Hi guys I need your help. Having spent weeks trawling the internet and forums reading reviews and peoples views I still can't make my mind up! I'm an avid gamer (mostly FPS) but do watch movies occassionally as well. I'm running a fairly high end conroe based system with a X1900xt 256mb graphics card and now want to upgrade my 19" TFT monitor to a nice widescreen monitor. I have looked at the 20", 22" and 24" but can't really justify the prices for the latter. (would have loved the benq!) I was seriously considering the Samsung SM-225BW 22" but having read the reviews was put off by the excessive backlight bleed. Then came the Samsung SM-215TW 21". I was impressed with the spec of this monitor and it had some good reviews, but I was concerned about reports of excessive input lag, and also the overall look of the monitor. I was then toying between the NEC MultiSync® LCD20WGX2 20.1" and the Dell Ultrasharp 2007WFP 20". I thought I had definately made my mind up on the NEC but the absence of HDCP support made me change my mind again. So then it was the turn of the DELL, which I think has the best look of the bunch.(Good prive at the mo as well!) But so much confusion still goes on over this screen! different revisions, some people say banding has now gone others say its still there. Lol, I give up! I just get set on a choice then I read another thread and I'm back to square one lol! I know this type of thread is quite common so I apologise for bringing it up again. But I have just spent nearly £1000 on a new system and this is the last chance I'm gonna get to shell out again as I'm moving house soon. So I need your help on this one! Obviously I need a monitor that is pretty future proof as I'm not gonna be buying another one soon. So HDCP support is preferred. Was disapointed with the NEC cos I would have ordered that if it had HDCP. Anyway, would appreciate your help and apologies once again for starting another similar thread.
£400 to spend, still can't make my mind up :(
- Thread starter sti007
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The NEC is still a very good screen, and i dont think it should be overlooked. It could be some time before we see proper implementation of HDCP protection and who knows what cunning ways there will be round it. From a performance point of view, the LCD20WGX2 certainly offers some nice performance and is very responsive for your gaming needs. The Dell 2007WFP is also a good choice. I found the 2007WFP pretty good for gaming too, and regarding the colour banding issue, i would really question whether this would be an issue in real use at all....i tested an A00 revision and in practice saw no adverse effects of this issue in my use. Yes, it is there if you go looking for it with colour gradients, and yes, there may well be some traces of this on even the newer A02/A03 revisions. However, unless you're a pro graphics worker then i really doubt you'd notice this issue in real use.
I think you have a hard choice there really. The NEC offers the more impressive performance, with the colour vibrancy improved thanks to OptiClear and the black depth / contrast improved thanks to the DVM (dynamic contrast). It's arguably one of the best gaming screens in the market too. If you definitely want HDCP (which i dont think at this stage is very important) then the Dell is probably your only good option in the 20" market
I think you have a hard choice there really. The NEC offers the more impressive performance, with the colour vibrancy improved thanks to OptiClear and the black depth / contrast improved thanks to the DVM (dynamic contrast). It's arguably one of the best gaming screens in the market too. If you definitely want HDCP (which i dont think at this stage is very important) then the Dell is probably your only good option in the 20" market
Hi Baddass. Thanks a lot for your quick reply and advice. I have been reading many threads regarding the DELL monitor and you have posted many times helping a lot of people so thanks again for helping me. Currently the DELL is £40 cheaper than the NEC so I am swaying towards the DELL. £40 doesn't seem much but with the amount I would have spent come the end its all adding up lol! Do you think the NEC is worth the extra money? Is DVD playback better on the DELL? Also, with Vista around the corner won't HDCP be an issue then? How does the Samsung SM-215TW 21" compare with these two displays? Or is it not really an option to me?
no worries, always happy to help if i can. Movie playback is not really the strong point of any of these 3 monitors. The NEC and Dell are both S-IPS based, and heavily overdriven at that. Noise is pretty apparent in movie playback on large colour masses in particular. In actual use, sitting a couple of metres away will cure that anyway, so it's not a major problem. The Dell might offer the slightly better use in movies than the NEC since the NEC's OptiClear coating can be a little reflective to some users, and is probably one of the few niggles some reviewers have had with the screen. Again, not an issue to all, but I would say that if you are watching a movie in the dark, the reflective nature of the coating would be less than desirable.
HDCP could become an issue, but it's very early days and we just don't know how it will work widely yet. If you want to be extra safe then consider a screen with HDCP, but i would think that by the time it is widely used, you may well be wanting to get a new screen anyway
it's certainly possible!...
The Samsung 215TW is a nice display, but not as responsive as the other two and so not as aimed at the gamers out there. Since you specifiy you're a gamer, i'd suggest the Dell/ NEC would be better choices
HDCP could become an issue, but it's very early days and we just don't know how it will work widely yet. If you want to be extra safe then consider a screen with HDCP, but i would think that by the time it is widely used, you may well be wanting to get a new screen anyway
it's certainly possible!...The Samsung 215TW is a nice display, but not as responsive as the other two and so not as aimed at the gamers out there. Since you specifiy you're a gamer, i'd suggest the Dell/ NEC would be better choices
i've had exactly the same problem over the past couple of weeks, between the NEC LCD20WGX2 and Dell 2007WFP, i eventually took the plunge and ordered the NEC yesterday, overall it is a beautiful monitor, and barring the lack of HDCP in european versions its technical specs are second to few if any
Thanks again Baddass! I think I'm gonna have to toss a coin because I can't decide between the two lol! I think I'm wavering towards the DELL though! I know its a hard question to answer but in your opinion how long do you think it will be before HDCP compliancy becomes an issue? Thats the last question now mate, so I'll stop bugging you lol Thanks again!
Thanks again!sti007 said:Thanks again Baddass! I think I'm gonna have to toss a coin because I can't decide between the two lol! I think I'm wavering towards the DELL though! I know its a hard question to answer but in your opinion how long do you think it will be before HDCP compliancy becomes an issue? Thats the last question now mate, so I'll stop bugging you lol
before it becomes widely used, maybe a couple of years....i'm sure we'll see some clever ways round it, decoder boxes etc...
HDCP is at least 2-3 years off widespread use.
I have recently purchased a SM215TW and have been pleased with it so far
excepting my little odd friend the pixel cross:
With regard to the looks if you're referring to the speaker bar of uselessness it really doesnt impact on the display as much as most pictures of it would have you believe.
The side s-video and composite inputs are hidden away on the rear protusion so cables are hidden by the panel itself when plugged in.
Game wise I havent really noticed any lag, what I thought was mouse lag in gothic 3 was really shoddy programming (along with the combat system but I wont go into that here), HL2 and Oblivion played ok excepting my graphics card struggling to keep up with Oblivion. BUT I am no twitch king so would take this with a pinch of salt.
One thing this Monitor has really going for it for me is the uniformity in the colours as your viewing angle changes, there is an almost imperceptible change as you move your eyes from level with the bottom bexel to level with the top, nothing like what I see on (what I presume to be) TN screens of other people that Ive used in the past.
Viewing angles are good, brightness on this monitor is amazing, I have it on the lowest MagicBright preset (text) in that shot with the flash on the camera.
It IS expensive for what it is but for my eyes 1680*1050 on a Widescreen would be too crampt at 20" so I discarded the NEC from my list, 24"ers where too rich for my blood (and my graphics card) and I havent liked the look of any of the 22"ers so I just went for this.
I have recently purchased a SM215TW and have been pleased with it so far
excepting my little odd friend the pixel cross:
With regard to the looks if you're referring to the speaker bar of uselessness it really doesnt impact on the display as much as most pictures of it would have you believe.
The side s-video and composite inputs are hidden away on the rear protusion so cables are hidden by the panel itself when plugged in.
Game wise I havent really noticed any lag, what I thought was mouse lag in gothic 3 was really shoddy programming (along with the combat system but I wont go into that here), HL2 and Oblivion played ok excepting my graphics card struggling to keep up with Oblivion. BUT I am no twitch king so would take this with a pinch of salt.
One thing this Monitor has really going for it for me is the uniformity in the colours as your viewing angle changes, there is an almost imperceptible change as you move your eyes from level with the bottom bexel to level with the top, nothing like what I see on (what I presume to be) TN screens of other people that Ive used in the past.
Viewing angles are good, brightness on this monitor is amazing, I have it on the lowest MagicBright preset (text) in that shot with the flash on the camera.
It IS expensive for what it is but for my eyes 1680*1050 on a Widescreen would be too crampt at 20" so I discarded the NEC from my list, 24"ers where too rich for my blood (and my graphics card) and I havent liked the look of any of the 22"ers so I just went for this.
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in the same situation and want to replace my ageing 19" CRT with a 20-22" tft. Keep seeing so many plus and then minus points/opinions for any monitor i look at 
95% gaming and 5% surfing use.
Very tempted by the Dell 2007 Widescreen. Only 16ms which seems slow by today's standards ? But a nice price atm
Also tempted by a larger 22" but these seem to be of the cheaper / not so good panel type ? (as u can tell i'm no expert here)
The Acer AL2216W looks a possiblity as well ?
So still reading and thinking with some cash remaining in the bank !
95% gaming and 5% surfing use.
Very tempted by the Dell 2007 Widescreen. Only 16ms which seems slow by today's standards ? But a nice price atm
Also tempted by a larger 22" but these seem to be of the cheaper / not so good panel type ? (as u can tell i'm no expert here
)The Acer AL2216W looks a possiblity as well ?
So still reading and thinking with some cash remaining in the bank !
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95% gaming? I'd say consider the NEC LCD20WGX2 tbh. That is arguably the most responsive panel in the 20" and above market now and offers some very impressive gaming performance. Add to the very responsive panel the fact the screen using OptiClear coating (really aiding vibrancy of colours and image quality) and the presence of DFC (Digital Fine Contrast, aka DVM mode for great contrast control in gaming) and you've got a very good option there!
The Dell 2007WFP is also very good, and a very responsive screen. The 16ms is an old fashioned style of quoting response time, when in reality the panel used could be rated as 8ms G2G. I recently had a good look at the 2007WFP in collaboration with a review site here if you want to take a look. BeHardware also did a side by side with the Dell and NEC and found the Dell to be very good. On another note, I should be receiving the NEC for a look very very soon, so while I still have the Dell with me (only for a little longer) I'll take the opportunity to compare if it would help?
The 22" models are also coming to the focus of manufacturers (article soon to be written about this! keep your eyes open!
) but at the moment they all use TN Film technology panels. Take a look at the details about panel technologies here as it might well help. The Dell and NEC both use S-IPS by the way
hth
The Dell 2007WFP is also very good, and a very responsive screen. The 16ms is an old fashioned style of quoting response time, when in reality the panel used could be rated as 8ms G2G. I recently had a good look at the 2007WFP in collaboration with a review site here if you want to take a look. BeHardware also did a side by side with the Dell and NEC and found the Dell to be very good. On another note, I should be receiving the NEC for a look very very soon, so while I still have the Dell with me (only for a little longer) I'll take the opportunity to compare if it would help?
The 22" models are also coming to the focus of manufacturers (article soon to be written about this! keep your eyes open!
) but at the moment they all use TN Film technology panels. Take a look at the details about panel technologies here as it might well help. The Dell and NEC both use S-IPS by the wayhth
Hi guys. Just to let you know that I've placed my order . I went for the DELL in the end! The price really decided it for me. Ordered it along with Logitech MX518 Gaming-Grade Optical Mouse and a Saitek Eclipse 2 Illuminated Keyboard! Thats it now, last upgrades for awhile! typical, an hour after I placed order my car started to make horrific banging noises in engine bay! 
Praying its not engine failure cos on a subaru impreza thats gonna hurt! Thanks for all your help, especially Baddass, much appreciated mate!
Praying its not engine failure cos on a subaru impreza thats gonna hurt! Thanks for all your help, especially Baddass, much appreciated mate!sti007 said:Hi guys. Just to let you know that I've placed my order . I went for the DELL in the end! The price really decided it for me. Ordered it along with Logitech MX518 Gaming-Grade Optical Mouse and a Saitek Eclipse 2 Illuminated Keyboard! Thats it now, last upgrades for awhile! typical, an hour after I placed order my car started to make horrific banging noises in engine bay!
no worries mate, any time
Let us know how you get on!Thanks a lot Bad for that reply and links.
Question : Does the panel lottery mentioned wrt the Dell affect it as a good screen for me or am i not going to notice the difference between the IPS or S-PVA.
Question 2 : How soon for the 22" article to be written and how soon are we likely to see 22" with IPS panels etc ?
Wondering if i leave it buying for a month or 2 - ie Xmas / early Jan....
Thanks for your help.
Question : Does the panel lottery mentioned wrt the Dell affect it as a good screen for me or am i not going to notice the difference between the IPS or S-PVA.
Question 2 : How soon for the 22" article to be written and how soon are we likely to see 22" with IPS panels etc ?
Wondering if i leave it buying for a month or 2 - ie Xmas / early Jan....
Thanks for your help.
Kheldar said:
The majority of the 2007WFP are still S-IPS at this stage, i think you'd have a greater chance of receiving one with that panel. To most average users you probably woulnd't notice much difference in real terms, depends on your use really.
don't think we'll see 22" IPS/VA panels for a while since there aren't currentl panels made at this size on those technologies. 6 months maybe....
Hi all. My Dell 2007WFP finally arrived yesterday after a balls up by City Link Very impressed so far! No dead pixels, image quality is superb, its a nice size just wish I'd have had the budget to go for the 2407WFP ! Not sure what screen it is. Its a A03 revision and says screen type is RI803, made in the Czech Republic. A quick question for you Baddass if you don't mind mate? I'm running it in desktop mode to avoid any potential banding issues but what were your calibration values? I've had a quick play with mine but was wondering if there was any recommended levels to use to set it up perfectly? As usual, Thanks for any advice.
Very impressed so far! No dead pixels, image quality is superb, its a nice size just wish I'd have had the budget to go for the 2407WFP ! Not sure what screen it is. Its a A03 revision and says screen type is RI803, made in the Czech Republic. A quick question for you Baddass if you don't mind mate? I'm running it in desktop mode to avoid any potential banding issues but what were your calibration values? I've had a quick play with mine but was wondering if there was any recommended levels to use to set it up perfectly? As usual, Thanks for any advice.i've got a 2405FPW myself. Calibration can be a little tricky without a hardware calibration tool and oyu rely largely on your eye to find a good level which you like. I've got a Lacie Blue Eye Pro which I've used to test the accuracy of colours on my screen and got it to a very nice level but without i managed to get it to a nice level anyway. Have a look around for some software calibration tool, or just have a play with RGB settings and brightness to get something you find comfortable