“Dell 2405FPW 24-in. LCD is a first-class, top-of-the-line monitor.”
Avg
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big
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bright screen; many entrances; small print; fast response time
Against
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No HDCP support via DVI input; it could soon be replaced by a newer model
Abstract
If you’ve been waiting for a large LCD at a great price, the Dell 2405FPW is the display for you. Unless you’re confident about HDMI with a 24-in. screen, there’s no reason to give up on the Dell 2405FPW. The bright, crisp images the display delivers can only be matched by the flexibility and features built into this behemoth desktop computer.
*Edited 3/2/06 – Changed “against” to to show lack of disappointment with lack of HDCP support over DVI input.
Features and design
As of the date of this review, Dell supplies about 60% of all displays used in corporate America. The low price but high quality of Dell’s first display line, along with low package prices, gave the PC maker a foothold in the market it now leads. The most significant foray into the consumer desktop market came with the 2001FP 20.1-in. display, which received high marks from almost all sites that reviewed it. The fast response time, brightness and low price have made the 2001FP a favorite of the gaming community and a great option for graphic designers looking for a break from the high prices of Apple monitors. Since then, aggressive pricing and high-quality panels have propelled Dell to the top of the market.
The 2405FPW marks Dell’s entry into the 24-in. LCD category. The significance of this display goes beyond simply expanding the product line. The only other 21-in.+ options on the market from a major manufacturer, as of this writing, are Apple and HP. Apple also offers a 23-in. and 30 inches. screens, whose sleek brushed aluminum finish inspires techno-lust in all who see them. For some time these two displays stood alone. HP’s L2335 uses the same LCD screen as the 23-inch Apple Cinema Display, which was developed by LG-Philips and won our Editor’s Choice award last year. If you want a 23-in. screen, you only had two options, and the price premium could be rationalized by considering the fancy finish or the exclusivity of being the first on the block with one of these impressive displays. The Dell 2405FPW offers an extra inch, better overall specs, and a significantly lower price (especially when bundled with the system), compared to Apple and HP equivalents. For anyone on a budget, the decision is simple.
In the box you get an LCD screen, a desktop stand, a DVI cable, a VGA cable, a USB cable and a driver CD. The stand is a standard Dell variant, used for years. It enables tilting up and down and from one side to the other, as well as raising and lowering the carrier door. The mounting point on the back of the panel is a standard VESA mount (and a $30 option for Apple displays). The rack will take up 8×12 inches. of desk space, with an empty space large enough for a docking station for a PDA or MP3 player. The back of the rack door has a rubberized cable guide clip. We’ve seen some better cable schemes, especially from Samsung, but the Dell option gets the job done.
The board itself has a nice thin bezel around 24 inches. diagonal, screen ratio 16:10. All controls are located in the lower right corner, along with an LED backlit number indicating the selected input. Controls include Input Select, PIP Mode, Menu, and Plus and Minus. PIP has two modes: Boxed and Side-by-Side. The position and size of the PIP frame can be adjusted, and the two inputs can be swapped or side-by-side, essentially turning the 2405 into a cheap dual-monitor setup (although we’d never recommend it for that use). Integrated features include a four-port USB 2.0 hub, with two ports positioned along the left side and two at the back next to the input ports. The side-mounted ports are intended for use with USB flash drives and other devices where a quick plug/disconnect would be convenient. Above the side USB ports is a 9-in-1 flash media reader for quick access to almost all types of memory cards used in digital cameras.
If you have a video device, the 2405 has an input for it. The native resolution of 1920×1200 can be run via DVI, VGA, component, S-video or composite inputs. With the recent introduction of the 30-in. screen, it should be noted that most video cards will be able to run the 2405 at maximum resolution. 30 inch resolution. The displays require so much bandwidth that a card that supports dual-link DVI must be used to drive them. Fortunately, this is not the case with the 2405FPW. Basically any graphics card bought in the last two years should run the 2405, with the exception of many laptop chips. We had no problems driving the 2405 with our Radeon 9800XT.
Dell gives you a three-year warranty on this monitor which is the industry standard. It’s worth pointing out that Gateway only has a one year warranty on most of their monitors and you have to pay them extra for a longer warranty.
Image courtesy of Dell
Performance
The image quality of the Dell 2405 is stunning. The former king of large LCD screens, the 2001FP looks completely dim when placed side by side. The brightness of 500 cd/m2 makes the white color brighter and the colors vivid. The 1000:1 contrast ratio provides deep blacks and rich color transitions. And with a response time of 12ms, even the fastest movement is smooth as butter. Compared to the Apple 23-in. Cinema Display, 250 cd/m2 brightness, 400:1 contrast ratio and 16ms response time look second-rate. HP L2335 23-in. The display uses the same panel as Apple’s display, but slightly improves the backlight, with a contrast ratio of 500:1. We used 2405 sa earthquake 4, City of Villainsand Counterstrike: The Source, and I never noticed any ghosting or spotting. We watched the parts Matrix and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for testing dark scenes and earth tones. We couldn’t find any flaws in the image quality. Dot pitch is 0.27mm, which is a bit high and counts at 1in. vertical difference between the 2001FP and 2405FPW, since both have the same vertical pixel count of 1200.
The only obvious omission is the HDMI port. Without HDMI and HDCP, protected high-definition content such as HD-DVD and Blue-Ray discs will not play in native definition under the upcoming Windows Vista. An updated version of the 2405FPW is rumored to be in the works to add HDCP, but that doesn’t help owners of this display. We feel that if your primary use of the monitor will be for anything other than high-definition video display, you shouldn’t be concerned about the lack of HDCP. Just in case, it might be worth waiting for the rumored 2407FPW with HDMI.
In terms of factors (besides features and performance) the Dell 2405FPW stands out from the crowd: price. While the MSRP is listed at $1,199.99, over the past few months prices have dropped as low as $770 with coupons combined, and it can regularly be found for $899.99 with a systematic purchase or through the Small Business Department. The HP L2335 display has been out for a while and can be had for a bit more, and the Apple 23-in. display (MSRP $1,299) can be found for $1,099.99 at the Education Store.
Conclusion
Aside from the lack of HDCP support via the DVI input port, the Dell 2405FPW 24-in. LCD is a first-class, high-end monitor. The image quality is excellent, the integrated features surpass anything else on the market, and the price makes this beauty an easy steal. Whether for gaming, working with large spreadsheets or Photoshopping the full size 24 inch. Glory, the 2405FPW is the king of large-screen LCDs.
Advantages:
- Big, bright screen
- Many enter
- Small print
- Fast response time
Against:
- No HDCP support via DVI input
- It could soon be replaced by a newer model
Editor’s recommendations
Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn