2 broken flatscreen monitors

[tlanning]

About 2 years ago I purchased 2 Samsung 204B 22" Syncmaster monitors, (hers and his). These were not cheap and as a gamer they had the fastest response time as well as highest reviews on cnet I could find. They were not refurbished but they were actually brand new. I bought them from Best Buy. They were pluged into a very good surge protector.

Ok now the problem, within about 6 weeks of each other they both broke, no picture, just like turned off. Now my monitor took about 8 to 10 weeks to break. It would eventually lite up but it was like it warming up or something. My wife's just wouldn't start one day. I replaced mine already, (bought the extended warranty this time) but hers just broke. These things cost over $1000 together. My Wife seems to believe they could be repairable I do not know but can't really believe that even if they were it may not be worth it.

Do any of you Gentleman have an idea? I actually like my new monitor better as it is HUGE. Easier for my young eyes to read without even needing my glasses but she is missing hers a lot which means I need to replace it pretty quick or be a nice guy and give her mine for now.

Any help would greatly be appreciated

 

[airplanedoc]

I think you can only fix them by shipping them to one of those e-waste disposal centers in China.

looks like you are buying a new monitor.

 

[chfair]

if this is terribly common i am willing to bet a little googling may run you across a do it yourself fix. generally these require some technical knowledge and ability to do some minor soldering. that is if a "easy" fix exists. looked into doing something like this myself with a viewsonic gamers monitor, i however could not come across one of the peices on the board as it was not a simple "find anywhere" part. been on the lookout for that model monitor on the bay with a broken screen for months now (to scavenge the board components).

short of that. sending it back to the factory is all i know of and that is not usually cost effective.

best of luck to you

 

[The Nid Hog]

I would also look into seeing if this is a widespread problem. It doesn't sound like pure coincidence that both of you lost your monitors at the same time. An internet search might show up something. Maybe you can get them to do something for you without the extended warranty?

 

[tlanning]

About 2 years ago I bought 2 22" Syncmaster 204B monitors, (his and hers). They dies within 2 months of each other. The second over the weekend. The first one seemed to have to warm up before a bright picture could be seen. This went on about 6 weeks. The second just would not turn on. I had them connected to a good surge protector and they , (to me) were expensive with a fast response time and good reviews on cnet. These things cost over $1000 together. I replaced mine but my Wife feels they may be repairable. I sorta think that even if they are repairable it would cost more than its worth.

I got the extended warranty on my new one

Anyway, do any of you Gentleman have an idea as to if they could be repaired economically?

Any help will be appreciated. OPPS SORRY DUPLICATE POST

 

[TheScalpel]

as a rule, its just not worth it to repair if replacement costs exceed 50% of orig purchase price, unless its literally brand new (and gigantic).. I upgraded to a Samsung 2333, its a great monitor, cheap, and through newegg.com they usually have free shipping on monitors...

 

[tlanning]

Thanks

 

[Ookla The Mok]

The one that won't power is likely due to cheap capacitors on the power inverter. I had my Gateway 22" pop and THIS GUY had it back to me in short order and on the cheap. It does involve taking out the board, sending it out and reassembling it yourself.

It's a better option than scrapping it.

 

[dmnall]

They are actually 20 inch monitors we have them at my work and all of them are dieing as we speak.. Your Best bet is get an Asus or LG HD monitors since they are pretty cheap.. a 2 MS GTG Gaming HD 24 inch is $ 220 over at NewEgg!

Cheers,

 

[ogopogo]

+1 on NewEgg

 

[Duckster]

I would contact Samsung to see if they can service them.

 

[Snood]

About 2 years ago I bought 2 22" Syncmaster 204B monitors, (his and hers).

You do know that Samsung has a 3 year warranty on monitors, right? i'm about to get mine replaced, had it for a year and a half.

 

[VR6ofpain]

Interesting. I have had my crappy Westinghouse 19" LCD for almost 3 years now, no problems at all. It is still just as bright as when I bought it on sale at Best Buy.

 

[Mr_Amazing]

I am surprised about the trouble with the Samsung. I have a SyncMaster 712N and this bad boy has been going strong since 2003. It ran at $500 back then when I bought it and it has been awesome. Is it possible that you are using the monitor beyond it's intended capabilities? I know gaming can be hard on a machine and though I wouldn't think a monitor be affected, perhaps it is possible. Best advice I can give is to always get the extended warranty.

 

[tlanning]

Thanks

Believe it or not, I actually bought a Asus with speakers, video and HUGE--I really like it. Would you believe I paid $129-"buy it now" on ebay with free shipping. There were over 50 of them so I put a watch on it and figured with 50 for sale I had plenty of time to research the ratings. Looked at it later in the day and there were 4 left. I bought it. Glad I did

They are actually 20 inch monitors we have them at my work and all of them are dieing as we speak.. Your Best bet is get an Asus or LG HD monitors since they are pretty cheap.. a 2 MS GTG Gaming HD 24 inch is $ 220 over at NewEgg!

Cheers,

 

[tlanning]

WOW, no clue--as I no longer have any of the paper work or there boxes, don't think mine would qualify.

You do know that Samsung has a 3 year warranty on monitors, right? i'm about to get mine replaced, had it for a year and a half.

 

[Obsessed]

WOW, no clue--as I no longer have any of the paper work or there boxes, don't think mine would qualify.

Best Buy may have a computer record of your purchase.

 

[chfair]

WOW, no clue--as I no longer have any of the paper work or there boxes, don't think mine would qualify.

often you can look at the back label of the screen for manufacturing dates if you can not find proof of purchase with dates. (this is how i found mine was just out of warranty when it went down).

 

[Snood]

Best Buy may have a computer record of your purchase.

I don't know about Best Buy..... but it certainly is standard practive in most places. I actually haven't been asked to provide prrof of purchase with my replacement.... and you don't need the boxes...... it's worth the cost of a phone call to see.

 

[psychlopath]

I suggest upgrading to CRT.