monitor looks great, but the 173P monitor one ups it. Even before you turn it on, this monitor wows you with it's design. There are NO buttons on the face of the monitor, minus the touch sensitive power button and input changing button (hold your finger there for a moment and the monitor will turn on or off with a beep, keep your finger there for a few seconds and the inputs will change. very cool.) The power light on this monitor is a blue led which also looks really nice. But it's when you turn this monitor on that you truly realize just how great it is.

Text on this monitor is razor sharp, where text on the 172X was merely very sharp. Color vibrance on this monitor beats the 172X, which is already great. While the 172X has a 500:1 contrast ratio, (how bright colors look) the 173P has a contrast ratio of 700:1, and it shows. The brightness of the 173P is very much superior to the 172X. The biggest problem with the 172X, the terrible viewing radius, is not only alleviated, but a "claimed" 178 degree viewing angle, sets an indrustry high water mark in this area and equates to stunning performance in this respect. While maybe not quite 178 degrees as Samsung claims, the viewing radius is VERY close to this, as looking at the monitor flat from the side reveals only a slight degredation of color quality. Whether you are looking at this monitor dead on, or very nearly entirely from the side, the colors stay rich and vibrant. And most surprising, despite the slower refresh rate of the 173P, i found there to be NO GHOSTING in games. If i would have known ghosting would have been a non-issue with this monitor, i never would have bothered with the 172X in the first place.

NO DEAD PIXELS were found on the 173P and this was a very pleasant discovery. My 172X had 1 dead pixel, which, while annoying, was by by no means the reason i was dissatisfied with it.

After coming from the trinitron, i can not believe how well the 173P performs. Unlike trinitron monitors, there are NO geometry issues. Straight lines are straight and not bowed in or out. Constant adjustments to picture size and geometry are no longer necessary. Degaussing every day is no longer necessary. Colors are so much more vibrant and accurate on this LCD monitor that i can not explain how much better pictures online or from my digital camera look than on the trinitron. It is quite simply, a revelation. Lastly, the space saved and super-swank aesthetics of this monitor really do make it an ultra high-class product.

Just remember that this monitor does not come cheap. At around 600 dollars, it is the most expensive 17" LCD monitor out there. Also, while crts are measured by screen and frame size, lcd's are measured by viewable size. So, while a 17" crt offers less than 17" of viewable screen size, a 17" LCD actually offers 17" of viewable space.

If you want the best 17" lcd money can buy, you would be making a mistake buying anything other than the Samsung 173P monitor.

After owning both the 172X and 173P, I must say I definitely prefer the 173P. The picture is sharper, the viewing angle is wider, and the included stand has a much larger range of motion, not to mention the excellent pivoting feature.

On the 172X, unless you're looking at it dead on, the picture can become washed out. With the 173P, the picture seems to stay clear no matter what the angle. The importance of this cannot be underestimated! It's quite annoying when you're only a couple feet off to the side and the picture looks poor.

As for the stands, the 173P has about twice the height adjustment range of the 172X. I couldn't get the 172X more than inch or so above my keyboard, and that's just too low for me.

I thought the lack of external controls would be a problem, but it really isn't. The auto adjustment mode works great, and the most I've had to do is a brightness and contrast tweak with the included MagicTune software, which isn't that bad. You can uninstall it once the monitor settings are to your liking.

The 172X does have a faster response time, but for my purposes, image quality is more important. Even with the 25ms response time of the 173P, most reviews say it still works well with games and movies. To me, it was definitely worth the small price jump!

I bought this as a second monitor, and as such it performs nicely. The price was right ($320 after rebates), and it's one of the thinnest 17" moniitors I've seen. Image quality is nice, and contrast ratio is better than many models, but it's a big dissapointment that there are drivers available for all versions of Windows and even Linux, but no Mac driver! (so Mac users won't be able to use the main feature of this monitor, its ability to rotate 90 degrees to display a page in portrait orientation, or control the brightness (which I assume the software driver could do, but I can't install it, so I'm stuck faking it with my system monitor control).

Samsung's tech support is dicey too. After several automated replies telling me to use a Macintosh adapter to make it work on my Mac (works fine; it's the software driver I asked about, nitwit!), I finally reached a human who told me what I already knew; Samsung doesn't offer one.


I give this a marginal thumbs-up, but only if you get it under $350 (the average price of a non-pivoting 17" LCD)

The Samsung 173P is easy to set up. Just take it out of the box, plug in the power, then connect the LCD to your PC just like you'd plug in a normal CRT monitor. Then power up your PC and enjoy!

The 173P's out of the box setting is a little bright. Luckily, they give you a driver to install (on a CD), and two great programs, Magic Tune and Natural Color.

Magic Tune lets you adjust the resolution, brightness and contrast then save them as presets. You can change your monitor preset by right clicking on the desktop and pick one of the presets you've saved.

Natural Color lets you adjust the color of your monitor to the ambient light level and light source (daylight or incandescent, or whatever). It really takes the colors of your LCD to the next level. You can also match the color of the 173P to your printed output, but I haven't tried that yet.

Benefits of the 173P are:
- more screen real estate than a 17 inch monitor
- significantly less eye strain
- text is easier to read.
- frees up desk space.

For editing digital pictures, a high quality CRT is likely going to beat out the 173P by a little. However, for general home or business use, this monitor rocks!

The 173P fit and finish is very classy. This LCD monitor for the money is well worth tossing your 17 inch monitor out or keep it as a boat anchor.

This thing is great! Best image and text I have seen. Colors are splendid. Being able to rotate the screen 90 degrees for portrait mode is excellent. The software controls that came with it work well too. I am very pleased with this monitor.

Not much to say! The best 17" LCD monitor on the market. I used many of them including NEC, Dell, and others. This one looks the best and works the best. Sharp picture, great text! I found extremely usefull to rotate monitor 90 when browsing internet! I love it! Was delivered from Amazon on the second day when I choose "free super saver" shipping option. Bought for $609.

This is my first desktop LCD monitor. I was looking for something very good, 17 inch, maybe around $500. My search at that price was not successful. Enter this Samsung 173P. Altho more expensive, I am extremely pleased. Very bright, very clear, and easy to use. Height & tilt adjustment, and 90 degree rotation are very simple.
I used the 173P first with an analog input, which was satisfactory. Now I am using digital input (DVI) and the results are even better.
Bottom line - pricey but great.