24″ Gateway FHD2401 LCD
Introduction
It is usually overlooked and very often taken for granted but what would our computers be without our monitors? Yep, you guessed it…useless!! There are many things to consider with monitors but today I will not be so general. I will specifically be looking at the 24” Gateway FHD2401.
Gateway has for some time been in the LCD business and in my opinion, are always innovating and improving. Today’s specimen displays all of 1,920 by 1,200 pixels to you on a 24” screen, giving you a grand total of 2,304,000 pixels. A 2.3 megapixel monitor is nothing to scoff at and as you will see, it is a real joy to behold.
Features & Specifications
Gateway prides itself on a few features that stand out on this monitor. These features include:
- Transform Your Productivity and Entertainment – Experience 1080p support for high-definition visual quality! Plus, connect your Gateway® FHD2401 HD display to your gaming systems, DVD player, camcorder, cable box or a variety of other sources with its 3 video inputs.
- Cutting-Edge Audiovisual Entertainment – Get a 2000:1 contrast ratio, a 0.27mm pitch and up to a 2ms response time for great live action and the sharpest picture quality with the Gateway® FHD2401 display. This 1920 x 1200 resolution, ultra-high density LCD gives you rich images and lifelike clarity.
- HDCP – High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) allows for viewing of a wider variety of digital movies and copy-protected content, ensuring that your media experience is future ready.
In my opinion, these are well worth being proud of and so are the specs. The specifications for the FHD2401 are as follows:
| Viewable Area | 24″ viewable (diagonal) with 16:10 aspect ratio |
| Resolutions | 1920 x 1200 (native and maximum), Maximum vertical frequency: 60Hz, Maximum horizontal frequency: 74KHz |
| Response Time | Up to 2ms |
| Brightness | 400cd/m² |
| Pixel Pitch | 0.270mm |
| High-Definition and Advanced Features | 1080p HD through DVI-D connection with HDCP, Picture-in-picture and Soft PIP (dynamic, adjustable and transparent) |
| Signal Inputs | (1) HDMI, (1) Analog – 15-pin mini d-sub VGA, (1) Digital – 24-pin DVD-D |
| Agency Certifications | Energy Star®, UL, cUL, FCC Class B, CE, PSE, NOM, VCCI, RoHS |
| Colours | 16.7 million |
| Contrast Ratio, Static | 2000:1 |
| Dimensions | (Display) – With Stand (Compressed Height – Shortest) 22.47″ (W) x 17.05″ (H) x 5.85″ (D) or 571mm (W) x 433mm (H) x 149mm (D) |
| Dimensions (Box) | 25.59″ (W) x 20.27″ (H) x 8.86″ (D) or 650mm (W) x 515mm (H) x 225mm (D) |
| Display Stand | Included with adjustable tilt |
| Electrical Requirements | Normal operation: under 150w, Standy-by Mode: under 2w, Off (power-save): under 1w, 100-240 VAC, 50/60Hz |
| Mount | Compatible with VESA (4x100mm) mounting solutions |
| Operating Conditions | Temperature: 5 degrees – 35 degrees C and Humidity: 45% – 85% |
| Panel Type | LCD active matrix TFT |
| Ports | AC power input and Kensington security lock slot |
| Screen Treatment | Ultrabright |
| User Controls | Power on/off button, EZTouch Onscreen display (OSD) menu, Touch-sensitive control |
| Viewing Angles | 160 degrees left/right, 160 degrees up/down |
| Warranty | 1 Year parts and labor |
| Weight | 13.794 lbs., 6.27 kg. (with stand), 18.151 lbs., 8.235 kg. (w/ stand & speaker bar), 12.489 lbs., 5.665 kg. (without stand), 19.129 lbs., 8.68 kg. (box w/o speaker bar) |
Here is what Gateway have to say about their product:
The Gateway® FHD2401 24″ widescreen monitor delivers a superior visual and audio experience in crystal-clear video with 1080p support and a 2000:1 contrast ratio. And, with this monitor’s power, you’re ready to make the migration to widescreen applications and the newest game content. With up to a 2ms response time and extreme high-def video, our FHD2401 will bring your gameplay and movie watching to life.
Well now that you know what this baby is made of, let’s take a closer look.
Closer Look
I bought this monitor for my birthday at the ending of September in 2009. I paid an incredible US $189.99 plus free shipping for it and I could not be happier. After spending four months with this unit, I have thoroughly put it through its paces and I am extremely pleased.
Upon opening the box, I could see that it was packaged very carefully and was secured between two very thick pieces of Styrofoam padding. The unit itself was also in a large plastic bag to prevent scratching.
This monitor carries with it an amazing “WOW” factor. I was blown away by the size of this 24″ LCD, especially since I was coming from a 19″ at a 1440×900 resolution. The styling is elegant and I just love the black bezel with the silver accent. The bezel may be a tad thick for some but I don’t mind it at all. Having a monitor with this much real estate to work (and game!) on, is just absolutely delightful.
Another thing that may make you squeal like a little girl (not saying that I did) is the wealth of connection options available at the back of the device. Here you have from left to right: the main power connector, the optional speaker bar’s power and audio connectors, HDMI, DVI and VGA. The FHD2401 has a Picture-In-Picture (PIP) feature and you can see how handy it can be given all these inputs.
The main gripe for most persons about a Twisted Nematic (TN) panel is the viewing angles. This 24” panel is a TN and I will say that the viewing angles are surprisingly quite good, especially horizontally. With such a wide viewing angle, the screen can easily be seen from sideways. Vertically, it is not as bad as some persons may make it out to be; as the range is good enough to not have much colour shifting or to even be uncomfortable while viewing.
 |
 |
 |
Closer Look (continued)
The main positive of a TN panel is its response time; they are fast! The FHD2401 has an official response time of 5 milliseconds (ms). However, when the Ultra Response technology is activated in the menu, the panel functions at a very nippy 2ms.
Some persons may not be sensitive to it, but I could tell the difference and it must be said, “Well done Gateway” because it is in no way a gimmick. It works! How do I know? I play a lot of games and usually ghosting is most noticeable for me in FIFA or PES. If I play a long ball across the field, I used to see the ball ghost all the way. That is not visible anymore, thanks to this LCD. Even with an andrenaline-inducing racing game such as Need For Speed: Shift, there was none! With Ultra Response on, there is simply no ghosting to be seen.
The menu system employs touch sensitive input controls along the right side, at the front of the bezel. This is a controversial feature among many users. The fact is, you are either for it or against it. There is hardly any middle ground on this one. I think it is a very intuitive design and it stands to reason that this is the direction a lot of the new technology is taking. Love it or hate it guys, touch sensitive devices and/or controls are here to stay.
The glossy screen may be another point of contention with this monitor. This one though is strictly a matter of personal preference. It’s either you love it or not, or you learn to like it. I have used both matte and glossy panels and I do prefer the glossy panels for the simple reason that it makes images and video seem more vivid and colours seem to ‘pop’ at you. I will concede though, that if you have any light source behind you, it can be rather distracting and annoying. I always position mine with the light source to either side, so I have no issues.
The previous model, the FHD2400, was made famous by both positive and negative factors. All the positives, except for the USB hub and the pivot, was carried over and even improved upon in some cases. The big negative was its notorious backlight bleed. The dreaded backlight bleed issue from the FHD2400 model seems to have been fixed for the most part. There is hardly any bleeding on my FHD2401 panel.
My only gripe is that the pivoting stand and the USB hub were not also carried forward to this model but then again I would have to pay more. The lack of height adjustment does not really affect me but it may have a bearing on others, so keep this in mind if you are considering purchasing this model. In any case, for the price, you really cannot have your cake and eat it too.
 |
 |
 |
Conclusion
Gateway has delivered a wonderful product at a decent price point. Although the MSRP is US $399.99, it can be found at online retailers for roughly US $300. I bought mine on an amazing deal for only US $189.99 and I am extremely happy with my purchase. So I do advise that you shop around.
The FHD2401 takes bang-for-buck to a whole new level and I was very pleased to able to get such a wonderful panel for under US $200. Just like other smart shoppers, I did quite a bit of research on this monitor before purchasing. Therefore, I knew what I was getting myself into. It just so happens that all the games I have gotten into on this monitor, have been so hard to get out of. It has truly been an amazing experience!!
Pros:
- Price!!
- Amazing “WOW” factor.
- Ultra Response turned on, equals a 2ms panel.
- Glossy screen. It makes all the images seem more vivid and it really makes the colours ‘pop’.
- The aesthetics (how it looks) are very stylish.
- Touch sensitive menu system.
- The 1920×1080 monitors tend to be cheaper but they obviously can’t do 1200 vertical. This will run 1080p with small black bars at the top and bottom, each only 60 pixels high. Unnoticeable for the most part and does not break the deal.
- Good viewing angles. Being a TN panel, I was expecting those awful viewing angles that people keep talking about but I was happily disappointed.
- Very little backlight bleed.
Cons:
- No USB hub
- No height adjustment, pivot or swivel
I give this monitor my full recommendation and also the ABT Editor’s Choice Award.
 |
 |
Feel free to discuss this and other articles in our forum.
Leon Hyman
Senior Editor
Please join us in our Forums
Become a Fan on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
For the latest updates from ABT, please join our RSS News Feed
Join our Distributed Computing teams
- Folding@Home – Team AlienBabelTech – 164304
- SETI@Home – Team AlienBabelTech – 138705
- World Community Grid – Team AlienBabelTech
