"Apple's market share is bigger than BMW's or Mercedes's or Porsche's in the automotive market. What's wrong with being BMW or Mercedes? " -Steve Jobs



   
BentUser Updates Feed     


Featured Articles
iPhone 3G Review, Gripes and Praise: Part I
Xbox Live Arcade 2008 Preview: Part I
Resident Evil 5 Preview
Customer Service?
The Fallout from Sony’s E3 Press Conference
Windows XP and Vista b5270 Side-by-Side
DRM Hell
Sharp XR-10X LCD Projector Review
Xbox 360 Launch
Microsoft BOB Review
Logitech V200 Wireless Notebook Mouse
Office 12 Screenshot Gallery
Apple Thinks Same, Goes Intel
.NET 2.0 vs. Java 1.5 Shootout
Microsoft Windows Vista Build 5231 Indepth Look - Part 2
Why Google is Being Sued by Publishers
Microsoft Windows Vista Build 5231 Indepth Look - Part I
Comprehensive Tablet PC Review with the HP tc1100
Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 Review
IBM / Lenovo ThinkPad T43 Review
Windows OneCare Live Preview
OpenOffice 2.0 Writer Beta Preview
Windows Mobile 5.0 Preview
Battle of the Betas: IE7 vs. Firefox 1.5
Unicomp Customizer 101 Keyboard Review
Yahoo! Music Engine First Look
TopDesk Review
More
 
  Dell UltraSharp 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - 2405FPW Review
  By Andy

  Front > Hardware
  8/29/2005
  Specifications    Images    

 

Setup

Setup is a breeze.  The only real problem is how to clear enough lateral space for the panel, not how to plug it in.  Although no manual is included, a color quick-start sheet explains how to plug the provided power, USB, and DVI-D (or DSUB) fit together, and how the panel snaps onto the stand.

The monitor’s inputs are shown here, across the rear of the panel.  From left to right: 2 USB 2.0 ports (there are two more on the left edge), USB host input, DSUB (VGA analog input), DVI-D (digital input), component RGB, composite, and S-video.  A cable management system helps to keep the wires out of sight.

Cable Input Panel
Cable Input Panel 

Curiously, the included CD does NOT include an INF driver, even though the PDF manual states that it is present.  This is not serious, however, as Dell released the driver on Windows Update in July.  The driver is necessary for some video cards to offer 16x10 resolutions instead of the standard 4x3.

The 2405FPW was connected to an ATI Radeon X800 as the primary monitor (via DVI-D), and an older 20” NEC monitor was used as a secondary.

Life in Widescreen 1920x1200

I am no stranger to high-resolution work environments.  Prior to using the 2405FPW, I used two monitors with resolutions of 1420x1200 and 1280x1024.  As you might expect, the difference between one large monitor and two smaller is night and day.  Let me say that again: there is no comparison.  Widescreen 1080P isn’t just bigger, it allows you to do things that you otherwise could not.  Consider the following: the 1920x1200 pixel native resolution of the 2405FPW allows Word, Internet Explorer and Instant Messenger to run comfortably side-by-side without overlap:


Life in Very-Wide-Screen
Life in Very-Wide-Screen 


Replace those programs with any other typical applications and you will be in multitasking paradise.  Acrobat and Word?  No problem.  Outlook and Excel?  Check.  The 1080P format also works well with more complex applications, such as Photoshop or Visual Studio.  In either of these programs, one can effortlessly have two files open side-by-side, a huge increase in productivity.

It is also important to note that even with the immense 1920x1200 resolution, the pixel pitch (the size of a pixel, see specifications page for details of pixel pitch) is still reasonable – 0.270 mm – comparable to that of a 19” monitor running at 1280x1024.  This means that because of the monitor’s size you can get away with the high resolution without increased eye strain.




Previous      Next  
[ Packaging ] [ Features ]
 

 

Contact Us        Links:  NLP APIs      




Copyright � 2005 Retro Reviews LLC.  All Rights Reserved.
Technorati Profile