• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Monitor recommendation

B

bloodface

n00b
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
18
I'm looking to buy a monitor to go with my new Mac Pro. It's a Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon (8-core) with 2GB memory (800MHz DDR2 fully-buffered DIMM ECC) and 500GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3 Gb/s and an NVIDIA GeForce GT8800 512 mb.

I'm just going to be doing basic computer stuff, plus some video editing, but nothing very high-end at this point, though I'd like to possibly get into that. I'd also like to watch tv on the thing and movies and am interested in the PiP so that say I can have a show on in one part and be working on other stuff in another part of the screen. I'm not a big gamer, but playing a few games on it would be nice I suppose, but this is not going to be really anything that matters a ton to me.

I've looked at a ton of different monitors and can't seem to figure anything out because I'm not too versed on what a lot of this means. I've looked at various 24" monitors, and have even considered the now discounted Dell 30" 3007WFP-HC. I'd ideally not like to spend over $600, but if this 30" is a ton better for what I want to do specifically (which would mainly be normal computer and watching cable tv, with occasional editing), I'd bite the bullet.

What monitor would you guys recommend? I was looking at the Dell 2407WFP as well as the E248WFP. Thoughts? Your advice would be greatly appreciated...
 
I also realize this is probably a pretty annoying request, but if anyone can be of assistance, it would be greatly helpful. I'm disabled so getting out and about to check things is difficult for me.
 
You're going to want the 3008 if you want the 30" the 3007 only has one input and doesn't have pip.

On the 24" side the Dell 2407 and 2408 are the only screens I know of with pip, but I haven't gone through the feature list of all the 24" screens.
 
Hopefully I can help. I had a 2407WFP A04 for a short while. However mine had some problems, the left side was brighter than the right side. I did like the inputs and features. It has PIP and a easy menu to navigate. If you don't do too much gaming, I think the 2407WFP-HC might be a good choice. The ghosing issue varies from user to user.
 
CoolGuy90 said:
Hopefully I can help. I had a 2407WFP A04 for a short while. However mine had some problems, the left side was brighter than the right side. I did like the inputs and features. It has PIP and a easy menu to navigate. If you don't do too much gaming, I think the 2407WFP-HC might be a good choice. The ghosing issue varies from user to user.
Click to expand...

I noticed the ghosting when I first got my screen, but after a week I can't see it unless I look for it.
 
Wow, thanks folks! I really appreciate the input of you guys. Reading this site now for a few weeks has felt like I'm reading sanskrit. It's obvious you guys have a deep knowledge about this stuff that comes from years of experience, and frankly, it's really daunting to try and tackle. I was nervous about asking because I know these questions can seem frustrating in a sense of 'why don't you do what we did and just figure this stuff out yourself!' And honestly, I'm trying! The last time I purchased a computer was 2000, and I haven't made any updates to it, so A LOT has changed. Again, you sharing what you know with me is so helpful for me because I can't really go out and check on this stuff without some major hassle and difficulty. My hope was to really kind of pinpoint what I should be looking for and then try and arrange a time when I can be transported somewhere to take a look at the item in question, though, I'm not sure who would have a dell monitor on display. Anyways, I digress...

I originally was looking at a Gateway FHD2400, but I found this forum and everyone seemingly having problems with it, so I did more research and found that people liked the original 2407WFP, and that the -HC seemed to be a small upgrade. And then there was the discount that has seemingly ended on the 24th, and that there's still one more now ending on the 31st for this monitor through Dell. It seems like it would be the appropriate monitor for me, but I think because you guys are so into fine-tuning what you want, that sometimes your expression of dislike for a particular item can seem like to a beginner a much larger critique than it is. Not your fault at all, just so caught up in the terms and whatnot that it gets tough trying to wade through what is and isn't important.

So I think I'm going to go with this monitor, and if I may, I have a few more questions to ask, that if you have the time, I would be very grateful for some follow up:

The ghosting issue. Is this something that if it's a large problem that Dell would take the monitor back? I'm planning on buying the 5 year warranty (or should I just stick with the 3?), so I'm guessing that if ghosting is a large issue that they would take it back?

also, there's the issue of their little speaker thing. Worth it? Or just get a speaker system to hook up with it?

quality cords. I've noticed a lot of talk about this, and I'm not hooking up any gaming systems, just want to run my cable in, which a friend said I'd probably need a tuner, and recommended that I get a Elgato for my Mac. IF that is a good idea, I've read that lesser quality cords have an impact, but I'm not sure what to go for, and I'm seeing a large array of pricing on these buggers. Any recommendations?

Thank you again so much, it's incredibly helpful for me!
 
Oh, and lastly, do you think that the price on this monitor will go down any time soon, and, does anyone have a discount coupon for it, or will the discount not work with their current $100 off offer?
 
I got my 2407wfp-hc for $550. They haven't gone much below that and often coupons don't work when they put it on sale. Dell will not take the monitor back for ghosting. They would have given a full refund before nov 1, 07 (I think it was nov 1st, may have been earlier or later) if you emailed them saying you want a full refund and will be sending the monitor back because of ghosting.

Now the issue is widely known so you know what you are getting into before it wasn't which is why they offered a full refund. You do have the 21 day satisfaction policy so if you don't like within those 21 days return it, after that you are stuck with the ghosting.
 
bloodface said:
is the 3007wfp that much better, even though it's 2 years old?
Click to expand...

What do you mean by better? Its an ips screen so the colors and angles will be better, but it has far less features then the 2407wfp-hc.
 
By better I guess I just mean better for me.

What features are omitted? I'm basically just interested in being able to watch TV on the monitor, do some video editing, some officework, internet and email. I really won't be gaming much on it.

Thanks for your replies!
 
bloodface said:
By better I guess I just mean better for me.

What features are omitted? I'm basically just interested in being able to watch TV on the monitor, do some video editing, some officework, internet and email. I really won't be gaming much on it.

Thanks for your replies!
Click to expand...

The 3007 has only one input so it has no pip, you will have to watch tv on your pc. There are no scaling options (1:1, aspect).
 
Gotcha, thank you. What about the Dell 27", or do you think that the 24" is just going to be my best bet right now? Or is there another monitor out there that suits me better that I'm just missing?
 
bloodface said:
Gotcha, thank you. What about the Dell 27", or do you think that the 24" is just going to be my best bet right now? Or is there another monitor out there that suits me better that I'm just missing?
Click to expand...

The 27" is just the 24" but bigger and a different look, I don't think it has a high color panel either, other than that they are fairly similar.
 
ha, you'll probably find this idiotic, but what is a high color panel? So the 27" has the same functions (PiP), inputs and everything, just bigger?
 
bloodface said:
ha, you'll probably find this idiotic, but what is a high color panel? So the 27" has the same functions (PiP), inputs and everything, just bigger?
Click to expand...

Yes same functions and inputs. The high color panel just increase the range of colors the monitor can produce, but its not that big of an increase, and some people don't like it because it can oversaturate colors if not calibrated correctly.
 
I take it that there is no 2707wfp-hc? The price I'm seeing on the Dell site for the 2707wfp is a little high ($1164), and more than that 3007wfp-hc. Do you know of any deals or ways to get that 27" down? Is the extra 3"'s worth the extra $450 over the $700 2407wfp-hc?
 
bloodface said:
Is the extra 3"'s worth the extra $450 over the $700 2407wfp-hc?
Click to expand...
Thats up for you to decide.

There is no hc 27". The reason the 3007 is cheaper is because it doesn't have all the features like the 27" and the 3008 which is more expensive.
 
How do I gauge that though, as it's hard for me to go out and see it? Is 24" enough to watch tv over PiP and surf the internet/write in a word document? It's just very hard for me to go out and check this stuff out. AGain, thanks so much for your help! You've been invaluable!
 
bloodface said:
How do I gauge that though, as it's hard for me to go out and see it? Is 24" enough to watch tv over PiP and surf the internet/write in a word document? It's just very hard for me to go out and check this stuff out. AGain, thanks so much for your help! You've been invaluable!
Click to expand...

Well the pip box is about 5"x7" at its biggest on the 2407wfp-hc. Just so you know you can only use pip with composite, component, or svideo with vga or dvi. You cannot do pip with vga and dvi. If you are using a tv tuner in your pc you don't need pip you can just make a small window and put it in a corner.

If you want a bigger pip box then the 27" and 3008 will give you a bigger box. If you are using your pc to watch tv then the 3007 will allow you more screen space to put a window up in the corner.
 
I'll actually be on a mac (or maybe pc is just general for all computers).

I don't need the image to be massive, but I just want to make sure it's large enough to watch and do work on. I'm guessing that the 24 and 27 both do not have tuners, so I have to buy one.

As for the component, composite, vga, etc. stuff, I'm totally sorry, but I don't know what that actually means. Ug... I'm a moron. Does this mean that I have to but something different, get new cables?
 
bloodface said:
I'll actually be on a mac (or maybe pc is just general for all computers).

I don't need the image to be massive, but I just want to make sure it's large enough to watch and do work on. I'm guessing that the 24 and 27 both do not have tuners, so I have to buy one.

As for the component, composite, vga, etc. stuff, I'm totally sorry, but I don't know what that actually means. Ug... I'm a moron. Does this mean that I have to but something different, get new cables?
Click to expand...

None of the Dell monitors have tuners. If 7"x5" is big enough for you then get the 24" because thats as big as the pip box gets on the 24". Vga and Dvi are the connection between the computer and monitor. Composite is a the yellow rca, Component is the red, green, and blue rca connection, svideo is the round one with 4 pins.
 
How big would the PiP be on the 27"? That was very helpful! 7x5 is a little small.

And you were saying that if I use a tuner I don't need PiP?
 
bloodface said:
How big would the PiP be on the 27"? That was very helpful! 7x5 is a little small.

And you were saying that if I use a tuner I don't need PiP?
Click to expand...

It should be bigger on the 27" but I don't have one so I can't tell you for sure. If you have a tv tuner card installed in your mac (or a usb tv tuner) and can watch tv on your mac then you don't need the pip function as you can just watch it on your mac and resize the window up into a corner.

What picture in picture does is take the video from a source, say your cable box, and it will then put a small box over the picture your monitor is sending out.

Edit: I will get some pics for you.
 
This first pic is the tv tuner built into my pc and I watching tv on my pc.

img0074uw6.jpg


This second pic shows that I can resize and move the window.

img0076td2.jpg


This Third pic is of the pip box, this is as big as it gets, you can compare the size to the browser.

img0078uu3.jpg


This forth pic is of another option it will put the 2 sources side by side but its kind of hard to see text.

img0079ry3.jpg
 
Wow, thanks, that is helpful!

So maybe PiP isn't what I really need. Would then getting a usb tuner work well, or how do you get/install a tuner card for the 8 core Mac Pro? I'm assuming this beast has to be able to handle it.
 
bloodface said:
Wow, thanks, that is helpful!

So maybe PiP isn't what I really need. Would then getting a usb tuner work well, or how do you get/install a tuner card for the 8 core Mac Pro? I'm assuming this beast has to be able to handle it.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I can't help you on the tuner part for a mac. Your best bet is to post in the mac forums for a mac compatible tv tuner.
 
bloodface said:
Thanks!

So is there a tuner that will handle digital cable?
Click to expand...

Yes and no, the tuners that are linked will handle digital over the air signals, if they support qam (digital cable signals) then they can handle digital cable signals that are not encoded. I have comcast and they have quite a few channels that arent encoded, but the good ones (movie channels) are encoded and will just show a black screen.

Edit: The hauppagge doesn't support digital cable at all, the pinnacle doesn't say it does so I would say it doesn't support it also. The tunner I bought specifically said it supports qam (digital cable)
 
tuners a PITA I know I have a dual HD tuner, its not the same as cable box + PIP. I have been struggeling with mine (and not because it sucks because teh cable company encrypts almost everything) and the Digital HD tuner only gets very limited stations.

If your up for spending $600 I'd suggest getting a larger HDTV like the Westinghouse 37". 32-35" would work well for only a little more.
Best HD Tuner is probably still the HDHR (HD Home Run), it works through the ethernet so no worries abotu plugging it in. I'm not sure if it is mac compatable but go ahead and google it, it should stream to anything but you will need to see if there is a mediacenter for mac. I really have not been using mine it's too much of a hassle since the cable company keeps changing the channels around and I have to re-map them manualy. 100x easier to just change over to HDMI input and watch TV or use PIP, rather than spend hours every month screwing around with mapping stations with a HD tuner (of course the tuner works as a Tivo if you do spend the time to map the stations). My stations go up to 999 but with a tuner card (in order to meet vista compliance not sure if there is a work around for macs) you can only get a fraction of those stations. You can select the stations you want though, but many are encrypted by my cable company (comedy Central Discovery HD and all the other stations I watch). The only way to decrypt them is through using a cable box + firewire which is a black art still (I doubt anyone has even bothered making drivers for a mac since they are the minority and not alot of freeware for them). My cable box only semi works anyways, through the fire wire; picture and sound jump around on stations I'm not able to get through the tuner making it worthless as a tuner through the PC. Westinghouse 37" is the best purchase I made in the last 3 years probably. No Regrets and LCD TVs are only getting better. Less eyestrain than super high resolution small pixel LCD"s like I have to deal with at work too. 1920x1080 is a good resolution for a monitor this size, and would give a Mac Book the Wow factor so long as the MacBook is HDCP compliant. I'd just get a cable box if I was you and forget about tuners, unless your trying to make the laptop into a full blown HTPC which it is not really designed for. If you find one cheap then pick it up to play but I doubt it is going to replace your cable box.
 
So you can use an HDTV as your monitor? I bet that's a really dumb question actually, but I'm thusly confused on why anyone (who isn't doing high end graphics, etc.) would want a lcd monitor if TV's are just better anyway and cheaper.
 
PS, I'm not getting a laptop, but the big guy, the new Mac Pro, 8 core and all that jazz. So it's very powerful, 500 GB hd, 2.8 speed, etc. The specs are in the first post.
 
bloodface said:
So you can use an HDTV as your monitor? I bet that's a really dumb question actually, but I'm thusly confused on why anyone (who isn't doing high end graphics, etc.) would want a lcd monitor if TV's are just better anyway and cheaper.
Click to expand...

Yes if you get a 1080p TV, I would not recomend over 37" although if you sit back some 42 may be aceptable. I would imagine 32-37" 1080p would be the sweet spot without making the text too tiny, or making the pixels too big. Some TV's may work better than others, the westinghouse W37 SE has proven itself, although there were alot of them out there that had some issues or firmware problems. I had to return my first one but my second one is perfect and I don't intend to upgrade it anytime soon unless I hit the lottery and can afford one of those LED backlighting 1080p displays. hell im typing on it right now! Laptop hooks up to it as well through my VGA cable. PC thorugh DVI and cable box through HDMI.

Sorry I misread your post, either way an external ethernet tuner (if compatable) would be the best way to go, then you can stream to multiple PCs (err umm MACs :p )and not take up any space in your Computer) They only cost a little more than internal tuners. It sounds like your pretty well off if you can afford a top of the line Mac so the westinghouse would just be icing on the cake (or getter 1080p TV if you so choose).
 
bloodface said:
So you can use an HDTV as your monitor? I bet that's a really dumb question actually, but I'm thusly confused on why anyone (who isn't doing high end graphics, etc.) would want a lcd monitor if TV's are just better anyway and cheaper.
Click to expand...

Yes. Tv's aren't better. They are designed to be viewed from far away. Often upclose you can see the individual pixels because they are alot bigger. A 30" tv will only be 1280x720 while a 30" lcd will be 2650x1600 (is it 1600?). Colors and text are a lot better on most pc monitors than tvs. The Smallest monitor with a 1080p (1920x1200) resolution is a 32 Sharp or Samsung and it will oversaturate reds.

You got to remember the highest tv resolution is 1080p and so the bigger the screen you get the bigger the pixels will become.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top