Between the Dell 2709W and the NEC LCD2690WUXi

[gray]

I am looking at getting a new LCD monitor for myself as a little present.

My principal activities are surfing the web, watching videos, some office work. I hope to do some gaming (non-FPS) when I get a new rig soon.

Am currently using a Dell D430 connected via DVI through a Port Replicator to a Samsung SyncMaster 2032MW.

At the moment, I am considering either the Dell 2709W or NEC LCD2690WUXi.

The default font size on my Samsung is getting a little small for me and I am hoping with a larger screen with the same resolution as that of a 24 incher, the fonts would be larger. Also, I am looking for a screen that would give me better colours than my current Samsung. That said, I am keen to avoid screens with oversaturated colours, as I prefer more natural looking colours (e.g. natural looking skintone for people in videos).

The Dell is available for S$1,135 (approximately US$ 745), I will be able to get the NEC at S$1,570 (approximately US$1,030). Unfortunately, I understand from the NEC distributor that they do not know whether the LCD2690WUXi2 would be release in Singapore where I am currently residing.

In that regard, given my usage pattern and objectives, as well as the pricing I have mentioned for the 2 models. I would appreciate if forumers would be able to provide some steer into what would be a better option for me.

 

[maverick212]

Damn, thats a lot of cash to spend on a monitor you aren't gonna be using for graphics work or intense fps gaming. But hey up to you. The NEC must be an IPS from looking at the specs, that Dell should be a VA panel. So the extra cost would be getting you a better quality panel. But yeah if you're not doing anything too color important, pretty unnecessary; so just a judgement you have to make for yourself. Either way you're getting something of quality, you can't lose in the end.

 

[StanD]

NEC any day of the week, easily!!

I just ditched my 3008WFP for a NEC LCD3090WQXi and let me tell you this, if you can afford it. JUST DO IT.

Internal 12-bit LUT makes an amazing diff. You will of course need SpectraView and a good colorometer.

Just my 0.02,


- Stan

 

[10e]

I have both screens. Here is my post in the "Show your LCD setups" thread:

http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1033386316&postcount=12931

I was able to purchase the Dell on a very special, Canada-only deal for $400.00 off the retail price at the time (August of 2008) so I took the plunge and put it next to the NEC.

To compare and contrast (opinions based on observations):

1) The NEC has better viewing angles and more consistent "viewing stage" (as Snowdog puts it) from left to right, up and down. There is virtually NO gamma shift when viewing the monitor from an extreme angle. There is a slight darkening of the screen overall at angles, but it is extremely slight and has to be looked for. The NEC is one of the few screens out there with the A-TW (advanced true white polarizer) which keeps blacks from showing as grey from angles. At extreme angles there is a bit of greening (on the left) and redness (on the right) to the blacks. The Dell is good vertically, but at off-axis horizontal angles, the opposite side brightens a bit, suffering from some gamma shift. This is somewhat evident on the dark grey tones used in this forum. If I can photograph it effectively, I'll post one for you.

2) Both monitors have oversaturation due to wide gamut CCFL (backlight) technology, but the Dell moreso, as it is wider gamut. This is most evident in greens and reds. In color managed apps (like Photoshop or FireFox with the color management plug in) both can show proper sRGB color space photos effectively, with properly "dialed down" saturation.

3) I have calibrated both screens, and both are able to reach an average Delta E94 of less than 1, but the NEC can be "hardware calibrated" allowing for consistent colors across all connectors, as it is the internal monitor's color look up tables that are calibrated to a selected gamma curve. This can be done to different gamma curves such as "L Star" sRGB, 2.2, native, SMPTE, etc... With the Dell the calibration has to be done on the computer's video card, and does not produce better colors across non PC applications. I would consider a calibration package necessary for any color sensitive uses with the Dell. I used the same colorimeter (NEC's rebranded Eye One Display 2) to calibrate both displays as reference. SpectraView II for NEC (also included in LCD2690WUXI-SV) and BasicColor 4.1.8 Windows for the Dell. Out of the box, prior to calibration, the NEC is far better than the Dell.

4) The Dell has better black levels on and off axis. The Dell reaches down to 0.12 cdm/2 with brightness at 10% and a white point of around 147 cdm/2. The NEC is around 0.23 with a brightness of 167 cdm/2 which is the lowest backlight level. It can go darker, but past this level the monitor uses "digital brightness regulation" which is just a fancy way of saying "the panel lowers brightness, not the backlight". I do not use Dynamic contrast on the Dell ever.

5) The NEC's backlight warms up to full brightness a fair bit quicker. The Dell will take over half an hour at 10% brightness, whereas the NEC takes about half that time at lowest backlight setting.

6) The NEC has approximately 1 frame less input lag than the Dell (30ms vs 47ms) and overdrive/response time compensation can be turned on or off. The Dell's is always on, but the overdrive is very well implemented. Neither monitor blurs more than most other LCDs, and neither has easily visible reverse ghosting. I can feel the Dell's input lag a tiny bit more in regards to how it responds to my mouse movements though, but I can't tell you how you will feel about it, as the perception of input lag is subjective.

7) The NEC has brightness regulation compensation using a sensor to adjust brightness automatically based on ambient conditions. The Dell does not.

8) NEC has sharper text overall. The Dell's the best I've seen on an S-PVA display, but still not as sharp as the NEC (even though it has a bigger dot pitch, which is expected). I would consider the NEC a bit less "retina fatiguing" over long periods of text usage. The NEC is actually a 25.5" diagonal size screen, the Dell is 27". I sit about the same distance from each, even though they are different sizes, due to the slightly better text of the NEC.

9) Dell has a built-in "anti burn in" setting. I would consider this an advantage of the Dell, as it seems less vulnerable to slight image retention vs. the NEC, though it's not a big problem on the NEC unless you constantly have static images displayed for extended time periods.

10) Dell has more connectors: Dual DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, component, VGA. The NEC has dual DVI (one is DVI-D, the other DVI-I) and VGA only. Both have good quality over all connectors (limited to connector limitations of course).

11) NEC has a better scaler and can be set to custom scaling/zoom mode options. Both have 1:1 pixel mapping, aspect mode scaling, and full screen scaling. The NEC adds a custom zoom mode which can be set PER resolution, the Dell can be set to also do 16:9 and 4:3 on the A/V connectors (HDMI, component). Scaling of lower resolutions doesn't seem to affect performance in regards to input lag on either screen.

12) The NEC has a more comprehensive OSD with an advanced mode. The Dell has a good OSD as well, but the touch sensitive buttons take a bit of getting used to.

13) Both have an sRGB mode. While I'd consider neither to be excellent, the NEC's is better, while the Dell's is extremely under saturated.

14) The Dell has an HDMI "audio passthrough" allowing you to connect analog audio equipment to the 3 x headphone jacks for full surround sound. I've used it from both Xbox 360 and PS3 over HDMI, and it works as advertised.

If you need any photos that can show what I speak of, let me know. I'd be glad to help. If I was asked which screen I'd keep if given the choice, I'd still take the NEC, even though it cost me more than twice as much (due to the Dell being a one day special). This is all just some observations I've made over the past few months of ownership. I am ultimately very happy with both though, just more "impressed" with the NEC.

Alternatively, if it's available to you in Singapore, the NEC LCD2490WUXI (24" version, sRGB standard gamut) would also be tremendous, and if I had to do it over again, would go in this direction, but I'm still quite happy with my LCD2690WUXI.

Both the 2709W and LCD26WUXI would fulfill all your uses very well, just the NEC might do it a bit better.

You can also look through the following thread (on another site) for some more info. It also has recommendations for different applications and a good set of definitions for commonly used terms:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=2049206&enterthread=y

If I missed anything, let me know. Sorry for the long-winded post

Best of luck.

 

[albovin]

My principal activities are surfing the web, watching videos, some office work. I hope to do some gaming (non-FPS) when I get a new rig soon.

I am keen to avoid screens with oversaturated colours, as I prefer more natural looking colours (e.g. natural looking skintone for people in videos).

If you don't accept oversaturated colors both options are not best. Both have extended color gamut. Although 2690 is the best tool to fight wide gamut issue, it's still wide gamut.
You'll need to find a good standard color gamut monitor.

Options (based on your requirements) are very limited.
1. NEC 2490WUXi
2. NEC 24WMGX3
3. Gateway XHD3000
4. iMac 24"

Of course the best choice is a monitor with A-TW H-IPS panel. There are two of them - NEC 2490/2690. Both are the most CRT-like monitors in the market. The latter is #2 due to wide gamut issue. If 2490 is not available the only candidate from that group is 2690.
What is on the other side?
*VA panel based monitors - you'll have to accept colorshift (affects mostly photo images and less movies) and poorer viewing angles (both photo and video). I don't think you want to add another issue - wide color gamut on top of that (that will be Dell 2709)
I would pay attention to two the most interesting *VA monitors - NEC 24WMGX3 and Gateway XHD3000. Both are outstanding for non-IPS class. If your choice is not 90-series NEC and your budget permits - why limit yourself to Dell 2709?
24WMGX3 is the newest toy for everything you listed - just grab and play.
Although XHD3000 has controversial reputation (see the appropriate HardForum thread), it's very tempting. I would say it's one of two 30" monitors in the market that deserve attention.
The last resort is iMac 24" - a nice glossy H-IPS screen but...combined with computer.

Between 2690 and 2709 - no questions. 2690.


Monitor on the left has min black 0.2 cd/m2 and CR ~750:1
Monitor on the right has min black 0.11 cd/m2 and CR ~1200:1