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Simon · Aug 7, 2009, 04:28 AM

So I'm looking for monitor recommendations, too. The requirements are a bit different than in the other thread.

Must haves:
• 1920x1200
• DVI and VGA
• no less than three powered high-speed USB ports
• adjustable stand (tilt and height mainly, swivel isn't important)

Nice to haves:
• DP, HDMI, S-video, component, composite (in that order)
• internal power supply

Don't care for:
• speakers
• anything that has to do with TV functionality

I'm not going to rule out TN. It depends on the price. If the TN costs a third of the PVA or IPS I would definitely look at it. Since this screen will be mainly used for coding, angle/color is not a big issue.

Any tips / Newegg links?

mduell · Aug 7, 2009, 01:45 PM

Dell 2408WFP (S-PVA) @ $469

I don't think you'll find an TN panel with an adjustable stand for a third the price.

Simon · Aug 9, 2009, 02:28 AM

Doesn't look too good, but it has the right specs and the price is pretty good (at least in the US).

Here, Dell charges $805 (not including VAT) for that screen.

Any other suggestions?

mduell · Aug 9, 2009, 05:37 PM

Yow!

How are the prices on the Samsung 245T?

Or the HP LP2475w with a cheap VGA-component adapter.

Simon · Aug 10, 2009, 02:48 AM

The Samsung has excellent specs as well. But many reports say it has an annoying hum/buzz. The price is $905.

The HP is a bit less expensive and has much better customer reviews (looks crap though). It's $780.
It doesn't need the adapter you mentioned either since it has DVI-I rather than the DVI-D nonsense many other manufacturers use. And HP ships it with a VGA->DVI cable.

Oh well. I might just have to bring it back from the US next time. I hate taking large screens onto a flight though.

reader50 · Aug 11, 2009, 02:50 AM

HannsG 27.5 panel (TN panel)

I've been tempted by this monitor recently. It is currently priced at $330 with free ship - but roughly once every couple weeks, newegg has been cutting it as low as $300 with free ship.

It doesn't exactly match your requirements - it has VGA + HDMI with a DVI -> HDMI cable. Also, stand isn't very adjustable. But it's a heck of a lot of space for the price. The lower DPI will help reduce squinting and help with your secret UT habit + those movies you were careful not to ask about.

Simon · Aug 11, 2009, 03:12 AM

Thanks for the suggestion, reader50.

$300 shipped sounds like a great price for that screen.

CharlesS · Aug 11, 2009, 08:22 PM

Are those prices in Australian dollars or some other non-US dollar, or are you converting them to US dollars from some other currency like euros?

reader50 · Aug 11, 2009, 10:00 PM

The prices in my post were US dollars.

Simon · Aug 12, 2009, 02:13 AM

converted to USD, before sales tax

I fly back home pretty often so I guess I could buy it in the States, but I prefer not having to lug a 24" monitor onto a 13 hour flight. That said, if the difference is $300 I'll probably reconsider.

CharlesS · Aug 12, 2009, 02:50 AM

Originally Posted by Simon

converted to USD, before sales tax

Ouch! What the heck causes a discrepancy like that?

Simon · Aug 12, 2009, 03:12 AM

I'm not sure. I think when it comes to large screens there's just less competition here. Kind of like cellular networks in the US.

I've found a company similar to Newegg here. They're actually selling the 2408WFP for about $130 cheaper than Dell through their website. Go figure.

So in the US Dell is charging $469 for the 2408WFP. Here the cheapest I've found is $681 for the same screen. On top of that, sales tax here is 15 points higher too. Oh well.

Simon · Aug 13, 2009, 03:09 AM

Any other suggestions for less expensive TN screens that ~ match the specs up there?

reader50 · Aug 13, 2009, 12:27 PM

fyi, newegg is running the deal I remembered right now. $299.99 shipped.

Simon · Aug 13, 2009, 12:44 PM

Yeah, I saw that earlier today. Thanks!

So far there's one TN panel for $300.
On the non-TN side it appears the Dell 2408WFP seems the best offer. It's $469. Not too bad if the display quality is really that much better.

I'm still on the fence. With the tilt/swivel stand I have the possibility to adjust the display just right. So I don't know if I'll really be needing the larger viewing angle of the S-PVA/IPS screens. It's for coding only, no media.

CharlesS · Aug 13, 2009, 01:35 PM

If you can get the 2408WFP at a sane price, I'd jump on it. It's a great monitor. And it's got your DisplayPort, HDMI, S-video, component, and composite inputs too - one of only two monitors I know of that have all of these.

Simon · Aug 13, 2009, 01:54 PM

I need DVI and VGA. Every monitor comes with those. The others are nice, but they're extras. And I sure aint gonna pay $170 for extra inputs.

I'll get the Dell if can convince myself that S-PVA is worth a 60% higher price. For the use this screen is going to see I'd say that depends entirely on my budget when I decide to buy.

CharlesS · Aug 13, 2009, 02:29 PM

Well, that's up to you to decide. The S-PVA panel is really nice, though, especially if you ever do any watching movies / Hulu / etc. on your Mac.

Simon · Aug 13, 2009, 03:05 PM

As I said, it's not for that. It's for programming. Nothing but ASCII files and a console.

Simon · 02:55 AM

So I noticed Dell has started selling their brand new IPS 24" here, the U2410.

I'd pay $663 for the 2408WFP here, but the new U2410 costs only $552. Is the only difference between the two really S-PVA on the former vs. IPS on the latter? I'd probably prefer IPS (which is what Apple's using) anyway and if it's cheaper, even more so.

But is it correct that both these screens still use CCFL backlighting?

IIRC Apple switched to LED backlighting on the 24" last year. Um, Dell?

mduell · Aug 28, 2009, 03:07 PM

Dell uses LED backlights in their laptops and consumer LCD lines, but the Ultrasharps stick with the industry leading wide-gamut CCFL.

Simon · Aug 29, 2009, 04:02 AM

Eww.

tooki · Aug 29, 2009, 04:34 AM

The difference between CCFL and LED is wildly overrated. Only the multi-thousand-dollar specialty displays that use RGB LEDs (instead of white ones) actually have different color characteristics than CCFL.

The main advantages of LED backlighting with white LEDs apply primarily to laptops.

Anyhow, from experience, the 24" UltraSharps are great. I'm using the venerable 2405FPW right now!

Simon · 03:39 AM

I don't care about color (colorblind). I do care about even backlighting though. It is a big issue on large panels. And I see many reports about uneven lighting on Dell's old 2408WFP, but now even with their new U2410. It's a bummer really. Of course I should have known. There's got to be a reason Dell's cheaper than everybody else.

tooki · Aug 29, 2009, 12:17 PM

But... Dell uses the same panels as many other manufacturers. Dell doesn't make display panels, they just buy them and have them put into custom housings.

mduell · Aug 29, 2009, 04:01 PM

Yea, but the backlight design (which Dell does control) is where the unevenness issues come from.

Simon · Aug 30, 2009, 03:39 AM

Exactly. They can take the greatest panel and then add some cheap uneven backlighting, sell it for cheap, and it will always be a POS even though it comes with a great panel. I'd love to buy their new IPS panel. Great price too. But I'm not at all fond of their uneven backlighting. I'd rather buy a more expensive monitor with an LED. If not, and I settle for crap backlighting I might as well get a cheaper panel (TN) too.

CharlesS · Aug 30, 2009, 04:03 AM

Does anyone use LEDs other than Apple?

moep · Aug 30, 2009, 05:14 AM

Originally Posted by CharlesS

Does anyone use LEDs other than Apple?

Yes — Eizo (Flexscan EV2411), HP (LP2480zx), LaCie (724,730), Lenovo (L2440x), LG (W2486, W2420) and Samsung (XL2370/XL24/XL30 to name a few. I’m sure NEC has one too.

It seems like most of the manufacturers are just testing the waters with a few special models. I’m not sure if it is a good idea to buy a LED backlit monitor at this point.

Simon · Aug 30, 2009, 05:28 AM

Originally Posted by CharlesS

Does anyone use LEDs other than Apple?

Sure. There are several actually.

mr. burns · Aug 30, 2009, 08:03 PM

sorry for the slight hi-jack but i just had a quick question. i found a great deal on an NEC IPS monitor but it's refurbished. should i even bother with it? does NEC do a good job of fixing the monitors or is it like once a bad panel always a bad panel?

trying to decide between the refurbished 24" NEC and the new 24" HP.

CharlesS · Aug 31, 2009, 01:37 AM

I've got a refurbished Dell 2408wfp, and it's fine. NEC is a more high-end brand than Dell. I think you should be fine.

Just make sure you've got a 14-day return policy or something like that in case it has a few dead pixels and you're squeamish about that.

mr. burns · Aug 31, 2009, 03:50 AM

yea, i'll take the chance with it. the price is too good to pass up and it comes with a 30 day return policy. only 90 day warranty though.

tooki · Aug 31, 2009, 04:42 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

Yea, but the backlight design (which Dell does control) is where the unevenness issues come from.

No, the backlight is an integral part of the display panel assembly. Dells contain standard, off-the-shelf panel assemblies. And when other displays that have used the same panel assemblies have been compared, surprise surprise, the results are very similar.

Of course, Apple and Dell are both large enough to be able to order custom-built panels, but Dell doesn't tend to do so.

tooki · Aug 31, 2009, 04:52 AM

Originally Posted by Simon

Exactly. They can take the greatest panel and then add some cheap uneven backlighting, sell it for cheap, and it will always be a POS even though it comes with a great panel. I'd love to buy their new IPS panel. Great price too. But I'm not at all fond of their uneven backlighting. I'd rather buy a more expensive monitor with an LED. If not, and I settle for crap backlighting I might as well get a cheaper panel (TN) too.

That's simply not how it works. The backlighting is not separate.

What is likely is that Dell buys lower quality grades (i.e. the panel manufacturer builds and tests them, and they separate them by quality).

That said, Dell's displays generally do well in tests, and I certainly can't complain about any of the Dell displays I use (a 2405FPW at home, two 1908WFPs at work).

Simon · 06:35 AM

Be that as it may. Dell uses CCFLs instead of LEDs on their "high-end" displays. And the web is full of reports of uneven backlighting with their 2408WFP and U2410 displays. If I spend $600 rather than $250 for the screen I want even backlighting. End of story.