Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW 24 inch LCD Monitor
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- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (16:9)
- Response Time: Medium (9 - 16.9 ms)
- Contrast Ratio: 1,000:1
- Screen Size: 24 inch
- Monitor Type: Flat Panel LCD TFT (Active Matrix)
- Family Line: Dell UltraSharp
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Bigger is WAY Better
Pros
Large, crisp, bright image with none of the ghosting seen on many LCDs.
Cons
Prohibitively expensive and difficult to set up for a novice computer user.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Advanced users or professionals will be drawn to this monitor for its beautiful picture and awesome size. Novices should look into something smaller and less esoteric than the widescreen.
My adventure with Dell started about a month ago when I first ordered the monitor. It was a "gift" from Uncle Sam using the ol' tax refund. I ordered online, and everything was confirmed with Dell's usual automation process. For anyone who hasn't seen or used it, I've found it fairly streamlined and simple. It was either backordered, or mid-production at that time, so it took about 4 weeks from order to delivery. However, from shipping to doorstep, it was only 3 days.
The Package:
The packaging is excellent, with large styrofoam inserts to protect everything and convenient handholds on the rather large and otherwise awkward box. There are even unpacking instructions on the lid. The package includes monitor, stand, USB, DVI, & power cables (no DVI-VGA adapter though folks, so remember to get one if you need it before ordering), and a CD with a user's manual and drivers for Windows 2000 and XP. It set up in minutes, and I was ready to get started with it.
The Basics:
First, let's talk about some of the more obvious details. It's a 24" widescreen format LCD monitor capable of 1920 x 1200 maximum resolution and a 16ms response time. What this means to a user is that unless they have a video card that supports a widescreen resolution, their screens will look wide and flat, or squished. The monitor does support other aspect ratios but like a TV, you'll see bars at either side of the screen image. What's the point of paying for those extra inches of screen if you aren't going to use them?
The Details:
Many LCD displays have a response time of 20ms or more. This makes a "ghosting" effect, which are afterimages that can be seen when watching a DVD on the computer or using an application or game with fast graphics changes. With the 16ms time the 2405FPW boasts, there has been no ghosting in any of the applications or games I've tried (among them are Autocad, Adobe Illustrator, and several high-performance games such as Splinter Cell and Battle for Middle Earth).
I'll state here that this monitor isn't for people who want to plug and play. Although the built in auto-detection functions work well, if you don't know how to tune your display, you won't get your money's worth from this monitor. When I first got it set up, I had some shadowing going on and it took a little playing around with settings to get a good crisp image. I use and NVidia GeForce FX 5600; a good video card, but no longer top of the line. DVI video is very sharp, but VGA still fuzzes a bit. I'll update this review when I play with it a bit more.
The menus and on-screen displays are intuitive enough for someone who is at least passing familiar with computers. Advanced settings might be a little more than a novice wants to mess with.
The Hardware:
The mount is impressive. It allows for about 6" of vertical adjustment, and the standard tilting up and down and side to side. The kicker is the ability to ROTATE the screen 90 degrees clockwise to get a long format monitor. To me, this is just a neat feature, but it might be useful for graphic artists or editors. A cable holder is built into the back of the stand.
Other accessories included with this unit are a 4-port USB 2.0 hub, and a card reader for SD, CF I & II, Smart Media, MS, & MMC. There are also 5 inputs, selectable via the front panel, for VGA, DVI, S-Video, Composite, and Component.
The Reason:
As both a computer professional and a gamer, I felt that spending a bit more on a monitor was acceptable. Many people who read this or look into this product may not feel it suited to them, and unless they use computers as often as I do, I'll have to agree with them. This is something of a flagship monitor, geared toward those who need a substantially large image for their work or entertainment. For me, it's a little of both.
The Package:
The packaging is excellent, with large styrofoam inserts to protect everything and convenient handholds on the rather large and otherwise awkward box. There are even unpacking instructions on the lid. The package includes monitor, stand, USB, DVI, & power cables (no DVI-VGA adapter though folks, so remember to get one if you need it before ordering), and a CD with a user's manual and drivers for Windows 2000 and XP. It set up in minutes, and I was ready to get started with it.
The Basics:
First, let's talk about some of the more obvious details. It's a 24" widescreen format LCD monitor capable of 1920 x 1200 maximum resolution and a 16ms response time. What this means to a user is that unless they have a video card that supports a widescreen resolution, their screens will look wide and flat, or squished. The monitor does support other aspect ratios but like a TV, you'll see bars at either side of the screen image. What's the point of paying for those extra inches of screen if you aren't going to use them?
The Details:
Many LCD displays have a response time of 20ms or more. This makes a "ghosting" effect, which are afterimages that can be seen when watching a DVD on the computer or using an application or game with fast graphics changes. With the 16ms time the 2405FPW boasts, there has been no ghosting in any of the applications or games I've tried (among them are Autocad, Adobe Illustrator, and several high-performance games such as Splinter Cell and Battle for Middle Earth).
I'll state here that this monitor isn't for people who want to plug and play. Although the built in auto-detection functions work well, if you don't know how to tune your display, you won't get your money's worth from this monitor. When I first got it set up, I had some shadowing going on and it took a little playing around with settings to get a good crisp image. I use and NVidia GeForce FX 5600; a good video card, but no longer top of the line. DVI video is very sharp, but VGA still fuzzes a bit. I'll update this review when I play with it a bit more.
The menus and on-screen displays are intuitive enough for someone who is at least passing familiar with computers. Advanced settings might be a little more than a novice wants to mess with.
The Hardware:
The mount is impressive. It allows for about 6" of vertical adjustment, and the standard tilting up and down and side to side. The kicker is the ability to ROTATE the screen 90 degrees clockwise to get a long format monitor. To me, this is just a neat feature, but it might be useful for graphic artists or editors. A cable holder is built into the back of the stand.
Other accessories included with this unit are a 4-port USB 2.0 hub, and a card reader for SD, CF I & II, Smart Media, MS, & MMC. There are also 5 inputs, selectable via the front panel, for VGA, DVI, S-Video, Composite, and Component.
The Reason:
As both a computer professional and a gamer, I felt that spending a bit more on a monitor was acceptable. Many people who read this or look into this product may not feel it suited to them, and unless they use computers as often as I do, I'll have to agree with them. This is something of a flagship monitor, geared toward those who need a substantially large image for their work or entertainment. For me, it's a little of both.
