U2410 or AW2310?

[Triz08]

I am currently using a 26" LG W2600H and i'm looking for an upgrade LCD. I am deciding between Dell U2410 and Alienware OPTX AW2310.

What would you guys choose?

U2410 - Would be upgrading to an IPS panel which I would very much like, and get to keep the 1920x1200 resolution that I prefer over 1080. But costs $530 shipped.

AW2310 - 120 HZ for very smooth realistic gameplay which is appealing to me. But has a TN panel and will be a smaller display and losing pixels 1920x1080. Only costs $400 shipped.

I am a gamer (WoW/FPS), movie watcher, web surfer. Given my preference and thoughts above, what do you think would be a better choice?

 

[kllrnohj]

I'm preferential to the U2410 (I have 3 of them ). You can also look at the HP ZR24w - 1920x1200, 24", IPS, and I think its about $425? There's a huge thread on it here.

Something to consider, things like web pages are awesome in portrait mode, which you basically can't do with a TN panel. Even if the TN supports rotation, you'll quickly want to tear your eyes out due to the color shift. I don't mean a subtle change, I mean things turn completely different colors.

 

[NCX]

I am currently using a 26" LG W2600H and i'm looking for an upgrade LCD. I am deciding between Dell U2410 and Alienware OPTX AW2310.

What would you guys choose?

U2410 - Would be upgrading to an IPS panel which I would very much like, and get to keep the 1920x1200 resolution that I prefer over 1080. But costs $530 shipped.

AW2310 - 120 HZ for very smooth realistic gameplay which is appealing to me. But has a TN panel and will be a smaller display and losing pixels 1920x1080. Only costs $400 shipped.

I am a gamer (WoW/FPS), movie watcher, web surfer. Given my preference and thoughts above, what do you think would be a better choice?

-If you enjoy a medicore contrast ratio, shallow black depth and probably panel issues go for the Dell U2410. Unless you need extremely accurate colors and have a colorimeter I would skip the U2410.

As a gamer spending 530$ on a monitor aimed at color enthusiasts with calibration units is pointless. 120hz is amazing for games and movies and you will have access to 3D You can also use Power DVD10 for 2D-3D conversion if you get the Nvidia 3D kit. Keep using your W600H for movies as it is a bigger display if you don't want to loose the size, but the Alien ware will be way better for gaming.

 

[Godmachine]

I own both a 120hz Samsung LCD and the Dell U2410 , I love my Dell for everything but gaming. Its contrast ratio isn't that bad (certainly not as bad as the HP 24 inch) however for PC gaming I would go with
AW2310. That monitor is suited for you quite well , for gaming 120hz is king.

I do love my Dell U2410 for its portrait mode , its amazing for all kinds of regular desktop usage (web pages really are easier to view in portrait mode).

The only downside to the U2410 is the random tinting issue , Dell has kinda taken a retarded stance for returns on this model so if you get one with a strong pink/greenish tint you are kinda screwed but of course you could lie and get it replaced since Dell doesn't seem to give a shit.

 

[jhatfie]

Hard to say. I cannot stand the color shift of TN panels and spending extra to avoid it is worth it to me, even at the expense of losing some response compared to a 120hz monitor. The Alienware does not have displayport and is smaller with a crappier resolution. However, It's lightning fast response time and high refresh rate are of course pluses. If 3D games/movies hold some interest for you, then it may offer some additional incentive and should supply some weight to your decision. I personally am not sold on the current state of 3D, not for home/computers, not just yet anyway until glasses are no longer needed. If you are competitive fps player however, the Alienware should get the nod in this situation as milliseconds do add up.

I play a fair bit, but I just recently decided on 3 x HP ZR24w's ($379 each) for my eyefinity setup giving up some performance for what is a better balance of capabilities for my needs (60% gaming,15%web, 20% illustration/coloring, 5% movies). After some initial monitor setup the HP ZR24w has really good colors and black levels that are better than the other TN panels in my home and it is quite good for gaming (mainly play WoW/Battlefield BC2/Dirt2 atm). Movies look great. I have yet to notice any sluggish input lag, ghosting or tinting issues. Absolutely no regrets in not getting a more gamer focused monitor.

 

[ryken]

Something to consider, things like web pages are awesome in portrait mode, which you basically can't do with a TN panel. Even if the TN supports rotation, you'll quickly want to tear your eyes out due to the color shift. I don't mean a subtle change, I mean things turn completely different colors.

I run a cheap ass hanns g in portrait and the color shift is barely noticeable. The viewing angle is still poor, but if you more or less sit in the same spot, it isn't a big deal.

 

[kllrnohj]

I run a cheap ass hanns g in portrait and the color shift is barely noticeable. The viewing angle is still poor, but if you more or less sit in the same spot, it isn't a big deal.

How big? I have a 22" Dell TN in portrait at work and its amazing how bad it is. In landscape the colorshift is typical TN. In portrait, the left and right side have entirely different colors, as does the top and bottom. I keep it in portrait only because the extra vertical is so much better for code.

-If you enjoy a medicore contrast ratio, shallow black depth and probably panel issues go for the Dell U2410. Unless you need extremely accurate colors and have a colorimeter I would skip the U2410.

No. First, the U2410 has a huge color advantage in that it can actually show 16.7 million colors while the AW2310 can only show 260,000 colors, huge difference.

Second, those "panel issues" of the U2410 are uniformity related. The AW2310 has shitloads more uniformity problems than even a bad U2410 panel:

http://s974.photobucket.com/albums/ae225/Jytra/AW2310 Review/?action=view&current=027.jpg
http://s974.photobucket.com/albums/ae225/Jytra/AW2310 Review/?action=view&current=028.jpg
http://s974.photobucket.com/albums/ae225/Jytra/AW2310 Review/?action=view&current=029.jpg

Look at all that sweet backlight bleed, color shift (from head on mind you), and uniformity problems! That'll be awesome when he's watching movies and surfing the web.

Taken from: http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=157365

I particularly liked this bit:

As far as the monitor's performance in a 2D setting, for both gaming and general use, this monitor is a bit problematic. Despite being 120hz, scrolling text and little things, like moving windows and the cursor on the desktop, become a blur. What proved to be hell to me was constantly losing my cursor on a white background when I moved it around, something that's never happened to me before on any screen I've used. Lines of text also had some issues while scrolling, sometimes changing from black to blue, just becoming a mess of black, other times staying normal. Setting the monitor to a lower response time just made the problem a hell of a lot worse...something I'd expect from a monitor at fraction of the AW2310.

The color uniformity issues I mentioned above also make an impact on my day to day use, and I can't help but look at this monitor and wonder if something is wrong, or if it has a mind of it's own. Hell, I put up with the top of my BenQ monitor practically melting, and despite that, it still has uniform color, little backlight bleed, and great responsiveness when even the fine details are moving around.

As a gamer spending 530$ on a monitor aimed at color enthusiasts with calibration units is pointless. 120hz is amazing for games and movies and you will have access to 3D You can also use Power DVD10 for 2D-3D conversion if you get the Nvidia 3D kit. Keep using your W600H for movies as it is a bigger display if you don't want to loose the size, but the Alien ware will be way better for gaming.

120hz is amazing for games, pointless for everything else. Movies won't take advantage of it, web surfing won't take advantage of it, etc...

120hz only matters in:
Gaming
3D Gaming
3D Movies

So, OP, if you primarily play FPS games, get the AW2310 where the 120hz will give you a better experience. If you primarily play games that aren't fast paced, watch movies, or do general work, the U2410 is the better choice.

 

[Triz08]

I decided to go with the AW2310 and went ahead and placed the order. I guess if I am not satisfied I could always send it back and grab the U2410 from Dell as long as its within 21 days of the invoice date.

 

[kllrnohj]

I decided to go with the AW2310 and went ahead and placed the order. I guess if I am not satisfied I could always send it back and grab the U2410 from Dell as long as its within 21 days of the invoice date.

Hope you're happy with it

 

[indelible5]

I decided to go with the AW2310 and went ahead and placed the order. I guess if I am not satisfied I could always send it back and grab the U2410 from Dell as long as its within 21 days of the invoice date.

If you game more than you watch movies/surf than you made the right decision. If you are 50/50 then you may choose to swap it out for the U2410 like you mentioned.

I recently got in on the 25% off deal on the AW2310 and am pretty impressed with my panel. I use my comp 95% of the time for FPS, and just came from a 19" CRT. This new panel feels super close to playing on a CRT which I am extremely happy with. I too was on the fence of getting the U2410 or this, since I game more often then not and this deal came up I figured I'd bite and try it out. I believe the U2410 will be a nicer looking panel for doing all the dailies other than gaming but that is to be known from the get go with IPS. I also wanted the 16:10 ratio it has but we can't have it all yet (eg. 120hz IPS around 3ms FTW). Being a gamer I also didn't want to spend the $530+ and be dissatisfied with the input lag.

Now, I wont lie, my AW2310 does have color shifting, but I can deal with it since this monitor feels fluid in game, and I personally only notice the shifting while doing tasks other than gaming. My particular panel seems to have minor back light bleed (had more on the first few hours then seemed to subdue a bit) and this guy saying he cant see his curosr, or looses it.. maybe he had gotten a bad panel, hasn't updated his drivers, or something else because I have seen no such problems like that with mine. That review made me worry a bit until I was able to set mine up.

One other thought, I bought this AW2310 for the 120hz refresh rate, I most likely will not use it for 3D gaming as this whole 3D phenomenon going around with movies/tv/video games is not appealing to me. Anyhow, enjoy the monitor and let us know your thoughts on it once your up and running.

 

[Triz08]

Ordered the monitor on Sunday night and is expected to arrive here on Thursday! Quick shipping, cannot wait! Im fairly sure I am going to pickup the Nvidia 3D Vision here at a local CompUSA and try it out. Worse comes to worse, I can always return it =)

Will post comments on the setup once it arrives.