I bought this 20" LCD from ACER for a mere RM490. I did some survey before I bought, and so it seems that most shops do not have this model. TecAsia was selling it at RM429, but it was out of stock.

This LCD comes with all the needed cable to get you started, including DVI, Analog and 3.5mm audio. Other than that, it also comes with the usual power cable. Really simple package, really.

On to the monitor itself. The first thing you would notice is the odd resolution of 1600x900. I would guess that this is for the 16:9 ratio. I was thinking that it would at 1680x1050, as most 20” are at. Anyway, it does have a fast response time of 5ms. Nothing to shout about, as most LCDs these days are less than 10ms anyway. Contrast ratio is at 10000:1, way more than my 740BF, which was at a “mere” 700:1 ! Insane contrast aside, this monitor does deliver.

I did run a HD movie to test it out, and although the movie is “just” 720p, I would say that it looks stunning. The black bars are very small. Almost negligible. Watching HD clips would be a very good idea indeed. My unit did not have any dead pixels to worry of, which means that the panel itself is of high quality. Kudos to Acer for that.

I played Racedriver:GRID, at the native resolution. I would say that GRID is one of those newer games where widescreen gaming is supported. And it does look good. No visible ghosting at all. I maxed out the AA and AF, and it was still chugging along at a minimum 30fps. It was really a sight to be hold. ( Well, not really, when comparing beside a 22” or 30”), but nonetheless, is beautiful.

I would recommend this monitor to those with a low budget and wants to jump onto the widescreen bandwagon.

Pros : -

- Very cheap
- Comes with full set of cables
- 16:9 widescreen

Cons : -
- Not full HD
- No HDMI In
- Long startup time

Pictures added for readers' convenience.


Yup, native resolution of 1600x900. Please ignore the RIVA TNT2


Bundled cables. Analog cable is being used right now.


Some of the X203h's specs. Note the HDCP input.


Some more specs


Shot of the LCD itself.



This post has been edited by ericmaxman: May 6 2009, 08:33 PM

WOW... what a review..
no pic
no result of test

damn this would have made my job tons easier..

I would get the pics up soon. The review is still in beta mode and will be improved over time.

ok thanks..
cause pics help a lot...

Pics added !

fwah.. u still using riva tnt2 ar.. i think i still got the card lying somemore inside my cabinet... haha... very cheap indeed for a 20" panel..

Yeah. But I missed the RM429 offer.

looks like those lcd with weird native reolution (acer and viewsonic are popular with that) are always being sold at lower price.

This post has been edited by Skylinestar: Nov 18 2008, 06:39 PM

there's a X203Wbd model which has reso of 1680 x 1050

but i think hard to find here

Dont be so scarcatic. If you just pay a little attention to the photoshots, you will notice why. The screen is 16:9 instead of the usual 16:10. This is why you see weird native resolution.

IMO, there wouldnt be any worry about ghosting with TN panel because these panel refresh much faster than PVA or IPS panel. In fact, most people are more worried with the viewing angles, color reproduction and contrast of these panel to see whether its worth buying or not.

with riva TNT can watch movies at 720P ????

Cant. The video will lag and artifacts will appear. The resolution was 1280x720, ngam ngam 720p HD

pergh...very cheap..
and still good in quality...poisoned...

ericmaxman, congratulations on your purchase!

May I know how long is the warranty coverage for this LCD?

@maxcheam,

It is covered by Acer for 3 years.

erm... Rm490 a tad expensiv for diz model ler...

Is it? I know that TecAsia had an offer for RM429, but no more stock.

Rm429 is a best buy value, but if you're getting it around RM450, I think stil ok, but 490?

anyway, its up to u anyway. pc price dropping everyday de. to me diz lcd is juz a value grab unit. nth to shout out. still prefer T240.

I see. I did go through a few pricelists, but did not locate the X203H. Which pricelist did you see it from?

nope. i don need a price list. coz i work in a pc shop. but not in kay eel.

nice effort and thxs for the review bro , keep it update

No wonder. But if you can bulk it at less than RM490..then....

This post has been edited by ericmaxman: Nov 28 2008, 01:45 PM

lulz~! my shop got over 30 units. but i lazy bulk. troublesome... but don forget, delivery already... like.. how much? lol!

Hi guys, I'm thinking of getting this lcd as well. Just saw it in the papers(star) yesterday. It say it has a built in speaker but I doubt so. It doesn't say so in the acer website. I wonder if anyone has any complains about this lcd yet? Is this a new model from acer?

It's one of the new 16:9 panels. Lower manufacturing cost, so lower prices.

@biancoceleste

It has a built in speaker, but I did not bother to test it as you guys know, LCDs' built in speakers are best left unused.

1680x1050 is more weird than 1600x900

any whining sound?

1wx2 speaker. i lol'd

Hohoho

thanks to my mom, my 740BF has been kidnapped by her and I get to use this X203H

Problem is, I cant game, as my rig is not powerful enough..

One more thing I dislike about this monitor is the startup time.

It take a freaking 3 seconds to show the acer logo then there will be a display.

I wonder if 1600X900 is a common resolution for games? Will I be having problem of having black bars at the side or stretched images?

today i already bought this lcd, thanks to this review, i finally made my desicion
i got this lcd priced rm455 at pc depot, already tested
very satisfying +
thanks again for all the review

i got mine yesterday, not bad for RM400 only new one
can play Devil may cry 4, max resolution with stunning performance oso

i also got 1. from cycom on 14dec. only rm410. =)

oo nice one! welkam!

but i bought this LCD yesterday RM470
i from pahang..maybe bcoz of the distance.
btw, this LCD really2 nice..

ooo 470?
just make sure u're not cheated
btq, welcome to da house

here's the screenshot for this LCD with DMC 4 its quite amazing!
i reduced a lil bit pic quality coz its too big


This post has been edited by kento: Dec 30 2008, 07:03 PM


Attached thumbnail(s)

i oso bought this,but 4 rm440 and i wan 2 ask wat is the best resolution 2 ply game on this monitor,don tell me 1440x900,coz my 3650 is not a good gc and wat is the lower resolution tat is can fit 2 ply games

i played dat Devil may cry 4 with max resolution 1600x900 & Super high quality setting with NO problem. just nice!
my gc -> Gainward Hd4670 only

my one is 3650 onli

The screenshots look nice...

Haven't regretted a moment ever since I got this monitor 3 weeks ago....

screenshot cant show the LCD's quality mind you

yea, u rite...but believe me its syok to play games with x203H...that DMC4 just looks nice with it

just bought this lcd today at Viewnet....
RM400 only
good quality picture but they just supply analog cable

any different using analog and digital cable with this lcd?

if got different, i wanna get the cable tomoro

How come yours did not include DVI? mine came with all the cables needed.

got it also...
forget to take from the box..hehehe
glad u remind me before i buy new one

Always open the box properly.

is that ok this lcd hook up with my laptop cq40-115au?

i just bought one today for RM440
well i'm impressed with what i got here... at least better than my blown out 17'' CRT monitor

mine is cheaper than you jonralf...
just RM400
low yatt is the best place for computer hardware

Actually without a hdmi output shouldn't be bothering a pc gamer,unless it's for a ps3 gamer..even though,converters are here to solve this problem..thumbs up for a great monitor..

nice monitor,
i thinks i'm going to get this for dual mod

lol me too got DVI cable included

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Added on January 1, 2009, 1:09 amlol

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Added on January 1, 2009, 1:10 amoo ho...not bad

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Added on January 1, 2009, 1:12 amyea, me 400 too!

This post has been edited by kento: Jan 1 2009, 01:12 AM

cycom selling it at rm410..
too bad i'm in malacca

very interested between this monitor n normal 19in wide monitor...
1600x900 vs 1440x900!!

which one to get?
any pro n con?

PC depot penang got stock for rm440

take this x203H monitor...16:9, 720p

how bout gaming?
takut nanti bulat jadi bujur

kento use it for gaming with hd4670 and it works great!!

why my fren lcd 1440x900 make chronometer in undercover jadi bujur? not bulat?

for normal use...
i like this resolution
this wide screen feel me like TV LCD

Don't run it at 1440x900 man, run it at 1600x900 which is the native resolution.

I believe not many games support 1600X900 resolution

well RM440 in kedah is very cheap...
if i go lowyatt all the way from kedah the total cost will be over rm500, got me?

yea!

no prob, i think most of new games has been programmed to handle dat isue
no worries

yup!

xde, ok je mmg sama...nice! tested already!

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Added on January 1, 2009, 10:51 pmyeap!

This post has been edited by kento: Jan 1 2009, 10:51 PM

too bad cant used for gaming..
onboard gc..
huhuhu~

undercover can setting for 1600x900?
but why i cant see it now? got 1440x900, 1680x1050 but no 1600x900?
but im using crt now!

About the price of this acer... if add another 100 bux can get a samsung alredi...is this monitor recommended?

samsung which model. lets compare

Samsung 2233sw. Forgot the price saw in ALL IT yesterday. 500+

Is it cheap for a 20"?
I saw at 1 of the It shop around 400+- you can get a 22"
The brand is viewsonic or something else
Cant recall

refer from all it pricelist...
2233sw 6xx
btw, 2233sw is full HD, this acer not

sorry noob here , what is the different if it is full HD?
what pricelist do you look at , i saw 2233sw rm570

Saw at the Ikano ALL IT yesterday ... the price is 500+

It depends on your budget.

if you're on a tight budget, buy this monitor. You won't regret it.

If you got the budget, do for something better. But try to compare directly. the Samsung is HD, while this is not, furthermore, the Samsung is 22", this is only 20"

i had very bad impression about acer monitor, especially the LCD. I don't know why everytime I buy the thing sure it's very fast spoil.

My last 1 was only last half a year then have to change to another monitor which I trusted more, Samsung monitors.

Why didn't you send it for warranty claim?

yea

bought already. guess how much? as 1st january, rm399. bought at jayacom.

and your komen?

can anybody list out all the screen resolution suitable 4 this monitor?i know 1440x900 and 1600x900 and wan to play games using lower resolution coz my gc is 3650 onli

any resoltution will do.

i am currently running 1280x720 on some games.

But games like cs source, CZ, 1.6 can run at 1600x900.

trusted samsung monitors ?

i sure your acer LCD still under warranty, send it.. lol

i get it 400 at all it hypermarket ikano. buying with some other stuff, really great and superb picture. with 4xx and 20" reso, i guess it beat most other brand.

if u want to do a better review...
take some pic during game / movie....

Will do. Thanks for the feedback.

Just got mine yesterday for rm419. I think it's quite a good price here in Kuching.

So far i'm lovin it that is until i cant seem to get this lcd to work with my ps3 via hdmi converter

But for gaming on pc it's quite good...do try running far cry 2 at 1600x900

last time i saw viewnet pricelist sell at rm404.. i like the design but the performance kinda lack of something.. mayb going to 2233sw but the design too simple..

that depends more on your gc .

this monitor can connect to the PS3 la...

still prefer samsung product..

Samsung is quite pricey...

their design too simple too

pricey with some reasons

Just bought this monitor. I'm just looking for budget monitor and acer x203h fits my requirement. Just plug it in less than 10 mins. At first I'm quite worry since I'm connecting it to my sister laptop (bought in 2003) I was afraid it won't be able to power the lcd monitor at native resolution. Thank god everything is alright. Hehe.

Bought this monitor for a client, unfortunate sent back to RMA due to.... stand issue. The stand cannot fit due to the "legs" or pegs not aligned! I've also checked another unit (demo set) and that one has a different stand socket. Thus anyone buying this monitor, make sure you check this on the spot... Now have to wait till after CNY to get this monitor back with a proper stand.

do acer this type got 21" or 22"?