The DEll G2410 impresses with its power efficiency and performance.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)Earth Day brings with it many things: temporary environmental consciousness, plenty of green and white design motifs, and sometimes a new green-focused section of a Web site.
This year, the Web site in question is ours. Today CNET launches its new Green Electronics Guide. There you can check out our top green products, from cars to desktops, as well as power efficiency guides on laptops, desktops, TVs, and monitors.
In the monitor guide you'll see the power efficiency of 21 different monitors compared, and you'll discover ways to cut down on your current power consumption. Today also marks the launch of a new CNET rating, Power Saver. Check out how CNET tests monitors for power efficiency to see how a monitor can earn the Power Saver seal.
Not surprisingly, Dell's green-focused monitors, the 22-inch G2210 and the 24-inch G2410, easily earned the seal. As did the Lenovo ThinkVision 1940p, a 19-inch monitor, that, thanks mostly to its relatively low size and resolution, doesn't require much power to function.
The G2210 and the G2410 aren't just here to please all of us hybrid driving San Franciscans, either. They were actually two of the best overall performers we've yet seen, thanks in part to their LED backlights. The backlights allow the monitors to efficiently control the amount of light coming though their screens. This in turn gives the monitors a low black level, making movies, especially HD movies, look stellar. Check out the G2210 and the G2410 reviews to see what we thought overall.
This is for all you Crave addicts out there who read Crave and only Crave (you know who you are). You see, CNET is actually more than quirky gadgets and gear. We review whole products!
In particular, we've reviewed quite a few LCD monitors lately. For a low-price 22-incher that boasts great movies and games performance and includes both HDMI and DVI connections, check out the Gateway HD2201.
If you're in the market for something a little smaller, take a look at these three 19-inchers, the Westinghouse L1916HW, the Viewsonic VX1962wm, and the Lenovo ThinkVision L1940p.
Also, we have the Lenovo ThinkVisions L2440p and L2440x. These two 24-inchers share the exact same form factors and only differ in their backlights. The L2440x is the first consumer-based LCD monitor we've tested with an LED backlight. The L2440p uses the traditional cold cathode fluorescent tube (CCFL)-based backlight.
Finally, with Black Friday almost here, here's a list of the lowest-priced LCDs we've recently reviewed.
When Lenovo announced its ThinkVision L2440x LCD a couple weeks back, I wrote that I was excited about getting it in and testing it. After receiving it last week, I've only completed some preliminary anecdotal testing, but I wanted to write about some quick impressions I got from the monitor.
What I was most excited about was the monitor's LED backlight. LED backlights on LCDs are kind of the new hotness these days. While most LCDs use Cold Cathode Fluorescent Tubes for their backlights, monitors that use LED backlights are known to have better color accuracy and a much longer--about 3:1--lifespan than CCFL-based monitors. They are also purported to be more energy efficient than typical LCDs, although we've yet to actually test this.
(Credit:
Eric Franklin/CNET Networks)
As for picture quality, so far, the left and right viewing angles are OK, but not as good as I would have liked. When I moved about 20 degrees to the left or right, I noticed that the picture became noticeably darker; however, text was still readable.
The lower viewing angle was less impressive. At only about 10 to 15 degrees below center, the screen gets a very dark patch at the top. So if you're slouching in your seat while Web surfing or gaming, be prepared that detail on the screen will be harder to see. I mean, I guess you could always just sit up straight, but in my opinion, you shouldn't have to.
When I did sit up straight, while Web surfing and playing World of Warcraft, I noticed that the colors in WoW are vivid without being over-saturated. Everything just had a very smooth and precise look to it--so far. We'll see what I discover once I get down and dirty with the testing.
Design-wise, the display is practical and elegant. I especially like the wide and flat footstand that keeps it from wobbling, and the conveniently placed and comfortable handle that I got some use out of while carrying it around, looking for a spot to photograph it. The screen pivots 90 degrees vertically and rotates nearly 90 degrees to the left and right.
Lenovo is also sending me its ThinkVision L2440p soon and I'd prefer a direct comparison between it and the L2440x, so I won't begin full testing until I have them both in. I'll be testing them in DVI using the Extron Electronics D/2 DA4 Distribution Amplifier that will let me test them simultaneously. Check back in a week or so for full reviews of them both.
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We'll hopefully be getting the L2440x soon, as I'm curious to see its LED backlighting in action.
(Credit: Lenovo)Lenovo announced six new ThinkVision monitors on Wednesday at the Interop 2008 New York, an IT conference and exposition.
- 17-inch L1700p
- 19-inch L1940 Wide
- 19-inch L1940p Wide
- 24-inch L2240 Wide
- 24-inch L2240p Wide
- 24-inch L2440x Wide
According to Lenovo, these monitors use 30 percent to 60 percent less energy than previous ThinkVision models--such as the L171p, L194 Wide, and D221--are EPEAT Gold rated and GreenGuard certified, and include packaging for select models with 65 percent recycled materials.
The ThinkVision L2440x Wide is the flagship of the new lineup and is Lenovo's first 24-inch, low-halogen display that provides up to 225 percent more work area than many 12.1-inch and 13.3-inch ultraportable notebook screens with resolutions of 1,280x800-pixels. The display uses white LED backlighting, which allows it to use only 29 watts of power to operate, according to the EPA Energy Star 4.1 standard it was tested under. To top it off, the display is also mercury and arsenic free. ... Read more
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