Dell S2721QS vs Dell S3221QS

cnick79

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Oct 5, 2004
Messages
1,836
I'm debating between the dell s2721qs and the dell s3221qs as a replacement for my old dell 2405fpw to connect my linux box, macbook pro and maybe a mac mini. Anyone have any thoughts over which one to get?

I don't game anymore so I'm not worried about that. I do a lot more development work so that's more important to me.
 
Size:
Depends on your needs but also on your eyesight and/or OS support for scaling.
On 27 4K you have ~163 PPI and some people might find this pixel density unusable without some form of scaling/zoom.
4K at 31.5" is still pretty high at ~140 PPI but perhaps maybe slightly more manageable?

Panel:
I do not recommend VA panels. Period.
They give me overall much worse experience, also of dark content because of gamma shift which makes you perceive difference of details at different parts of the screen and when you move head, and since each eye sees different colors everything looks strange. On IPS it is easy to make black truly black with ambient light but it doesn't help VA panels as much since the most visible dark colors issue is related not to black level but to gamma changing with viewing angles. The only viable way to avoid gamma change is to move very far away from the screen, ideally to infinity :)

If that affect text depends on colors you use. Black text on white screen look ok on VA but dark themes (which are similar to this forum theme) not so much because these darker backgrounds show severe gamma shift.

Of course IPS also has off angle issues but at least gamma stays the same, colors stay the same and even 'washed out' apperance from steep angle is less jarring.

Curvature:
I do not think curved monitor is good for anything and especially not good for office/development work. For games it might in theory be cool except images are generated (and filmed in case of videos) for flat screens so they do not display on curved monitors correctly.

From these two I would rather take 27" IPS
 
You make some valid points and wish I saw this before placing the order because I went with the 32" and now I'm having buyer's remorse after reading this. I use dark mode for nearly everything that supports it so I was hoping the higher contrast of the 32" would help in this regard but from what you are saying VA panels don't display dark themes well because of gamma shift. It's shit like that which scares me about curved monitors in the first place and I'm kind of surprised at myself for getting one. The reviews for the 27 and 32 were nearly identically and I've never used an IPS or VA panel before so reviews is all I had to go by.

Ultimately I want Apple to release their own monitor that doesn't cost an arm and a leg but if this 32" can hold me over and provide a better experience than my current 2405fpw then I'll be happy. Otherwise, I'll return it for the 27".
 
Ultimately I want Apple to release their own monitor that doesn't cost an arm and a leg but if this 32" can hold me over and provide a better experience than my current 2405fpw then I'll be happy. Otherwise, I'll return it for the 27".

Why? Monitor saying Apple on itself means nothing. They don't even make their own panels. I'd just grab something like this (even though you don't game) and call it a day.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mD...0-3440x1440-144-hz-monitor-xv340ck-pbmiipphzx

There won't be any form of scaling needed as 3440x is perfect fit to 34, and the higher refresh rate along with lower input lag will ultimately still lead to a more fluid experience while even moving your cursor around.
 
Why? Monitor saying Apple on itself means nothing. They don't even make their own panels. I'd just grab something like this (even though you don't game) and call it a day.

Their stuff just works because their products are made specifically for their own products then you don't need to worry about scaling issues, colors looking like crap, unreadable text, and other compatibility concerns when going 3rd party.
 
To my knowledge, Apple in the recent couple decades has majorly used OTHER manufacturer's panels or tubes. If you go all the way back to the days of CRTs, they used LaCie CRT monitors. Today, they still sell LG Ultrafine displays. Also, the display being somehow in the Apple ecosystem does NOT change the times you need: higher scaling, colors looking bad, unreadable text. All that has to do with stuff like PPI and panel and not the Apple fandango. Please try to understand what you're talking about rather than eating the white Apple...
 
Today, they still sell LG Ultrafine displays.
LG IPS panels seems to be the best.
Samsung have PLS panels which are just like IPS with different name because they could not use IPS name.
Another company making IPS-like panels is AUO and they call them A-HVA... which if you ask me is stupid name that suggest that is VA panel.

PLS panels were supposed to be better than IPS but in reality that was maybe true compared to IPS panels of the time when PLS launched.
A-HVA panels actually got the most traction in the industry and there are two reasons for that: price and AUO recognizing importance of high refresh rate panels.
There was a time when all gaming "IPS" monitors were from AUO.

Technically AUO panels are pretty good overall but comparing monitor reviews with LG panel and AUO panels the latter had always worse IPS-glow.

You make some valid points and wish I saw this before placing the order because I went with the 32" and now I'm having buyer's remorse after reading this. I use dark mode for nearly everything that supports it so I was hoping the higher contrast of the 32" would help in this regard but from what you are saying VA panels don't display dark themes well because of gamma shift. It's shit like that which scares me about curved monitors in the first place and I'm kind of surprised at myself for getting one. The reviews for the 27 and 32 were nearly identically and I've never used an IPS or VA panel before so reviews is all I had to go by.

Ultimately I want Apple to release their own monitor that doesn't cost an arm and a leg but if this 32" can hold me over and provide a better experience than my current 2405fpw then I'll be happy. Otherwise, I'll return it for the 27".
If you want to have experience of Apple product then what you should do is to grab 27" 5K monitor from any manufacturer that makes monitors with this panel. It is the same LG panel that Apple used and should give pretty much the same quality, just without fancy Apple aesthetics... but also without fancy Apple price tag ;)

This at least when it comes to OSX. I am not sure how Linux handles high PPI displays. For Windows 10 I know one could use 200% scale and get 1440p desktop space. Even older programs without proper scaling support would look good with 200% scale because at this scale Windows uses integer scaling. The same can be used on 4K display though 4K on 27" can still be within human eyesight capabilities to not have to use scaling. I mean 5K is also and I do have this PPI on 10" tablet with 1920x1200 and I don't use any scaling there but on tablet I have this tiny monitor much closer to my eyes. If I had 27" 5K display I would probably use 200% scaling.

----
RTINGS review of this 32" VA doesn't look very good. I can't confirm it because Dell doesn't disclose panel manufacturer but it seems it has AUO A-MVA panel and the one which does not have improved viewing angles. In VA world there are two main types of panels, one which is older type and one which is just like S-PVA and those had considerably improved viewing angles at the expense of slight subpixel artifacts which affected text sharpness slightly. Still it is this S-PVA type pixel structure that is recommended in VA monitor and if that was what this monitor you ordered had I would say that you will probably be happy with the purchase.

Since this is not the case my recommendation is to return the monitor if possible.
In any case if you get to use it please leave review/impression of the monitor.

BTW. One important factor in monitors that cannot be easily identified from reviews* is if monitor can be used at high brightness level comfortably. My last 27" 4K monitor I used I had to keep at very low brightness levels and on the the new one with the same size and resolution I can turn brightness up quite a lot and it is just fine. This is unrelated to white point or PWM flickering (in this case as both monitors were flicker free) but light spectrum. Obviously if monitor doesn't hurt my eyes at high brightness it will take less toll on my eyes when used at normal brightness levels. Also for very high PPI it is good to be able to have brighter display as ability to resolve very small details does decrease when monitor is very dim.

*) Also when it comes to monitor reviews: unfortunately reviews are written using templates and more often than not reviewers will ignore obvious flaws or describe them in a way that still most users will be happy with the product even if that cannot be true and this is simply because reviewers get products from manufacturers and they do not want to anger those manufacturers by saying too much. That is why it is best to just look for measurements and opinion about monitor from someone who bought the monitor like user reviews like https://www.reddit.com/r/Monitors/comments/nk4jbu/just_bought_a_s3221qs_not_sure_i_like_it_next/
 
I received the Dell 32" on Saturday and I am using it on my Linux machine and a Macbook Pro 16" 2019. I also have a MBP 13" 2016 which I have yet to try it on.

Overall the monitor is very nice and big. The panel has a small border on the left, right, and top that is very thin however this is a little misleading because when you plug it in there's actually a black border on the screen. This doesn't bother me but I'm sure some folks would find an issue with it.

Unfortunately my Linux machine only has a Geforce GTX570 and can only support max 2560x1600 and to top it off, I have it connected to the monitor using a DVI to HDMI cable which caps the resolution at 1920x1200. I ordered a mini-HDMI to HDMI cable to see if I can get that extra resolution. The Macbook can handle the full 4k very nicely with very slight tearing.

The curve on this is 1800R and is hardly noticeable. This is my first curved monitor and I would definitely get another but don't think I would get something with a higher curve (1500R). I see no issues with viewing angles on this monitor nor do I notice any "fading" of colors on the sides that might be associated with VA panels.

This panel is bright, I would say too bright! I had to adjust the contrast/brightness levels on it because I could see myself getting a headache if I continued using it. The blacks are not deep dark black and I think my old 2405fpw had darker colors. The text clarity on this doesn't seem as sharp as I expected because everything seems a little "fuzzy" around the edges of the text. Any tips on adjusting this?

Overall I am happy with the monitor and it displays better than I expected, especially on the Mac. I'm glad I got the 32" because I like the extra space and can fit a lot on it. I would definitely consider an ultrawide in my future. I paid $350 after taxes and shipping so for the value per dollar I think I did very well. I'm not ready to spend $1k on a monitor just yet because I do want to see if Apple releases a 30/32" iMac or a cheaper Pro display. My reason for liking the apple branded monitors is because it takes the guess work out of purchasing. I know you pay more but the apple store makes it really easy to find what you want and purchase it. If you guys can find a rebranded Mac Pro display monitor then I would love to see it because how do I find one? There are so many choices in the monitor market it can make you go bonkers.

---

Buying a monitor is worse than buying a car.
 
I received the Dell 32" on Saturday and I am using it on my Linux machine and a Macbook Pro 16" 2019. I also have a MBP 13" 2016 which I have yet to try it on.

Overall the monitor is very nice and big. The panel has a small border on the left, right, and top that is very thin however this is a little misleading because when you plug it in there's actually a black border on the screen. This doesn't bother me but I'm sure some folks would find an issue with it.


Fake tiny bezels are a bad idea that many monitor makers have adopted in their quest to get more bungholiomarks because they can put only the size of the plastic wrapping around the side not the dead space inside of it on their specsheet for the bezel size.

This panel is bright, I would say too bright! I had to adjust the contrast/brightness levels on it because I could see myself getting a headache if I continued using it. The blacks are not deep dark black and I think my old 2405fpw had darker colors. The text clarity on this doesn't seem as sharp as I expected because everything seems a little "fuzzy" around the edges of the text. Any tips on adjusting this?

On the system you're not running it at native resolution scaling artifacts are inevitable, running at 1920x1200 instead of 1920x1080 probably is making them worse because you're trying to cram 16:10 down a 16:9 throat.

On both of your systems I'd look for scaling options to see what you can do. I can't be more specific since I don't use Linux or OSX regularly; and have never done so with high DPI external displays.
 
Fake tiny bezels are a bad idea that many monitor makers have adopted in their quest to get more bungholiomarks because they can put only the size of the plastic wrapping around the side not the dead space inside of it on their specsheet for the bezel size.

When I unboxed the s3221 I was like "wow, the bezels are much thinner than I thought", then when I turned it on I saw what they did. From an aesthetics point of view it does look nicer than having chunky bezels.

On the system you're not running it at native resolution scaling artifacts are inevitable, running at 1920x1200 instead of 1920x1080 probably is making them worse because you're trying to cram 16:10 down a 16:9 throat.

On both of your systems I'd look for scaling options to see what you can do. I can't be more specific since I don't use Linux or OSX regularly; and have never done so with high DPI external displays.

I'm running native resolution with the MBP connected and tried different scaling options and all that seems to do is make everything bigger or smaller on the screen. If I had to choose over, I would probably go with a monitor closer to 110 or 220 ppi since that is what mac's prefer.

Unfortunately on my linux machine I won't be able to native resolution since my graphic card can only go to 2560x1600. I'm not worried about the linux box because that will eventually be replaced with either an iMac or Mac Mini. This monitor is great for the price and should serve as a filler until I decide on my linux box replacement.
 
I am glad you like your monitor.

Fake tiny bezels are a bad idea that many monitor makers have adopted in their quest to get more bungholiomarks because they can put only the size of the plastic wrapping around the side not the dead space inside of it on their specsheet for the bezel size.
These days pretty much all monitors adopted this style.
And I must say it looks good on desk and is not distracting when monitor is used so I guess it is all fine.

Unfortunately on my linux machine I won't be able to native resolution since my graphic card can only go to 2560x1600. I'm not worried about the linux box because that will eventually be replaced with either an iMac or Mac Mini. This monitor is great for the price and should serve as a filler until I decide on my linux box replacement.
On older devices it might be possible to get 4K but at reduced refresh rates like 30Hz.
The experience at 30Hz is of course a little choppy and laggy.

GTX 570 supports DP 1.1 and HDMI 1.3a so that should make it possible to do 30Hz at 4K. Probably custom timings would be required for that though. 4K@30Hz is pretty standard resolution due to some of the first TV's supported maximum of 30Hz so timings for that should be readily available. Of course you would need to use card's HDMI output. DVI ports are limited at 166MHz pixel clock which gives maximum resolution of 1920x1200@60Hz 8bpp. Same limitation probably applies to DP to HDMI adapters but I am not sure.
 
These days pretty much all monitors adopted this style.
And I must say it looks good on desk and is not distracting when monitor is used so I guess it is all fine.

It's just as much dead space between adjacent monitors as if they'd've wrapped the bezel plastic all the way around; and it gives room for scummy marketers to claim "1mm bezels" making it much harder to see what the actual spacing in a multipanel setup will be which is another reason beyond the simple deception behind why I loathe it.
 
I am glad you like your monitor.


These days pretty much all monitors adopted this style.
And I must say it looks good on desk and is not distracting when monitor is used so I guess it is all fine.
Agreed!

On older devices it might be possible to get 4K but at reduced refresh rates like 30Hz.
The experience at 30Hz is of course a little choppy and laggy.

GTX 570 supports DP 1.1 and HDMI 1.3a so that should make it possible to do 30Hz at 4K. Probably custom timings would be required for that though. 4K@30Hz is pretty standard resolution due to some of the first TV's supported maximum of 30Hz so timings for that should be readily available. Of course you would need to use card's HDMI output. DVI ports are limited at 166MHz pixel clock which gives maximum resolution of 1920x1200@60Hz 8bpp. Same limitation probably applies to DP to HDMI adapters but I am not sure.

I am using the mini-hdmi port to hdmi port now but 1920x1200 is the max selectable resolution. I'm in picture-by-picture mode and right now the text looks fine. I think if I were to use a higher resolution then the text wouldn't be as fuzzy but I can live with it since this linux machine will be replaced.

I also loaded the display profile from rtings this morning and it made a big difference in the brightness/colors/etc... blacks look darker, text looks nicer, it's not super bright. I find this profile so much nicer than the default profile
 
Back
Top