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Which 20" LCD?

savar

savar

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jun 6, 2003
1,950
0
District of Columbia
Hey all,

Looking for opinions for and against the Dell 2007WFP and E207WFP, as well as suggestions for other monitors that compete in the 20" widescreen category.

I'll be using the screen to extend my laptop's screen. I'm not a graphics pro or anything, so I don't know that I need 8-bit color. I will watch DVDs, though, so I wonder if I should go for a slow 8-bit or a fast 6-bit?

anyway, any comments/suggestions welcome
 
I have the viewsonic VX2025. But i think there is a different model out there now to replace that. I really like the viewsonic. Great display.:D
 
Get The Dell 2407 1920x1200 $749 OR 2007FP 20" 1600x1200 $382

savar said:
Hey all,

Looking for opinions for and against the Dell 2007WFP and E207WFP, as well as suggestions for other monitors that compete in the 20" widescreen category.

I'll be using the screen to extend my laptop's screen. I'm not a graphics pro or anything, so I don't know that I need 8-bit color. I will watch DVDs, though, so I wonder if I should go for a slow 8-bit or a fast 6-bit?
Click to expand...
Get The Dell 2407WFP 24" 1920x1200 $749 (not on sale)
or
Dell 2007FP 20" 1600x1200 (note 156,000 more pixels real estate 1,920,000 than the 2007WFP 1680x1050 = 1,764,000) for only $382 (on sale now)
 
I'd personally go with a 20" Apple Cinema Display (you can get one refurbished on the Apple Store right now for $600), but it is a choice based on aesthetics, as I value a clean-looking desk more than I probably should (it is often the only clean part of my bedroom :) ). On the other hand the Dells hold up nicely in terms of screen quality, and they do have more video inputs than Apple, which may or may not matter to you.

As for the 2007FP vs. 2007WFP, it isn't a debate only on screen size. Yes, you get a full 156,000 more pixels on the screen (out of almost 2 million) with the 2007FP, but you would be sacrificing the nice widescreen format on the 2007WFP. The 2007WFP might end up offering more pixel real estate if you watch widescreen movies or TV shows on it.
 
Apple Cinema Display, it's just so beautiful while the other ones are just ugly and cheesy and plasticky.
 
Xeem said:
I'd personally go with a 20" Apple Cinema Display (you can get one refurbished on the Apple Store right now for $600), but it is a choice based on aesthetics, as I value a clean-looking desk more than I probably should (it is often the only clean part of my bedroom :) ). On the other hand the Dells hold up nicely in terms of screen quality, and they do have more video inputs than Apple, which may or may not matter to you.

As for the 2007FP vs. 2007WFP, it isn't a debate only on screen size. Yes, you get a full 156,000 more pixels on the screen (out of almost 2 million) with the 2007FP, but you would be sacrificing the nice widescreen format on the 2007WFP. The 2007WFP might end up offering more pixel real estate if you watch widescreen movies or TV shows on it.
Click to expand...

The ACD is very pretty, but I can't justify the markup. I'm a developer, so I already have Dell, HP, and IBM machines lying around anyway. I'm past the point of making my desk look pretty.

The one nice thing about Apple is that I can actually go to the store and see their displays, buy one and take it home. With the Dell I feel like I'm buying blind. I'm starting to think about going to the store (not Best Buy though <shudder>) and just pick one out that I like.

I was leaning towards the 16:10 format because I'd like to watch movies. Also, my work space would benefit from a monitor that isn't so tall (it would obscure my whiteboard). Having some extra inputs might be nice if I split the monitor between a laptop and a mini (I don't have a mini yet, though).

Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions so far, keep em coming!
 
Apple over Dell for Color Accuracy & Colorsync

If you are a Graphic Artist then an Apple Cinema Display offers far greater features than just the "Asthetics" listed here. You Get:

1) Stock Colorsync Profile which Apple has actually taken the time to built from the LUT (Color Lookup Tables). This is very useful for a colorsync workflow between devices and applications and is a good starting point assuming you do not calibrate your display with a calibrator.

2) Apple displays use S-IPS panels which are superior to the S-PVA panels in terms of color accuracy (PVA may be better for gaming and/or basic video). I am not sure if Dell 20" use S-IPS but I would guess No. The Dell 24" uses either -- Google "Dell Panel Lottery" to see how many users are upset by the lack of firm specs by Dell.

As a graphic artist expereinced in color management I can tell you that the Apple displays are actually a great deal compared with LCD's of lower quality. Many NEC's, Samsungs, Eizo's, and LaCies cost a lot more than Apple Displays, so Apple's are actually a bargain. For me well worth the cost and "looks" have NOTHING to do with it.

Dante
 
dante@sisna.com said:
If you are a Graphic Artist then an Apple Cinema Display offers far greater features than just the "Asthetics" listed here.
Click to expand...

Actually, I'm a developer. Most of the stuff you mentioned is mumbo-jumbo to me. I want the wide screen primarly for being to develop with documentation/code split across screens, or code/view split across screens (the other screen being my laptop).

It would also be nice to be able to play a DVD on one screen and continue to do work (send email, update checkbook) on the other.

So my requirements are quite basic, actually. I don't even play video games. I was just trying to get a grasp on whether watching DVDs is better with a fast 6-bit, or a slower 8-bit. Still haven't figured out the answer to that.

Thanks folks,
Mark
 
Bump..

So I ended up going with the 2407 fpw. Found it at Dell outlet for under $600 shipped. The size is great, its bright, and the viewing angle is absurdly wide (dare I say 180 degrees in both axes).

However, theres this weird thing the screen does: its kind of twitching a little bit. It's subtle, but looks kind of like a screen with a low refresh rate being filmed by a video camera -- those horizontal bars that scroll upwards. It's less pronounced, but still noticeable. I pointed it out to my rooomate and he agrees.

Any idea what's going on? I'm running 1920x1200, 60hz, through my HP nc6400 laptop on the VGA input. Unfortunately I don't have any DVI devices to try.
 
savar said:
Bump..

So I ended up going with the 2407 fpw. Found it at Dell outlet for under $600 shipped. The size is great, its bright, and the viewing angle is absurdly wide (dare I say 180 degrees in both axes).

However, theres this weird thing the screen does: its kind of twitching a little bit. It's subtle, but looks kind of like a screen with a low refresh rate being filmed by a video camera -- those horizontal bars that scroll upwards. It's less pronounced, but still noticeable. I pointed it out to my rooomate and he agrees.

Any idea what's going on? I'm running 1920x1200, 60hz, through my HP nc6400 laptop on the VGA input. Unfortunately I don't have any DVI devices to try.
Click to expand...

That is a strange problem. Did you solve it?
 
dante@sisna.com said:
That is a strange problem. Did you solve it?
Click to expand...

Finally solved it. As I suspected, it has to do with the VGA connection. I'm not sure if it's my laptop's output or the monitor's input, but I got a dock for my laptop today which has DVI-D output. Not only is the shaky picture gone, but I also get much better blacks than I did with VGA.

Not sure if this is typical for the 2407, since mine is refurb, but its nice to get it looking right. I was enjoying the monitor before, but now it's really, truly excellent.

Hope this helps other people who are shopping around!
 
I'm not an expert when it comes to displays, but I thought I would remark from recent personal experience, in case anyone reads this thread looking for advice. I recently purchased a Samsung 206bw (20") and used it for about 1.5 weeks. A friend of mine then told me she could get me a used, older model Apple 20" ACD from the university lab she works in, which uses mostly Apple products. I decided to hook it up and give it a try and I was blown away by how much better the screen looked compared to the Samsung. Again, I'm not an expert, but the difference was plain. Smaller text that I had to move in closer to read on the Samsung is clear as can be from a good distance using the Apple ACD. From an amateur's perspective, it's just brighter, crisper, clearer, and overall, a simply a much higher quality display than the Samsung. In addition, my desk certainly looks much better with an ACD than it did with the Samsung. The price difference wasn't that great because the ACD was used and I got a deal on it, but I wouldn't hesitate to spend much more on an ACD after experiencing the difference.
 
Thank You!!!!!

swindmill said:
I'm not an expert when it comes to displays, but I thought I would remark from recent personal experience, in case anyone reads this thread looking for advice. I recently purchased a Samsung 206bw (20") and used it for about 1.5 weeks. A friend of mine then told me she could get me a used, older model Apple 20" ACD from the university lab she works in, which uses mostly Apple products. I decided to hook it up and give it a try and I was blown away by how much better the screen looked compared to the Samsung. Again, I'm not an expert, but the difference was plain. Smaller text that I had to move in closer to read on the Samsung is clear as can be from a good distance using the Apple ACD. From an amateur's perspective, it's just brighter, crisper, clearer, and overall, a simply a much higher quality display than the Samsung. In addition, my desk certainly looks much better with an ACD than it did with the Samsung. The price difference wasn't that great because the ACD was used and I got a deal on it, but I wouldn't hesitate to spend much more on an ACD after experiencing the difference.
Click to expand...

Yes, the 206BW is a 6Bit Display whereas the ACD is an 8-Bit with a more finely tuned Color Lookup Table which is HUGELY important for interfacing the monitor with the video card and Mac OS via a ColorSync Profile -- this LUT is basically coded as a very complex algorithm that describes each pixel of color via Colorsync.

So many underestimate the "out of the box" use of this. So many tout "end-user calibration" but this is a whole other can of worms -- it presumes so many things from lighting to accuracy of the calibrator to quality of the profile software.

ACD are worth the money for print design, FOR SURE.

Thanks for pointing out to others what I have know for many, many years from first-hand experience.

Dante
 
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