Im in need of 24inch monitor for mainly just gaming in the sub 300 pound range.I just cant decideso many monitors and so many diffrent reveiws.Do i want a TN screen or a IPS?
if you reduce the size your after just slightly I would thoroughly recommend this, brilliant monitor and a real bargin! http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=bsd&cs=ukbsdt1&sku=421265
IPS is fine for gaming and you more than likely won't notice a difference in response times below ~20ms.
U2410 then. Honestly, the IPS screens are so much better, so that choice there while smaller will be much better.
As Bytes would tell you... TN is a joke and go with IPS. I'm saying the same. Trust me its worth the extra cost. You will not be disappointed. Get either Dell or this Asus.
Unless you are a hard core professional gamer, I wouldn't buy a TN panel. Input lag of 30ms or less is not really noticeable unless you do a side by side test, and only JUST noticeable then. Panel response times of IPS panels have been more than adequate for gaming for ages now. The speed advantages of TN are massively outweighed by the disadvantages: poor colour; fewer colours with dithering artifacts, and rubbish viewing angles. Go for a IPS panel.
If you're happy to get a refurb and willing to use ebay you can find a U2410 for around £300. I spent £330 and got a revision A02 model manufactured in 2010, zero dead pixels (the e-tailer has its own zero dead pixel policy and will organise a collect and return, as well as the monitor being covered by dells 3 year premium business warranty). A week later they'd even dropped the prices to £320! ... stopped bothering to check it then I was a bit hesitant when pulling the trigger but extremely glad i did - superb monitor. The way I see it with dells warranty as it is, you may receive a brand new monitor to begin with which could still have a problem and returning it via their warranty you'll probably end up with a refurb anyway.
Ok looks like im gonna go for a ips monitor.Just to decide what one now The Dell U2410 reverb on ebay for 299 seams very tempting though
Im also considering a new 23/4" monitor, but I'm a tad skeptical about these Dell IPS monitors for gaming (maybe I shouldnt be), even though a lot of guys on here strongly suggest they are alot better. Does anyone use the U2410 or U2311 with an Xbox for gaming, because if I got one I would be using it with this 'a lot'. Im worried about ghosting (motion blur) and input lag specifically and whether i would be better with a decent TN panel - I play Cod a lot on it and it would be used primarily for that (aswell as for my pc use). I read on another tech forum that if you are a heavy FPS gamer you are better with a TN panel (I think it was an anandtech thread but I will try to find it later) I have never experienced an IPS panel and to spend a lot of money on something I dont know I will actually 'like' is difficult. With me playing cod so much I think I would notice any small difference in input lag, response time and so forth (which is my main concern). Also, i did notice people on amazon reviews mentioning a pink/blue tint under certain conditions on these IPS models - has that been fully resolved? EDIT: Sorry to hijack the thread if thats the way it seems. Its just that im in a very similar boat and cannot make my mind up between the IPS panels and a 120Hz TN panel, because it will be used 'primarily' for FPS gaming on it. This thread discusses the differences:http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2142947
@ 3lusive I can't comment on using an xbox but i have used my ps3 through my u2410 and it's fine. However for some reason running through HDMI doesn't seem to provide quite as good an improvement in picture quality over my samsung monitor than running my PC through DVI. Not quite sure on the reasons why but IIRC Goodbytes did mention on another thread somewhere to preferably not run it through HDMI for the best picture. Don't get me wrong, there is still definately an improvement and it may just be a case of tweaking the settings to suit. I still suggest getting an IPS monitor. I personally don't notice any ghosting, input lag or anything whatsoever even running it on adobeRGB setting (I believe of the preset modes you have this has the highest input lag?). Admittedly I'm not a 'hardcore' fpser but I play them enough. Remember though there are other settings you can choose. There is a 'Game' setting you can select which will reduce a lot of the input lag at the cost of image quality, though again retaining better image quality than a TN panel. As far as the tint to screens go I believe from reading up on here that this was an older issue with the LG panels that dell uses and this has been resolved. No hint of it on mine as far as I can tell.
Cheers for clearing a few things up Sketchee. I think I will indeed go with either the U2410 or the U2311 (although the 120Hhz TN panels are still tempting) . One thing that would really p*ss me off though is getting shafted by Dell if its got a dead pixel - and then having to deal with returning it and getting sent a refurb etc. If I go down the U2410 route, I may get a refurbed one for 100 quid cheaper but what I am losing out if I do so?
Unless you are using colour managed applications, you should be in sRGB mode, or your colours will more than likely be over saturated. Even with modern browsers that are colour managed, most of the content on the web is not. sRGB for browsing and gaming. Adobe 98 for colour managed work such as Photoshop etc.
@ 3lusive: Theoretically you aren't really losing out on anything. My understanding is they are generally units which have been returned to dell for one reason or another and not second hand in the sense that it has had a previous owner. They are factory refurbished by dell and because they can't be sold as new they shift them on to other retailers to sell them at a lower price. Got mine from ebay through a highly rated seller with good feedback, they offered their own zero dead pixel policy as well as the dell 3 year premium business warranty (i'm guessing this starts from the date of purchase from the etailer though and not the sell on date). They were honest with what they said that they don't check the monitors themselves for dead or stuck pixels but i think this is pretty standard practice for all etailers tbh. I suppose you have to be careful and do your research before dropping a lot of cash on any refurbished or second hand product but everything went well in my experience. Bare in mind that if you decide to go the route of the U2311 it doesn't have a HDMI input and I have no idea about the results of using an adapter with a console. Also I know the U2410 has an audio throughput which worked fine getting sound from my playstation to my speakers but no idea on the U2311.
I use a combination of adobeRGB, sRGB and my own color profile depending on what I'm doing. I'm not a colour pro by any means but in some games adobeRGB looks better to me, maybe I just like the oversaturatedness (...ofc its a real word!) Out of the box performance is probably something that needs to be discussed, not by me though I'm getting out of my depth - thread probably needs a visit from Goodbytes
Out of the box, the U2410 is visually.. average, but for anyone colour critical it's actually terrible once measured. in sRGB mode it has a delta E max of 9.8, which is shockingly bad. Even visually this will be very noticeable when comparing it next to a calibrated screen. in Adobe RGB mode the Delta E max drops a little to 7.8, but that's still not too brilliant. Assessing these things visually is entirely subjective, and you quickly get used to what is placed in front you. Even a terribly calibrated screen quickly starts to look normal, and visually assessing a screen with no other reference is utterly pointless. If you are in any way concerned about colour accuracy, then you need a colorimeter to calibrate it properly, otherwise don't worry about it. Just set it to what looks good. Trying to get any kind of accuracy by adjusting the OSD is completely and utterly pointless. You may get something you like, but it will NOT be accurate. An uncalibrated high gamut screen in high gamut/adobe 98 mode will be quite awful for everyday use (unless you like over saturated colours of course). The U2410 is not a professional screen though, and for casual use, even out of the box the results are pleasing, even if not technically accurate. I still question the wisdom of a high gamut screen for anyone not interested in high end colour managed workflow. If you are a casual user, 95% of all content you'll be viewing with will be in sRGB profile, or not profiled at all, and viewing this content, un-managed on a high gamut panel will result in wildly inaccurate colours. It's for exactly this reason such screens have a sRGB mode in the first place: As un-managed viewing of sRGB images on a wide gamut device sucks. As a result, to be accurate, you'll spend most of the time in sRGB mode, which makes buying a wide gamut IPS panel pretty pointless. You then end up in uber wide gamut mode to justify your purchase, and convince yourself that the garish colours are in fact good. In all honesty, I'd recommend the HP ZR24W. A fab IPS screen, but normal gamut/sRGB. It avoids all the unpleasantness, and seriously, unless you are into high end imaging/photography etc, there's little point in paying for a wide gamut screen. There's just no advantage whatsoever.
Ah didnt know the U2311 had no HDMI connection, a HDMI to DVI adapter should do the trick though I think but I would definitely have to look that up. Sound wouldn't be an issue because I use a gaming headset but it's still something to consider. The U2410 looks nice but 450-500 seems steep for a 24" monitor. I'd have to buy it from somewhere that would take a refund (no questions asked) if I wasnt 100% happy with it...
Oh you'll be happy with it! Its a nice screen. Consider a Dell refurb to save some cash, but as stated above, I'd consider the HP ZR24W. Way cheaper than the U2410, just as good, just standard gamut instead of wide gamut. Unless you're into digital imaging or any high end graphics work, a wide gamut panel is actually a hindrance to accuracy, especially if you are not calibrating it, which I doubt you are. This will be much more in keeping with your budget, and you'll still have a quality IPS screen.
GoodBytes I invoke thee!!!! Seriously I'm surprised you've kept away up till now. The man needs an ips lesson post-haste I'll help http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/content/panel_technologies_content.htm#ips
