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General discussion

Dell 2407 Display - Looking for Reviews / Opinions

Jun 13, 2006 3:11PM PDT

Dell recently released a new UltraSharp 2407FPW monitor that I am thinking about getting. There aren't too many reviews out yet so i am trying to get some feedback from people that own or have used one. I do know that there were some issues with banding that are have now been fixed in the newest revisions so that's not a problem. Any feedback on this monitor from anyone that owns it would be a lot of help.

- Thanks

Discussion is locked

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Dell 2407
Jun 21, 2006 4:07AM PDT

Go look in the Dell forums:
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board?board.id=dim_monitor

Or search on Google will turn up several things about this monitor. There is an issue with color gradient banding with the initial release that is supposedly "fixed". If you don't know what banding is, one of the searches on google for the monitor will lead you to an image that clearly shows what the issue is. It's a shame as I had waited to buy this monitor instead of the 2405 (which didn't have the same issue). Now I'm thinking of getting the new 24" BenQ that's coming out for around $900.

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2405 vs 2407
Jun 22, 2006 2:56AM PDT

What is the difference between the 2405 and its upgrade anyway? The only difference I can see is that the 2407 comes on a chicken foot stand rather than a half-moon

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Dell 2407 Set up Experience
Jun 28, 2006 7:06AM PDT

I read the reviews on the 2405 and decided to get the 2407 to replace a Dell Trinitron 20'' diagonal CRT.

Frankly, you need to define your personal reasons for wanting the 2407 WFP. Dell insists you set the monitor at the highest resolution for best performance, so that negates wanting a big screen to see better since all you get is more real estate and small fonts. Having any lower resolution impacts the quality of photos viewed significantly. You need good eyesight to use this monitor with its optimum resolution for word or spreadsheet usage or you'll be changing text size or resolution for different tasks on a continual basis.

Being a LCD, the monitor is easier on your eyes than the old Dell Triniton CRT. But the Triniton is unequaled in viewing digital photography.

The 2405 was praised because the monitor height was adjustable. Beware - it is adjustable in only two heights. It locks in at the lowest and highest only and cannot be set inbetween. It has to be on the highest height to rotate the screen 90 degrees to vertical.

The instructions and manual on CD that come with the 2407 lack simple instructions in how to use the on-screen menu and explanations of each choice. This monitor can do just about everything but there are no instructions on how to do them.

The card reader was one of the first things I tested with disappointing results and I need to call Dell, which I am avoiding because their tech support wastes my time. The reader too forever for the photos to appear on the screen. My SanDisk multi card reader superior. I plan to search the forums for others who have had trouble with the monitor card reader. It's either defective or can't communicate fast enough with my Dell Dimension 8200 Desktop. I am using the VGA cable since I don't have a port for the optional DVI connector.

The more bells and whistles on a peripheral, the more that can go wrong. Wanting a built-in card reader isn't worth going with the 2407. Wanting a bigger screen isn't worth going with the 2407. A traditional LCD will do the job. If you're into gaming, multimedia, need a screen that swivels to vertical, then this may be for you.

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The card reader issue
Jun 30, 2006 9:39AM PDT

I haven't had the trouble you are experiencing with the card reader on my Dell 2407, although I've only tried reading SD cards (Kingston and Sandisk). I was actually amazed at how responsive it was, as it displayed the content of my cards pretty much the instant I pushed the card inside.

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Size of cards?
Jun 30, 2006 10:54PM PDT

The card I was having trouble with was a SanDisk Extreme III 1 GB card. Have you tried cards this size?

I went to the support.Dell.com forum and found someone else commenting on this issue, so I tried a smaller card, a 512 MB and it worked fine. But I use mostly 1 GB cards, so I have to use my separate 9-in-1 card reader and not the monitor card reader.

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Size of cards
Jul 1, 2006 4:01AM PDT

The Kingston is a 1 GB one, while the Sandisk is 256 MB.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the monitor. It does have some banding issues on my revision A01, which does annoy somewhat as I use it primarily for 2D and 3D graphics. 1080p clips and movies are gorgeous on it, and HD TV works like a charm.

As for games.. I prefer not to use it for games. I've played games on CRT monitors all my life, and an LCD (or at least -this- LCD) isn't quite as responsive. There's clearly ghosting issues and a sluggish feeling in anything fast paced, once you take control of the action on screen yourself, versus watching motion pictures.

I love the monitor, though, and I get a lot for the money--which is important as I'm on a tight budget--but admittedly it's slowed down my productivity a bit as often I stop and look at just how crisp, and colourful everything is Silly

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Size of cards
Jul 6, 2006 4:41AM PDT

Your reply was very helpful. Thanks. I'm beginning to think it's an issue with the Extreme III card by SanDisk and the fact that these cards have something different in their technology to be able to be faster and withstand higher temperatures, but I have no way of knowing unless someone else has these cards and the same monitor. After your post I tried a Kingston 1.0GB SD card and it worked fine. I then retried the SanDisk Extreme III 1.0GB SD card and it still would not read properly.

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Size of cards
Jul 19, 2006 1:30PM PDT

I have a 2407 and am having similar trouble. I am trying to read a Patriot 1GB card it it won't work at all. My monitors card reader will however read the 32MB card that came with my camera. It is very frustrating to pay this much for a monitor that won't work properly.