Rob Barron
Loves the place
Registered: September 2006
Location: Poole, Dorset
Posts: 6013
|
|
Review Date: Fri November 17, 2006
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £280.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Super sharp and clear, excellent price, easy to adjust
|
|
Cons:
|
It doesn't make coffee!
|
|
Ok, as promised here is my review of this monitor. As I have only been using it for two days, I might well add something further a month or so from now but these are my first impressions and I have to say, they are very good indeed.
This was my first foray into the LCD market after years of using CRTs, the latest was one that came with a Tiny computer about 6 years ago and had a 19" screen (18" viewable).
I have resisted the change over because in the early days the LCD screens were difficult to calibrate, not very sharp and had a very tight viewing angle. That has definitely changed big time. Now you can view the screen from literally any angle you want and it looks clear and sharp right across the entire viewing area.
This is a 20.1" widescreen and that is viewable, you don't lose anything with these so it is noticeably bigger than my old 19" screen. It is completely flat so there is no distortion that I can see and it has a specially coated screen that is anti-reflective and anti-glare and I must say this is pheonmenally effective. There is absolutely no reflection at all, even though I have a window virtually right behind me. This makes it far more comfortable for viewing and being an LCD there is no stream of ions hitting my eyes from the cathode ray tube that used to make my eyes so sore. I used this for many hours yesterday and for the first time ever did not have tired and sore eyes when i went to bed.
There are two main inputs, the standard D plug for VGA analog input and a DVI input for digital. My video card has both and it is fine to actually use both as this has a Picture By Picture (PBP) facility that lets you put two separate windows next to each other, like having two monitors side by side. It also has a Picture In picture facility (PIP) that lets you do the same thing with a window inside the main window. However, not only can you plug into the two normal inputs, you also get the option of using S-video or Composite so you can connect your video camera, etc. and view it in high resolution. It is HDTV ready as well so if you plug an HD player in, you can watch TV or video at high resolution.
As well as those inputs, there are also four USB 2 ports which has made life much easier. I have been able to tidy up a lot of the cables that I used to have going all around the place, especially things like my graphics tablet and so forth. These now go straight to the screen so need very little cabling at all. I have two items in these, one spare and one with a 4 USB hub to which I can add other things should I want to in the future. I have far greater flexibility and I don't have to keep trying to get in behind my computer to the other USB sockets.
The resolution available is superb: 1680 x 1050. By downloading the drivers to update my NVidia 5700 graphics card, I was able to quickly change the settings to the maximum resolution. HOWEVER....
Be warned, if you have bad eyesight, you won't want to use the highest resolution as everything on your screen is going to be a lot smaller! Buttons and things became very small and typing letters s normal mean having to zoom in to see the text properly. However, for photographic editing, you can see stunning detail at that resolution. However, I have set mine to a lower resolution, still higher than I had before but with everything at a comfortable viewing level. I could actually go a bit higher but this allows me to sit back a bit and not need to hunch over the desk when doing close-in work. Remember, switching to highest res is a 10 second job at any time so it is no big deal to change when you want to.
The monitor screen is very adjustable so you can have it exactly where you want it. The screen swivels 45 degrees to the left and to the right, it swivels backwards and forwards to get the best viewing angle and you can rotate the screen a full 90 degrees if you wish. This allows you to work on something in true portrait mode and have it filling the screen at phenomenal detail.
The contrast available on this monitor is 800:1, considerably higher than a lot of the cheaper ones which go as low as 500:1 and even better ones at only 600:1. The higher the ratio, the more detail you will see, especially in the darker areas where things often get lost to black. The sharpness is absolutely stunning, its name 'UltraSharp' is most certainly deserved.
Adjustments to the screen are done using front buttons and menus that are extremely easy to access and play with. Being a man, I didn't read the manual first! In this case it is on a CD so is a bit less practical than a book but that is becoming the norm these days. But you really don't need it for the main things, it is very intuitive. There are buttons on the front for PBP and PIP access making this very easy to use should you want to.
It stands on a silver V-shaped base and angled flat metal riser. The monitor clicks into place in two seconds flat and is not at all fiddly. It is also not heavy like a CRT so putting it into position is a doddle. You can adjust the height and viewing angle with one hand yet it is not at all sloppy. The screen has a black surround which makes the screen easier to view than a silver surround that causes reflections.
Because it is from Dell, its price is highly competitive and the warranty is excellent: 3 years replacement should it pack up. At the moment Dell's website is offering a 25% discount but that is off the RRP which still makes it about £320 plus delivery. I found a seller on Ebay who happened to live close to me and was able to pick mine up so I paid his asking price £279.99 which is well below Dell's yet with Dell's own warranty. Delivery would have been £12.99, not unreasonable, but mine was free of course.
I am sure I'll think of other bits you should know about after I have used it for a while but feel free to ask questions and if you think of something important I missed, let me know. Also, if anyone wants the name of the buyer I used, a very helpful couple who I felt entirely trustworthy, I'll be happy to tell you. I won't put things like that in here as this is a review, not an advert!
So, would I recommend it? Undoubtedly so. It is the most wonderful monitor I have personally ever seen, especially in this price range. I know you can pay out huge sums for specialist monitors that are three or four times the price of this one but whatever it is that you get for that money, it must be something incredible to make it worth the extra over this one. You will definitely not be disappointed if you choose this.
Hope this helps with your considerations if a monitor is what you after from Santa ;O)
Cheers,
Rob
|
|
