18 replies to this topic

[Axel]

I'm thoroughly torn!

I'm currently sitting here using a dell 2005FPW 20" 1680x1050 resolution monitor and feel it's time for an upgrade. More room when coding and doing a bit of web design. Maybe the odd game. I may even use this monitor as a secondary (undecided).

The two monitors I'm looking at are the Dell U2412M or the U2711. I suppose price is a factor but it's not the deciding factor.

The U2412 is 16:10 (awesome) and 1920x1200 (94 PPI)
The U2711 is 16:9 (concerning) and 2560 x 1440 (109 PPI)

After looking here it appears the 27" is not ALL that larger and the PPI on each monitor suggest that things like text on the 27" is going to be tiny! On the other hand it does offer an awful lot more horizontal space.

I was reading here and here and then I just thought I'd ask you guys for an opinion!

Many thanks!

[.fahim]

I have the U2711 at home and a monitor which is similar to the 2412 at work (HP ZR2440w, 24" IPS 1920x1200 @ 16:10) and would take the U2711 any day!

[Zlip792]

I personally suggest you if you want more vertical space then 16:10 is way to go but clearly U2711 is in advantage here because of high resolution but it is same time quite old (old is gold though).
Recommended by .fahim: http://www.tftcentra.../hp_zr2440w.htm
Dell U2412M: http://www.tftcentra...dell_u2412m.htm
Dell U2711: http://www.tftcentra.../dell_u2711.htm

Why not try to look for Samsung PLS panel monitors as well.

[.fahim]

As Zlip792 said, the U2711 is getting old.
Might be worth a look into the U2713hm: http://www.tftcentra...ell_u2713hm.htm

[Axel]

How about text size on the 27? I'm slightly short sighted but I don't wanna start cracking out my glasses to be able to read it. Currently I sit with my head approx 24" from the screen.

.fahim, on 05 January 2013 - 12:47, said:

As Zlip792 said, the U2711 is getting old.
Might be worth a look into the U2713hm: http://www.tftcentra...ell_u2713hm.htm

The u2711 has a better colour gamut though. That's the only difference I can see so I can't see how "old" is an issue here.

[Zlip792]

It depends on various factors, I suggest you reading reviews especially "General and Office Applications" section of tftcentral reviews. I find quite a good detailed reviews on tftcentral and also calibrated profiles for easy availability for others.

[.fahim]

Axel, on 05 January 2013 - 12:49, said:

The u2711 has a better colour gamut though. That's the only difference I can see so I can't see how "old" is an issue here.

The U2711 has a CCFL backlight whereas the U2713HM has an LED backlight and hence is less power hungry at the expense of a reduced colour gamut. The coating on the U2713HM is supposedly less harsh (although I haven't seen one to comment) and the design is more modern although I prefer the more boxy design of the U2711.

[MFH]

If you want to go with the newer models from Dell look for the U2713H (note the missing 'M'!), it's the real successor to the U2711 (which I own and can recommend )

[.fahim]

MFH, on 05 January 2013 - 13:05, said:

If you want to go with the newer models from Dell look for the U2713H (note the missing 'M'!), it's the real successor to the U2711 (which I own and can recommend )

do you know what the difference is between the models?

[Axel]

Ah thanks for that info fahim, I didn't know that. Off out now but I'm going to have to mull it over.

Looks like I can get the 24" for around £180 and the 27" (11 or 13) for around £360.

I just wonder whether I'm wanting size for the sake of size!

Cheers guys.

[MFH]

.fahim, on 05 January 2013 - 13:06, said:

do you know what the difference is between the models?

If I remember correctly the H has the same backlight as the HM but in addition has the same widegarmut color reproduction as the U2711. Seems it's already on their site: http://www.dell.com/.../dell-u2713h/pd

[xendrome]

Just going to throw this into the mix, it's 27", 1920x1080 IPS and Dell - http://goo.gl/zQe6S

Yes I know it's not a Ultrasharp, but I also have a 3008WFP 30 Inch dell UltraSharp and recently got that 27" above to make my primary for gaming, because running games at 2560x1600 was costing me too much money in upgrades all the time, currently running 2x GTX680's to push that type of framerate at full details.

Honestly, for $249.. you could get (2) of them at $500 and I bet you would be happy with the screen real estate. Also I have 0 complaints when comparing the image to the 3008WFP, the only down side that some people may be turned off by is that it has edge to edge glass, so it is reflective. However I never see the reflectiveness unless the screen is totally back or the monitor is off. When an image is displayed, the IPS panel contrast/brightness over shadows any type of reflection.

[Axel]

Any more input on this? I'm still torn!

[Ambroos]

I have a 2412M and while the vertical resolution is fun sometimes it can be annoying when you're watching movies or playing console ports (stupid AC3). The black bars sort of ruin the perceived contrast.

Also, the PPI really isn't that high, not even on the 2711. You just need to make sure it's sort of in balance with your other devices/monitors (if you're not using scaling). My laptop (which is powering my Ultrasharp) has 140ppi and because of the huge difference I can't use both of them at the same time, the difference is way too big.

I'd just go for the 2711, it's really, really good monitor.

[primexx]

the 27" still has 240 more vertical pixels