Bought HP 2311xi. Seems nice should I keep?

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shredman

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I bought the HP 2311xi as kind of an impulse purchase to replace my aging dell 2209wa. My dell has dim whites and the right side of the screen has darkened over time. In comparison, the HP looks great. I'm pretty impressed. The anti glare isn't too strong but I was kind of wanting a glossy screen since my room is always dark and I like the way the colors pop on a glossy screen. I was also considering the dell u2312hm and u2412m but neither of those is glossy either

Has anyone seen the HP 2311xi compared to the u2312hm? Or have experience with both? I havent really found much info on the 2311xi. Ive read that the 2511x is glossy and good for gaming but its a TN. I read the anandtech review of the 2311xi and he basically says the picture is great out of the box and says that if you don't need an adjustable stand and can live with a merely adequate OSD then the HP is a winner over the u2412m....but I find that hard to believe for the price difference. I got the HP for $169. I don't mind paying more at all for a better looking screen.

I think the HP looks good, and i can live with the stand, but I'm no expert on screens and want to make sure I make the best purchase because i want to be keep it for a while and be happy with it. Any comments?

My uses are: general computing, moderate gaming, making family movies and archiving family photos

Vid card is GTX560ti
 
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I bought it when it was onsale at BB.
I think it is great but it depends on what your goals are.
If you are only gaming glossy can be better.
However one thing that always drives me nuts on glossy is the fact that I can see myself on dark screens.
Now if you do photo editing or regular PC work 2311xi is fantastic.
If you also got it at BB you can also check out the ps 3d display which is close in price and that is glossy.
 
Hefty, thanks for your thoughts. I agree it seems like a nice screen. But I really don't have anything much to compare it with. I just don't want to "settle" without seeing what else is available.

I'm trying to decide between the 2311xi, asus vg23ah(but not interested in 3d), asus vs239 and dell u2412m.

I'd like to try the vg23ah because it is IPS, Glossy-ish, and has fast response times, but I'm not really interested in the 3d part at all. The asus vs239 looks interesting with it's 1:1 scaling and IPS, but it has anti-glare. The dell u2412m is nice (I've seen it at fry's) but not sure about the anti-glare coating. I haven't seen either asus and would have to order any of these 3 by mail.

I'm just looking for inputs from people who have seen these screens. Or who have other suggestions.
 
I find glossy a dual edge sword.

For sure contrast is better. I have a plasma with a glossy screen. Looks great.

Now I am testing a glossy display for my PC looks great except for the fact I can see myself at times when using it and that drives me nuts.

I don't see myself on my TV because of where I have it.

No perfect solution. I think all the monitors you are messing with are very nice and it will be personal preference.

I do really like 2231x for photo work as I feel I can get the colors more close to real life than I can on the glossy or my plasma.
 
Yep, I agree. I have an alienware m14x and it's really glossy. Looks great in a very dark room but has lots of reflections otherwise. I want something in between the heavy AG of my Dell 2209wa and fully glossy. I've been looking at the Asus VG23AH, it's semi-glossy, IPS, and fast response time. Seems great, I just wish I could see it. Also thinking about the Asus PA238q or PA248q because they come pre-calibrated. And of course the U2412M.
 
what is clone mode? Do you mean you extended the desktop across both displays? Right now I have the HP 2311xi and Dell 2209wa right next to each other. The HP looks much more vibrant, colorful and bright. Also, the Dell has a lot of anti-glare visible when looking at text. I never really noticed it much without anything to compare it with before. The 2311xi has some graininess but much less in comparison. I still would like even less grain for viewing text. Otherwise I don't really notice it. Also, whites on the dell don't look white in comparison. But the colors on the dell are still warm and pleasing.
 
Here's my take on the 2311xi if anyone wants a data point.

Physically, the screen has a big glossy bezel. Not really my taste, but it looks fine on the desk. The stand is plastic and not heavy but it seems sturdy enough. You can only tilt the screen...no pivot or height. It has HDMI input but no audio out, sadly. The OSD is fine. You can turn off the LED power light if you want to from the OSD. Buttons are fine also. No problems there. There are presets for different modes like gaming, text, etc. I have been playing BF3 in gaming mode and I rather like it, so it's pretty convenient to quickly select that mode, then back to my custom settings once I'm done gaming.

No bad pixels on the unit I got. The screen uniformity is excellent with no dark or gray areas. The screen is very bright on default settings. The colors look nice (I don't have a calibrator). I don't have any of the "greenish tint" that the cnet review mentioned. The color settings out of the box were really good. In comparison, it looks very nice next to my Dell 2209wa, the hp looks more vibrant. The HP is brighter, whites are crisp and the antiglare coat is noticeably less on the HP than my dell. This results in text being clear and the screen having a nice crisp look to it. The dell screen looks kind of "dirty" when text on white background is viewed. But the HP looks pretty great. But you can still notice the AG if you are thinking about it. Viewing angles are terrific as in all IPS displays I've seen.

In BF3, I don't see any ghosting or streaking whatsoever. It is very responsive and looks terrific. But keep in mind that I'm not a hardcore FPSer at all. One negative is that the HP has a noticeable "IPS glow" effect. I didn't notice it all until I started playing BF3. In very dark areas of a game it is noticeable in the corners of the screen if you are looking for it. It's most pronounced on say a loading screen where most of the screen is supposed to be black. The bottom and top right corners has the most bleed.

In summary, its a really nice monitor, especially when you consider the price. Here are my pros and cons.

Pros:
-Good color and settings right out of the box (of course you need to turn down the brightness)
-bright, vibrant colors, screen uniformity is excellent, no dark areas
-text is crisp and clear
-No ghosting or lag in games that I could see, game mode is handy and had a nice effect in BF3
-antiglare coating is lighter than 2209wa
-easy to switch provided modes, but only one "custom" setting slot

Cons:
-has a bit of IPS glow, most pronounced on right side corners
-no audio out (would've been nice to have with the HDMI input)
-stand only has tilt, kind of flimsy feeling but works fine
-only 1 year warranty from HP

Overall, great monitor for ~$200.
 
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