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Dell 24" : good investement ?

Macnoviz

Macnoviz

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 10, 2006
1,059
0
Roeselare, Belgium
I currently own a Macbook, but being quite fond of editing movies, I really want a good monitor for using FCE (and Front Row, of course)
I am currently looking at the Dell 24", which I heard many good things about.

But being a student, and quite on a budget, I was wondering how long these types of screen normally last. If it would only be useful for a few years, I hardly see the reason to invest in an expensive screen, but if I could use it for 5+ years, I think it might be worth it.

Does anyone know the life expectancy of a typical Dell screen, or if DVI will still be used in years to come?

Any other advice is more than welcome.
 
Before my switch to Mac I was using an excellent Dell monitor, a pretty nice one at that and it's going on six years now.
 
My Dell 2405 is like the love of my life, except it doesn't talk back and always listens while showing a bounty of beauty 24/7 :D

P.S. I'm going on 3 years with mine, no probs at all
 
Don't let me put you off completely, but there are a good few issues with the new Dell 2407, ranging from colour banding to bad composite inputs. Do you research before you're sure you want to plonk down the money.

David
 
Yes and No.

If you need something cheap, sure go for it. However keep these things in mind.

The Dell 2407WFP has some funky problems. One being the gradient banding problem. Rule of thumb here is, if you dont notice it dont worry about it.

Considering what you do though, I would say you will notice it. As there are many natural gradients all around, and if you are filming you will catch this at some point.

Also, Front Rows background is a gradient. You may very well notice this problem here. It is an eyesore, for me at least.

One ofthe big selling point on the Dell are the inputs. Component, USB, Card reader. The USB ports and the card reader work great. The component on the other hand... garbage.

Another note on the gradient thing, this only happens on the DVI port. If you use the VGA you are fine.

Some people will say that the problem has been fixed. I say ********. I had the latest revision, the A02 and the problem was very clear. There is supposedly a new revision, the A03, and people are not seeing the problem anymore. However, Dell isnt shipping the A03 exclusively so there is no guarantee right now that you will get that one. And since Dell wont acknowledge that the A03 fixes the problem, because they said the A02 did, you probably wont be able to exchange it for the A03 specifically. You get what they send you.

I know this wasnt the question, but there are in fact a few bad things about the Dell that you may have not been aware of.

With that said, as an investment the Dell will last you a long time. It also comes with a 3 year warranty. Just make sure you are aware with the problem.

Quality wise the 2405FPW is probably a better deal. But they are selling for more than the 2407 is right now.
 
I have two 24" Dells sitting < 10' from two 23" ACD's and a 30" ACD. I use the Dell's for SW development and they are fine. Next to the Apples, you can see a small, but noticeable difference in overall picture quality. The ACD's and Dell's are all using Radeon 9800's. The Dell's are running Windows XP/64.

As for reliability, no issues.
 
Demoman said:
I have two 24" Dells sitting < 10' from two 23" ACD's and a 30" ACD. I use the Dell's for SW development and they are fine. Next to the Apples, you can see a small, but noticeable difference in overall picture quality. The ACD's and Dell's are all using Radeon 9800's. The Dell's are running Windows XP/64.

As for reliability, no issues.
Click to expand...

You should make a note as to which model. The 2405FPW did have the issues I mentioned.

If the OP is looking at the model, there are issues with it.
 
I'm completely satisfied with my 2405 FPW.

Crisp clear bright and the real estate spoils you rotten.

Even so it's a tough call now that you can get a 23" ACD at education price
for $899.00

My Dell 2405FPW ran me less than $800 shipped ( last year with a lot of hard shopping )

If color correction is critical, I'd spend a bit extra for the ACD.

The Dell is more than FINE for general use and gaming.
 
I have the dell 2405FPW, before that I had a 23" Plastic Cinema, and a 23" Aluminum Cinema. The dell is by far better than both apple monitors. I have had no gradient banding issues and find the brightness and color great.

As some have stated above, it has a slew of connection ports, and I would agree that the composite looks horrible. The component (HD) connection looks awesome through my moxi cable box however.

Even though the dell is missing the usb and firewire ports, I still find that the other features more than make up for it.

P.S. If you are going to get the dell, or any LCD for that matter, download SuperCal and run it, it will make your LCD look SOOO much nicer, it will even rejuvinate old LCDs that you might have thought we dying.
 
i'm a big fan of the dell monitors. i just don't think the ACDs are worth their price tag. the dell's come with a 3 year warranty standard (costs more for an ACD) as well as a slew of ports. AND they're cheaper, especially if you buy during one of their discounts (which I strongly recommend waiting for - they come around often.. for a while they were $703, now they're up to $747, but that's still a nice discount).

like any company, yeah, they may have issues (*cough*macbook*cough* ;) ), but that's what that warranty is for. to be fair though, i hear dell's customer service is notorious for sucking, so it might be more of a hassle.

anyways, it's worth researching both, but for a budget, i think the dells are a much better buy. just my opinion, though.
 
Demoman said:
Mine are the 2405FPW. I think I have some of the very first to come off the line (my account rep did not even know about them).
Click to expand...

What suneohair was getting at is that the older product (2405FPW) was just amazing, but there are some concerns with the current product (2407FPW). The 2405 is not readily available anymore, as far as I know....
 
There seems to be quite a bit of misconception going on in this thread, so let me clear it up...

The 2405FPW didn't really have any major issues to speak of and have since been discontinued from Dell... so you can no longer buy them from Dell (unless maybe it's a refurb). They *may* have had a problem with the backlight leaking through around the bezel like some of the 2005FPWs did, but if so, it was soon fixed.

The 2407WFP (Not FPW, btw) originally had color banding issues which has long since been fixed. You don't have to worry about it unless you buy one second-hand from someone.
I have a 2407WFP and absolutely love it. No problems with it at all.

I'd wait until it falls to around $700 again before buying, though
 
elbirth said:
There seems to be quite a bit of misconception going on in this thread, so let me clear it up...

The 2405FPW didn't really have any major issues to speak of and have since been discontinued from Dell... so you can no longer buy them from Dell (unless maybe it's a refurb). They *may* have had a problem with the backlight leaking through around the bezel like some of the 2005FPWs did, but if so, it was soon fixed.

The 2407WFP (Not FPW, btw) originally had color banding issues which has long since been fixed. You don't have to worry about it unless you buy one second-hand from someone.
I have a 2407WFP and absolutely love it. No problems with it at all.

I'd wait until it falls to around $700 again before buying, though
Click to expand...

That was my mistake. I meant to say that the 2405FWP was pretty much perfect.

I will tell you that the issues wit hthe 2407WFP have indeed not been long since fixed. I have an A02 revision and there were issues. This has been discussed extensively on the net. As I stated before there is a new Rev A03, people are reporting that the problem is indeed fixed on this Rev. Dell says they just fixed the languages on the OSD however.

So the worry in not gone with the 2407WFP. With that said. There are tons people who use it with the banding and are ok with it. Depending on what you are doing this may not be a concern for you.

As someone else said though, if color and image quality are important to you and your career, as is the case with mine, the Dell may not be a good option for you.

Here is a large thread about the 2407WFP:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1064124&2407WFP

I recommend going here an reading up as well, there are thread about the new revision, the A03, stuck at the top as well. As people get them they are reporting on its performance.
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board?board.id=dim_monitor

Other options for you could be the Samsung 244T. BenQ also has a new display which sports full 1080P, discussed here http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1066372

There is also the Acer AL2423W, seen here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824009089. Which is mighty cheap at just $700. Lots of people are happy with it.

Good luck to you. Just make an informed decision. I am not trying to shy you away from the Dell, it is a great monitor for general tasks. Just read as much about the choices and upcoming items.
 
Laslo Panaflex said:
I have the dell 2405FPW, before that I had a 23" Plastic Cinema, and a 23" Aluminum Cinema. The dell is by far better than both apple monitors. I have had no gradient banding issues and find the brightness and color great.
Click to expand...

Beep! That is not true. The Dell is a good monitor, but to say it is "..far better than both apple monitors" is going to make your nose grow. You can promote your product without resulting to falsehoods. Sorry to have to pull you up, but there are other people reading this board and trying to make informed decisions.

.
 
Same manufacturer?

I believe the previous 2405FPW was made by the same company (Samsung?) that made the Mac LCD's. Don't know if it's the same with the recent monitors. If it is, then why not save some money and get the Dell? They aren't as attractive as the Mac LCD's and one shouldn't be using a LCD to color correct anyways. For that, get a proper NTSC monitor or CRT.
 
Macnoviz said:
I currently own a Macbook, but being quite fond of editing movies, I really want a good monitor for using FCE (and Front Row, of course)
I am currently looking at the Dell 24", which I heard many good things about.

But being a student, and quite on a budget, I was wondering how long these types of screen normally last. If it would only be useful for a few years, I hardly see the reason to invest in an expensive screen, but if I could use it for 5+ years, I think it might be worth it.

Does anyone know the life expectancy of a typical Dell screen, or if DVI will still be used in years to come?

Any other advice is more than welcome.
Click to expand...

We are in exact same boat man. I've decided to buy one for my Dorm room so I can A) edit with my MBP using Final Cut Studio and B) can play GCube and Wii when it comes out.

I've heard amazing things about the Dell, well at least for the great price how its totally worth it.
 
Well, he does have experience with all of them, as do you, and he thinks the Dells are far better.

Spec-wise, he's right, although the colour accuracy is a bit suss with Dells, I think. But I guess if he calibrates his screen, then he's ok.
 
3dit3r said:
I believe the previous 2405FPW was made by the same company (Samsung?) that made the Mac LCD's. Don't know if it's the same with the recent monitors. If it is, then why not save some money and get the Dell? They aren't as attractive as the Mac LCD's and one shouldn't be using a LCD to color correct anyways. For that, get a proper NTSC monitor or CRT.
Click to expand...

Yes, however Samsung makes cheap panels and more expensive panels. Meaning lower quality and higher quality respectively.

Considering there are only a handful of LCD panel manufactuers, it would be foolish to say a monitor that costs $700 is just as good a monitor that costs $1500 just because their panels are made by the same manufactuer, this is also assuming ceteris paribus.

Also, it is impossible for the Dell 2405/2407 to be the same as the 23" ACD. Considering that they are different sizes. Plus the 23" ACD is this LG panel
http://www.lgphilips-lcd.com/homeContain/jsp/eng/prd/prd201_j_e.jsp

Your statement about using an LCD to color correct isnt accurate, S-IPS panels(in the ACDs) have very accurate color representation and better viewing angles. If you read up on Apples site, they talk about color quite a bit.
 
poppe said:
We are in exact same boat man. I've decided to buy one for my Dorm room so I can A) edit with my MBP using Final Cut Studio and B) can play GCube and Wii when it comes out.

I've heard amazing things about the Dell, well at least for the great price how its totally worth it.
Click to expand...

I hope you plan on using the VGA for the GCube and Wii. Because the Component connection on the Dell looks god awful. However, some are reporting the problem fixed in the A03 revision. I would wait for more reports before assuming everything is good.
 
Don't support Dell. There are problems all over the place with their monitors. Go for the Samsung 244t. That thing is freaking awesome. Beautiful...plus, it doesn't say Dell on it.
 
Demoman said:
Beep! That is not true. The Dell is a good monitor, but to say it is "..far better than both apple monitors" is going to make your nose grow. You can promote your product without resulting to falsehoods. Sorry to have to pull you up, but there are other people reading this board and trying to make informed decisions.

.
Click to expand...

Sorry, just stating my OPINION, nice of you to inform me that my OPINION is incorrect.

So, you think that the original Plastic case 23" CD is better than a Dell, you have to be crazy. And my experience with the aluminum apple display was dismall. I went through 3 replacements over the course of a year, until I finally sold my ACD and bought a dell and still had money left over from the ACD sell. My dell has been going strong for 8 months now, and I have not had a single problem with it.

I don't know how people are going to make an informed decision without hearing others opinions and thoughts. And if posting of ones opinions and thoughts are discouraring to you, perhaps you should not read internet message boards.
 
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