DELL E228WFP: Would I be going wrong with this monitor?

[GTaudiophile]

It costs $329 @ DELL:

LINK

Can anyone recommend something BETTER for about the same price?

 

[otispunkmeyer]

well its a TN panel, 6 bit, but from the specs

5ms response, 800:1 contrast its probably that chi-mei panel that uses Hi-FRC dithering to achieve its colour output, much better than standard 2x2 dithering.

i'd imagine its just as good as any of the other 22 inchers out there, so really you pays your money and takes your choice.

http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/index.php?title=Dell_E228WFP

http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8451

tech specs and review

 

[LeiZaK]

I don't think it uses the Chi Mei panel... the specs list it as 16.2 million colors. Doesn't Hi-FRC dithering effectively give the Chi Mei panel 16.7 million colors?

 

[IlllI]

all 22 inch lcds use a TN panel

 

[LouPoir]

I have this LCD - I would give it a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 ( 10 the best ).

Some light bleeding top and bottom and it requires a lot of color adjustements.

I have had it about a month.


Lou

 

[GTaudiophile]

So if you all had $350 to spend, would this DELL still be it or something else?

The monitor will be used mainly for gaming and ATOT...and maybe a little photo editing here and there.

 

[chizow]

There's tons of 22" TN panels out now, most of which you can walk into a B&M and play with. CompUSA and even BB have a bunch of them hooked up to actual PCs that work, probably to help promote Vista's launch.

I don't think you can really go wrong with any of them, and I'm pretty sure there's cheaper options out now than the Dell and you can pick them up at a B&M. I got it for @$330 after tax when it was on sale about a month ago and there was a 10% coupon floating around that would've lowered it more. I wouldn't pay more than that for this panel.

I returned it though. I think the 22" TNs are a great value, but they're definitely meant to be entry-level LCDs. Extremely poor viewing angles, panel uniformity, backlight bleeding, black levels and color reproduction, etc. The response times, input response, brightness/contrast and size are about all that these monitors have going for them. If thats all you want and need, then you'll be extremely happy with this monitor. It wasn't for me though and I ended up spending about 2x as much on the 24".

 

[SlowSpyder]

I have a 22" Acer, probably 99% identical to the Dell as far as the picture goes. I love it, a lot of people complain that a 22" is too big for a 1680x1050 res, but I wouldn't want it any smaller. Colors are crisp. My only complain is back light bleeding at the top, but that may or may not be an issue with the Dell.

 

[IlllI]

if you are set getting a 22in display, maybe this one Text

it just came out, and in the review got the best scores out of the whole group.

 

[mset]

Originally posted by: chizow
I returned it though. I think the 22" TNs are a great value, but they're definitely meant to be entry-level LCDs. Extremely poor viewing angles, panel uniformity, backlight bleeding, black levels and color reproduction, etc. The response times, input response, brightness/contrast and size are about all that these monitors have going for them. If thats all you want and need, then you'll be extremely happy with this monitor. It wasn't for me though and I ended up spending about 2x as much on the 24".

I concur. I bought one of these E228 units during Dell's boxing day sale and sent it back next day.

You have to know what you are buying - as chizow said, an entry-level panel. It all depends on what you consider an 'acceptable' image. The issues chizow mentioned made this panel unusable for me, but there are a lot of guys on here who have no complaints with theirs.

By the way, my understanding is that it is a Chi Mei panel, and that Dell bought 100K of these.

chizow, if I may, which panel did you end up getting, and was it an S-IPS unit?

(I just finished missing an NEC 20WMGX2 that went on eBay for $450!! )

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: mset

Originally posted by: chizow
I returned it though. I think the 22" TNs are a great value, but they're definitely meant to be entry-level LCDs. Extremely poor viewing angles, panel uniformity, backlight bleeding, black levels and color reproduction, etc. The response times, input response, brightness/contrast and size are about all that these monitors have going for them. If thats all you want and need, then you'll be extremely happy with this monitor. It wasn't for me though and I ended up spending about 2x as much on the 24".

I concur. I bought one of these E228 units during Dell's boxing day sale and sent it back next day.

You have to know what you are buying - as chizow said, an entry-level panel. It all depends on what you consider an 'acceptable' image. The issues chizow mentioned made this panel unusable for me, but there are a lot of guys on here who have no complaints with theirs.

By the way, my understanding is that it is a Chi Mei panel, and that Dell bought 100K of these.

chizow, if I may, which panel did you end up getting, and was it an S-IPS unit?

(I just finished missing an NEC 20WMGX2 that went on eBay for $450!! )

I ended up getting a 2407WFP as I got a 10% coupon mailed to me the day after I placed the order for the E228WFP. Total after taxes came out to $636. When I placed the order, there were reports of Rev. A04 floating around, so I was hoping to get one. I didn't and after 2 weeks or so of sitting on the fence, I decided to return an otherwise problem-free panel (by 2407WFP standards of course).

There's certainly some shortcomings on the 2407WFP compared to other panels, but as soon as I plugged it in and saw the difference between the 22" and 24", I knew I had made the right decision to step-up to a 24" panel even though it cost 2x as much. I was pretty intent on keeping it about a week ago, but the inability to do 1:1 combined with the knowledge there was a revision that did upset me enough to return it. Dell CS was great though, much more accomodating this time around and paid for return shipping as well. I told the CSR that after 2 disappointing experiences with Dell LCDs, I was willing to give them another chance soley because of how he handled my returns.

That chance isn't coming this time around though. I'll be picking up a Gateway 24" today from a local B&M. There's a few ways to get it @600 and I've narrowed down how to "hand-pick" a December 2006 or later production model to give myself a higher chance at a problem-free panel.

As far as S-IPS panels, no I didn't really consider those; the S-IPS options in the 23-24" range are $1000+ and once you get into that price range you're looking at larger 30"+ panels for a little bit more money. Its more than what I want to spend anyways. The NEC GX2 is great by all accounts, but 20" isn't quite the size I'm looking for to meet the current demands from multimedia and gaming options. 24" and 1920x1200 is pretty much the perfect balance of size and resolution for me, so its just a matter of finding a panel that has flaws I can live with.

I'm sure I'd be content with any of the main contenders: Gateway, BenQ w/ 1:1 update, or Dell Rev A04. The first option is the cheapest atm and can be bought and exchanged in any B&M. The second is only guaranteed 1:1 from NCIX at a premium and their exchange policy is somewhat of a hassle. The last option still leaves you solely at the mercy of Dell's panel lottery and Customer Service obstacle course. There is the chance though that you get an A04, some of which are reported to use S-IPS panels.

Anyways, good luck with your decision. The funniest thing is that I probably could've avoided this entire Dell experience if their pointless kiosks actually had the 22" and 24" displays there....... I could've easily ruled out the 22" and saved myself at least one return if I could've just looked at it in person. Also for those looking at the 22" panels, you might also want to wait and take a look at the Samsung 226BW, which has been getting a lot of buzz. Probably still a TN panel, but seems to be a 2nd-generation that exhibits far less of the problems associated with this group of panels.

 

[ebeattie]

Quick summary.
22" with TN panel= fast response time for FPS games. color ok, banding present in pics. I have a 22" Sceptre X22WG Gamer with 22" Chi Mie Panel.
24" with S-IPS panel. Great color reproduction, no banding and all around great picture, BUT responstimes are quite lower and ghosting appears. My roomate has a 2405 Dell. Great monitor, but I cant stand to watch him play BF2 on it for more than a minute pr two before I get dizzy from the ghosting.

As a person who games predominantly in FPS titles, response time (like ping) is life. I dont media edit or anything where accurate color reproduction is necessary. while it might not be the best, a TN panel is the fastest panel out there. i did 1 months worth or personal research before I chose the Sceptre. I was temted as hell to go with a 24", but after seeing my roommate while he gamed on FPS, I couldnt do it.

Now if your into slower paced RTS' and MMORPGs, an S-IPS panel would be perfect. but for fast paced action, TN is the panel to have.

This is all my opinion of course, and I cant wait for the day that there are panels out there that have LCD's with high end CRT performance. hehehe, there is a REASON I kept my 19" Trinitron!

 

[Rill22]

I'm looking for a 22" monitor ... anyone have thoughts on this ViewSonic? I have had ViewSonics in the past and always loved them.

It would be used for gaming, primarily.