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Finally, a damn good LCD! Dell 2209WA review.
17 years ago
General
Once, again, check out 
ZoDy and his commission page. Cheep and full of awesomesauce.
For anyone looking for a large, affordable LCD with picture quality that blows away anything you will see at Best Buy or Staples, boy, do I have a real gem for you! This is, hands down, the best LCD display I have seen to date, at any size, and at any price! I can't stress that enough. As a die-hard CRT fan, I can confidently say that this monitor is awesome, and is the first LCD ever that really impresses me.
At a glance:
Dell UltraSharp 2209WA 22" widescreen LCD monitor (link)
- ~$250, shipped within USA.
- E-IPS panel for awesome consistency and color
- 1680x1050 resolution (perfect IMO, as any higher makes things too small)
- Wide, almost fully distributed backlight means no dark corners
- Virtually no backlight bleed in the dark (very surprising)
- DVI-D with HDCP, so you can watch HD movies on it (w/HDMI adapter)
- Ships with both VGA and DVI cables
- 4 powered USB ports for thumb drives and stuff
- Rotates 90 degrees for landscape view
- Height-adjustable stand
- Can switch between widescreen fill and 4:3 for playing old games
- 3-year warranty and 3-year "zero-bright-pixel" policy (not dead pixel, though)
Anyone who really knows about LCD monitors can attest that displays with TN (twisted nematic) screens suck. They tend to be too dark at the top and too light at the bottom, and shift colors terribly when you move your head so much as an inch. They can also cause eye strain (ironically) because your left eye and right eye will see different colors. However, TN screens are very cheap, and as a result, they are available everywhere and in every store, pretty much exclusively. This can frustrate artists who want better color accuracy, as finding a more advanced PVA or IPS panel in a store is next to impossible, and professional monitors cost way too much (in the $600+ range).
Dude, you should get a Dell.
Visual properties:
I cannot believe how good the screen consistency is. After a simple gamma calibration with a free tool like QuickGamma, there is no wash-out at all with very light colors and white backgrounds. There are no banding or sparkling effects at any grey level with this E-IPS panel, which is normally a problem with older, expensive S-IPS panels. The display is non-glossy, so in my opinion, it looks better than the iMac screen (in case you've seen one of the new, fully-integrated iMacs). Horizontally, colors do not shift at all until you reach 45 degrees, and vertical shift isn't a problem until you reach 30 degrees (note that color shift is different than viewing angles). Looking at the monitor head-on, there is no color shifting at all across the whole screen. There is a slight roll-off in brightness within the last 3/4 inch of each side of the monitor on the left and right, but there is no yellow/brown tint like on other monitors. Very impressive.
As with all LCDs, dark colors are a bit bright, and it would take a color calibrator (about $100-$200) to improve this. Thankfully, there is little to no purple/blue tint normally associated with S-IPS panels. [EDIT: the darks are actually quite good. I didn't realize my gamma adjustment tool only fixed DirectDraw, not Direct3D, so games were lighter than the WindowsXP desktop. Using the ATI Catalyst Control Center, I was able to adjust both independently.]
Pixels are tightly spaced, so there is less "grain" than with any TN panel I've seen to date. This greatly improves text readability, and there are no artifacts surrounding small, highly contrasted, aliased text.
The screen has a good, anti-scratch coating in lieu of the typical, textured matte finish. The coating is slightly slippery and cleans easily with no streaks.
Backlight:
Thanks to the evenness of the backlight, which results in no bleed, blacks are also very good by LCD standards -- not as good as a CRT, but pretty darned close. There is a liquid crystal sheen effect when the screen is dark and you have all the lights off, but it's only noticeable when you have a totally black background, such as a screensaver. If you do a lot of art that demands complete darkness, you may want to stick with a good CRT. However, the UltraSharp is still miles ahead of any cheap TN panel which would normally only cost $50 less. If you're currently using a TN panel, seriously consider this monitor and use your old one as a second display. The backlight and power supply is also dead silent. There is a 2-second blackout when switching resolutions, but apparently, no warm-up period is required for the backlight. Contrast is what you would expect from an LCD. Whites are brighter than other LCDs I've seen, likely due to the anti-scratch coating. The white is not overpowering, and adjusts well.
Stand:
Effectively moves in 3 dimensions, giving you lots of flexibility. The spring-loaded design means you don't have to move any levers or turn knobs to move or lock the stand in place. You do have to be careful when adjusting it, though, as the menu buttons are on the bezel in the lower-right corner. It might be easy to mash the buttons when adjusting the tilt. Thankfully, the buttons are micro switches, and not the rubbery membrane type, but the button covers still might break easily.
Performance:
Response time is very good by IPS panel standards. By their nature, IPS panels are slower than TN panels, but I have no trouble playing my racing and highly colorful shoot-em-up games. If you're used to a CRT, the switch to an LCD monitor may be a bit jarring, but the slight blur effect is quite easy to get used to, and quickly becomes quite natural. I rather like it. If you have an LCD HDTV, you can expect similar performance with the 2209WA.
Installation:
Both VGA and DVI cables are provided, which is rare for a display in this price range. This means you won't need to buy a cable or plug adapter. The stand has a convenient pass-through to keep the cables from getting twisted, and helps prevent cable strain.
The only major fault with this monitor is the included software (or the lack thereof). While the driver is not required to use the display at its naive resolution, it will look better with the driver and color profile installed. Installation requires going into the Windows hardware profiler, selecting the monitor tab, "color management", "advanced", and then updating the driver manually. The driver is located on the CD-ROM in the "/driver" folder. For people who know little about computers, getting the driver installed is a confusing (though thankfully optional) step. There is no color adjustment tool. You will have to download one, like QuickGamma, to set up the monitor properly, [EDIT: or use your ATI/nVidia color adjust tool]. Brightness/contrast alone is not enough to get a good picture, and may result in a washed-out image. This can and must be corrected in software, and is not a problem with the monitor itself.
Overall:
I give this monitor a 4.5 out of 5. I took a gamble after reading a lot of reviews on the small number of non-TN monitors out there, and I swear I am in love with this screen! The $250 price tag is a real bargain for a screen this good, so anyone serious about a good display can afford it, even furries. ;)
The only drawback is the lack of bundled software, which really should be standard with all LCD screens these days. Note that this is not a problem for Mac OSX users, as OSX comes with a good, built-in gamma calibration tool. Windows users will have to download one separately.
This is, hands down, the best value I've seen to date. Picture quality is miles ahead of anything I have ever seen in a computer store, with the exception of the 24" Apple Cinema Display (which starts at $899). If you do art on a TN panel, you owe it to yourself to get this screen. The improvement in density and backlight consistency is amazing. If you use a CRT, there's no need to wait for OLED screens to become affordable -- you should be quite happy moving to this monitor.
The Canadian web site currently has the most info about this monitor. As far as I know, it can only be ordered directly through Dell, but this may change shortly as the display is a relatively new model. You can order the Dell UltraSharp 2209WA here.
Words cannot describe how happy I am right now. I really hope this screen, and other E-IPS panels, start to show up in retail stores soon. People deserve to see this screen live so they can learn how bad the glut of TN panels really are!
-- Marc
(Last edited on March 21, 2:37AM EST)
ZoDy and his commission page. Cheep and full of awesomesauce.For anyone looking for a large, affordable LCD with picture quality that blows away anything you will see at Best Buy or Staples, boy, do I have a real gem for you! This is, hands down, the best LCD display I have seen to date, at any size, and at any price! I can't stress that enough. As a die-hard CRT fan, I can confidently say that this monitor is awesome, and is the first LCD ever that really impresses me.
At a glance:
Dell UltraSharp 2209WA 22" widescreen LCD monitor (link)
- ~$250, shipped within USA.
- E-IPS panel for awesome consistency and color
- 1680x1050 resolution (perfect IMO, as any higher makes things too small)
- Wide, almost fully distributed backlight means no dark corners
- Virtually no backlight bleed in the dark (very surprising)
- DVI-D with HDCP, so you can watch HD movies on it (w/HDMI adapter)
- Ships with both VGA and DVI cables
- 4 powered USB ports for thumb drives and stuff
- Rotates 90 degrees for landscape view
- Height-adjustable stand
- Can switch between widescreen fill and 4:3 for playing old games
- 3-year warranty and 3-year "zero-bright-pixel" policy (not dead pixel, though)
Anyone who really knows about LCD monitors can attest that displays with TN (twisted nematic) screens suck. They tend to be too dark at the top and too light at the bottom, and shift colors terribly when you move your head so much as an inch. They can also cause eye strain (ironically) because your left eye and right eye will see different colors. However, TN screens are very cheap, and as a result, they are available everywhere and in every store, pretty much exclusively. This can frustrate artists who want better color accuracy, as finding a more advanced PVA or IPS panel in a store is next to impossible, and professional monitors cost way too much (in the $600+ range).
Dude, you should get a Dell.
Visual properties:
I cannot believe how good the screen consistency is. After a simple gamma calibration with a free tool like QuickGamma, there is no wash-out at all with very light colors and white backgrounds. There are no banding or sparkling effects at any grey level with this E-IPS panel, which is normally a problem with older, expensive S-IPS panels. The display is non-glossy, so in my opinion, it looks better than the iMac screen (in case you've seen one of the new, fully-integrated iMacs). Horizontally, colors do not shift at all until you reach 45 degrees, and vertical shift isn't a problem until you reach 30 degrees (note that color shift is different than viewing angles). Looking at the monitor head-on, there is no color shifting at all across the whole screen. There is a slight roll-off in brightness within the last 3/4 inch of each side of the monitor on the left and right, but there is no yellow/brown tint like on other monitors. Very impressive.
As with all LCDs, dark colors are a bit bright, and it would take a color calibrator (about $100-$200) to improve this. Thankfully, there is little to no purple/blue tint normally associated with S-IPS panels. [EDIT: the darks are actually quite good. I didn't realize my gamma adjustment tool only fixed DirectDraw, not Direct3D, so games were lighter than the WindowsXP desktop. Using the ATI Catalyst Control Center, I was able to adjust both independently.]
Pixels are tightly spaced, so there is less "grain" than with any TN panel I've seen to date. This greatly improves text readability, and there are no artifacts surrounding small, highly contrasted, aliased text.
The screen has a good, anti-scratch coating in lieu of the typical, textured matte finish. The coating is slightly slippery and cleans easily with no streaks.
Backlight:
Thanks to the evenness of the backlight, which results in no bleed, blacks are also very good by LCD standards -- not as good as a CRT, but pretty darned close. There is a liquid crystal sheen effect when the screen is dark and you have all the lights off, but it's only noticeable when you have a totally black background, such as a screensaver. If you do a lot of art that demands complete darkness, you may want to stick with a good CRT. However, the UltraSharp is still miles ahead of any cheap TN panel which would normally only cost $50 less. If you're currently using a TN panel, seriously consider this monitor and use your old one as a second display. The backlight and power supply is also dead silent. There is a 2-second blackout when switching resolutions, but apparently, no warm-up period is required for the backlight. Contrast is what you would expect from an LCD. Whites are brighter than other LCDs I've seen, likely due to the anti-scratch coating. The white is not overpowering, and adjusts well.
Stand:
Effectively moves in 3 dimensions, giving you lots of flexibility. The spring-loaded design means you don't have to move any levers or turn knobs to move or lock the stand in place. You do have to be careful when adjusting it, though, as the menu buttons are on the bezel in the lower-right corner. It might be easy to mash the buttons when adjusting the tilt. Thankfully, the buttons are micro switches, and not the rubbery membrane type, but the button covers still might break easily.
Performance:
Response time is very good by IPS panel standards. By their nature, IPS panels are slower than TN panels, but I have no trouble playing my racing and highly colorful shoot-em-up games. If you're used to a CRT, the switch to an LCD monitor may be a bit jarring, but the slight blur effect is quite easy to get used to, and quickly becomes quite natural. I rather like it. If you have an LCD HDTV, you can expect similar performance with the 2209WA.
Installation:
Both VGA and DVI cables are provided, which is rare for a display in this price range. This means you won't need to buy a cable or plug adapter. The stand has a convenient pass-through to keep the cables from getting twisted, and helps prevent cable strain.
The only major fault with this monitor is the included software (or the lack thereof). While the driver is not required to use the display at its naive resolution, it will look better with the driver and color profile installed. Installation requires going into the Windows hardware profiler, selecting the monitor tab, "color management", "advanced", and then updating the driver manually. The driver is located on the CD-ROM in the "/driver" folder. For people who know little about computers, getting the driver installed is a confusing (though thankfully optional) step. There is no color adjustment tool. You will have to download one, like QuickGamma, to set up the monitor properly, [EDIT: or use your ATI/nVidia color adjust tool]. Brightness/contrast alone is not enough to get a good picture, and may result in a washed-out image. This can and must be corrected in software, and is not a problem with the monitor itself.
Overall:
I give this monitor a 4.5 out of 5. I took a gamble after reading a lot of reviews on the small number of non-TN monitors out there, and I swear I am in love with this screen! The $250 price tag is a real bargain for a screen this good, so anyone serious about a good display can afford it, even furries. ;)
The only drawback is the lack of bundled software, which really should be standard with all LCD screens these days. Note that this is not a problem for Mac OSX users, as OSX comes with a good, built-in gamma calibration tool. Windows users will have to download one separately.
This is, hands down, the best value I've seen to date. Picture quality is miles ahead of anything I have ever seen in a computer store, with the exception of the 24" Apple Cinema Display (which starts at $899). If you do art on a TN panel, you owe it to yourself to get this screen. The improvement in density and backlight consistency is amazing. If you use a CRT, there's no need to wait for OLED screens to become affordable -- you should be quite happy moving to this monitor.
The Canadian web site currently has the most info about this monitor. As far as I know, it can only be ordered directly through Dell, but this may change shortly as the display is a relatively new model. You can order the Dell UltraSharp 2209WA here.
Words cannot describe how happy I am right now. I really hope this screen, and other E-IPS panels, start to show up in retail stores soon. People deserve to see this screen live so they can learn how bad the glut of TN panels really are!
-- Marc
(Last edited on March 21, 2:37AM EST)
What are the viewable dimensions? 22" diagonal, yes, but can you measure the height and width/length of the viewable area?
My plan is to keep this monitor for 2-3 years until OLED is more affordable. If they're as good as people say they are, I'd be willing to pay $600 or so for for one. What bugs me is that people seem happy with all the TN panels out there, so OLED might not become widespread except in the gaming market, and that means the price might say high for a while. We'll see.
Of course, they were all crap TN panels. 15" TN panels are okay, but any larger than that is an eyesore.