Dell 2408FPW or Dell E248WFP: Dillemma

Xerohour

Xerohour

Xerohour

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Hi guys,

im upgrading my old but trusty Dell 2005FPW 20.1 LCD with a newer 24 but ive got a dilemma! I cannot decide between the two monitors. I primarily use the monitor for gaming, but also do a little photo editing and quite abit of internet browsing! So heres my choice:

1# The highly regarded Dell 2408FPW which i can get for £380, widely regarded as one of the best monitors for colour reproduction. This monitor, does have its down sides... mainly its input lag which effects gamers! and its high cost with regards to the:

2# Dell E248FPW which i can get for £240. Again this monitor is a 24 inch 1920x1200 panel but is constructed with a 'cheaper' TN panel. Therefore the panel has less than perfect colour reproduction and can suffer colour shift at different angles! It also doesnt have a lot of the niffty feaures of the 2408 but is conciderably cheaper!

Now im really stuck as which on to buy! I dont want to replace my 2005FPW with a panel that will look inferior, but am concerned about the high outlay cost of the 2408 and more importantly the input lag!

Can anyone with one of these monitors (Particularly the E Series one) share their experiances and help my decide! I just wish i could see both side by side!

Any input welcome!
 
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I have the E248 and coming from a 20" P-MVA panel, I can notice the colour shifts vertically but I am not that critical so it doesn't really bother me unless I look at gradients all day. I don't view my monitor from extreme angles I sit right in front of the screen.

I could have bought the Dell 2408FPW but the Dell E248FPW suits me fine for my purpose.

If you want better viewing angles, better colour reproduction and no colour shifts go for the Dell 2408FPW.

As for gaming, I haven't noticed any input lag on my E248.
 
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Wait a month. Dell will be bringing new firmware for 2408FPW in less than a month, so they say, so check it out if input lag problem has been "solved" and go from there. If the firmware will make a breakthrough then I'll be going for 2408FPW myself :D
 
Thanks for the reassuring words smsmasters!

ivan said:
Wait a month. Dell will be bringing new firmware for 2408FPW in less than a month, so they say, so check it out if input lag problem has been "solved" and go from there. If the firmware will make a breakthrough then I'll be going for 2408FPW myself :D
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Ivan, I totally understand what your saying, but i need to buy the monitor now, ive just sold my 2005FPW and cant do without for a month. Ive heard that even if you buy a non A01 revision of the 2408FPW that you can be issued with the firmware update directly from Dell so waiting isnt a issue on that front.


Anyone else?
 
Xerohour said:
Ivan, I totally understand what your saying, but i need to buy the monitor now, ive just sold my 2005FPW and cant do without for a month. Ive heard that even if you buy a non A01 revision of the 2408FPW that you can be issued with the firmware update directly from Dell so waiting isnt a issue on that front.
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That's your call mate. Speaking for myself, I know that I don't think I will purchase something with intent of exchanging it in less than a month. You would need to send your monitor to Dell for new firmware so you won't have one for some time either way.
 
Xerohour said:
1# The highly regarded Dell 2408FPW which i can get for £380, widely regarded as one of the best monitors for colour reproduction. This monitor, does have its down sides... mainly its input lag which effects gamers! and its high cost with regards to the:
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Highly regarded? I don't think so! It has a littany of problems, not least the high input lag (unacceptably high - to the point where moving windows around the desktop made me nauseous). The colour reproduction isn't anything to write home about either, uneven backlight (right side of screen much darker), pink hue over the left-hand side, gamma shift along the horizontal plane...I could go on and on, but suffice to say mine went back to Dell very quickly for a full refund.

Doubt the new firmware will fix much, especially not the input lag as this is an issue with the RTC (overdrive, improves pixel response time) as is evident from the Samsung 245T having the same problem.

You may be confusing the fact that it's "wide-gamut" with that actually being of any use; if you do very little photo editing, and none of it is pro, getting a wide-gamut monitor is silly, you'll need to invest in a colorimeter to get decent colour out of the thing, and even then only in colour-profile aware applications. So you'll need to add around £100 to the purchase price of the Dell 2408WFP before considering it.

If you want really good colour reproduction, low-ish input lag and excellent viewing angles then you need something with an S-IPS screen (or at a push an M-VA). There's a Benq that's meant to have an MVA screen, but it's been discontinued (still available from some places however), or there's the Hazro 24" with IPS but that's more than you're willing to pay.

You are, in technical terms, between a rock and a hard place.
 
philjohn said:
You are, in technical terms, between a rock and a hard place.
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Thanks for your eye-opening insight philjohn...much appreciated!

Ok, so if we discount the 2408 and focus on the E248WFP, if i say that 90% of the time im going to be playing games, watching films and browsing the net... and i get a very good price for the monitor through employers framework deal is there any reason i shouldnt go for this monitor.
 
firmware updates FOR Dell 2408WFP Can be DL via there web site
when they are rel & installed from the EXE

Description: Initial Release- _A00-00_R172933.exe

correct any brightness or colours or on screen options bugs

input lag cant see how they can sort that out with a update.

well i got to order a 24in monitor now ..i was thinking of getting the Dell_2408WFP ...not sure cant make me mind up...

i be playing games, watching films and browsing the net... aswell with my new one.
but must have HDMI Aswell as dvi.
 
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Well the official word from Dell about 2408 is as follows:

While the currently shipping Dell 2408WFP monitor meets both Dell and industry standard specifications, we have been closely listening to your feedback on the Dell Community Forum. Based on your comments, Dell is working to incorporate a number of improvements into the 2408WFP as a firmware update for new monitors scheduled to ship in mid-July. This firmware update features greater control over sharpness settings, improved power save recovery, and less input lag. Current 2408WFP owners whose specific usage scenario may benefit from the firmware update should contact Dell Technical Support after Mid July to receive the firmware update. If you have any questions please feel free to post them here or contact Dell Technical Support.
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Make of that what you will. The downsides to E248WFP for me are: no HDMI input, no component input, no DisplayPort, lower contrast etc. You obviously need a monitor now so I'd suggest to go for E248WFP, but had you not been so desperate I'd have said to wait a month.
 
Darren_uk said:
made my mind up, i am going for the Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP ,paying more cash to have pva + hdmi so on
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Once you get it, let us know how it behaves in the respective thread. Though you're still likely to get revision A00. If you have no issues then I probably will get one too.
 
philjohn said:
Let us know how gaming goes, I found it just about playable online with ET:QW, but it wasn't a fun experience getting my behind handed to me more often than usual!
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makes me fill better u saying that lol

well in the long run its only cash ..worth getting something that got all the features ..u ever need so i am happy, i spent a good part of yesterday & today reading up on this model from just about all the review sites & forums ,dell so forth, some say no goating seen playing all sorts of top fps

Yes ,when it comes tomz ,i put it Through aload of Games .....
Race Driver Grid , Gears of War ,Bioshock ,Mass Effect ,A-Creed.
let u all know on this Thread .
 
regarding the 2408WFP we have 5 in our office 1 has been replaced due to a colour problem but other than that they are superb for CAD / graphic design work. The Hazro's look good but also have the same posting issues as the 2408WFP's
 
Xerohour said:
Ive heard that even if you buy a non A01 revision of the 2408FPW that you can be issued with the firmware update directly from Dell so waiting isnt a issue on that front.
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Where did you heard that? Be very interested as I use a 2408 at work and the lag is irritating. Really couldn't bear it if I had to game on it. Use my trusty 2407 at home for that :)
 
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