Help to Select a Monitor...!

[dhammikaherath]

I’m looking around to buy a new monitor for personal use. Main point I’m looking for is colour accuracy.

 

I came up with these 3 options. “Budget matters”

 

1. Dell U2412M

2. HP ZR2440W

3. ASUS PA248Q

 

At my work place I’m using HP ZR2440W. It is a really good monitor and with Epson stylus R3000 & 3800 gives decent quality and accurate prints as displays in the monitor.

 

BUT, this monitor gave some black corners 6 months after purchasing. Dealer replaced the item within a few days.

 

I saw some really good reviews regarding Dell U2412M. “For now top in my choice”

 

What do you think you all? Please give some comments to select one. Someone experienced any of these monitors much appreciated.

[Ernest Burden III]

There are about three types of LCD panels, refer to Wikipedia. IPS are usually the best until OLED are affordable.

[dhammikaherath]

Yap, But the problem is, all monitors mentioned above are IPS panels.

Edited June 26, 2013 by dhammikaherath

[Dimitris Tolios]

IPS Panels: All 3 are similar.

IPS is a LG Technology, so all panels are sourced from the same factories. That doesn't mean ofc that all 24" IPS panels are the same, but that all are LG, and models of the same generation more-or-less perform similarly.

 

In this case the panels are ofc LG, but I think all 3 of them are 6bit panels / 8bit LUT. Asus claims 100% RGB, Dell 82% but I think the latter is more honest. Other than viewing angles, these monitors are not "day and night" better than $200 TN panels.

 

Both the Asus and the Dell have anti-glare coating, that most "gamers" / home users find irritating as it does reduce clarity a tiny bit. It is designed with larger offices in mind, where you might be forced to be @ weird angles to windows etc and glare can really be an issue.

I personally would take a matte screen over a glossy one anyday, others disagree.

Personal Preference I guess? (not rly our personal preference is always better! right?)

 

Backlit: All IPS panels have a slight light-bleed (i.e. the backlit "bleeds/shows" through the edges a bit). Some are better than others. In this case the Dell is slightly better than the Asus. All are LED, which is a big plus. My U2711 which is not, takes some time to warm-up, and runs much hotter than my 22" LED TN secondary. Sure, it is 2-times the monitor, but...LED backlit = good.

 

Connectivity: Asus has DVI/HDMI/DP, while Dell only has DVI/DP and no HDMI. Not a biggie for single monitor setups, but depending on your card you might need DVIHDMI converters. Such cables with one end HDMI, other DVI work great and can be found for as low as $5-6 (Amazon), but...preference is preference.

 

Asus gets 4x USB 3.0 hub, while others have USB 2.0, and in general looks better suited for gaming (slightly faster response times in reviews). Won't make a difference for 3D CAD.

 

I would get the Dell as it is slightly cheaper where I'm at and I like the stand a bit more, but either looks decent for the price range.

 

Dell also has better support - at least in the US, where Asus doesn't score high, and there were some user reviews claiming random flickering etc on the Asus 248 (the previous model, 246 is actually a better/higher color panel etc, but pricier and was highly praised) that might lead to long waiting times for replacements etc. The 2412M has good user reviews in all sites.

Edited June 26, 2013 by dtolios

[scostumatu]

heres my experience, I have the samsung SyncMaster SA850T - I got it for under 1k and its been a great investment.... fantastic monitor - cant complain.

[dhammikaherath]

I saw some great reviews about your monitor. It is 27 inches right? Actually I’m looking for 24 inches as my Budget. Tomorrow I’m going to look around in shops. If not I will have to give an order for Dell, which takes 3 weeks to deliver.

[Dimitris Tolios]

I saw some great reviews about your monitor. It is 27 inches right? Actually I’m looking for 24 inches as my Budget. Tomorrow I’m going to look around in shops. If not I will have to give an order for Dell, which takes 3 weeks to deliver.

 

Especially with smaller, local stores, it is also good to "honnor" the shopkeepers that you think/know will support you better in case something goes wrong.

When I was @ Greece I would prefer going and supporting "smaller" shops that knew me by name and would repay my trust when support / returns were required, over larger shops that had far less need of my business.

 

If your local mortar and brick shop carries Asus for example, I would probably go for it, even if it was in the expense of a few monies.

Plus not having to wait for 3+ weeks "costs" something, right?

[junglee]

I've been using Dell U2410 at work and home for 3 years and they had been great.

Versatile connectivity and accurate color render.

I have had Apple cinemas and they slowly lost color saturation year after year but these had been doing great so far.

Still crystal clear white and vivid color.

I think they came down alot in cost as well.

[dhammikaherath]

Totally agree.. But believe or not in here for smaller shops there are only 3 shops left. Smaller shops getting hopeless day by day with giant hypermarkets. Giants order bulks and smaller shops always have to go below dozen. So almost 10 – 20 % price different there.

 

Ok, back to the topic..

 

Yesterday I went around and couldn’t find any of the monitors in big or small shops. Couldn’t find a ASUS dealer either. So only option is Dell.

 

In here it’s always dam expensive than US.

 

Pre order 3 weeks,

 

Dell U2412M - $ 370

Dell U2410 - $ 545 (Over my Budget)

 

Sadly whatever I order they are giving just 1 year warranty.

 

Okay guys,

 

Here is another thing,

 

Presently I’m using ASUS VE247H – Which is a good performance monitor for games but colours and brightness not accurate at all.

 

What do you think, if I purchase Spyder4pro (cost me $ 200 with delivery)?

 

Will it be possible to get accurate results with my present monitor or better go for a Dell U2412M?

[abhishekkumar3]

very useful information. thanks a lot for this.

[Dimitris Tolios]

If color acouracy is your goal, I believe the colorimeter option is not bad, and since what's within budget is still a 6-bit panel, IPS or not, the color gamut between your TN monitor and the new one won't be day and night. Plus a colorimeter helps a lot with IPS monitors too...yes, factory calibration is usually better with more professional oriented product lines, but it is rarely perfect - eventually - color reproduction shifts as the panel gets hours put into it.

 

The decent colorimeters are expensive. For a single individual to make his money back is kinda hard, as even if you get used to the good practice of doing it every few months, you will be getting a few minutes worth of operation a year...a good idea is to buy a colorimeter evenly split between a few friend designers / photographers / visualizers of yours, and sharing it every now and then.