Syncmaster 193p

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Noah Casanova

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Aug 5, 2024, 9:34:29 AM8/5/24

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Takinga page from Apple's style guide, Samsung's SyncMaster 193p Plus bucks the traditional business black monitor trend. The SyncMaster's 1280 x 1024 19-inch LCD panel is housed in a glossy white case with a thin silver bezel and sits atop a round silver MagicStand swivel base. A dual-hinged arm provides tilt and pivot capabilities and is height adjustable, although height is limited to 2.5-inches from the desktop surface, a tad short for the 6-foot plus crowd. The panel tilts forward only slightly but can be bent backward to become parallel with the desktop surface. A nice feature is the combination of MagicPivot and PivotPro software that automatically rotates the screen image when the panel is flipped for portrait mode viewing.

Two video inputs (DVI and analog) are built in to the base along with the brick-style power connector, making it easy to connect cables without repositioning the display while eliminating the need for cable management clips. Analog and DVI cables are included in the box. Other than a blue backlit power button, the monitor is devoid of function buttons. Instead, all adjustments are performed via Samsung's MagicTune utility, with the exception of auto-adjust, which is activated by pressing and holding the power button. MagicTune can be activated through the system tray icon to adjust brightness and contrast, tweak color and gamma settings, calibrate the display, and adjust image sharpness. An image setup menu lets you adjust the fine and coarse properties, while MagicBright provides pre-defined brightness levels optimized for Text, Internet, Game, Sport, and Movie applications, or you can create your own custom settings.

Using images from our DisplayMate (www.displaymate.com) tests, the SyncMaster 193p Plus performed well in both analog and digital modes, although its light grayscale performance was slightly better when using a DVI connection. Our 64-step grayscale screens showed weakness at the extreme low end of the scale in both modes, but in both cases the imperfection was minor. Color ramps and overall color quality was good, although we noticed a slight blue tint at peak white. Text was readable down to 6.8 points but smaller fonts were illegible. Viewing angle performance was impressive all around, living up to Samsung's claim of 178-degrees horizontally and vertically; colors remained intact even at the far end of the viewing arc.

The 193p Plus handled movie playback and game-play smoothly, thanks to the monitor's 8-ms mid tone (gray to gray) pixel response rating. Still, our PC Labs motion tests revealed smearing in both black to white and gray to gray modes, evidence that even the fastest LCD panels cannot match CRTs when displaying moving images.

The SyncMaster 193p Plus comes with a printed Quick Setup Guide and a CD containing an electronic user guide, drivers, PivotPro and MagicPivot software, and the MagicTune utility. Samsung's warranty policy covers parts, labor, and backlighting for a three-year period, and they will replace or repair the panel if two adjacent pixels are defective.

Budget-conscious consumers and businesses may find the SyncMaster's $500 price tag a bit too high for a 19-inch LCD, but if performance and aesthetics are important, we think the 193p Plus is a real bargain.

I\u2019ve been working with computers for ages, starting with a multi-year stint in purchasing for a major IBM reseller in New York City before eventually landing at PCMag (back when it was still in print as PC Magazine). I spent more than 14 years on staff, most recently as the director of operations for PC Labs, before hitting the freelance circuit as a contributing editor.\u00a0

\nTaking a page from Apple's style guide, Samsung's SyncMaster 193p Plus bucks the traditional business black monitor trend. The SyncMaster's 1280 x 1024 19-inch LCD panel is housed in a glossy white case with a thin silver bezel and sits atop a round silver MagicStand swivel base. A dual-hinged arm provides tilt and pivot capabilities and is height adjustable, although height is limited to 2.5-inches from the desktop surface, a tad short for the 6-foot plus crowd. The panel tilts forward only slightly but can be bent backward to become parallel with the desktop surface. A nice feature is the combination of MagicPivot and PivotPro software that automatically rotates the screen image when the panel is flipped for portrait mode viewing. \n

I have looked around in this form as well as others but have not found what I am looking for. I need a monitor for my late 2014 mac mini that will give very good to excellent resolution. I am part of a project that studies satellite imagery in which I need to be able to detect and identify small objects. My current (old) Samsung Syncmaster 193p plus justa is not up to the challenge.

Your Late 2014 Mac mini is capable of providing video out either the Thunderbolt 2 or HDMI ports and can support up to two displays at 2560 x 1600 pixels. Both ports have a number of display options as per the Apple specifications for this desktop device.

I understand, but you know now the maximum resolutions supported via either the mini's HDMI or Thunderbolt 2 ports and at what frequencies. Now it is a "simple" matter of comparing monitors that can support them AND have the correct digital video connector types. Also, even though you may find two monitors with the exact same specs, how they "look" can be significantly different when you actually see their displays.

Most HDTVs come with HDMI ports only. Dedicated computer monitors can come with either HDMI, DisplayPort, or DVI connectors. The latter two ports carry only video signals, whereas HDMI can carry both video and audio.

The 2014 mini is rated to drive monitors via DisplayPort and will do 4K at 30 Hz. Some people can't tolerate 30hz but others are just fine with it (also depends on specific monitor). As mentioned you should go to a store to see for yourself. Otherwise find someplace that has a good return policy.

The current Mac mini is to put it bluntly - obsolete. It is as you stated a 2014 model meaning it was designed more than four years ago which in turn means that in computing ages it is (almost) prehistoric. Even when brand new it had a rather feeble video chip and now it is utterly pathetic.

This means it has very limited capabilities in terms of resolution, it can in theory do 4K but it is so limited it cannot properly do 4K at that standard 60Hz refresh rate. As a result you can buy many, many good cheap monitors that the Mac mini is simply not capable of properly supporting.

Because the Mac mini is borderline at achieving even 4K it is hard to suggest a definitive monitor, I would therefore advise only buying if you can test before paying or can return if it does not work. This leaves three options.

Thanks. What I am really looking for are specific monitor names that might stand out among the others. Again, high resolution is more important than the monitor size. Just need to be able to see image-objects clearly.