Dell U2711..is it worth the money?

reddev85

reddev85

reddev85

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Been pondering about the idea of upgrading my 24" monitor to a 27", and I have a few questions. This 24" monitor runs at 1920x1200, if I changed to a 27" 1080p monitor, would the lower res (not by much) look worse?

I am currently using a Dell 2407WFP (revision a04) and have done for about 5 years. Awesome monitor and it's still going strong...but displays have moved on since then - lower response times, higher contrast ratios etc etc. This one isn't THAT bad considering it's age. S-PVA panel made by Samsung with 1000:1 contrast ratio, 6ms G2G and 16ms B2B, not to mention the handy USB hub and card reader built in.

I remember it cost me around the £500 mark, which back then was a HUGE amount of money to spend on a monitor and still is today, though to a lesser degree.

I've been reading various threads on here about other brands (Iiyama and Hazro in particular) and I wasn't impressed. Various QA and warranty issues, dead pixels, dust trapped behind the panel and so on.

So my question is, is the Dell worth the added cost? It does come with the zero-dodgy-pixel guarantee. I know some other manufacturers require a clump of dead pixels the size of your fist before they'll replace the monitor.

The other monitor I've been looking at is the Asus VG278H which is around the same price, though I am not a 3D fan so I wouldn't be using that.

Is anyone using a Dell U2711 or the Asus? Which one would you recommend?
 
Yeah I must say this Dell has been awesome, 5 years old and still works just as good as the day I took it out of the box.

And still has some resale value, they still seem to go for £175-£200 second hand, so that would knock the cost of the U2711 down a chunk. :)
 
Thanks guys, I think I'm gonna go for it. Thankfully I never had an issue with this 2407, so I never needed to use the warranty service, but from what I hear it's awesome.

And if I'm spending that kinda money, an awesome warranty just seals the deal!
 
I've looked closer into the issue of input lag, which is around 30ms on the U2711 as someone pointed out (thanks).

I do play FPS though, is it actually noticable? Considering the existing input lag on this is 10-20ms and I don't notice it, is an extra 10ms going to stand out?

I do game a lot, so it comes down to the old 1080p 120Hz TN vs 60Hz higher res IPS decision which seems to be a regular conundrum these days.

The opinions for both camps on here seem to be divided. The low pixel pitch on the U2711 is a bit of a concern though. 0.270mm on the 2407WFP vs 0.233mm on the U2711.

I do not use my PC for professional use or photography and I really don't fancy having to squint to read text. Is the low pixel pitch as big of an issue as some people think?

Also, at the higher res, how would say...a 7950 cope? It would obviously take an FPS hit compared to 1080p. So you have higher FPS at 120Hz, vs lower FPS at higher res.

Ahhh christ....decisions decisions :(
 
I was actually looking at the Hazro HZ27WC without the glass. I had previously overlooked Hazro monitors because of dust issues but perhaps I was being a bit too hasty.

Low 8-10ms input lag because of the lack of a scaler, IPS panel, and high res. Also £150 cheaper than the Dell. £200 cheaper when the Dell goes back to normal price.

Lack of scaling isn't an issue as I'd be gaming at native res. 1080p movie scaling is usually handled pretty well by the graphics card, and I only need DVI-D input so the lack of other inputs isn't an issue either. No OSD is a slight niggle but TFT central has an ICC profile so all that needs adjusting is the backlight level, which can be done.

I was tempted by the glass version. IMO it just looks a tiny bit nicer, but the dust issue would drive me crazy If I was unlucky enough to have any trapped behind the panel.

I've pretty much ruled out a 120Hz 1080p monitor. It would be a downgrade from S-PVA to TN, and 1200p to 1080p. Also, I'm not convinced that 120Hz makes as much difference as people make out (placebo effect). Call me a sceptic If you will.
 
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Well, I've made my decision. I've been able to actually get a quick use of a 1080p 27" monitor with a TN panel and that resolution at a 27" screen size would simply be unacceptable to me. I had a long think about it and came to the conclusion that downgrading panel type (S-PVA to TN) and resolution (1200p to 1080p) while at the same time increasing panel size would be madness.

The TN panel also made the colours look a bit bland compared to my 2407WFP not to mention the crappy viewing angles. The 2407WFP also has a much crisper image, and I suspect it will be even nicer on the 1440p 27".

Input lag has concerned me slightly, though I suspect I just worry too much, I don't even notice the 20ms lag on this, so I doubt an extra 10 will make the slightest difference to me personally.

I was also put off because the U2711 was not LED. I had erroneously thought that they were somehow higher quality. Now I realise that they just allow for thinner panels, and lower power consumption.

So I'm gonna pull the trigger on the U2711 on friday hopefully (pay day) and it's gonna be paired up with a 7970, should have plenty of grunt at that resolution yes? :)
 
crinkleshoes said:
Good choice, IMO :)

Yes - the 7970 will run everything beautifully at that resolution, crank BF3 up to ultra and smile :)

A lot of people seem to have this mis-conception about LED lately... LED leads to substantially worse image quality (I'm talking about backlighting here, not local dimming tech in TVs - it's two completely different things).

I really dislike the "cool" colour saturation caused by LED backlights which tints all colours. The most accurate/best colour reproduction comes from CCFL (as in the U2711).

Don't worry about the input lag, I don't think you'll notice the difference and even if you do - you can always return it. That is exactly what the DSR is there for, so you can trial a product to see if it lives up to your expectations.
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Yeah I just weighed up all the options. This dell monitor has been superb for 5 years, I just feel it's time to update it.

I don't think the AG will bother me in the slightest. I dislike glossy panels, or anything really approaching glossy.

And yeah, if the worst happens and I don't like it, the good old DSR has my back covered. :)
 
crinkleshoes said:
Best way to describe it is a "glossy haze"... yet it's not particularly reflective - it's quite hard to describe.

In less than a week I barely noticed it any more - it's something I've adjusted to quicker than I expected. The only gripe is, it feels like it shouldn't be there, even if it is easy to get used to.
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Yeah I think I know what you are talking about, I've seen it on other monitors.

It sort of looks almost glossy, but nowhere near as reflective.

Even If it does bother me to begin with, I have patience to give it time and get used to it.

And tbh, a dead/stuck/bright pixel would bother me a LOT more, and the Dell warranty makes that a non-issue, so I'm sold.
 
I really can't wait to get my hands on this. I may end up with 3 of them if I like it.

Just done a tax calculation for this year, I was on emergency tax for bloomin ages and i'm due quite a substantial rebate after the tax year ends. :D:D:D

So when I get the first one I'll try it out and if I like it (can't see any reason why I won't) I'll add another two after april.

Ill probably have to double up on 7970's in xfire (or move over to the green team if a GTX 690 emerges) to handle the res, though 3GB VRAM should be plenty I'd imagine.
 
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Well, to say I'm ****ed, is an understatement.

Wages never went in today, new job but I've been there a month so it's not as if they haven't had enough time to sort out the payroll. My boss is going to feel my rage.

So, I'll probably miss the special price. Butthurt doesn't quite cover it right now :(
 
Naan_H said:
Can you not put it on a credit card?
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Not an option for me right now, credit card is basically maxed. I usually pay the full balance monthly, but of course with no wages yet, I can only meet the minimum payment.

I could phone them and ask them to raise my limit again (I purposely asked them to lower it before) but I'm not starting that, it would be too tempting to rack up the balance. :p
 
OK, I'm ready to order one, I see they are at £539.99 now so I'm bloody well getting in now before they go up again :p

Can anyone that owns one give me the dimensions of just the screen unit itself including the bezel, without the stand.

May need to do a bit of rearranging to fit it in :p
 
Well, the U2711 arrived this morning.

Managed to get one for £500 including next day shipping, from...erm....somewhere else.

And while I can notice the AG, it is not that much more aggressive than the AG on my 2407WFP, I will get used to it pretty quickly, and I'm perfectly happy with my purchase.

Screen is amazing! :D I love it so much that I may even add a second one to go with it, though ill need a bigger desk first :p

So, thanks crinkleshoes and anyone else that contributed in this thread to help me come to a decision!
 
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A U2711 and a 7970 - what a team! I must say that the 7970 is coping quite superbly in BF3 at 2560x1440 on ultra, better than I expected! Averaging around 56fps, I'm still in awe right now at how gorgeous it looks!

Could we have some privacy please, I want to do naughty things to it :p
 
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