Request for LCD Suggestion - Plz be kind enough to drop in ur opinion

[emmarbee]

Hi,
It would be nice if someone suggest me with a good monitor. Here's my hardware specs
Intel D930 & 945GNTL board
Zotac 9600 GT amp! and 400w (Zebronics Platinum SMPS).

My budget: 12,000 - 18,000.
Preferable Screen Size: 20" & 22"

Requirements: I will be using it for multi purpose. I used to sit in from of PC for a long time, so <<TEXT>> viewing should be perfect and movie 'n' game viewing need not be perfect but shouldn't be annoying at the same time.

What I've chosen so far.

Dell SP2208WFP
Dell SP2008WFP

If there are some better options please let me know.

[desiibond]

yep. check out the new releases from Samsung, T190, T200 and T220. They are just awesome.

[emmarbee]

Originally Posted by desiibond

yep. check out the new releases from Samsung, T190, T200 and T220. They are just awesome.

the Samsung T220's performance was merely average. It posted a composite score of 83 on our DisplayMate-based suite of tests, which is a good score in and of itself but trails the scores the Dell SP2208WFP and the Samsung 2232GW achieved.

- From CNET

And TrustedReviews rating (image quality) for samsung T200 was 7/10 (this is the rating they give for most of the best looking monitor even Dell US2408wfp except for samsung 226BW which 9/10).

Is samsung BW series availabe in India? It's not available where I reside (Chennai).
Anybody else with few more suggestions?

[desiibond]

I your mind it tilted towards 2208WFP, you need not look for anything else

[emmarbee]

Ya, I'm ok with it. But in case, if there is any other bettet monitor that is available here, like viewsonic (they have released a lot of new models). If there is, let me know. I thought many members will tell me their opinion. But I'm glad atleast there is one to help me out.
Reason why I'm looking out for another monitor is "Dell's Glossy panel", "silver bezel" and the aesthetics and atlast the price.

I checked out with hpw2207 (it has bad viewing angles) - anandtech.

If there is any monitor as good as dell and is aesthetically good with low price then I can go for it. Like samsung 206bw.

[desiibond]

there is one in LG with same spec and not glossy. Check with gx_saurav. He is aware of it's performance

[ashfame]

I own a LG L226WTQ LCD and its great @ 13k (If you can find one). Doesn't compromise in anything. Check it specs and you will love it. Since your budget permits, your first preference should be DELL only.

[emmarbee]

Originally Posted by ashfame

I own a LG L226WTQ LCD and its great @ 13k (If you can find one). Doesn't compromise in anything. Check it specs and you will love it. Since your budget permits, your first preference should be DELL only.

Thanks for your opinion. Can you please tell me whether Samsung 206BW or any BW series is available in India?

One more question from my side.
I think Dell SP2208WFP performs well for sure (through many reviews, from cnet, DIGIT). But does the 20" SP2008WFP performs similar to SP2208WFP? Why is everyone choosing the 22", after all the 20" would look better due to its higher dpi. Am i right?

[moshel]

^^^ the Dell 2208WFP has an inbuilt HDMI port, thats why ppl recommend it.

oh and +1 for the dell 2208wfp

[desiibond]

Originally Posted by emmarbee

Thanks for your opinion. Can you please tell me whether Samsung 206BW or any BW series is available in India?

One more question from my side.
I think Dell SP2208WFP performs well for sure (through many reviews, from cnet, DIGIT). But does the 20" SP2008WFP performs similar to SP2208WFP? Why is everyone choosing the 22", after all the 20" would look better due to its higher dpi. Am i right?

I never really liked 22" models. I would go with 20" or 24". If you know anyone at Dell, try to get 2408WFP.

all dell xx8wfp and xx08wfp are superb performers. There is no real competition for them. Only monitors that can match them are HP's and Samsung's.

If you can pay for 24" monitor go for it. Else get 2208WFP. The reason for opting 22" is more real estate

Yes, 20" has more DPI but you get 2 more inches of screen area in 22".

[emmarbee]

Originally Posted by desiibond

I never really liked 22" models. I would go with 20" or 24". If you know anyone at Dell, try to get 2408WFP.

Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP costs 51k here, I can't even think of it. Even if some gives me for around 25k (as my friend did by buying it in abroad), I wont prefer it. Reason
a) I have a Zotac 9600GT Amp!, So I won't be able to play games at 1920x1200 resolution.
b) At present the video quality of the movies is not so good (except for few hindi movies like OSO, Heyy Baby & sa**** which has bluray and no bluray in Tamil movies). So if I opt for 24", movies other than these won't look good on this monitor. A time comes when, everybody changes to bluray and we will own our bluray writer and cable with HDTV transmission, I ll buy the 24" & above monitor at that time.

Originally Posted by desiibond

Yes, 20" has more DPI but you get 2 more inches of screen area in 22".

You are right, but i think that extra 2 inch affect the video quality of the movies I watch.
Like for example, divx movies while played on 15" CRT monitor looks good than stretched to 17" CRT monitor. Like wise 720p movies now looks gr8 on my 17" CRT, it would be little bit less when viewed on 20", and more worse when viewed on 22". Am I right?

And BTW Desi, why you said you would prefer 20" /24" and not 22"?

[ashfame]

Originally Posted by emmarbee

You are right, but i think that extra 2 inch affect the video quality of the movies I watch.
Like for example, divx movies while played on 15" CRT monitor looks good than stretched to 17" CRT monitor. Like wise 720p movies now looks gr8 on my 17" CRT, it would be little bit less when viewed on 20", and more worse when viewed on 22". Am I right?

720p will just look great on 22". No matter how close you are to your screen. 1080p will downscale at 22" but they are pretty good for larger screens >=24"

For 720p, 22" is perfectly fine.

Buy a bigger screen when they get cheap is what I would do.

[hemants]

im seellling my Samsung syncmaster 226BW for a very reasonable price.. if interested please do let me know.

[desiibond]

because with 24" you get FullHD resolution.

20" and 22" have same resolution. Just my thought.
If you can afford a 24", go and get it. Your GPU can easily handle that resolution gaming.

[emmarbee]

Desi ji, what do you mean by FullHD? I have heard this word everywhere. But downscaling the 1080p onto a 20" looks far more better than watching in a 24" right? I mean, as I said before, smaller the screen sharper the picture. And my GPU definitely can't handle games at 1920x1200 (crysis and upcoming games like far cry2).

@hemants - sorry, to deny your offer. But this being my first LCD and my dream come true monitor, I would prefer buying a new one.

@ashish - I'm happy that you are so sure about what you say (720p on 22"). But in order to get the full picture, i will zoom the video from 2.35:1 to 16:10 (Some movies come by default in 16:10, no problem in those movies) . Will the quality of the movies still be good even if I zoom the video to 16:10 (i mean crop in VLC)? And are you sure that the higher dpi in the 20" wont affect much in the performance? (In fact the SP2208WFP outperforms SP2008WFP as mentioned the MAY issue of Digit)

[desiibond]

Originally Posted by emmarbee

Desi ji, what do you mean by FullHD? I have heard this word everywhere. But downscaling the 1080p onto a 20" looks far more better than watching in a 24" right?

No. You got it totally wrong.

FullHD a.k.a 1080p is the real High Definition resolution (1920x1080)

You need atleast a 24" display or a minimum resolution of 1920x1080 to enjoy Full High Definition.

There will be huge loss of quality when you watch a FullHD movie or play FullHD game in 20" by downscaling the content.

The smaller the screen the better the picture comes into effect when you are looking at one resolution .I mean 20" with 1600x1050 is much clear to watch than a 22" with 1600x1050. The same is not the case with 20" and 24".

When you play a FullHD movie on 24" display, the movie is played with full HD quality but when you play the same on 20" display, the movie's resolution and quality will be brought down to fit 20".

FYI, those 700Mb divx movies that float on internet suck even on a 19".

BTW, my HD2600XT is handling crysis at 1440x900, i think 9600 should do better

[emmarbee]

Hmmm. Moreover the Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP is S-PVA panel right? CNet has given a positive review on that monitor (so far the best rating any monitor had ever got). But not on trusted reviews.
And also what is the cheapest available price of that monitor?

[desiibond]

check this article. Might help you: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2325741,00.asp

[emmarbee]

Thanks for your opinions guys, I think I've made up my decision. I'm going for Dell SP2208WFP / SP2008WFP. I'm going to call Dell today for details about price & delivery period.
Desi JI, I need a last confirmation.
1) SP2008 or SP2208? - What really bugging me is the "dpi" factor. Is it noticeable? Does this factor make the 22" look worse when compared to 20"? When compared with the advantage of getting <<2 inches>> extra, does the <<dpi>> factor gets surpressed?

2) Shall I buy it at Dell Online or Local Dealer (only if he is able to give the monitor before Dell's stipulated time and at a price less than Dell's online price)?

P.S: What's your personal opinion about Dell's Delivery Period. Will they be able to deliver within the time that THEY HAD MENTIONED?

[emmarbee]

Finally I've ordered the Dell SP2208WFP at Dell through phone. He said it will take 3-4 business days. I might get the monitor by wednesday. Thanks everybody for your suggestion and Desibond for your efforts to explain tech terms.

[pillainp]

Great buy, emmarbee, I can guarantee you will not regret the decision to buy the SP2208WFP. I have one myself, and it's absolutely great.

[emmarbee]

Originally Posted by pillainp

Great buy, emmarbee, I can guarantee you will not regret the decision to buy the SP2208WFP. I have one myself, and it's absolutely great.

Oh I see, then I have to ask you about the settings at which the monitor looks at its best.

[desiibond]

^^^ That's subjective. Download Displaymate software. Go through the tests and adjust brightness and contrast that gives you best detail.

[pillainp]

Off the bat the monitor does have some pretty bad settings. It will be too bright, and everything will look like s**t.

My personal settings are as follows:

Brightness: 50
Contrast: 80
Color Management: On
Color Settings Mode: Video
Green: 90
Red: 90
Blue: 90
Sharpness: 50

As the poster before me said, most of those settings are subjective, and will vary greatly depending on your personal preferences and location of the monitor.

I do have a suggestion, though. This is a glossy panel, and will tend to reflect any bright light sources behind you (ie in front of the panel). So I would suggest you not have any bright lights behind you, or situate too close to an open window.

One way you can avoid this is to mount a moderately bright light above and behind the monitor, so that it negates any light sources behind you (in front of the monitor).
I do hope I am making sense.

For everything else, short of an actual Act Of God, I am sure you will have a great time with your monitor.

Again, congratulations on your purchase.

If you have any problems, contact Avinash BM. His email is avinash_bm@dell.com. Unfortunately, due to the untimely demise of my cell phone, I do not have access to his phone number, but I am somewhat sure you will find it somewhere on these forums in an earlier post of mind. Search for the word Avinash in post content, with poster pillainp.

Oh yes, be sure to enable cleartype (Desktop Settings> Appearance>Advanced). For Vista, you may also want to download the Cleartype Tuner from Microsoft.

[emmarbee]

Dell does it once again. The shipping has been delayed by 2-3 days. Harish (the sales/marketing executive of DELL) told me on friday that I would be receiving the monitor by this wednesday. But today after I called him to get the confirmation number, he told me that I ll be getting the monitor by friday/saturday. Let's see how long does this really take . . .

[pillainp]

I don't think that is their fault. It is most likely due to the heightened security measures following the horrible incidents of the past few days.

I believe they manufacture in Malaysia and ship from there.

When I ordered, Dell's tracking site gave me a delivery time of about 15 days, but it took hardly a week for me to get my monitor.

BTW, I don't know about the quality of Zebronics Platinum PSU's, but is Zeb 400W enough for a 9600GT? nVidia/eVGA list a minimum of 450W, so you might also want to upgrade your PSU.

[Micheal]

i'd say go for dell ne day. KUDOS for your choices brother !!!

[emmarbee]

Originally Posted by pillainp

I don't think that is their fault. It is most likely due to the heightened security measures following the horrible incidents of the past few days.

Ya, even that guy Harish told me the same reason, as it was on friday the bomb blast took place, he couldn't make it and on the next working day i.e., monday he was not feeling well. So he made my order on tuesday only.

And BTW I got my Order No. today.

Originally Posted by pillainp

I believe they manufacture in Malaysia and ship from there.

When I ordered, Dell's tracking site gave me a delivery time of about 15 days, but it took hardly a week for me to get my monitor.

Is it possible for me to track down, just like how you did? But I highly doubt mine is coming from malaysia (though a sales rep told me like that) .

Originally Posted by pillainp

BTW, I don't know about the quality of Zebronics Platinum PSU's, but is Zeb 400W enough for a 9600GT? nVidia/eVGA list a minimum of 450W, so you might also want to upgrade your PSU.

I was having the default SMPS of Zebronics Sivaji cabinet for my earlier video card ASUS 7600GS EN SILENT. But just a day before my new video card arrived, I feared that my SMPS couldn't handle the 9600GT and so I bought Zebronics Platinum series 400 W (Pure). My friend highly recmomended for me to go for cooler master, but I didn't want to spend more money on this as am thinking of upgrading my video card again (I'll buy a better SMPS at that time).

[pillainp]

Go Here - Dell India Order Status to track your order status. It may tell you no such order exists, or some such error, but just keep trying. It will work eventually.

I'm using a CM 600W ExtremePower for my 9600GT, and it's doing quite well.

However, if you do decide to upgrade your PSU, buy one with an 8-pin EPS connector, for future compatibility. I would strongly suggest an upgrade, though, for your GPU to work optimally.

[emmarbee]

So far I didn't have a problem with my PSU, even at its full utilization. I ll upgrade mine only after I get a new card or the same card for SLI.
And the delivery status says that: "Ship from Factory". Still three stages left- I highly doubt that I will get it by friday or even saturday.

Originally Posted by Micheal

i'd say go for dell ne day. KUDOS for your choices brother !!!

Thanks mate. I was left with no option other than choosing this monitor. But I'm very concerned about the transit from CRT to LCD. Everything is getting ready for the "kinda HTPC".

While buying any new video card, it says that "PLAYS HD VIDEOS" or "ELIMINATES THE CPU's STRESS on playing HD videos". But I doubt that my video card is so.

Even after upgrading from 7600GS to 9600GT, while I play HD clips, my CPU usage is more than 50% for 720p and 100% for 1080p. What should I do to make my video card handle the HD clips.