Home : Hardware : Reviews : Gateway FHD2400
A good display with lots of inputs
As far as monitors go, 24” is the top of the charts before going into loony-ville. Most displays out in the market are 17” or 19”, typically with low resolutions of 1280x1024. With the reinvigoration of widescreen monitors, most displays sold today are 19” at 1440x990, stretching farther across and less vertically.
Yet to have a display featuring ‘top of the line’ HD playback at 1080p, or as Alienware has been pushing, 1200p, even 22” displays don’t cut it, maxing out at 1680x1050. No, you’ll need a 24” or larger monitor, which will almost always tip the price over the typical price range of $500+. Such a serious investment requires a very decent model to be purchased, because otherwise your field of vision will be filled to the brink with poor picture quality.
Gateway’s FHD2400 is, as the number suggests, a 24” model with a host of features to discuss. The monitor does 1920x1200, acts as a USB 2.0 hub, has a slew of inputs, is glossy and uses touch-sensitive buttons. It’s made to cater to gamers and cinema buffs alike. I tested the monitor in several ways, gauging design, features and performance, which includes color depth, brightness, and general visual performance.
The FHD2400 has a black case and chromed lower front and chromed side bar. It sits on a large, very stable base, and is made to allow for 90 degree rotation so the screen can sit on its side. It also has a 20 degree arc, 15 up and 5 down, which is somewhat limited but compared to most monitor stands is very liberating.
The stand itself is very sturdy, and even with the heavy monitor on it, it stays strong. Installation was easy, with hand-screws connecting it to the monitor. The add-on $50 speaker plugs directly onto the monitor and is poor compared to any set of $20 speakers, and is also difficult to put on and take off of the FHD. It supports two sets of headphones to be plugged into it, but a 2.1 speaker set and 3.5mm splitter can be bought instead for the same $50.
What really sets the FHD apart from other displays is the raw number of excellent features. It has a 4-port USB 2.0 hub, which cannot receive enough praise in a monitor, especially when peripherals in use have short cables or getting them to connect to the back of your desktop just isn’t possible. It’s also got just about every input anyone could ever need: HDMI, DVI, VGA, component, composite, and S-video. Considering how many inputs it has, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the FHD is meant specifically for users who have cable inputs on their computers to watch TV, or stream their shows.
