Last updated on March 3rd 2001
Company: Sun Microsystems Product: 21" Monitor Price: $1,250.00 US Contents
Introduction
First Impressions
Benefits and Features
Configuration
Long-Term Review
Important LinksIntroduction
The Sun 21" Monitor is a high-end monitor for current Sun workstations. The price is on par with similar third party, higher-end monitors as are the features. What differentiates this monitor from those is the 13W3 Sun video cable. The monitor features an additional HD15 input that is switch-selectable on the front of the monitor that allows connection of a PC or Mac for example, should you share your desk with another platform in addition to your Sun workstation or server.
First Impressions
This monitor is a monster. Not in size, as it's quite svelte as far as 21" monitors go, but in heft. It's fairly on the heavy side. The plastic housing is of the "Enterprise Grey" and "Sun Blue" colors that match newer hardware like the E220R, E420R and Blade workstations for example - it is not grey and light purple as the Ultra workstations are. The housing is very clean and modern looking - quite a sight, actually. The darker grey color of the housing actually is more inline with much more expensive Barco monitors and doesn't detract from color images on the screen like typical putty colored monitors do. Probably a side-effect, but it works in the monitor's favor.
The tube appears to be based on a Sony Trinitron unit, and as such "suffers" from the two horizontal lines that are actually shadows from a tension wire on the aperture grille. They're barely visible, and as any user of a Sony Trinitron-based monitor will tell you - the colors and resolution are quite remarkably deep and contrasty. The output is beautiful, rock solid and clean with good refresh rates.
One thing that's really nice about this monitor is you get a second input in the form of a more PC or Mac-like HD15 connector. You can switch the inputs on the front of the monitor with a dedicated switch, meaning no fussing with digital controls. If you have another platform on your desk, you can work on one monitor this way.
Benefits and Features
The specifications of the monitor are pretty impressive, the resolution reaching higher than most average 21" monitors, but on par with higher-end ones:
- 21-inch Flat Screen AG CRT, 19.8" viewable area
- 0.24mm aperture grille pitch
- 1152x900 @ 66Hz, 76Hz
- 1280x1024 @ 67Hz, 76Hz
- 1600x1200 @ 75Hz
- 2-meter non-detachable 13W3 video input cable and HD15-pin video input connector
- ~135w nominal draw
- 499mm (W) x 495mm (H) x 500mm (D)
- ~85 pounds
Configuration
The monitor reviewed was used on an Ultra 60 workstation using the Creator3D, UPA-based video card configured thusly (as reported by /usr/sbin/ffbconfig -prconf):
--- Hardware Configuration for /dev/fbs/ffb0 --- Type: double-buffered FFB2+ with Z-buffer Board: rev 2 (Vertical) PROM Information: @(#)ffb2p.fth 2.9 98/07/14 FBC: version 0x3241906d DAC: Brooktree 9070, version 1 (Pac2) 3DRAM: Mitsubishi 130b, version 2 EDID Data: Available - EDID version 1 revision 2 Monitor Sense ID: 4 (Sun 40x30cm RGB color monitor) Monitor possible resolutions: 1024x768x60, 1024x768x70, 1024x768x75, 1152x900x66, 1152x900x76, 1280x1024x67, 1280x1024x76, 640x480x60 Current resolution setting: 1600x1280x76 Hi-resNote that for the review, the GNOME desktop environment was used with the Sawfish window manager in 24-bit mode, at 1600x1280 resolution with a 76Hz refresh rate. Notice that this resolution is not being reported as "supported" by ffbconfig. Strange, but it works just fine.
Bill Bradford of sunhelp.org reports that he's gotten his monitor to go up to 2048x1536 at 60Hz using a Matrox G450 video card, albeit on a PC.
Long-Term Review
Having used the monitor over several months and in different situations, I've found it to be a reliable performer with excellent image characteristics. It's sharp and steady and the colors are clear and bright. If you're looking to get real Sun gear for your workstation, this monitor will not disappoint.
I might be jaded, but I can't look at monitors any smaller than 21" anymore. It's just... Hard. You wouldn't want to boast of your workstation's killer performance and 2D/3D features, only to hook it up to a 17" monitor now, would you? Of course, this size comes at a price premium - but surprisingly not the usual slightly Sun-inflated premium. It's on par with similar high-end monitors and it's dressed to kill with good features.
Important Links
