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Dell 1905fp mini-review

S

Sparrow_69

Gawd
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
Messages
776
I ordered this lcd on nov 25th and just received it this morning. It was well packaged in the usual dell fashion. I however don't really like the fact that the lcd is facing downwards in the box. It was however well protected with a plastic sheet over the screen and it was in a styrofoam type bag. BTW, yes, the vga cable was already attached. After hooking everything up, my first impression is that the lcd is really big compared to my 17". The monitor itself is really good looking. Thin black bezel with silver stand. It also has 2 usb port on the side of the bezel. I don't think I would ever use them since I would then have wires hanging from the side of the screen. Would it have been so hard to put it in the base of the screen? I initially thought that the dvi and power cable would hang down from the lcd an be seen, (they attach directly to the bottom of the panel, not to the base) but when the cables are put through the rubbery sleeve in the back of the stand, you can pull them tight enough so they aren't seen.

Now, for the interesting stuff. The colors are extraordinary. They are very bright and everything is very colorful. I have my brightness set to 25%. I've so far left the color settings at the default since I really like what the colors look like. As for contrast ratio, its also excellent. Blacks are very black and not "bright" as with some cheap lcd's. I know about blacks being very poor. My first lcd, a samsung 570v was a tn type panel. It had very poor blacks. Unfortunately, it was the best lcd on the market at the time. Furthermore, the viewing angle is very good horizontally and vertically. Even at almost 180degrees, the screen is still very clear. Furthermore, when normally viewing the lcd, you cannot see any difference in brightness in the screen itself.

Now, for ghosting. I just received the lcd this morning, so I'll give you my initial impressions. I tried a bit of Far cry, CoD, D3 and UT2004. As with my other lcd (25ms pva) ut2004 doesn't in my opinion, have any ghosting. It really depends on the game however. Far cry ghosts only on objects that are more "earthy in color". I would say that the ghosting in Far cry is minor. As for D3 and CoD, I would say that plain and simple, this is come ghosting. Mainsly due to the fact that there are a lot of greys in both the games. However, they do ghost less than my 25ms panel. When ghosting does occur, the ghosted image is less dense and more see through compared to my other lcd. I should also add that there is no backlight leakage whatsoever. I will play around with it a bit more tonight to get a better idea of how it performs. I should also add that I paid 585$ CAD with tax and shipping. Dell was offering 50$ off and free shipping. Also, I had a 15% off software and peripherals coupon.

Here are a few pics if anyone is interested:

0% brightness:


100% brightness








The digital pictures exagerate the difference in color saturation between the 2 lcd's. However, there is a difference. The samsung has more saturated colors, the dell is brighter and shows more details.
 
Thanks for the review Sparrow_69. A paragraph break or two would have been nice :) . I ordered one as well and it should get here later this week. I had ordered and now returned the 1704FPV because for one it was too small for my taste, had backlight leakage and was susceptible to ghosting. However as you mentioned, the colors and brightness on these monitors are fantastic. I was extremely impressed with the wide viewing angle. Can you check if there is any backlight leakage on your LCD when you use the blank screensaver?

Also there should be two usb 2.0 ports on the bottom of the monitor in addition to the two on the side. This way you can hook your keyboard and mouse to it without wires hanging down from the side of the monitor. Also gives you the range of using the keyboard on your lap. I really like the USB ports on the monitor. Very useful feature. Please post further impressions after further testing.
 
Sorry about the lack of a page break. I was in a bit of a hurry. As for the backlight leakage. I checked the screen while using the flowerbox screensaver. There is the tinniest little bit of backlight leakage in the top right and bottom left corners. Not something I could pick up on a pic though.

Furthermore, I was able to do a bit more testing with some games. I hooked up my other lcd through analog cable and cloned my display to compare the two (I know its not perfect, but its the best I can do). First thing is that the black level is a lot better. Blacks are really black. The colors are very good, but don't seem as saturated on my 172T. However, there is some loss of detail on the 172T because of this saturation. The dell shows more details in light areas.

I've also noticed that the brightness adjustments don't change a whole lot. There is very little difference between 1 and 100%. I currently have the dell on 25% and it is brighter than my samsung on 100%. As for ghosting, it is a little bit better than my other lcd (and I mean a very little bit). I'm wondering if I shouldn't just spend the extra dough and get a 2005fp. Are there any programs out there that test ghosting? I tried out the nokia monitor calibration utility, but it doesn't have anything for ghosting. What do you guys think about the color?

Are you better off with a screen which has more color saturation and less detail or less color saturation and more detail in dark areas. While playing CoD (level where you enter a dam, long hallways with generators in them) I was suprised to see how much brighter the dell was than my samsung. After playing that level, I really started to realize the difference in color and brightness in the 2. Forgot to mention, no dead pixels!
 
It sounds like you got a good LCD. If mine turns out like yours, I'm pretty sure I will keep it.
 
sparrow_69,
Do you think it's a keeper? Sounds like your are have second thoughts and wondering if you should have gone for the 2005. Now that you have one, any idea who made the panel for Dell. How do movies look on the monitor?
Ron
 
I read a post a while back on another forum. The guy seemed pretty knowledgeable about dell monitors. Forget which one though, I'll see if I can find it. He said it was made by lite-on.

I ordered this lcd before the big lcd article over at xbit labs. I was hoping the 20ms panel would have made a bigger difference. I guess the two reasons I'm on the fence about getting the 2005 is the backlight issue and obviously the price. Its currently 400$CAD more than what I paid for this lcd (585$CAD). Not sure yet.
 
After a lot of thought on the subject, I decided to return the monitor. I really wanted something as good as my old lcd, but with less ghosting. Unfortunately, the 1905fp wasn't it. Not to say this is a bad lcd, not at all. Its very bright, good whites, contrast ratio, esthetically pleasing and good colors. Its just a bit washed out compared to the samsung and the ghosting is the same. I'm definitely considering the 2005fpw. I think I may wait until the backlight leakage issue gets resolved though.
 
Any more opinions or comments on the 1905FP and ghosting? Please? Have one on order, trying to decide whether to cancel the order or not...

edit: Also, to sparrow, when you went to return your monitor, did Dell make you pay to ship it back? Did they charge a restocking fee? Just so I know in case I get mine and have to return it...thanks!

Evan
 
Why don't you just try it out and see what you think. If you don't like it, just get a refund.
 
I will, but if Dell tries to charge a 15 percent restocking fee, that's $60 plus shipping I'm out if I decide I don't like it...

I called Dell a few times and got different responses regarding return policy (restocking fee, cost, etc). That's why I'm curious.

Evan
 
In canada, dell doesn't charge a restocking fee. I've returned and lcd and notebook 'cos I didn't like either. Dell paid for return shipping for both.
 
Sparrow_69 said:
In canada, dell doesn't charge a restocking fee. I've returned and lcd and notebook 'cos I didn't like either. Dell paid for return shipping for both.
Click to expand...
Agreed, I just got off the phone with a Dell rep.

My 1905FP has two 'stuck' pixels, and they are sending me a replacement - WITHOUT me shipping them this one. Once I get the replacement, it will include a shipping label to stick on the box, put my old monitor in, and ship back.

Awesome customer support.

Otherwise, I second the other opinions here. 1905fp = noticeable (but not terrible) ghosting, terrible color reproduction, 'washed out' picture. I'm sure some tinkering with the nVidia color profile will solve the color issues - I just hate having to do that. My NEC 1760nx worked with gorgeous colors "out of the box". It's a shame, but I'm sure I'll get it straightened out.

I *do* like the ability of this monitor to rotate 90 degrees, though - I do a LOT of documentation work, and that feature is worth the price of the monitor alone.
 
Sparrow_69 said:
Did you have any backlight leakage?
Click to expand...
If I understand what that is - "lit" pixels 'bleeding' light into "dark" pixels - then, no, I don't really notice anything like that. I've only got the brightness set at 25%, though. Dunno if that would make a difference.
 
I just ordered one of these for $671 CDN with taxes. You got it for a great deal @ $585 CDN. :cool:
 
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