Dell u2412m woes....

gazjam

gazjam

gazjam

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Joined
16 Oct 2007
Posts
595
Bought two of these for 3D modelling/ Photoshop work (Wide gamut not required) and frankly Im a bit disappointed in them.

Think maybe I've just been unlucky and have panels with issues but wanted to check here :)

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Issues:

1) One of the monitors is a fair but duller at the same settings as the other panel.
I have to crank the brightness/contrast up a lot to get the same perceived brightness and sharpness from both screens.

2) Yellow/brown "shadowing" at edges of each monitor, particulalrly noticable against a white background.
Cant see past it makes screen unusable tbh. Reminds me of an old AOC model crt monitor I had...white screen with brown/grey tint at the corners/edges.
The screens look "dirty" at the edges and corners
NOT what I expected QC wise form Dell and not with this monitor.

3) One monitor is visibly not as sharp as the other. Text is not as crisp and colours are not as vivid.

Both panels are revision AO2 dated October 2001.

*EDIT*
I played with calibration settings and it improved the brightness issues a fair bit, but the "dirty white screen" problems still exist.
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So a bit deflated after looking forward to them so much, reading all the reviews etc.
Seller ok with returning them so can get a refund within7-14 days, so not a disaster.

Some questions?

* Are the problems I had symptoms of a bad panel?

* Are these common issues with Dells (bad QC?) and is it a lottery to see if you get a good panel?

* Any alternative 16:10 24" monitors to the Dell at the same pricepoint worth trying?

Thanks for any help. :)
 
As pointed out in the previous thread you created, white point variation is very common on these kinds of monitors. Really anything even semi-affordable and you can expect a degree of variation here. Same goes for luminance uniformity variation. It is possible to correct the whitepoint using a colorimeter which would be helpful but the luminance uniformity it is a bit like a 'lottery' to use your phrase. If you are able to adjust the whitepoint and manage to get 2 with decent uniformity you should be fine but it might take a few attempts. It seems you have passed your DSR period and still have both monitors so you might be a bit stuck unless you contact Dell and see if they can sort something out for you. They are one of the best manufacturers out there for that kind of thing, you might be OK. Your previous thread for reference - http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18381060&highlight=username_gazjam.
 
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Well thats good information, thanks.

The Seller has agreed to accept them for refund so not a problem with DSR regs, but I wonder where to go moving forward with choice of screen if as you say it can be a bit like a lottery.

After tweaking settings via the Service Menu (both screens had very different settings) and a bit of tweaking by eye I am not concerned with the colour/brightness difference any more.

Against a white background though the corners and edges have this distinct yellow/brown shadowing which is very offputting.

Could this be a bad example of the anti-glare coating?
Surely this cant be the accepted normal for monitors of this quality?

Thanks.
(and for the pointer to my other thread, made me chuckle ;))
 
It sounds more like a luminance uniformity issue than anything to do with the haze surface. Especially if you are only noticing it on one of the screens. Unfortunately there is not much you can do about this except hope that you get a better one next time. There aren't any models anywhere near that price where this kind of variation isn't common. There are some more expensive models from NEC and the like with digital compensation technology to make the screen more uniform (at the expense of contrast) but not really worth it for you to be honest. If you feel you are able to calibrate the screens to match each other closely enough then it is probably worth trying to get the dodgy one replaced.
 
Thanks PCM2 good info.

Sorry maybe never said but the yellow/brown shadow at edge of screen is on both monitors, though one is not as bad as the other.
The colour/brightness issues have pretty much been taken care of after tweaking the service menu its just the "dirty white" problem thats bothering me.

Had a thought.....

I didn't buy from Dell directly but from the river place who has offered a refund.
Is it worth phoning Dell and explaining my problems, I've heard their CS is top notch?
Would they honour a swap out for two new monitors?

As I've only just bought them a couple of weeks ago I would not expect to get sent refurbs..this a reasonable thing to expect?


Thanks again, sorry to keep banging on about this :)
 
gazjam said:
I didn't buy from Dell directly but from the river place who has offered a refund.
Is it worth phoning Dell and explaining my problems, I've heard their CS is top notch?
Would they honour a swap out for two new monitors?

As I've only just bought them a couple of weeks ago I would not expect to get sent refurbs..this a reasonable thing to expect?
Click to expand...
I've never dealt with Dell's CS directly, and I've no reason to doubt their merits, but given that you bought from the river place you might as well make maximum use of their (excellent) returns policy. You get their 30-day no-questions-asked return period *each time* your product is exchanged, you're guaranteed a brand-new product each time, and the process is about as painless as it could possibly be, although of course you're subject to the efficiency (or not) of your local CityLink/DHL couriers.

I once went through about ten TVs with the river place until I finally got one I was happy with, and they didn't raise a murmer of complaint, although the financial hit they must have taken through not being able to sell the returned items as new would have more than wiped out any profit they made on my final purchase... on the other hand I'd recommend them in a heartbeat, so maybe it all pans out for them in the end. :)

This only applies though if you bought directly from the company, rather than through a 3rd-party vendor, but of course you still have your basic DSR rights either way.
 
Cheers Cap'n :)

Phoned them and unfortunately they do not have the Dells in stock, only selling thru a vendor which is a whole different story and not a route I'd go down.

They have offered a refund though which is good.
How quickly do their refunds normally get processed? I'm asking as I will be without my work machine till the refund comes through and I can buy again. *

*Webnoted OCUK and they have suggested if I order from them by phone and they can maybe handpick monitors which are the latest revision - seems good!
 
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gazjam said:
They have offered a refund though which is good.
How quickly do their refunds normally get processed? I'm asking as I will be without my work machine till the refund comes through and I can but again.
Click to expand...
IIRC it was normally about three days after I got the email confirming that they'd received the returned goods, would usually be the day after they'd been collected - they say it can take up to three weeks, but it's never been that long in my experience. That only applies to the river place itself though, and their third-party merchants may be different.

Actually, I've just looked again at their returns policy and it looks like it's changed since I last bought anything major from them - they're now explicitly saying that the unconditional 30-day return period only applies to "new, unopened" items as opposed to "original condition", and they're deducting carriage charges from any refund, which they didn't previously. I guess quite a few people had been stretching their previous policy to the max (*raises hand guiltily*) and it became unsustainable, but it's a shame nevertheless... you still have your statutory rights under the DSRs and if necessary the SoGA of course, but their very generous voluntary returns policy was what set them apart IMO.

Probably not relevant in your case anyway, but I thought I should mention it in view of what I said above.
 
*update*

absolutely NO PROBLEM gettng replacements sent out.
Sent them out before even need ing to post back old ones - zero inconvenience.


Insisted on Rev A04 and thats what I got.
New monitors spot on.
 
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