Unofficial 2405FPW Thread (Now that its been announced)

[tobygg]

SAME thing here! Got the sound bar..

Packing slip states both products shipped, total weight "3" (pounds).

WTF...

I initially called dell and they were saying the monitor didn't ship, but will be shipped in 3-5 days... I said BULL****, I paid for OVERNIGHT shipping...

Unfortunately I had to hang up because I have to jump on a conference call (damn work)... but after that, dell is going to get an earfull from me.

I'm SO hot right now... and not paris hilton 'hot' either...

Ok, so I called them...

The woman from india kept apologizing but couldn't do SQUAT for me. She setup an "exchange"... whatever that means... I tried telling here I didn't get anything so I can't obviously "exchange" anything. She assured me that is just what they call it in their systems. So she setup an order and gave me a "reference" #. Not an order number. So I can't track it online. She also said 5-7 business days. I basically told her that I paid for NEXT day shipping... other people have already got theirs today and for some reason I have to wait 5-7 days even when I paid for NEXT day shipping. She apologized again (did this a lot) but couldn't do anything more. WTF. Does someone else have a better # to call instead of the standard order status where I could get some more information and get someone who would actually be willing to compensate me, perhaps by NOT charging me for the next day shipping? It's not my fault their incompentence lead them to not actually ship the monitor, yet I have to pay for it... by waiting and with money. Lovely. Grr.

 

[CalKenneth]

Ok, so I called them...

The woman from india kept apologizing but couldn't do SQUAT for me. She setup an "exchange"... whatever that means... I tried telling here I didn't get anything so I can't obviously "exchange" anything. She assured me that is just what they call it in their systems. So she setup an order and gave me a "reference" #. Not an order number. So I can't track it online. She also said 5-7 business days. I basically told her that I paid for NEXT day shipping... other people have already got theirs today and for some reason I have to wait 5-7 days even when I paid for NEXT day shipping. She apologized again (did this a lot) but couldn't do anything more. WTF. Does someone else have a better # to call instead of the standard order status where I could get some more information and get someone who would actually be willing to compensate me, perhaps by NOT charging me for the next day shipping? It's not my fault their incompentence lead them to not actually ship the monitor, yet I have to pay for it... by waiting and with money. Lovely. Grr.

A reference (dispatch) number is indeed trackable once it converts to an order. If you call the tech support line and select the phone option to track the status of a service dispatch, you can key in the number and it'll tell you the current status. Give it until the end of day at least.

 

[Riptide_NVN]

Toby man lots of people put their order in right at the same time I did and didn't get theirs shipped out yet. So it's not just you that has to wait. I do agree it's kinda ridiculous that they sent you the stupid speakers and not the display. They should've sent them both at the same time.

 

[pooter03]

Yup, I placed my order the afternoon it came out and it is still in preproduction, estimated shipping on the 7th. Waiting sucks.

 

[CalKenneth]

Toby man lots of people put their order in right at the same time I did and didn't get theirs shipped out yet. So it's not just you that has to wait. I do agree it's kinda ridiculous that they sent you the stupid speakers and not the display. They should've sent them both at the same time.

Think of the logistical nightmare that would be if they held all products until everything was in stock! Dell operates on a just-in-time system so I bet all of their inventory is turned over within 14 days, if not sooner. If they wait for the monitor to be in stock their sound bar could go out of stock. And besides, the monitor and sound bar are in separate boxes, so they technically have to be shipped "separately" anyway.

By the way, all this talk about different warehouses is not true UNLESS it's a product that is not a Dell product. They drop ship from several Ingram Micro warehouses across the country, so the different warehouse concept is true for those products sold by Ingram Micro. However, for Dell monitors, it only comes from the Austin warehouse. I live in California and all of the monitors I've received (many, since so many of them had problems) were all from TX.

 

[onthejazz]

To make finding DEAD PIXELS easier, I have been using this program for the last year or so. Works beautifully & its free. It is for windows only as far as i know.

Dead Pixel Tester 1.2 (http://www.dps.uk.com/freeware_DTP.htm)

Hope that helps you happy new owners, although i doubt those Samsung panels will turn up dead pixels much if ever.

 

[tobygg]

Toby man lots of people put their order in right at the same time I did and didn't get theirs shipped out yet. So it's not just you that has to wait. I do agree it's kinda ridiculous that they sent you the stupid speakers and not the display. They should've sent them both at the same time.

The point is the packing slip SAYS it was shipped. 2 items, 3 pounds. Both say shipped. It has a column for backordered, that's empty. Both say shipped.

And yes, others do have to wait... I understand... But when you order something and the website says its shipped and you are expecting it to be there, and you paid for next day shipping... you expect to get it.

But something screwed up (and obviously not just for me) in their systems and they didn't ship the monitor.

My biggest worry is also that now i'm at the BACK of the line, even though I ordered within the first hour it appeared on Dell's website... I didn't get the $75 off coupon because I didn't wait like everyone else. That's fine... to me $75 was going to be worth it to have it now instead of waiting a couple weeks and being pushed back in line. Grr.

Sorry if i'm frustrated... but this is not the first time Dell has screwed me (and other people I'm sure!) over!

 

[who1zep]

My old ATI All-in-Wonder Radeon could not handle the DVI resolution, according to ATI's website, so I ordered a Sapphire Radeon 9600 256MB AGP (fanless) (I did my research there too) and a 10' DVI cable. The race is on to see which arrives first. I expect Newegg to be here by the end of the week, and Dell gave me a date of March 23 (three L-O-N-G weeks).

DELL WINS !!!

Airborne Express / DHL

Shipment Summary:

Current Status: Shipment delivered.
Delivered on: 3/3/05 1:11 pm
Delivered to: Residence Door


Shipment History:
DATE TIME ACTIVITY AND COMMENTS LOCATION

3/3/05 1 : 11 pm Shipment delivered. Erlanger, KY
8 : 16 am With delivery courier. Erlanger, KY
7 : 43 am Arrived at DHL facility. Erlanger, KY
2 : 07 am Processed at Sort Facility. Wilmington, OH

3/2/05 2 : 18 pm Departing origin. Austin, TX

3/1/05 10 : 13 pm Picked Up by DHL. Shipper's Door


Shipper:
*DELL COMPUTER WC9 EMP
Austin, TX 78754
United States


Shipment Detail:
Service: Next Day 3:00
Special:
Weight: 30
Pieces: 1

Unfortunately, my Newegg video card/DVI cable order is still in Los Angeles, 2000 miles away Still, it's nice being #2 in the [H]ard|Forum WORLD to have this bad boy!

More useful information for anyone ordering:
Dell Home Systems collects tax on orders to Texas, Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina, Tennessee, Idaho, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Illinois, Florida, Missouri, California, Washington, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Wisconsin and Georgia.

 

[CalKenneth]

The point is the packing slip SAYS it was shipped. 2 items, 3 pounds. Both say shipped. It has a column for backordered, that's empty. Both say shipped.

Could it have shipped separately? Have you tried keying in your order number into Airborne's "Track by Reference" page to see if it went out in the last 24 hours?

 

[tobygg]

DELL WINS !!!

Airborne Express / DHL

Shipment Summary:

Current Status: Shipment delivered.
Delivered on: 3/3/05 1:11 pm
Delivered to: Residence Door


Shipment History:
DATE TIME ACTIVITY AND COMMENTS LOCATION

3/3/05 1 : 11 pm Shipment delivered. Erlanger, KY
8 : 16 am With delivery courier. Erlanger, KY
7 : 43 am Arrived at DHL facility. Erlanger, KY
2 : 07 am Processed at Sort Facility. Wilmington, OH

3/2/05 2 : 18 pm Departing origin. Austin, TX

3/1/05 10 : 13 pm Picked Up by DHL. Shipper's Door


Shipper:
*DELL COMPUTER WC9 EMP
Austin, TX 78754
United States


Shipment Detail:
Service: Next Day 3:00
Special:
Weight: 30
Pieces: 1

Unfortunately, my Newegg video card/DVI cable order is still in Los Angeles, 2000 miles away Still, it's nice being #2 in the [H]ard|Forum WORLD to have this bad boy!

More useful information for anyone ordering:
Dell Home Systems collects tax on orders to Texas, Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina, Tennessee, Idaho, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Illinois, Florida, Missouri, California, Washington, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Wisconsin and Georgia.

List of people I hate:

1. DELL
2. who1zep

Who else got your monitor today so I can add you to my list?!



Just kidding who1zep... congrats!

 

[tobygg]

Could it have shipped separately? Have you tried keying in your order number into Airborne's "Track by Reference" page to see if it went out in the last 24 hours?

This is what is on their site when I track by reference..


3/3/05 9 : 58 am Shipment delivered. Franklin Park, IL
8 : 15 am With delivery courier.
6 : 07 am Arrived at DHL facility. Franklin Park, IL



3/2/05 6 : 20 am Picked Up by DHL. Shipper's Door




Shipment Detail:


Service: Next Day 3:00 Ship Type: Package
Special: Description:
Weight: 3 Shipper's Reference: (blanked out)
Pieces: 1

 

[CalKenneth]

What's your order status say for the price of the item? I wonder if they didn't generate a separate dispatch for the monitor itself.

This is what is on their site when I track by reference..


3/3/05 9 : 58 am Shipment delivered. Franklin Park, IL
8 : 15 am With delivery courier.
6 : 07 am Arrived at DHL facility. Franklin Park, IL



3/2/05 6 : 20 am Picked Up by DHL. Shipper's Door




Shipment Detail:


Service: Next Day 3:00 Ship Type: Package
Special: Description:
Weight: 3 Shipper's Reference: (blanked out)
Pieces: 1

 

[tobygg]

What's your order status say for the price of the item? I wonder if they didn't generate a separate dispatch for the monitor itself.

Order status on dell's site says the full amount... 1200 something... (monitor and soundsticks)

The packing list shows both items, 2 line items...

with a total weight of "3" and boxes of "1"

The woman on the phone said it never shipped (or at least that's how I interpreted what she was saying... not easy to understand)...

Anyway, I'm done... i'm back in waiting mode!

Lets see some other reports of people actually getting their monitors! Pictures! Impressions! Give me something to hold me over until I get mine!

 

[pooter03]

Out of curiosity, people who are getting the monitor, what are you going to be using it for? Along with running games and DVDs on my PC, I'm also hooking up my XBox, as well as the next-gen consoles when they arrive.

 

[Riptide_NVN]

Pooter is that you from nvnews?

I will be using it to watch DVDs and game (CS:S / UT2004 mainly). Also will be using it for the other usual PC uses (internet/e-mail).

 

[tobygg]

PC (Some gaming), Powermac G5, HDTV... pretty much everything the monitor can be used for! Gotta try GT4 on it too, in 1080i.

 

[pooter03]

Pooter is that you from nvnews?

I will be using it to watch DVDs and game (CS:S / UT2004 mainly). Also will be using it for the other usual PC uses (internet/e-mail).

Sure is! I came here after reading your post on nvnews.

 

[Dim-Ize]

Could you guys help me out a bit?

I will use this display for many reasons, gaming included. I have never used an LCD for gaming, never played at 1920x1200, nor have I ever used a wide aspect ratio.

If you were buying this display today AND you needed to upgrade your video card from an ATI 9800XT, wanted to stay with ATI, and needed AGP 8X ... would YOU:
Go with X850XT PE AGP
Go with X800XL AGP
Wait to see what happens with R520 in May (hoping it will also be used in AGP with Rialto)

Thanks for your help,
Dim-Ize

P.S. - I know the addage of "waiting until all the lights are green, never gets you to town", and I really would like to start enjoying this now. But, I'm worried about 1920x1200 and whether or not current cards can make for an enjoyable gaming session.

Specs are:
AMD 64 3400+ (NewCastle)
2 GB PC3200 Corsair XMS
Dual RAID 0 (4 Raptor 10K RPM)
Current video card - 9800XT
Current display - 21" Sony CRT

 

[kilmar]

1. PC Gaming
2. HDTV (via ATi HDTV Wonder)
3. 2nd PS2
4. Photoshop

Dim-Ize, wait 5 more hours and your question will be answered.

 

[Dim-Ize]

Thanks, Kilmar

I'm anxiously waiting for you to get home from work to test this bad-boy out on your X850XT PE. Been watching your posts in WSG forums.

Thanks for your help.

Dim-Ize

 

[Riptide_NVN]

If you were buying this display today AND you needed to upgrade your video card from an ATI 9800XT, wanted to stay with ATI, and needed AGP 8X ... would YOU:
Go with X850XT PE AGP
Go with X800XL AGP

I wouldn't bet on R520 in May. It could be longer. If you're willing to wait either keep the 9800XT for now or get the X800XL to tide you over.

If it were me, I'd forget about the X850XT PE AGP unless you can find it for $550 or less. Alternatively, you can order an X800XT PE AGP (nearly as fast as the 850PE) for less than $500 right now on allstarshop.com. Get the Sapphire OEM - it's $494.

 

[pooter03]

Glad to see I'm not the only one using it for gaming. This'll be my first LCD for personal use as well as my first experience with widescreen. I'm pretty excited.

Also, anyone else using a 6800GT? I'm using a BFG 6800GT. I know it doesn't officially support 1920X1200 on DVI, but I've read other posts on this site of people making it work. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[tobygg]

Glad to see I'm not the only one using it for gaming. This'll be my first LCD for personal use as well as my first experience with widescreen. I'm pretty excited.

Also, anyone else using a 6800GT? I'm using a BFG 6800GT. I know it doesn't officially support 1920X1200 on DVI, but I've read other posts on this site of people making it work. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I have a PNY 6800GT and used a HP L2335 with this card. Everything seemed fine. Even played some Half Life 2 in widescreen... very nice!

Unfortunately the L2335 had issues, component video didn't work (I bought a cheaper open boxed version) so I just returned it...

But as far as 1920x1200 working on these monitors, they should. They use something called 'reduced blanking' with LCD's to allow that resolution to work over DVI without being a dual link card. If you tried 1920x1200 on a CRT with DVI, it probably wouldn't work very well.

The Apple I am also going to hook up to this has a GF6800 Ultra, with dual-dual link DVI outputs... not worried about this card driving the monitor at all! However, I do need to find a good DVI switchbox or something, so I'm not manually switching between the two.

 

[swatbat]

I have a PNY 6800GT and used a HP L2335 with this card. Everything seemed fine. Even played some Half Life 2 in widescreen... very nice!

Unfortunately the L2335 had issues, component video didn't work (I bought a cheaper open boxed version) so I just returned it...

But as far as 1920x1200 working on these monitors, they should. They use something called 'reduced blanking' with LCD's to allow that resolution to work over DVI without being a dual link card. If you tried 1920x1200 on a CRT with DVI, it probably wouldn't work very well.

The Apple I am also going to hook up to this has a GF6800 Ultra, with dual-dual link DVI outputs... not worried about this card driving the monitor at all! However, I do need to find a good DVI switchbox or something, so I'm not manually switching between the two.

My pny(don't laugh) 6600gt runs my apple 23 fine at 1920x1200 so I would think that you should be able to run the dell on it.

 

[pooter03]

Thanks for the info! I did see an option for reduced blanking in my drivers the other day when I was looking around. Of course, I'm still hooked up to a CRT so I don't know if that makes a difference or not.

Is there a guide on how to use reduced blanking? I've seen it mentioned but don't know anything about it.

 

[atlwriter]

Glad to see I'm not the only one using it for gaming. This'll be my first LCD for personal use as well as my first experience with widescreen. I'm pretty excited.

Also, anyone else using a 6800GT? I'm using a BFG 6800GT. I know it doesn't officially support 1920X1200 on DVI, but I've read other posts on this site of people making it work. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I've got a 256MB BFG 6800GT OC, too. It definitely supports 1920x1200. That resolution probably doesn't appear because the 6800 defaults to display only the resolutions supported by your monitor.. If you uncheck the "Hide modes that this monitor can't support" box in your 6800's settings, you'll see the additional screen resolutions that are available with the 6800, iincluding 1920x1200.

 

[pooter03]

I've got a 256MB BFG 6800GT OC, too. It definitely supports 1920x1200. That resolution probably doesn't appear because the 6800 defaults to display only the resolutions supported by your monitor.. If you uncheck the "Hide modes that this monitor can't support" box in your 6800's settings, you'll see the additional screen resolutions that are available with the 6800, iincluding 1920x1200.

Much appreciated! Probably a naive, stupid question, but it won't cause any damage using unsupported modes though will it?

 

[john4455]

Thanks for the info! I did see an option for reduced blanking in my drivers the other day when I was looking around. Of course, I'm still hooked up to a CRT so I don't know if that makes a difference or not.

Is there a guide on how to use reduced blanking? I've seen it mentioned but don't know anything about it.

The issue is that the original DVI spec was written to also allow CRT's to be connected over it, and so had to allow time at the end of each row for the electron bean to scan back to the start of the next row. LCD's don't need this, and so by reducing the period allowed for this, they can get the extra bandwidth needed to support 1920x1200x60Hz.

Quite a few cards actually support it now (even if not officially), but you need to look into the quality of the TMDS (signal transmitters). The integrated ones on most NVidia cards are struggling to cope at this resolution, so you're better going with a twin DVI card, and using the port controled by the second non-integrated TMDS, rather than the one controled by the integrated one.

ATI's integrated TMDS's are generally slightly better, and so it shouldn't matter.

 

[john4455]

If you were buying this display today AND you needed to upgrade your video card from an ATI 9800XT, wanted to stay with ATI, and needed AGP 8X ... would YOU:
Go with X850XT PE AGP
Go with X800XL AGP
Wait to see what happens with R520 in May (hoping it will also be used in AGP with Rialto)

I'd discount the X800XL, unless it is only as a stop gap measure - I think it would be struggling to cope. Even a X850XT PE seems strained at times if you turn up all the eyecandy.

 

[atlwriter]

Much appreciated! Probably a naive, stupid question, but it won't cause any damage using unsupported modes though will it?

Nope!

You mentioned, earlier, that the 2405 will be your first widescreen experience. My friend, you are in for a real treat. Widescreens are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[grdh20]

Much appreciated! Probably a naive, stupid question, but it won't cause any damage using unsupported modes though will it?

The card either supports the rsolution or it doens't. It won't work beyond what it's hardware can do. As far as refresh. Don't set above the 60 default. No need anyway. If your hardware supports 1920x1200 and your control panel doesn't list it, then you can just set a custom resolution in the drivers app.

 

[grdh20]

I just hooked up my Samsung 243T again after checking out the 2405, and you can really notice the difference when grabbing a window and moving it around the screen real fast. The 243T blurs and ghosts noticeably more than the 2405. This should be good news for gaming and dvd.

 

[atlwriter]

I just hooked up my Samsung 243T again after checking out the 2405, and you can really notice the difference when grabbing a window and moving it around the screen real fast. The 243T blurs and ghosts noticeably more than the 2405. This should be good news for gaming and dvd.

Good news for us 2405 buyers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[pooter03]

Nope!

You mentioned, earlier, that the 2405 will be your first widescreen experience. My friend, you are in for a real treat. Widescreens are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yup, I'm excited to say the least. I did have a quick taste of widescreen gaming at a Best Buy where they had an XBox (with Starwars Battlefield) hooked up to a gigantic 50+ inch widescreen HDTV. I only played for about 30 seconds or so, but when I got home, not only did my 21 inch Mitsubishi CRT seem small, I was getting tunnel vision when I played games, especially FPS. Having an expanded field of view seems like it'll make things much nicer. Not only that, but the ability to hook up my PC via DVI and my XBox via Component without the need for a VGA box/switcher is a definate added bonus.

The card either supports the rsolution or it doens't. It won't work beyond what it's hardware can do. As far as refresh. Don't set above the 60 default. No need anyway. If your hardware supports 1920x1200 and your control panel doesn't list it, then you can just set a custom resolution in the drivers app.

Cool thanks for the advice. Did you have to enable reduced blanking as well?

 

[Riptide_NVN]

These widescreens do give you a small but perceptible advantage in games like UT2004 CS:S. CS:S in particular. There are areas on certain maps for which you can cover two areas at the same time whereas with the 4:3 ratio screens you may only be able to cover one area. Sitting on the top of the bridge in de_dust is an example: I can cover under the bridge and down that hallway there if I'm sitting in the right spot. Kinda nice.

 

[grdh20]

Yup, I'm excited to say the least. I did have a quick taste of widescreen gaming at a Best Buy where they had an XBox (with Starwars Battlefield) hooked up to a gigantic 50+ inch widescreen HDTV. I only played for about 30 seconds or so, but when I got home, not only did my 21 inch Mitsubishi CRT seem small, I was getting tunnel vision when I played games, especially FPS. Having an expanded field of view seems like it'll make things much nicer. Not only that, but the ability to hook up my PC via DVI and my XBox via Component without the need for a VGA box/switcher is a definate added bonus.



Cool thanks for the advice. Did you have to enable reduced blanking as well?

I have never even seen that option, so I guess try it on and off and see which runs better.

 

[pooter03]

These widescreens do give you a small but perceptible advantage in games like UT2004 CS:S. CS:S in particular. There are areas on certain maps for which you can cover two areas at the same time whereas with the 4:3 ratio screens you may only be able to cover one area. Sitting on the top of the bridge in de_dust is an example: I can cover under the bridge and down that hallway there if I'm sitting in the right spot. Kinda nice.

Cool, I kinda figured that you'd get a bit of an advantage. The big thing for me, though, is getting rid of the feeling that I'm looking into a square box. I want a screen that'll encompass my field of view more. Seems like this'll be big enough to do that.

I just picked up Brothers in Arms for the XBox yesterday, and am getting the new Splinter Cell when it comes out this month. Can't wait to see how they look.

 

[who1zep]

Out of curiosity, people who are getting the monitor, what are you going to be using it for? Along with running games and DVDs on my PC, I'm also hooking up my XBox, as well as the next-gen consoles when they arrive.

I'm using it for images (ACDSee), wordprocessing (Word) and Internet (Opera). I'm not a gamer, so I like the talk of better blacks as opposed to response time. The backlighting improvement will really help with ACDSee slideshows.

I already have a 36" Sony XBR flat-screen, direct-view TV; cable HDTV service; and a Panasonic DVD w/Farudja chip for movies. Since my TV is further away on the other side of the room from my desk, the monitor is going look like its bigger than the TV. Maybe I need a bigger TV?

As you may have guessed, I'm not a student. I don't have all that much stuff, but I like to research and look for what's the best bang for the buck before buying. I upgraded from a 17" eMachines CRT monitor, remember. This forum has been very helpful in my buying decision.

Now I'm waiting for the first portable MP3 60GB+ player with a color screen and bluetooth (for wireless headphones and file transfer). And, oh yeah, make it <$350

 

[atlwriter]

I already have a 36" Sony XBR flat-screen, direct-view TV; cable HDTV service; and a Panasonic DVD w/Farudja chip for movies. Since my TV is further away on the other side of the room from my desk, the monitor is going look like its bigger than the TV. Maybe I need a bigger TV?

Can you post some pics of your TV...maybe with a game displayed on it? I'm in the market for a new TV. I'm deciding between a direct view and rear projection.

 

[tobygg]

Can you post some pics of your TV...maybe with a game displayed on it? I'm in the market for a new TV. I'm deciding between a direct view and rear projection.

In trying to keep the thread somewhat on topic... can you make sure the pictures include the 2405?