Dell 2209WA or something else?

dewi

dewi

dewi

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I'm looking for a monitor to replace my Viewsonic VX922 (a 19 inch 1280x1024 TFT monitor), which has started to fail. I use my PC mostly for email, web surfing and playing Lord Of The Rings Online (and soon Star Trek Online).

From reading this forum and other reviews on the web, it's obvious that the Dell 2209WA is one of the most frequently recommended monitors at the moment, and it's probably the one that I'm going to for.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-032-DE

I'm a little concerned that I'm going to miss the extra height of the VX922. The equivalent Dell 24 inch monitor and its HP competitor are quite a lot pricier than the 2009WA! However, I might be willing to splash out that much on a monitor if I was convinced they were going to be a more future-proof (I hope the new monitor will outlast my existing PC).

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-036-DE
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-003-HP&groupid=17&catid=510&subcat=

There seem to be a number of monitors that are a bit bigger than the 2209WA for similar or slightly more money. Might they suit my needs better?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-031-NE&groupid=17&catid=1425&subcat=
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-076-VS
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-052-IY&groupid=17&catid=1120&subcat=
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-040-OK&groupid=17&catid=1120&subcat=

I don't play any high fps games, so I don't see any advantage in buying a 120 Hz monitor.

Thoughts, please?
 
I have a Dell 2209WA and can heartily recommend it, which is more than I can do for any TN panelled monitor I've used. As regards to monitor size, using this it seems that the 2209WA in 4:3 mode will give you a slightly bigger screen than a 19" CRT, obviously if used in 16:10 it will add even greater width into the equation. As far as 23" 16:9 monitors go it seems in 4:3 mode they will give you a slightly smaller screen compared to a 19" CRT, obviously if used in 16:9 they will add more width. So it looks like you won't lose any height if you get a 22" 16:10 monitor like the Dell 2209WA, but you will if you get a 23" 16:9 monitor.
 
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Wow and I though I was the only one left in the dark age with a VX922. :)

Funnily enough I finally decided on a 2209WA today for it's replacement over a 120Hz as there seem to be too many teething problems with the current generation (a 24" wasn't really an option for me with the desk size).
 
If your interested in the DELL 2209WA, read Credo's thread - link - where cmndr_andi and I effectively team tag Credo and finally beat him into submission with numerous facts and reviews about the 2209WA.

It's a truely superb monitor and the above thread discussion should answer all your questions/doubts you have about the DELL as we go into quite a lot of detail and there a numerous links to reviews and stat sites.

EDIT: Oddly enough Credo was replacing his Viewsonic VX922 - so the thread is virtually tailored to your requirments...
 
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JohnRocks said:
Hi :) if you are really planning to get a new then you should stop over at "rackmountsales" of USA.
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1) that's barely even related to this thread
2) suggesting competitors? thats a big no-no on these forums
3) thats in the USA? why would anyone in the uk let alone europe buy from the US due to shipping charges?
4) they're completely over priced
5) gtfo :)
 
Plec, thanks for the pointer to Credo's thread. I'd searched for 2209WA, but hadn't found that one. It's just what I was looking for.

I'm definitely swaying towards the Dell 2209WA. I'm a bit disappointed that Overclockers pre-sales just told me that the 2209WA doesn't come with the perfect pixel guarantee mentioned in Credo's thread when bought from Overclockers.

The NEC EA231WMi got a glowing review in this month's Custom PC, but you're right that a 22 inch 16:10 monitor will give me a bit more height than a 23 inch 16:9 monitor. I found very useful calculators at http://www.tvcalculator.com and http://www.displaywars.com that let you compare different screen sizes.

The Dell U2410 and the HP LP2475w are, of course, very tempting, but I don't think I can justify spending that much on a monitor.
 
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I'm getting a little concerned about the black levels on the 2209WA.

In the thread at http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18101093, Bozebo writes "even with the brightness at 0 it is whitewashed, a "black" screen is grey".

In the review at http://blog.szynalski.com/2009/05/01/review-of-the-dell-2009wa/, the reviewer writes "Compared with the Eizo monitors that I have owned or tested, the black level is quite poor" and "this is a screen that has serious problems displaying dark images".

Yet, the review of the NEC EA231Wmi at http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/nec_ea231wmi.htm states "Black depth was an excellent 0.15 cd/m2 as well, the best result from an IPS panel we have tested and beating many TN Film and VA panels as well", "No complaints at all about the NEC EA231WMi's performance in terms of colour accuracy or black depth / contrast", "the screen offers a very competitive price and some of the best performance we have seen when it comes to colour accuracy, black depth and contrast". The review states that the NEC just takes the lead for black depth compared to the Dell U2410 and the HP LP2475W. I thought that the NEC had a similar LG IPS panel to the 2209WA (the only difference being the size, 23 inch 16:9 vs. 22 inch 16:10).

Do the 2209WA and the EA321WMi use completely different LG panels or is one of the reviews mistaken?

Black depth is really important to me. I've been really spoilt by a Panasonic plasma television. When I sit at my PC, the main thing I notice is how washed out the blacks look and how much backlight bleedthrough there is. Some of the LCD monitor reviews show truly horrifying screenshots taken in darkened rooms.

Will the 2209WA and/or the EA321WMi satisfy my desires concerning black levels, or should I look at monitors that use Samsung S-PVA panels, such as the HP LP2275W? What other 22-24 inch monitors would give exceptional black depth?
 
I read Bozebo’s thread and feel that he *possibly* has a badly fitted panel – as it seems to contradict most user and site reviews and my own personal subjective views. However, it may be that the latest panels aren’t as special as previous incarnations, for whatever reasons, but I would not be able to comment as to why… (perhaps a post in customer services?)


With regard to the reviews I’m going to quote myself from another thread:
Plec said:
I tend to read a lot of reviews and then take the general overriding consensus. If one review has a statement that doesn’t marry up to the others I will usually pass it off as an anomaly of the reviewer rather than the HW itself.
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The above may apply to blog.szynalski.com review – but his pics seem quite damning although part of his problem may be the surrounding artificial light bouncing of the inner bezel edge onto the screen?

I’m hesitant to defend these recent screen reviews as I don't know if DELL are using a slightly different construction method, components, or whether there is a poorly manufactured batch out there – but if there were I would have thought there would be far more posts appearing.

I would still bear in mind that for every 1 poor review there are countless others that treat it as the ‘second coming’ in an LCD form(sic) and for that reason I would still be tempted to apply my above quote.

That said – if £200 is hard to justify/afford i can understand your reluctance to plough on and make your purchase.

If it’s any help I can quote Yewen from a private post in the customer services forum (I’m sure he won’t mind). He’s an OC’s staff member and a appears to be a thoroughly helpful and sincere individual and he had the following to say during our mutual appreciation of the DELL 2209WA:

Plec said:
It must be great to sample all the best bits of kit and actually make informed decisions on upgrades through physical comparison rather than comparing reviews and making educated guesses. So, it’s encouraging to know that you want a second DELL too.
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Yewen said:
Does sell the monitor when I rejected the 24" NEC GX3, HP, Dell 2408WFP and ended up with the 2209WA. :D

Being able to see the monitors as they are released when we see the samples is also a curse, took me a year to decide on the monitor I could use that compared favourably to the NEC 26" I sit infront of all day.
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He was using a state of the art NEC 26" in his job day in day out and opted for the DELL for quality comparison - this was a deal clincher for me when trying to decide whether to get a 26" monitor or buy a second DELL 2209WA.

Ideally, try and get to see one in the flesh. I realise that this is virtually impossible but it may be worth a couple of hours drive to your nearest stockest if it's that important to you.
 
I've just installed mine today and is it me or is it insanely bright? In a fully lit room I've had to turn brightness to 5 and contrast to 50 (from 75/75) and it's still quite blinding. Also anyone point me in the a direction for tuning it? Also can't seem to get 75Hz@1680 working.
 
pre said:
Also anyone point me in the a direction for tuning it? Also can't seem to get 75Hz@1680 working.
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Optimal Resolution: 1680 X 1050 at 60 Hz - some people have found ways to bypass this and get higher refresh rates but the default DELL setting is 60 Hz.

These are my current core settings:
  • Brightness 10
  • Contrast 70
  • Sharpness 40

But i suspect they will be too bright for you.
 
Plec said:
Optimal Resolution: 1680 X 1050 at 60 Hz - some people have found ways to bypass this and get higher refresh rates but the default DELL setting is 60 Hz.

These are my current core settings:
  • Brightness 10
  • Contrast 70
  • Sharpness 40

But i suspect they will be too bright for you.
Click to expand...

Yeah I guess I'm a bit of a vampire when it comes to light. :(

Any idea how to get the 75Hz working? My normal method of Refreshforce/XP doesn't seem to be working. Specs say that 75Hz is supported so looking to make the most of the new screen. :)
 
I can't give you a direct link as it's against forum rules but type 'dell 75Hz' in Google UK (version) and select the first unsponsored link and read thread. I only read the first page but it seems to have a couple of work arounds to achieve 75Hz.
 
Ah now I worked out what creating the custom resolution meant and why ATI users need to use Powerstrip to do it (CVT). Couldn't see anything about how to do it but the first link from that search that had a screenshot with how people were doing it. Guess I'll have a look at playing with PS then to get my 2209wa@75Hz - thanks.
 
NEC EA231WMi vs. Dell U2410 (was Dell 2209WA or something else?)

I think I've narrowed my choice down to either an NEC EA231WMi or a Dell U2410. I'm aware of the colour tint problem on the U2410, but the EA231WMi seems to have backlight bleed and brightness uniformity issues. It seems like all the various LG IPS panels have QC issues. I'm tempted by the lower price and the better black level and contrast of the NEC, but also tempted by the dead pixel warranty and the extra height and resolution (1920x1200 vs 1920x1080) of the Dell. If I were unlucky enough to receive a less than perfect panel, I think I'd find it easier to overlook the colour shift on the Dell than backlight bleed, uneven brightness or a dead pixel on the NEC.

Thoughts, please?
 
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