Dell 2407 vs 2412m

RaveyDaveyUK · 9 Sep 2013 at 20:47

I've been considering an upgrade to my Dell 2407 for some time and remaining firmly on the fence about what I was looking for in a monitor.

I like 16:10. I dont have space for 27" and tbh I don't think I could settle for anything less than my faithful old Dell 2407wfb.

I'd searched and surfed my way around the interwebs and not found the monitor for me.

Over the weekend I was offered and bought a steal of a Dell 2412m and must say the old 2407 is still a great piece of kit.

Yes the e-ips on the 2412 seems alittle sharper.
Yes it's a slimmer, lighter screen,
Yes the colours do seem more vibrant... To a degree..

But, to be honest to my untrained eye, there is very little difference.

Am I missing something or is the 2407 just a dream monitor?

I bought mine in 2007 for about £400 and its still just as good today.

I will be keeping the 2412 as well, but wonder what changed?? Monitors used to be the longest running piece of kit you bought. Now it's all... Dead pixels, backlight and wobbly stands....

Rant over.... On train, had beers, but feel I have a point.

Kreeeee · 9 Sep 2013 at 20:52

I had this problem when looking to replace my NEC WGX2. I purchased it during an era when quality mattered, but for a long time now it's about how big and cheap you can get the screens

I still haven't found a suitable replacement for the WGX2 and had to settle for a pair of DELL 2312HM's as spending more money didn't give me a noticeably better monitor.

cmndr_andi · 9 Sep 2013 at 21:00

The 2407 is a nice monitor - S-PVA panel so blacks really look great. I had the 2408 before selling it to a friend and must agree they are some nice monitors.

However, I think the main thing is price - the 2407 was £400 several years ago, in contrast the U2412M offers comparable performance (better in a few areas, worse in a few) for a touch over £200. So you have to expect that it isn't going to be built to the same bombproof standard as a £400 monitor.

As for dead pixels - I'm pretty sure that LCDs have always had that problem. The only way round it is to buy from a manufacturer that uses the top grade panels and offers a good pixel warranty policy (dell are pretty good in this regard).

OpenToSuggestions · 9 Sep 2013 at 21:04

I have two Dell 2412Ms and they are excellent.

They are the best all-round screen I could find when I bought them shortly after release due to:
IPS
Low input lag
No ghosting on fast paced first person shooters
Good quality picture
LED backlit
USB ports built in
1920x1200 resolution
Good viewing angles

Of course I could have opted for a higher range IPS screenm but the Dell 2412M **** all over my old 24 inch LCD Samsung. Side by side the Samsung picture looked washed out and less sharp, but then it was a 2007 VA panel.
If you want the absolute dogs balls of PC screens then the Dell 2412M is not for you, but when a pair of these can be had for <£450 they are fantastic.

The Dell 2412M is a low end IPS panel, but from my experience a low end IPS panels>>>>>>>>>>VA panels.

DrBombcrater · 9 Sep 2013 at 21:51

RaveyDaveyUK said:
I will be keeping the 2412 as well, but wonder what changed?? Monitors used to be the longest running piece of kit you bought. Now it's all... Dead pixels, backlight and wobbly stands....

Unfortunately cheapness sells, so monitor manufacturers have been relentlessly driving down quality for years. I share your feelings about todays monitors, my main screen is a 2707WFP and its image quality and physical build are miles ahead of the models available today. But it did cost close to £800 when new and don't honestly see any monitor that price being a success in the current market.

RaveyDaveyUK · 9 Sep 2013 at 22:15

Thanks for your views lads.

@opento yes the 2412 does seem to be a great all-rounder and with a bit of tweaking the 2407 can almost match its colours.

wunkley · 10 Sep 2013 at 09:29

Long time 2407wfp user here too

it really is a great monitor. It's my second screen now, in vertical portrait mode, as I recently bought one the the new dell 29 inch super wide monitors. It's better than the 2407.

RaveyDaveyUK · 10 Sep 2013 at 22:27

Yh I almost went with the 2913, but wasn't sure about it.

2412 feels like an upgrade (especially at price I paid!!), but not a big difference.

27 or 29 new time. LoL...

Moeks · 11 Sep 2013 at 08:12

If you want the true spiritual successor to the 2407 then you would be looking more towards the Dell U2410 ...although I think that has now just been succeeded by the U2413. However the 2412 is an excellent monitor, I have one now and I used to have a 2407, I personally feel the 2412 is better in most respects, the only performance area the 2407 was better at all I feel was the deepness of the blacks, I did prefer the design though, more squared off and the stand was nicer. The 2407 I had suffered from black-crush though, this always bothered me in games, and it looked noticeably worse on a white background with dark text due to the AG coating, although the 2412 has heavy AG coating too, it doesn't seem to suffer for it as badly as the 2407 did, possibly due to the pixel alignment of the IPS panels compared to the PVA.