Great Screens but read before buying (Formac Gallery 2010 Oxygen)

Member Name: Darkle

Product:	Formac Gallery 2010 Oxygen
Date:	21/06/04 (694 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Low refresh rates, good viewing angles, built in USB hub, Great Looks, High Quality Screen

Disadvantages: 1 year warranty, sometimes with Macintosh connector not PC so requires conversion

The Formac 2010 is a fantastic TFT. I have set a number of these up for clients and the refresh times, viewing angles and the sheer size of the screen make them ideal for watching DVDs, playing games(see below about games) and generally using the computer. Gone are the days of ghosting that used to be associated with TFTs.

Great as these are, I would like to make sure anyone intending to buy one of these is aware of a few points which may cause hic-ups in setting up.

1. As the brand name would suggest these are intended "FOR MACs" as in the Apple Macintosh. Only recently within the past couple of years have the manufacturer really started promoting them and making them properly compatible with PCs. As such, some of the monitors still come with an ADC connection which is the standard for Macintosh computer displays, it basically encompasses something similar to a DVI connection which also has a couple of USB ports built in, as well as supplying power to the screen. To allow these to be used on a PC they have come with what's called an ADC to DVI converter. This is a box about 10cm x 10cm x 4cm(approx), which has a power connection going into it, and optional USB cable(if you want to take advantage of the USB hub in the monitor) and a DVI cable to go into your PC. Please note that if you have Graphics card with only VGA output this will not work, most Modern GFX card from about Q2 2003 onward have DVI as standard please check your documentation. This solves the connectivity area of things, it is worth noting that some of the Formacs now come in special DVI models ready for use with a PC without the need for the Converter box.

2. Games. This point deserves a bit of consideration. The native resolution of the Formac Gallery 2010 is 1600x1200, this means that anything below this resolution(while it will work) will look blocky and not sharp, this does happen with all TFTs which are not run at their native resolution, but
if you're used to a 19" or smaller TFT you might not have had to run at such a High res before. The problem that this creates is that when playing a 3d game, the more modern it is, most likely, the more power of processing and GFX it needs. Another factor in this is the resolution that the games run at, the higher it runs, the more processing and power it needs to keep up a good frame rate. Most TFTs up to 19" only run at 1280x1024 or lower. If you get one of these, and intend to play a lot of 3d intensive games, make sure you're computer is fast enough to cope with playing in high detail at 1600x1200.

3. The warranty. Make sure where ever you are buying your Formac from takes on the responsibility of the warranty. The TFTs are very reliable and I have had 1 return and that was sorted out very quickly. The reason to make sure of this is because the manufacturer is currently in Germany with no UK office, so chances are where ever you buy from has imported them themselves. If they are only going to give you a 30 day warranty then send you off to the manufacturer, you'll have quite a bill to send one of these to Germany. Remember if you order over the internet, BY LAW you are entitled to a 12 Month warranty and to incur no cost in replacing a faulty item in the warranty period.

All in all these Formac TFTs are in a class of their own, each one is hand made in Germany, they are a good company to deal with. If you ever have a chance to see one working, you'll be sold on the spot. They are a great accessory to any PC owner who lies the clear white curvy style of Macs.

If you take my three points onboard, you will have a problem free purchase, and be very satisfied with a TFT which is top of it's class.

Thanks for reading.

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