Need monitor to replace a Dell 2001FP

[Chronozon]

I'm going to replace my Dell 2001FP with a new widescreen monitor soon, but I'm very unsure about what kind of monitor I should spend my money on.

Just the other day I got a Benq G2400WD, and decided pretty quickly the image quality sucks compared to the 2001FP. It turns out that the 2001FP has an S-IPS panel (which i didn't find out about until recently, because I didn't really know anything about different panels), and the G2400WD has a TN panel. In my eyes everything about this TN panel was just so much worse that I returned it a couple of days after I got it.

So what would I need to feel that I have a monitor that's as good or better than the 2001FP? Is the only option to look for another S-IPS panel? What about all the different MVA/PVA variants? Would I notice a big difference between those and my 2001FP too?

I've been reading up on the different panels and reading reviews and forums and so on, but it all seems to be very subjective. Some people say that S-IPS panels aren't good for gaming, but I never had any problems with that.

My requirements are a 24"-27" (preferable 26" or 27") monitor with a native 1920x1200 resolution. I'll be using it for general stuff and some movie-watching and gaming, so I need something that's good for everything. The price isn't all that important. The high-end monitors I've looked at with IPS panels have something called "wide gamut" which people don't like because it makes the colors oversaturated. I'm not sure how big an issue this is for regular computer usage. Any input on this? I've been looking into monitors like the NEC LCD2690WUXi, but I'm too worried about this gamut issue to make a decision.

All suggestions are welcome.

 

[Phew]

I was in the same boat as you, upgrading from a Dell 2001fp (still an amazing panel today, I brought it to work after upgrading my home LCD). Like you, I can't stand looking at TN panels. After much research, I decided on the Planar PX2611W. I think it's the same S-IPS panel in the NEC you mentioned, but the Planar is much cheaper. I got mine new for like $600 after Live.com cashback on Ebay, but anything under $750 is a good price.

I have one stuck green sub-pixel, but otherwise the monitor is amazing. It has the lowest input lag of any current S-IPS panel, roughly one frame (I can't notice any input lag). Many other IPS panels have 50 ms or more of input lag, which is unacceptable for gaming. And of course no ghosting, backlight bleed, etc.

Did you read the LCD guide sticky at the top of this forum? Everything you need to know about LCDs is there.

 

[DSF]

Not all TN panels are created equal. The best thing to do to start your research is probably to go down to a place like Best Buy or Circuit City and look at all the screens they have. No matter how a monitor is reviewed, there's no substitute for seeing it with your own eyes.

Once you've got a couple that you'd be happy to look at day after day, go online to research potential bugs, tested response times, etc.

 

[Chronozon]

Originally posted by: Phew
I was in the same boat as you, upgrading from a Dell 2001fp (still an amazing panel today, I brought it to work after upgrading my home LCD). Like you, I can't stand looking at TN panels. After much research, I decided on the Planar PX2611W. I think it's the same S-IPS panel in the NEC you mentioned, but the Planar is much cheaper. I got mine new for like $600 after Live.com cashback on Ebay, but anything under $750 is a good price.

I have one stuck green sub-pixel, but otherwise the monitor is amazing. It has the lowest input lag of any current S-IPS panel, roughly one frame (I can't notice any input lag). Many other IPS panels have 50 ms or more of input lag, which is unacceptable for gaming. And of course no ghosting, backlight bleed, etc.

Did you read the LCD guide sticky at the top of this forum? Everything you need to know about LCDs is there.

I found out that the Planar monitors aren't available where I live (I'm in Europe), so I'll have to try something else. Yours has the wide gamut too, doesn't it? Do colors seem overly saturated to you? I don't think I'd mind more vibrant colors in games, but I'm not so sure about it when you're just browsing the web or something like that.

I did read the LCD guide, and it's a great read, but I wanted some more personal input from people who may have been in the same boat as me, instead of just plain facts. So this is just what I wanted to hear, that there are monitors out there today that are as amazing as the 2001FP.

 

[Chronozon]

Originally posted by: DSF
Not all TN panels are created equal. The best thing to do to start your research is probably to go down to a place like Best Buy or Circuit City and look at all the screens they have. No matter how a monitor is reviewed, there's no substitute for seeing it with your own eyes.

Once you've got a couple that you'd be happy to look at day after day, go online to research potential bugs, tested response times, etc.

Unfortunately there aren't really any places like that around here with a wide selection of monitors on display. Besides, I think you'd have to actually use it for a few hours/days before you can really see what it's like. At first glance I thought the Benq was great, but the more I used it the more things I found that I didn't like about it.

I think it's mostly that I'm used to a monitor with an S-IPS panel, and going from S-IPS to TN will probably seem like a step backwards to me no matter what TN panel I use. I doubt there is a TN panel available with image quality equal to an S-IPS panel, especially since the one I tried is supposed to be one of the best.

I just don't think TN is for me. Not when having used S-IPS for 4 years.

 

[Phew]

Honestly, since I don't do any photo/video editing on this monitor, I can't comment on the color accuracy or anything. The PX2611W has a 92% color gamut, if that's any help.

Can't you just buy on eBay and have it shipped international? Also, Dell sells this monitor.

 

[Chronozon]

Originally posted by: Phew
Honestly, since I don't do any photo/video editing on this monitor, I can't comment on the color accuracy or anything. The PX2611W has a 92% color gamut, if that's any help.

Can't you just buy on eBay and have it shipped international? Also, Dell sells this monitor.

I was just wondering if you could see a big difference, color-wise, compared to your old monitor. I looked up the PX2611W and it's supposed to have the same wide gamut that people are so divided about. Some say that the colors are so bright and saturated that it almost hurts your eyes. People's faces look reddish instead of skin-colored in photos and so on.

Dell doesn't seem to sell it here, and I'm wary of buying something like this from eBay or from the other side of the world anyway. I'd rather buy a monitor from a store that's at least in the same country as me. That way I can return it if I don't like it and I'll have the warranty if it breaks down and so on.

So it will have to be the NEC or another similar monitor. It might be more expensive, but if it's really good I expect to keep it for a long time.

 

[Zebo]

You get what you pay for.... everything else at 24" is trash compared to LCD2490WUXi. I don't like the 26ers Pixels are too big and they are slower but obviously better $/sqin if size is important though I'd get a IPS 30"