Looking for a 24 in monitor.

I do a small bit of web design (layouts, minimum photochopping, etc, but its something I want to learn a lot more of), other than that, its document creation, papers for class, etc. Oh and I like to blog a bit when I have time which involves chopping a few pictures or making my own.

Now I was looking at a Dell ultrasharp 24 in but that bitch was 600+ dollars. I can get a non Dell ultrasharp 24 in for like 350, and of course I can walk in to Best Buy and get a 24 in samsung for about 400.

So does it really make a difference, or will I really notice a difference between the TN panels and the IPS panels?

I suppose my more direct question is, is it worth the investment?

What about high quality panels for 20 or 22 inchers? Anyone have any suggestions?

6/10/2008 1:28:27 AM

I love my dell ultra-sharp 24". They are a bit pricy though. When i first got it, it was bright, then i noticed it was only set at 50% brightness and after turning that up to 75% it was crazy. Just don't go low end and get sceptre or something. The samsung's are nice for only 400$.

6/10/2008 2:04:08 AM

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=2049206&enterthread=y

Current recommendation for 24" is:
BenQ G2400W @ $390 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014158

Followed by:
Samsung 245BW @ $430
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001234

Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP @ $620 is simply too expensive still.

Personally, I'd rather have a decent 22" monitor at about $250 each and have cash left over for a second monitor or some other upgrades. Unless you can get another crazy deal like the Samsung for $300, I say just go 22" or 2x20"

6/10/2008 2:33:33 AM

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8739378&type=product&id=1201913868031

this is just my 2c, i bought a 19" LG a year or so ago and i love this thing. i'm staring at it right now as a matter of fact. the only issue i've ever, ever had is with the dvi to my macbook pro, which unfortunately has an odd dvi output that affects certain lcd's from what i understand (this is an Apple oddity, i've tested it with other windows pc's). i can throw just about anything at it and it displays it very well. i use it for gaming in windows, everything else in OS X, and for my 360 from time to time.

6/10/2008 3:19:38 AM

I'd highly recommend getting a dell 24" ultrasharp. For what features you get, they are a great value. Just make sure which ever one you decide to get, make sure it's a non-TN panel that supports true 8-bit color. It's pretty important as a designer and graphic artist to have as accurate color proofing when doing your work. Color on TN panels tend to shift when looking at different angles, even at low angles off axis, but with all of them, you still get contrast shift. It's not as bad as they once were and it's still best to look head on.

TN panels are normally 6 bit so your monitor may try to "trick" your eye's by using dithering, or where it spaces out dots of similar color fooling your brain it's a different color. Like putting a black and white pixel to represent gray from a far, but at close range, it's black and white. Also, it's best to get a color calibrator to make sure what colors you are seeing is right. Best investment for any web designer if you do graphics.

If you think 600 is bad, look at pro graphic lcd monitors, they run about 1600-2300+ for just a 22" but support 12 or 14 bit colors.

Btw, I have a set of Soyo 24" monitors that are pretty decent, I got them for about 275 each, but they are very very basic monitors and ugly as sin. I wouldn't recommend them if you want other features, but for a basic monitor that has an 8-bit MVA panel, not bad for the price. I'd probably sell them all and grab a 30" dell.

[Edited on June 10, 2008 at 3:35 AM. Reason : ]

6/10/2008 3:33:57 AM

If you care about color accuracy, the ultrasharp is worth the money.

6/10/2008 8:31:26 AM

wouldn't we all love one.

How is the normal dell 24" compared to the ultra-sharp? It's 389$ compared to 619$?

6/10/2008 8:58:28 AM

Quote :

"How is the normal dell 24" compared to the ultra-sharp? It's 389$ compared to 619$?"

If anyone can answer this Id love to know as well.

I think the non ultrasharp is a TN panel, but if someone can confirm this please do.


Also, thank you to everyone. All the replies were very insightful and knowledgeable. I just gotta figure out if I can justify 600 bucks on a monitor.

Oh - anyone think they will get cheaper toward the start of school?

6/10/2008 5:06:49 PM

My dell ultra-sharp was 569$ on sale like a year ago, but it went back up to 619$.

6/10/2008 5:08:05 PM

The cheaper 24" ones are TN panels so just avoid them. I've also heard of mixed reviews with their HC versions of their LCD's. Although I only think the HC is for the 30" size.

6/10/2008 5:26:23 PM

^ The fpwXX07-HC monitors are just the new ultrasharps as I understand things.

6/10/2008 5:56:57 PM

yeah, but I've heard good and bad things about them.

6/10/2008 6:30:05 PM

UltraSharp 2408WFP 24-inch Widescreen Flat Panel LCD Monitor with Height Adjustable Stand and 3-Year Advance Exchange Warranty

Tech Specs
General
Display Type

Flat panel display / TFT active matrix
TFT Technology

S-PVA
Built-in Devices

USB hub, 9-in-2 card reader
Width

22 in
Depth

8.2 in
Height

15.6 in
Weight

14.8 lbs
Bundled with

Height Adjustable Stand and 3-Years Advanced Exchange Warranty
Display
Diagonal Size

24" - widescreen
Viewable Size

24"
Dot Pitch / Pixel Pitch

0.27 mm
Max Resolution

1920 x 1200
Color Support

24-bit (16.7 million colors)
Response Time

6 ms
Display Positions Adjustments

Height
Signal Input

HDMI, 2xDVI-D, VGA, DisplayPort
Features

UltraSharp, HDCP, TrueColor, 110% NTSC color gamut
Image
Image Brightness

400 cd/m2
Image Contrast Ratio

1300:1 / 3000:1 (dynamic)
Image Max H-View Angle

178
Image Max V-View Angle

178
Video Input
Analog Video Signal

RGB, S-Video, composite video, component video
Digital Video Standard

Digital Visual Interface (DVI), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)
Expansion / Connectivity
Interfaces

2 x DVI-D - 24 pin digital DVI ¦ 1 x VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) ¦ 1 x component video input - RCA x 3 ¦ 1 x composite video input - RCA ¦ 1 x S-video input - 4 pin mini-DIN ¦ 1 x HDMI - 19 pin HDMI Type A ¦ 4 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A ¦ 1 x DisplayPort - 20 pin DisplayPort
Miscellaneous
Included Accessories

Stand
Cables Included

1 x USB cable ¦ 1 x VGA cable ¦ 1 x DVI cable
Flat Panel Mount Interface

100 x 100 mm
Features

Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately)
Compliant Standards

EPA Energy Star 4.0
Power
Power Consumption Operational

110 Watt
Power Consumption Stand by / Sleep

2 Watt
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support

3 years warranty
Service & Support Details

Limited warranty - replacement - 3 years - shipment - response time: next business day
Environmental Parameters
Min Operating Temperature

41 °F
Max Operating Temperature

95 °F
Humidity Range Operating

10 - 80%



$577.15


Is this a buy? Yes or no?

6/11/2008 1:28:43 AM

not a bad price considering its 619 on sale currently

6/11/2008 2:23:53 AM

Quote :

"It's pretty important as a designer and graphic artist to have as accurate color proofing when doing your work."

If you care anything about REAL color accuracy, you shouldn't be on an LCD monitor. Yes you *can* get a 10bit Reference LCD, but even with LED backlighting you are looking at contrast ratios in the 1000-1500 range. Unfortunately still not nearly as good as a decent old school CRT, and 10 times as expensive.

It sucks, but sometimes color matters

6/11/2008 3:51:12 AM

So i'm assuming they haven't come up with 24 bit lcd monitors yet? Isn't that the crt standard?

6/11/2008 8:36:50 AM

I only fool around with web design, I wont be doing it for money

6/11/2008 10:46:41 AM

Even if you use the best 14bit LCD, it won't mean shit if it's not color corrected or used proper proofing techniques in your graphic editing software (such as CS3), not to mention if you are setup for print media.

6/15/2008 5:48:46 AM

Ok I need some help deciding which monitor to get. I currently have an older Dell ultrasharp 2407WFP:
1000:1
450 cd/m2

I want to get a second 24", but i don't really have the budget to spend 600$. The newer ultrasharp is 1300:1, and 400cd/m2(why is it darker)?

The regular 24" is 1000:1 and also 400cd/m2 for only 389$. How much of a difference would i notice from the older ultrasharp and the regular 24"? Would it really be worth it to spend the extra 210$ for the newer ultrasharp? Wouldn't the newer ultrasharp look more off than the regular one because of its higher contrast ratio? (i want to match the newer monitor with my older ultrasharp).

Apparently my ultrasharp which i only got a year ago has a color gamut of 72% and the new one has a color gamut of 110%. The normal 24" has a color gamut of 92%. So if i wanted to match the monitors would the regular one be alright? I mainly do autocad, gaming, and photoshop but not enough to spend 600$ on a new monitor.

[Edited on June 15, 2008 at 11:43 PM. Reason : ..]

6/15/2008 11:40:47 PM

honestly, 400 cd/m2 is really really bright. The only real need for a panel that bright is if you plan on using it in a bright room and have direct light shine on it somehow. 250-300 is more than enough brightness for normal usage. I'd also say the regular 24" isn't worth the price tag, you can get something with better specs for same or cheaper from other name brands.

6/16/2008 1:25:56 AM

Quote :

"UltraSharp 2408WFP 24-inch Widescreen Flat Panel LCD Monitor with Height Adjustable Stand and 3-Year Advance Exchange Warranty Tech Specs General Display Type Flat panel display / TFT active matrix TFT Technology S-PVA "

Being an S-PVA is pretty much the only thing you need to look at, if you care about color. A little less brightness is not a big deal (and you don't know exactly how or what that measurement is based on anyway).

6/16/2008 2:24:30 AM

Quote :

"I'd also say the regular 24" isn't worth the price tag, you can get something with better specs for same or cheaper from other name brands. "

Yeah but i want them to look the same. I don't want mismatched monitors.

But what i want to know is: is the new regular dell 24" better than my year-old ultrasharp? It's 92% color gamut compared to 72% and the contrast is the same except for 400 brightness compared to 450.

So if i bought the regular 24" for 389$ would that match my year-old ultrasharp better than spending 600$ on the new ultrasharp?

6/16/2008 9:56:00 AM

I might just wait and get the ultrasharp. I don't know if i want a TN panel. But then for 200$ more i could get the 27" ultrasharp. Hmm.

6/16/2008 4:17:42 PM

humm... I thought the higher end dell's were S-IPS panels not S-PVA. Interesting.

6/16/2008 5:15:00 PM

moron is right. it's higher CONTRAST too, which matters a shit load more than brightness. Any LCD over 250cd/m2 and 1000:1 contrast is fine. The higher the contrast, the lower the brightness needs to be.

6/17/2008 12:26:19 AM

^alright that makes sense. I think i'm going to wait and get the S-PVA ultrasharp instead of the regular TN panel dell. I've been reading too many reviews complaining about the viewing angles and bad color of the TN dells.

6/17/2008 1:00:10 AM

it's not just only for Dell's, its because of the TN panel.

6/17/2008 1:41:24 AM

Whatev, i have this monitor:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-5123

which i believe is a TN panel and it looks fine to me. most ppl don't need a $600 super pro graphics quality monitor.

In fact, mine's for sale soon if anyone is interested.

6/17/2008 2:42:35 AM

^

Quote :

"Cons The high resolution is useless because if one sets the resolution to 1650x1050 then all of your programs, web sites, video clips are so tiny you need a magnifying glass to read anything. No sense it paying for a monitor with such high resolution whey you have to change it to a much lower resolution to make your programs/web sites large enough to read. It is not an improvement over my 17 inch CRT I replaced. I would gladly send it back but I just can't see throwing away the cost of shipping to return it. The The DVI cable doesn't fit into an ports in my CPU. The directions say the picture is better with it. Would have been nice if the web site for this monitor had stated that a special graphics card plug in was required to get the most out of the monitor and correspondingly provided a link to order it nor does anything that came with the monitor provide info on doing this. I also find that pictures are stretched due to the wide screen thus distorted. The height i.e. direct north/south measurement is an inch and a half less than the 19 inch flat screen I have at work. It is an inch wider in a true east/west measurement. If one looked at it strictly from a true square inchs of surface area then it is smaller than a 19 inch. All I can say is buyer beware. There is much more to ordering a monitor than just how big of screen it is and the resolution. I guess this type of monitor is useful for some types of applications but I don't think it is suitable for the everyday user especially not home use."

i just found that funny. Anyway most reviews say it's horrible for anything other than business/text use. I can't get a tn panel.

Quote :

"I was hoping to save a few $ by purchasing this value line monitor. I had to return 2 monitors after text readability issues, and overall poor image quality. Purchased the 2007WFP instead - much better value - if you can get the S-IPS version. "

jbaz...someone seems to think dell has an S-IPS ultrasharp...

6/17/2008 9:02:02 AM

size is great to me.

i've played call of duty, some older FPS games like DoomIII, and lots of racing sims on it. I've never noticed a blur or ghost. I went front a Sony Trinitron 20" CRT to this and i never noticed any color problems.

Get what you need, i'm just giving my experience

6/17/2008 11:32:08 AM

Quote :

"I've never noticed a blur or ghost. "

The TN panels have a fast response time and don't ghost. The color reproduction and viewing angle on the other hand are bad. I'd rather see it for myself (set them side by side and compare) but i don't know if i'll have that option.

-like for example one thing i noticed with TN panels is when you shift up/down or left/right the whites go yellow and the blacks fade. This is not ideal for watching movies.

[Edited on June 17, 2008 at 11:42 AM. Reason : .]

6/17/2008 11:38:20 AM

Just FYI. Some Dell coupon codes to save you some green. Not the best deals, but if you need to buy something this week, have at it. I think the monitor coupons end tomorrow or friday. Not sure. Just picked up a 2408wfp for myself. Wished they had a 25% off for the 3008wfp.

Coupons for Small Business ONLY. You can add a 10% stackable coupon code to these as well, but no DPA discount unless you have a business credit line with them.

25% off Dell SP2008WFP 20-inch LCD Monitor with Webcam - Dell Coupon - 3FV1V7?49DMJS$
25% off Dell E248WFP 24-inch LCD Monitor - Dell Coupon - 3FV1V7?49DMJS$
20% off Dell E207WFP 20-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor - use Dell Coupon - CGNKZXLPBJHCB2
20% off Dell E228WFP 22-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor - use Dell Coupon - CGNKZXLPBJHCB2
20% off Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP 24-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor - use Dell Coupon - CGNKZXLPBJHCB2
20% off Dell UltraSharp 2707WFP 27-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor - use Dell Coupon - CGNKZXLPBJHCB2
20% off Dell UltraSharp 2007FP 20-inch LCD Monitor - use Dell Coupon - CGNKZXLPBJHCB2
15% off Dell E198WFP 19-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor - use Dell Coupon - JQ4PGH6SRHN49C
15% off Dell UltraSharp 1908WFP 19-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor - use Dell Coupon - JQ4PGH6SRHN49C

6/18/2008 8:42:41 PM

So i want to use a coupon i just need to figure out how. I can probably use it through my mom, but i guess she would have to set up a line of credit with them.

6/19/2008 10:56:06 AM

Quote :

"Just picked up a 2408wfp for myself."

me too. yay now i have 2 24" ultrasharps!!

6/19/2008 1:53:03 PM

I need a cheap deal for the 30" with crazy resolution...

Definitely going to hop on that one when it comes down below $600 ... if

6/19/2008 2:49:37 PM

^yeah you and everyone else. 2000$ is way too much to spend on a 30".

-So who else is joining the 24" ultrasharp club?
1. Jbaz
2. Neodata686
3. ??

[Edited on June 19, 2008 at 2:57 PM. Reason : .]

6/19/2008 2:51:16 PM

by the time 30" LCD's with those specs come down in price to $600, everyone else would move on to flexible OLED displays that are curved with crazy wide screen resolutions of 10,000 x 1200 and wrap 150 degrees around the viewer.

6/20/2008 1:54:30 AM

I'm hoping i'll have OLED wallpaper in my future house. You can just turn on a display anywhere in the house. Even on the floor or ceiling.

6/20/2008 8:36:39 AM

yah! mine was shipped yesterday and should arrive middle of next week.

6/20/2008 1:11:56 PM

me too!! Next tuesday or wednesday!

6/20/2008 3:04:55 PM

ugh, im still payin off my newly built pc on my credit card. no 24"+ monitor for a couple months

although the dell ultrasharps should be called ultrasexy

6/24/2008 10:44:47 AM

mine was DOA!

getting a replacement tomorrow.

6/24/2008 11:30:15 AM