Dell’s 2408WFP is the latest in the company’s line of 24-inch panels, following on the heels of the much-beloved Dell 2407WFP (reviewed September 2006). Unfortunately for Dell, improving upon its predecessor isn’t enough to push the 2408WFP above other tested displays.
The Dell’s grayscale performance in DisplayMate was great, matching the range of Samsung’s 245T on the light end, although it didn’t quite match the 245T’s abilities at the darker end of the spectrum. These subtle differences became more apparent in our real-world testing, as both our gaming and movie benchmarks looked a bit darker on the 2408WFP than what we’re used to seeing. And we also had less detail in our high-res still images compared to what the 245T was able to produce.
Although it comes with a number of presets, none were able to alleviate the loss of detail we experienced without creating other issues at the same time. The unnatural, over-the-top brightness added by the display’s multimedia and gaming presets is simply unacceptable. Similarly, the 2408WFP’s 110-percent color gamut lends images far more color saturation than we’re comfortable with. Even the grayscales themselves are tinted by a mild green hue.
The 2408WFP comes with a number of connectors: HDMI, DVI, VGA, and component video, as well as a built-in USB hub and 9-in-2 media card reader. Dell also throws in a DisplayPort connector for the few people who run DP-capable videocards.
We applaud Dell’s 2408WFP for its efforts. While its saturation comes off a bit strong, we’d use this monitor on our desk without reservation—unless someone was offering us Samsung’s 245T too.
Plenty of inputs; great grayscales; huge color gamut.
Too saturated; less detail than we'd like.
| Dell 2408WFP | |
|---|---|
| Viewable Area | 24" |
| Native Resolution | 1920x1200 |
| Inputs | VGA, DVI, HDMI, S-Video, Component, Composite, DisplayPort |
| Panel Type | S-PVA |
MAGZine
January 27, 2009 at 11:15pm
I'm not going to lie, I haven't used a lot of panels; but I see absolutely no issue with the montior's color. Perhaps I'm color blind? I think the colors on it look splendid but I suppose that could be from not using a lot of LCD monitors. All I know is that I have it sitting beside my Samsung 206BW, and I find the colors far richer and I find the colors on the 206 to look washed out. OH well.
arfisalf
August 29, 2008 at 3:38pm
I absolutely agree with uberdork's comment. I too had the DELL 2005 20" lcd. It was amazing; true colors; and rich blacks. I bought the 2408 and was miserable. I paid $679 (excluding tax) and I was absolutely disappointed. My eyes weren't adjusting at all with the panel. The colors are abysmal to say the least using a pc (ATI AIW X1900 videocard.
Besides this important flaw. The lcd in fact is amazing using a PS3 and using the HDMI connection. Amazing Blu Ray movies. I cannot say anythign bad about gaming on a console...but it will take you some time to get adjusted to using it with a pc. It took some time to get used to, and I was not willing to go through the hassel of a refund or exchange.
I have sucked it up and now a little comfortable with it- still colors are off, but I guess my eyes just got used to it. It shouldn't be like this for a $679 product. As much as I hate dell pcs, I do like their lcds a lot. The panel is sophisticated and clean. I like the added input features that Dell tends to employ.
So best of luck to everyone!
dc10ten
August 28, 2008 at 9:23am
I thought samsung manufactured dell's monitors for the most part. Wasn't this panel supposed to be the same as Samsungs 245T? If thats the case how did samsungs get a better score?
also, is this taking into acount the AO1 revision that was supposed to help with input lag
uberdork
August 27, 2008 at 12:03pm
In 2005 I bought the Dell 2005FPW. It's a phenomenal screen and I've loved it since the very second I took it out of the box. Over the last 3 years I've updated my machines with various hardware upgrades. My second machine used a Viewsonic 19" crt and I had prepared myself for LCD heaven. I had read up on panels. TN bad, S-PVA good. I read good reviews like this one on the 2408 and I finally took the plunge.
Way back in 2005 I opened the box and put the 20" on the desk and was off and running. Fast forward to 2008 and I expected the same thing with the 2408. Nope. Not a problem let me just adjust the colors a bit. Hmm .. still doesn't look as good as the 2005. Let me try it with a game. Login to LoTRO and WoW. Still looks horrible compared to the 2005. So I look up the panel on the 2005 and it's S-IPS. That makes the difference. A very very noticable difference. Dell was unable to fix my problems simply because the panel type was the problem and they took the 2408 back no questions asked. I've read the 248can be made to look splendid with a calibration unit. However who wants to spend extra time and money on that?
I ended up getting the DoubleSight 263N. I got a bigger monitor and a S-IPS panel. I also paid a couple hundred more. I guess what I'm saying is be careful with what you read. Especially if you have a set up like mine where 2 different monitors may be sitting next to each other. I also shopped online so I couldn't see the end product until it arrived. As always .. buyer beware. I learned my leasson :P
The LCD manufacturers really need to specify the panels on these things too. (As mentioned in the new issue of MPC).
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