Dell S2209W Review

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mayaman

Weaksauce
Joined
Mar 1, 2006
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69
Dell S2209W - I paid $213 for it.

21.5", 1920x1080, TN Panel, 5MS

I just barely like it, I do lots of web design work and buying this for that reason was a mistake. I'll probably keep it though as my second monitor or for use with another computer, its not that bad its just not good enough if you are serious about how your display handles color. (TN Panel)

PROs
Video plays great
Games experience only a little blurring
NO dead pixels
Attractive design
Bright and contrasty
Pixel density is exactly to my tastes

CONs
Noticeably limited color reproduction (TN panel)
Vertical viewing angle has to be *just* right or image washes out slightly from top to bottom.

Because I do some web UI work, I'm disappointed in the color reproduction this monitor affords. But because I also do lots of coding, I don't care as much.

As far as using it for other purposes like games, and video, I find it above average. Games are perfectly fine, I had no issues, but some of you probably would have some quibbles with faster paced games. Video is actually great, very smooth, A- in this regard.

If you are coming from a 2-3 year old monitor that was not a "pro" graphics monitor, then you will like this as an upgrade. If you have genuine pro graphics needs, sorry, you still have to pony up the dough. If you just want something to watch movies on and play games at 1080p, then go for it.

After its all said and done it has a below average price and above average performance. So it stays.
 
You may be happier with the 2209wa. Its an e-IPS panel and seems to be very popular. It can be had for the same price you paid.
 
conscript said:
isn't the 2209wa a lower resolution though?
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yes its 1680x1050.

I have the S2409 thats also 1080 and I couldnt imagine looking at a puny 21.5 inch with the same res. even this 24inch seems physically quite small and the res is really tight already. most older people would go blind trying to look at 1080 on a 21.5 inch.
 
I just purchased the same monitor tonight at Best Buy and it will be going back in the morning. This was more of a test of the technology as I am a diehard believer in a good old fashioned CRT for gaming, but this thing is not living up to my expectations, not even close. I suppose its unfair to expect it to match 1600x1200 at 85Hz silky smooth gameplay, but forgetting anything but the quality of pictures in motion, this thing is BAD.

Whether it be in Quake 3, L4D or TF2 (the only games I play) there is noticeable choppiness and general "unsmoothness" in the motion on the monitor. It's not ghosting, there is no noticeable blurring. It has some input lag, enough to get my panties in a twist, but that's not even my main issue. I am inexperienced with LCDs for this very reason; I basically assume they will provide this kind of performance not even close to on par with a decent CRT. I almost feel like I did something wrong, although I don't know what there is to it besides plugging it into a DVI port and setting your resolution to 1920x1080.

A friend of mine was raving about a particular Acer LCD they also have at BB. I will exchange this for it and give it a try, but I sincerely doubt if it will reverse my opinion of what an LCD has to offer. Frankly I was shocked by just how poor it performed after my buddy (another longtime CRT user) was so impressed with his. He might need to get his eyes (brain?) checked if he thinks this is on par with a good CRT.

And really, my intent isn't to turn this into an LCD vs. CRT debate because honestly if this is what LCDs provide, there isn't a debate when it comes to gaming performance.
 
krameriffic said:
And really, my intent isn't to turn this into an LCD vs. CRT debate because honestly if this is what LCDs provide, there isn't a debate when it comes to gaming performance.
Click to expand...

Honestly, there are many LCDs that are MUCH better than the one you bought. Read some of the huge threads about IPS and MVA/PVA panel LCDs before buying one. Most TN panels (of which the S2209W is one) are passable for office work and web browsing and that's about it.

I just got the 2209WA 22" IPS and the IQ is fantastic, although I haven't tried it on any games since I use it at work. At home I using a Soyo Topaz 24" P-MVA and it also has great IQ, single-digit ms timings in input lag and is perfect for games (I play TF2 all the time). I don't think they're for sale anymore though, but there are probably other 24" LCDs out now that are even better. It just takes a little research.
 
william_fontaine said:
Honestly, there are many LCDs that are MUCH better than the one you bought. Read some of the huge threads about IPS and MVA/PVA panel LCDs before buying one. Most TN panels (of which the S2209W is one) are passable for office work and web browsing and that's about it.

I just got the 2209WA 22" IPS and the IQ is fantastic, although I haven't tried it on any games since I use it at work. At home I using a Soyo Topaz 24" P-MVA and it also has great IQ, single-digit ms timings in input lag and is perfect for games (I play TF2 all the time). I don't think they're for sale anymore though, but there are probably other 24" LCDs out now that are even better. It just takes a little research.
Click to expand...

I'm sure there are better available LCDs, but the point of buying it at BB was to dip my toes in the water if you will since it's so easy to return if I don't like it. I've never gamed on a decent LCD and unfortunately they don't sell what might pass as a decent LCD at any local electronics stores where I live. And I'll tell you this: I won't order a $300+ dollar monitor without ever laying eyes on it first or trying it out without the ability to easily return it if it does not meet my admittedly high and picky standards.

I have a feeling that my problem won't be remedied by a slightly different version of the technology. I tested the input lag on the 2209W and it wasn't bad. It's quoted as a 5ms response time in all of their literature. Maybe it's the 60Hz refresh rate that's getting me, maybe it's some inherent problem in the technology itself. Believe me, I'd love to try that 2209WA, I went through the whole thread of people raving about getting an e-IPS panel for $212. But even that is an investment I won't make without a guarantee that I will like it. I can't take anybody else's word for it on gaming hardware.
 
The Samsung 2232rz or Viewsonic 2265wm are probably the next LCD monitors you should try, since they are the only true 120Hz LCD monitors on the market (yes, they will take and display 120Hz from the video card).
 
evilsofa said:
The Samsung 2232rz or Viewsonic 2265wm are probably the next LCD monitors you should try, since they are the only true 120Hz LCD monitors on the market (yes, they will take and display 120Hz from the video card).
Click to expand...

Maybe. My local (if you can call 40 miles away local) Microcenter has a few of the Samsungs in stock. Only problem I have with it then is a relatively hefty price tag.
 
mayaman said:
Vertical viewing angle has to be *just* right or image washes out slightly from top to bottom.
Click to expand...
Glad it's not just me. The image towards the bottom of the screen seems slightly "less bright" (or washed out as you put it, which is pretty accurate). Because of this, I'm still not 100% sure if I'm keeping it. It's not extremely noticeable by any means. I'm also wondering if I was able to increase the height of the monitor close to eye level if it wouldn't be alleviated a bit.

Overall I'm pretty impressed with it so far. I will say though, the default OS X color profile is absolute, utter GARBAGE. In my 3-4 years using OS X with a plethora of external displays, I've never seen a color profile so whacked as this one. Initially, I honestly thought there might be something wrong with the monitor or the 9400M in the Macbook. After some tweaking the color profile though, it looks great.

I'm curious how this monitor compares to the Acer H233H. Can anyone who has tried both provide some insight into this? I originally bought the Acer, but never did get a chance to hook it up with the Macbook because I had to take it back because of some big issues that came up with my wifes car.
 
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