[BMW F22]

I'm building a desktop so I'm buying all the parts as I go along. I came across a Dell U2412M Ultrasharp monitor for $299 and was wondering if it's worth the price difference. Below are the monitors that I'm choosing from. I'm looking mainly for a good monitor for photos, maybe some video editing, surfing the web, watching movies and maybe a game here and there. Thanks!

Dell U2412M- $299 + tax




Viewsonic VX2453MH-LED- $199

[miiipilot]

Asus or Sceptre would be my first choices.

[CJ421]

I like IPS monitors because of their unlimited viewing angles. For photo editing it is convenient to not have to worry about whether the monitor is tilted. Also nice if a bunch of people are looking at the monitor - everybody's going to be seeing the same picture.
Some of the cheaper ones still suffer from color shift though (all probably do to an extent).

Dell sells pretty good monitors, I have good experiences with the Ultrasharp. Currently I have the HP Dreamcolor IPS but that is much more expensive than the models you're looking at. No experience with the Viewsonic.

[r0wr]

stick with s-ips when possible

[boymonkey]

Originally Posted by CJ421

I like IPS monitors because of their unlimited viewing angles. For photo editing it is convenient to not have to worry about whether the monitor is tilted. Also nice if a bunch of people are looking at the monitor - everybody's going to be seeing the same picture.
Some of the cheaper ones still suffer from color shift though (all probably do to an extent).

Dell sells pretty good monitors, I have good experiences with the Ultrasharp. Currently I have the HP Dreamcolor IPS but that is much more expensive than the models you're looking at. No experience with the Viewsonic.

+1

With TN as you look from the top of the monitor to the bottom, the colors on the screen changes. TN is good for cheap gaming monitors, but not good for photo processing or even reading documents.

That's a really sweet deal for 24" IPS monitor. I have a 22" Dell e-IPS from a year ago and a 17" Ultrasharp from 2003 that still works fine.

[Foodle]

IPS has much better viewing angles and color reproduction, BUT there is also the sparkle/grain issue. In regions of pure white (or light colors), IPS monitors will exhibit a grain or sparkle due to the anti-reflective coating on most IPS monitors. The only IPS monitors that don't have this are the glossy ones (mainly Apple desktop displays). Some very high-end matte ones also have minimum sparkle (NEC pro line).

[solefald]

If a 24" UltraSharp monitor costs $299, its probably not all that ultra sharp to begin with.



Dell has 20% sale on their monitors every couple of months. You may want to wait and buy one of these instead of the cheap one. Also, their cheaper monitors are not height adjustable and do not rotate.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...n&sku=320-8277


That said, I sold my Dell monitor and got an Apple Thunderbolt display. Now THAT is a nice monitor.

[UltimateBMW]

There are a few monitors and general notes I'd like to make.

Dell U2412m:
Display type: e-IPs
Benefit: Produces less heat with a thinner overall display while maintaining near full IPS colors and performance. Cheaper, almost half the price.
Detriment: Colors may not be quite as good, fewer filters.

Dell U2410
Display type: H-IPs
Benefit: Better color gradients.
Detriment: Thicker display, more heat, higher price.

HP LP2475w
Display type: S-IPs
Benefit: Good color gradients.
Detriment: Thicker display, more heat, higher price.

HP ZR2440w
Display type: e-IPs
Benefit: Low heat, thinner, Cheaper.
Detriment: Lower color gradients and accuracy.

The reduced heat output sounds like not a big deal, but it is actually pretty incredible. I have both a U2410 and a HP ZR2440w at work side by side and the Dell get HOT and stays hot all day. The HP under the same usage only ever feels slightly warm, not even fully warm.

I haven't seen or read any particular reason to avoid e-IPS. You might not have quite as clear gradients, however for half the price you are certainly getting well more than half the monitor.

If under your own research you decide you don't want an e-IPS display, then the older more expensive Dell U2410 and HP LP2475w would be fine. But these are $600 monitors.

If all you are doing is gaming, you may want just a simple TN panel. TN panels can have higher performance than any IPS and overall are significantly cheaper.

[boymonkey]

U2410 has been around since 2007 or something. It's old.

[Foodle]

Originally Posted by boymonkey

U2410 has been around since 2007 or something. It's old.

LCD tech is not evolving that fast. Some "old" monitors will out perform new ones (viewing angle, light output, color, etc.).

[BMW F22]

Thanks guys! I read some reviews on the Dell and they do have the "dirty screeN" look due to the anti-glare coating. I'm already pushing my budget (about $200-300 over) so I'm just gonna go with the Viewsonic for now and then get a nice IPS later for a dual-monitor setup.

[UltimateBMW]

Originally Posted by boymonkey

U2410 has been around since 2007 or something. It's old.

That's wrong...

The Dell 2408WFP, predecessor to the U2410, was released Dec. 2007 as a 2008 model. (2408WFP)
U2410 was released in Sept. 2009 as a 2010 model. (Hence U2410)

The schedule for the U2412m makes it officially a pattern.