Acer GD235HZbid Widescreen 23.6" 3D LCD Display

I bought this monitor simply to pair it up with the nVidia 3D vision gaming. I considered the following to upgrade my 22" Samsung 206BW -

* Samsung 2233 3D monitor - too expensive and only 1 DVI input
* Viewsonic 3D monitor - too expensive and only 1 DVI input
* Alienware 3D monitor - way too expensive

I needed something to hook up my Xbox360 and PC to and play in 3D. This was the answer for $100 more than the Samsung/Viewsonic and totally worth it - you get FULL HD resolution - 1920x1080 [ vs 1680x1050 from Samsung/Viewsonic ], you get 24" ( 23.6" technically ) [ vs 22" ], you get 3 ( yes, THREE ! ) inputs [ 1 dual-link DVI, 1 HDMI and 1 VGA vs 1 DVI from Samsung/Viewsonic ], PLUS an audio out cable so you can send the HDMI audio signal to good external speakers, AND it has external controls for all settings, unlike the Samsung/Viewsonic so its easy to adjust.

All this means, the Acer is a phenomenal value over the Samsung/Viewsonic anyday if you need more than 1 Input.

After I repartitioned my Linux to make space for Windows 7 and I got grub2 going again to boot up Win XP, Win 7 and Linux, I tried out the monitor in each of the 3 environments.

Its got a problem in Linux when switching virtual consoles. If you stick with the X-console ( the VC that runs the Xserver ), you will be fine, but switch to one of the other VC's and X locks up. I'm using the latest nvidia drivers from the restricted repo in Ubuntu. However, it works quite well at 1920x1080. The colors are crisp and vivid, however, unless you adjust the settings a bit, the text can be bit small/fuzzy. A little Xconfig ( via nvidia control ) tweaking and it looked great. I think it looked better than my 22" Samsung and I had great real estate. Easily fits 3 terminals side by side. !!!

Then tried WinXP and it worked great too at 1920x1080. Just ensure ClearType LCD effect is on and fonts render crisp and sharp. Gaming response was terrific ( 2ms ) but I already had 2ms gaming before. No ghosting.

Then, I finally tried out the piece de la resistance - Windows 7 with 3-D glasses. Win 7 looked amazing ( the wallpaper looked breathtakingly good ) and installed the 3D stereo driver. After calibration, the first image popped up of Burnout and it looked PHENOMENAL. I was simply blown away. I did game in 3D almost 10 years ago on my eDimensional 3D glasses with CRT back then and after a decade, I was seeing 3D at home again !!! WHAT A FEELING... 3D is the future. Its just .... incredible. Its gotta be seen to believe it. Anyone thinking its a gimmick, well, you don't know what you're missing out. Too bad.

Now, mind you, nothing pops 'out' of the screen. i.e. nothing crosses your screen boundary. You get an immense sense of depth - like you're looking out a window with objects correctly positioned in front and behind. In effect, your screen feels like it goes beyond for a huge distance.
Also, there's a few seconds of screen going blank as the display switches to 120Hz and when it switches back.

I tried out the picture packs and some demo videos ( which didn't play for some reason even though I tried out the nvidia stereo player. I think its because it can only be 3D in full screen mode because refresh rate has to be 120Hz whereas in window mode, you can't have that ). I tried out Half Life: Portal and it looked AWESOME in 3D. The portals took on a whole new life.

I don't think however, you can game for more than an hour or two at most in 3D. Its somewhat taxing on the brain. ( which is a good thing btw ). Also, you're stuck with nVidia and the few 120Hz LCD monitors but this isn't a drawback at all. Its bad for the market, but good for them.

In conclusion - this ACER monitor is a good buy and I wholly recommend it. 5/5 stars.

Hi,

I just got this, and let me tell you is an awsome monitor, Size, looking and 3d is awsome good with this LCD.

Sadly mine came with 2 Pixels dead, one always is green and the other one is black, I read warranty and says it have to be more than 4 pixels IN THE SAME PLACE to become a valid warranty claim. Ok this is not a big issue anyway, 2 dots dont make a huge diferences, they are just annoying.

2 weeks later, The monitor start having other issues, only half screen turns on, or it become a full green screen and doesnt change, you need to turn it off and on again until it works.

Im starting the warranty process to see what happens at the end

They told me it was normal since this LCD's are 120Hz you need to let them warm up sometimes is what they told me.

I hope this dont ends in a square pieces of garbage broken and unable to claim to anyone.

If this issues still being fixed by turning off and on the monitor, I guess I can deal with it, but I didnt paid the amount of money this babies cost to deal with this...

Shouldnt be that way.

Im gladly open to any help you can give me.

I lucked out and got this beauty on sale for just over $300.....a savings of over $70 from everywhere else! I bought this monitor to give my PC the ability to display 3D using nVIDIA's 3D Vision kit (also purchased through Amazon). The monitor I was replacing was an Acer X233H, so I really didn't notice a big change in screen size. But with this monitor having a 120 Hz refresh rate the images are crisper and graphics look beautiful (and that's when viewing in 2D)! Works great with the 3D kit, although using the 3D glasses cuts the brightness factor by about 1/2, so you will need to up the gamma level (if possible) when playing games in 3D or adjust the monitor brightness level. Can't wait till more movies are available in 3d Blu-ray, although that will mean getting a Blu-ray DVD ODD for my PC (and maybe a projector since there are so many that are compatible with the nVIDIA 3D system). I was debating between this monitor and the Alienware 3D monitor, but getting this one for just over $300 vs getting the Alienware for $500.....well the Acer seemed like the way to go, and believe me, it definitely was. Nothing against the Alienware, but saving a couple of hundred dollars sealed the deal. Even at its regular price of $370 this would be a great monitor to have if you are a gamer or considering going to 3D on your PC.