Dell Monitor Advise - DPChallenge Forums

10/25/2011 06:24:28 AM · #1

Hi everyone.

I currently do my editing on my Lenovo SL400 14". Not reliable at all and had many issues.

I am looking to buy an external monitor. My budget is not great but somehow I narrowed my list to

Dell U2412 @ USD357 16:10 (1980X1200) LED IPS
Dell U2311 @ USD208 16:9 (1980X1080) LCD IPS
Dell U2312 @ USD227 16:9 (1980X1080) LED IPS

other option would be

Dell U2411 @ USD461

Reviews recommend the XX11 series for photo editing.

Any advise is welcomed,

Thank you in advance,

Tibi

10/25/2011 02:07:57 PM · #2

On your "other option" I think you meant the 2410; as far as I know, there is/was no 2411. I believe the difference and the reason for the higher price is that the 2410 is a wider gamut monitor. Not necessarily something that you need to be too concerned with.
I believe (from recollection)that some of the 2311 reviews mentioned some issues with the 2311 regarding uniformity/light leakage. Check into that before you jump. The 2312 or 2412 are likely to have a slightly smaller color gamut due to the LED backlighting, but again you need to check reviews to confirm or deny that.
In general, I think that any of these monitors, when properly adjusted/calibrated, will do a great job for you. The 23-24" range is definitely the best value in a good monitor today. The 1920x1200 resolution is darn good. In order to get more, you need to step up to 27" (2560x1600), and that currently would set you back north of $800 USD.

10/25/2011 06:49:08 PM · #3

Originally posted by kirbic:

On your "other option" I think you meant the 2410; as far as I know, there is/was no 2411...

My typo.

Many thanks for the answer.

Is the $100+ worth the difference between 1980-1200 and 1980-1080?

10/26/2011 12:04:49 AM · #4

bump

10/26/2011 10:36:12 AM · #5

not very popular or maybe too new

10/26/2011 10:56:45 AM · #6

Any particular reason why just Dell brand monitors?

10/26/2011 11:53:08 AM · #7

Originally posted by Tiberius:

Is the $100+ worth the difference between 1980-1200 and 1980-1080?

No, not at all. What you're usually getting for the extra $$$ are additional features that you may not be aware of without detailed investigation. Some of these might be things like a wider gamut, more input options, more configuration options, or any of a number of other things. I haven't looked at these things in detail for the monitors mentioned. I have, however, recently purchased a 2711, and all I can say is *wow.* I just finished two evenings of processing images from a recent trip, and it was a pleasure to edit on a big, high-resolution screen.

10/26/2011 12:00:14 PM · #8

Originally posted by gcoulson:

Any particular reason why just Dell brand monitors?

Not at all ! I am open to any suggestion in the price range.

10/26/2011 01:29:23 PM · #9

To be honest, I've always been partial to Asus monitors. Check out NewEgg for some really competitive pricing.

10/26/2011 06:50:43 PM · #10

Originally posted by gcoulson:

To be honest, I've always been partial to Asus monitors. Check out NewEgg for some really competitive pricing.

Curious as to whether any of the ASUS line have IPS panels? Any reviews you've found? There are plenty of low-cost options, but you *really* have to watch out you don't get stuck with a TN panel (terrible for photo editing). Some of the newer PVA panels aren't bad, but nothing beats IPS for photographic work.

ETA: I see that some Asus models do have IPS panels. I haven't read any reviews of them, however.

Message edited by author 2011-10-26 18:53:08.

10/26/2011 08:25:40 PM · #11

Kirbic...just browsing through Dell's IPS monitors and notice that they all have slow Response times in the 8ms range. I'm not too familiar with IPS monitors, but is this normal for them? I'm used to looking at 2-5ms range, albeit on TN panels.

alexlky

10/27/2011 12:23:47 AM · #12

I voted U2412!

pro: price half of U2410, 16:10 display, much bigger
con: no Adobe colors gamut.

10/27/2011 05:11:55 AM · #13

Thank you all.

I pretty much made my mind for Dell U2412.

Any reasons I should opt for the U2410? the HDMI i do not see it as a big issue, though my Lenovo only have an HDMI port and a VGA...

Other opinions welcome.

10/27/2011 08:10:53 AM · #14

Originally posted by gcoulson:

Yes, IPS panels have slower response because of their design. The only application where this is really noticeable is hard-core gaming.

10/27/2011 01:16:03 PM · #15

Thanks Kirbic, this was the ASUS monitor I'm looking at for my new build:

ASUS PA238Q

Brief specs:

Price: $260
Panel: IPS
Panel Size: 23-inch Widescreen (16:10 Aspect Ratio)
True Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Color Saturation (NTSC): 102%
Brightness(Max): 400 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio (Max): 50,000:1
Display Color: 16.7 million (10-bit)
Response Time: 6ms (Gray-to-Gray)

What do you think?

10/27/2011 02:11:51 PM · #16

Originally posted by gcoulson:

What do you think?

It sounds like a tremendous value in that price range! It's new, so there are no reviews yet from the major monitor review sites like flatpanels. Still, the relatively few customer reviews are very positive, and Asus is a reputable company.