Cheap Sony GDM-FW900 Flat Widescreen 24" FD Trinitron CRT Monitor (Electronics) (Windows 2000 Server, Windows XP, Windows Me, PowerMac, Windows NT 5, Windows NT 4) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Sony GDM-FW900 Flat Widescreen 24" FD Trinitron CRT Monitor

Expensive but worth the price
I have been happily using my FW900 12-24 hrs a day for over 3 years now. If I had to go back to using a 19 inch monitor, I would probably lose my mind. I previously owned a Viewsonic 21" monitor. This Sony GDM-FW900 is superior. Even a 21" monitor seems small now. <
> <
>I find that the unit works best for text and picutres at 1600 x 1024 pixels resolution with True Color (32 bit. I have also used it at 1920 x 1200 pixels and High Color (16 bit) for more graphical work. I run at 85Hz refersh rate, which gives a nice, bright picture with minimal eye strain. <
> <
>If you have never owned a large monitor, be advised that they are very sensitive to nearby elecrical devices that produce magnetic fields. It is best to allow at least 3 feet of separation between your monitor and other devices. If you decrease the distance, you will encounter distortion on the corners. Luckily, the Sony GDM-FW900 has a sophisticated menu that allows you to compensate for interfering magnetic fields. <
> <
>Also be advised that larger monitors put out a LOT OF HEAT. Luckily, the Sony GDM-FW900 has circuitry to reduce power consumption. <
> <
>This monitor is expensive (I paid $1700 for mine), but it is definitely worth the price. <
>

---

It's got the most OOOOOOHh factor.....
I have been using Sun's near flat 21" monitor, but when we finally started to have image problems with them (actually, they were getting really old..:o() I knew the time had come to pony up some bucks again for monitors. So after some research into what's out there today new and used, we found some 3 year old 24" tru-flat Trinitron's, off lease. I decided to give it a shot and picked up a handful of them. <
> <
>Surprisingly, each one had a consistent picture either using graphics programs, viewing images, or even playing DVD's. While I can't speak on Sony's warranty support of the unit (not replacing defective new units with another new one, etc. etc.), I am extremely satisfied with each of the units I am working with. Since we weren't planning to shell out a few grand each for the latest widescreen L.C.D's, preferred to avoid a high interest lease payment, and flat our refused to downsize (perish the thought), we decided to roll the dice on these used Sony C.R.T.'s. <
> <
>In retrospect, I'm glad we did. We have been extremely happy with this model Sony. In fact from my perspective, the image quality for hi-res graphics rendering (and the occasional game, off company time of course!)with the GDM-FW900 is superior to a comparable LCD. <
> <
>I, like perhaps you, have also read on line that there might be a slight chance of an uneven or inconsistent image with this Sony monitor. So expecting the worst, I checked with a local repair shop on the cost of a CPU before I made this purchase. They told me a replacement would run me about $200. installed. Not bad considering the cake we saved. <
> <
>While it's true that the big LCD's do take up far less desk space. And yes, it does take 2 people to move one of these bulky 95 pound things around. Do I also need to mention there's no warranty on 2nt owner monitors from Sony no matter how new they are? <
> <
>Yet, I couldn't escape the wallet factor. While they weren't on fire sale by any means, I was able to keep nearly $1500 clams per monitor in the bank by moving in this direction. To me, while warranties and desk space are important, they ain't that important! (read I made my Xmas bonus and then some on this deal). And if one does happen to self destruct, it won't be that big of a deal to simply get it fixed locally. Plus, I don't have to worry about spending the big bucks to send a unit on a 4 week vacation to California for a warranty claim. Or even worse, have Sony charge me the freight to replace a defective one with a refurb. <
> <
>Besides, I love the OOOOHh factor when someone sees them....There's nothing else like it.

---

Paradise Lost
At the risk of being that guy who comes in and pulls down the rating of a product that everyone else loves and gives "This suxors!" as a reason, I must relate my tale of woe. I will go into more detail than the normal dimwitted party pooper. <
> <
>Witness the death of a dream. Three years ago, I took the plunge and bought the truly awe-inspiring Sony GDM-FW900 monitor: 24 inches of viewing goodness, 16:10 widescreen ratio, flat screen, and a Trinitron tube. Bliss! The admission price was a hefty $2300, but I couldn't imagine needing or wanting another monitor for at least five years, maybe more! <
> <
>The honeymoon was out of a dimestore romance. I had the brains, she had the looks, and together we made a lovely couple. Widescreen movies and gaming (in those titles that supported it) was intoxicating. Carrying her mammoth-like girth over my third-floor threshold nearly killed me (literally), but otherwise we had the makings of a solid, long-lasting relationship. <
> <
>Then came the blues. Sadness and heartache, yes, but, more importantly, a blue cast that crept into the image about eight months from purchase. No amount of tweaking the color calibration controls could remove it. Changing cards, cables, and computers proved futile. Over the next year, the problem worsened, with blacks growing lighter and lighter. <
> <
>Finally, after playing Fade to Blue, Blue and White, and Bluehawk Down, I called Sony for a replacement. Still under warranty, I said. Refurbished units only, Sony said. You've got to be kidding, I said. Read the fine print, Sony said. Within a week, the refurbished model arrived at my door. I nervously hooked it up, hoping that I hadn't undergone life and death drama-hauling the replacement up three flights of stairs and lugging the original down three flights of stairs-in vain. Lo and behold, the blue cast was gone! There was a green cast instead. <
> <
>And that's how it was for nearly a year. I decided I'd rather deal with the green than face another game of upstairs downstairs (seriously, the thing weighs 95 pounds and comes in a gigantic cardboard cube that makes it impossible to hold or get through normal doorways or stairwells; carrying the monitor to a third-floor walk-up is a friggin' trial of Hercules). Fiddling with the color controls only resulted in changing the green cast to brown. At least I had options. <
> <
>Last night, the refurb died. Well, it might as well have. The screen is now blanketed in serene, fuzzy white, as if fresh powdered snow had fallen inside the monitor overnight. I was afraid I'd developed glaucoma until I looked away. It occassionally flashes red and green, giving the whole room the ambience of Studio 54. No amount of calibrating, screaming, hitting, or crying makes any difference. I am now beyond my original three-year warranty and the refurb's 90 day(!) warranty. Both my huge monitor and my huge pile of money have passed on. All that's left is to write the eulogy. <
> <
>GDM-FW900, I hardly knew ye. No, that's not true. Ye were a piece of crap.