Is it possible to get a good S-IPS 24" panel for less than $1,000?

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Slider19

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Not seeing to many affordable S-IPS panels, but maybe I'm not looking at the right ones.

For those with S-IPS panels, how noticeable is the ghosting when playing games? I don't play games that much, but just curious.
 
Thanks, l guess I'll give it a try. If not, I'll get ne of the many TN based LCDs
 
There's also the Planar PX2611W. Slightly bigger screen. And, last but not least the NEC LCD2490WUXi-BK. The NEC is normally $1000+, but right now it's at TechforLess (manufacturer refurbished) for $637.24, with an additional 10% off using promo code "MCMYCOUPONS10". From research I've been doing for the last couple of days, the NEC is probably the best. It DOES NOT have a wide gamut, which is probably what you're used to. The Planar and the HP ARE wide gamut. Plus, the NEC is the only monitor with an A-TW polarizer, meaning it has the best viewing angles. AND, the NEC has a 12 bit LUT. Meaning you can calibrate its colors and the calibration will stick everywhere: Linux, game consoles, etc.

This is all from memory from research I've been doing for the last few days so I might not be 100% accurate. It's easy to get wrapped up in numbers and features, so it's probably best (if possible) to get all 3 and try them yourself. It's a big purchase, and imho, one that warrants thoroughly testing each option.
 
Thanks, I am hesitant with the wide gamut monitors, because I can see it annoying the heck out of me.
 
There's always the 23 inch Apple Cinema Display. The new 24 incher is even better, but it only works with the new Macbooks. :(
 
Right now, it's probably between the HP LP2475w and the NEC 2490. In essence, each has its advantages and benefits. I would've gone with the refurbished but I'm always skeptical of refurbished products and I can't risk it with the 90 day warranty.

Yes, the HP does have wide gamut but so do 90% of new monitors. I would basically say that if you have the money to spend, get a new NEC 2409 for $1200. If you don't mind a refurbished product with 90 days of warranty, get the refurbished NEC. If you have a colorimeter/hardware calibrator and you work with photos/sRGB and such, you won't be bothered by the wide gamut all that much so then you can opt for the HP LP2475w. Just my .02.
 
PC_User said:
Right now, it's probably between the HP LP2475w and the NEC 2490. In essence, each has its advantages and benefits. I would've gone with the refurbished but I'm always skeptical of refurbished products and I can't risk it with the 90 day warranty.

Yes, the HP does have wide gamut but so do 90% of new monitors. I would basically say that if you have the money to spend, get a new NEC 2409 for $1200. If you don't mind a refurbished product with 90 days of warranty, get the refurbished NEC. If you have a colorimeter/hardware calibrator and you work with photos/sRGB and such, you won't be bothered by the wide gamut all that much so then you can opt for the HP LP2475w. Just my .02.
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The refurb Dell 30" comes with a 3 year no questions asked advanced exchange warranty. And most people are receiving units that appear to be new. I received one that wasn't... but it was still an amazing value, and all I needed to do was have them swap it out.
 
brentsg said:
The refurb Dell 30" comes with a 3 year no questions asked advanced exchange warranty. And most people are receiving units that appear to be new. I received one that wasn't... but it was still an amazing value, and all I needed to do was have them swap it out.
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I called Dell, and they said the 3007WFP-HC refurbs have a 90day warranty only.
 
Any advice?

I'm mostly doing video and photo editing, so I want good color and a decent response time.
I've been looking at the UltraSharp 2707WFP, 2408WFP, and the HP LP2475w. I'm realizing that if I want to get the truest color for video then I need to get a color grading monitor ($8,000+ Like this. Which is out of my league for a while. So I'm looking for something to settle with for now.
However I also want to use it for gaming, and the 2707 does not have HDMI? That might be a deal breaker.

Also, what is the problem with wide gamut monitors?
 
Syphon Filter said:
Yeah, I'd like to know the answer to this too. Surely they provide better colour accuracy?
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When you display content generated for sRGB, which almost everything is, it looks badly oversaturated on a wide gamut display.

Color managed applications using content that is properly tagged will look fine as long as the display is calibrated. Unfortunately even with a web browser that supports color management won't help you because most of the content on the web is sRGB but not tagged so the color management is useless.

sRGB has been the standard display capability for so long that it's a defacto standard. I tried a wide gamut display and decided it just wasn't worth the hassle right now. As industry moves toward more capable displays, and OS' get more sophisticated with color management... and as more people that create content embed the color profile information... then I'll jump in. Until then unless I need excellent color reproduction for photography and I'm willing to live with everything else looking crappy I'll stick with sRGB.
 
But in this case the web doesn't interest much since he wants to have accurate colors for video and photo editing? So I think a wide gamut display helps with this? Maybe the trick relies in calibration :confused:
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I owned the 3007-HC and returned it and bought the NEC 2490.

The question is do you want quantity or quality(the cost about the same new or refurb). The NEC has more connectivity, insanely great controls, much better panel uniformity, much better color, and the best viewing angles on the market, only monitors with A-TW polarizer.

The NEC is an "A+", the Dell is a "D". Get the Dell only if you need the pixel count and are not very picky about quality. If you want a big panel for entertainment get a 1080p TV.

I also just picked up a Samsung 37" 1080p LCD. It receives both Analog and digital TV Signals. HD OTA is AMAZING. It has 3 HDMI inputs. 2 component inputs, video in, VGA in, and assorted audio. Is pixel perfect over HDMI in PC mode. It has extensive imaging controls. It was $699 new. For watching movies it looks much better than the Dell.

Bottom line get the NEC for quality PC monitor, get a TV for big screen entertainment.
 
maybe I can slap on a new color profile that will correct the wide gamut effect when viewing the web?
 
There are many differing points of view on this issue. The reality is, most monitors today are wide gamut (92% of NTSC) and some like the Dell are actually proud to advertise 115% NTSC. Aside from the $1,000+ NEC 2490, there are no 24" IPS monitors that I know of that are not wide gamut.

Wide gamut, in my honest opinion, is certainly advantageous when doing work with photoshop and other color intensive programs. I often work with photoshop, lightroom 2, and photoshop elements so I wanted the best color accuracy and gamut. On some web pages, I do notice a bit of oversaturation but it is nothing that I can't live with. In games and movies, I actually notice an improvement in blacks, colors, and contrast over my previous Dell 2405FPW (PVA which is also wide gamut, I believe) so overall I'm satisfied with wide gamut.

As I stated, the trend is toward wide gamut monitors and many are objected to this while others find it beneficial. It all lies in the eye of the beholder. If you want the best 24" IPS without wide gamut, then its most likely the NEC 2490, but its price tag is a bit steep for some. If you want the best 24" IPS with wide gamut, then it's probably the HP LP2475w which is more reasonably priced at $600. All in all, Google should have several topics on this issue of wide vs standard gamut in LCDs.

Snowdog, in most of your posts, it sounds like you are trying to justify the purchase of your 2490. Nothing wrong with that but that is the sense I'm getting from reading most of your posts.
 
RC23 said:
maybe I can slap on a new color profile that will correct the wide gamut effect when viewing the web?
Click to expand...

A color profile will only help you if your application utilizes color management, and the content is tagged with the color gamut information from creation. Most web content is not...
 
PC_User said:
Wide gamut, in my honest opinion, is certainly advantageous when doing work with photoshop and other color intensive programs. I often work with photoshop, lightroom 2, and photoshop elements so I wanted the best color accuracy and gamut. On some web pages, I do notice a bit of oversaturation but it is nothing that I can't live with. In games and movies, I actually notice an improvement in blacks, colors, and contrast over my previous Dell 2405FPW (PVA which is also wide gamut, I believe) so overall I'm satisfied with wide gamut.

Snowdog, in most of your posts, it sounds like you are trying to justify the purchase of your 2490. Nothing wrong with that but that is the sense I'm getting from reading most of your posts.
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I don't have to justify anything. Just trying to save people the grief I went through buying 4 crappy panels before getting a good one. I did buy a Dell 3007-HC and it was pretty awful IMO. What made it suck was poor screen uniformity, strong white glow in corners and the hideous color on it. My cheapo TN screen had better color.

The NEC is the only IPS normal gamut panel that was available here. If the HP had been normal gamut I would have got one. But the NEC is also the only one currently shipping A-TW panels, that don't have the white glow, it is a very nice bonus.

I also correct incorrect assumptions. You get ZERO advantage from working with a wide gamut panel even in photoshop unless you have wide gamut sources. Which most people don't have. Even then advantages are marginal. The main advantage of wide gamut is to marketing departments because the have another value to claim bigger is better. Put it in the bag of marketing lies with Dynamic Contrast and 178 degree viewing angles.
 
Snowdog said:
I also correct incorrect assumptions. You get ZERO advantage from working with a wide gamut panel even in photoshop unless you have wide gamut sources. Which most people don't have. Even then advantages are marginal. The main advantage of wide gamut is to marketing departments because the have another value to claim bigger is better. Put it in the bag of marketing lies with Dynamic Contrast and 178 degree viewing angles.
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Marginal, maybe. But not zero. When working with RAW images over a dynamic spectrum of colors, wide gamut comes into play. The image is worked on in a wide-gamut colorspace prior to conversion to RGB. I have seen this with my own eyes. It is especially true for those that photograph in adobeRGB which has a wider color gamut than the standard sRGB and therefore benefits from the wide gamut of a monitor panel. Even with sRGB, I can notice somewhat of a difference with respect to the colors, although it is nothing spectacular or overwhelmingly dramatic.

As to the viewing angles, I recall you mentioning that the NEC 2409 has the best viewing angles. I strongly think that most people would not care because they sit directly in front of their monitor, and not above/below it or to the left/right of it.

In the end, its up to the person to choose the monitor that best fits their budget/needs/preferences. I wanted the wide gamut because I saw the differences in photo coloration when working working with RAW. While I gained that advantage, I 'gained' the disadvantage of oversaturation in many other things. The latter, however, does not outweigh the benefits of the colors in my case.

At the end of the day, the consumer has to make an informed decision. The NEC 24" is an excellent monitor and I can say this without any doubt. However, whether or not it is worth the $1,200 is another question entirely? It certainly has certain disadvantages (older model, input lag, response time) as does every other monitor. I went with the HP because it is a solid all-around monitor with an IPS panel for a reasonable (according to the market) price. If the NEC were new with warranty for that price, I would've had a harder time making my decision.
 
PC_User said:
As to the viewing angles, I recall you mentioning that the NEC 2409 has the best viewing angles. I strongly think that most people would not care because they sit directly in front of their monitor, and not above/below it or to the left/right of it.

At the end of the day, the consumer has to make an informed decision. The NEC 24" is an excellent monitor and I can say this without any doubt. However, whether or not it is worth the $1,200 is another question entirely? It certainly has certain disadvantages (older model, input lag, response time) as does every other monitor. I went with the HP because it is a solid all-around monitor with an IPS panel for a reasonable (according to the market) price. If the NEC were new with warranty for that price, I would've had a harder time making my decision.
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I think he characterized the NEC polarizing filter as a nice bonus, and it would be. But I agree that it's not vital as long as the unit will be used by a single user and not for collaboration. I know the white glow on my 24" Apple display is only evident if I'm at an angle and diagonal, which is a complete non issue for me. In my case the internal speakers and the web cam/mic are a better bonus than the polarizing filter would be. Now at 30" I think you can make the argument that the corners might glow depending on the single user viewing distance.
 
brentsg said:
I think he characterized the NEC polarizing filter as a nice bonus, and it would be. But I agree that it's not vital as long as the unit will be used by a single user and not for collaboration. I know the white glow on my 24" Apple display is only evident if I'm at an angle and diagonal, which is a complete non issue for me. In my case the internal speakers and the web cam/mic are a better bonus than the polarizing filter would be. Now at 30" I think you can make the argument that the corners might glow depending on the single user viewing distance.
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Yeah. I read much of the HP thread. Some people are bothered by white glow even at 24" but I haven't used one. But on a 30" IMO they need the polarizer, but even the NEC 30" doesn't have one. Still I love the polarizer on mine. I move around a lot, it is nice to have essentially perfect viewing angles. You probably don't need this, but it sure is nice. Another potential wide gamut downside from the HP thread is a lot of people report text issue and seeing red on edges.

But I was mainly commenting on the Nec vs the Dell 30" that someone else suggested. The cost about the same price new or the same price refurbed. In that case I say go for quality instead of quantity. If you can afford a Dell 30" you can afford the NEC. One is a pain (dell) and the other is a joy. I don't think the HP is nearly as bad as the Dell.
 
Snowdog said:
Yeah. I read much of the HP thread. Some people are bothered by white glow even at 24" but I haven't used one. But on a 30" IMO they need the polarizer, but even the NEC 30" doesn't have one. Still I love the polarizer on mine. I move around a lot, it is nice to have essentially perfect viewing angles. You probably don't need this, but it sure is nice. Another potential wide gamut downside from the HP thread is a lot of people report text issue and seeing red on edges.

But I was mainly commenting on the Nec vs the Dell 30" that someone else suggested. The cost about the same price new or the same price refurbed. In that case I say go for quality instead of quantity. If you can afford a Dell 30" you can afford the NEC. One is a pain (dell) and the other is a joy. I don't think the HP is nearly as bad as the Dell.
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I can see how the glow would be an issue for certain things but I think for most it's not an issue. I have two desks and two workstations in my office. When I sit at the other desk I'm maybe 6' back from the Apple IPS and also about 6' to the side of it. So I guess I'm roughly at a 45degree angle with my eyes level to the screen. I can't see a hint of white glow. Now if I stand up from my other desk so that I'm also looking down on the display, then yes it's white.

If I were to use the display for movie watching that required various seating positions, or to have a movie playing while I moved about the room doing stuff then I would want the polarizing filter for sure. But I have a Pioneer 5010 plasma right outside my office door, so there will be no movie watching on LCDs.:D

I most definitely see no color fringing on text. I'm also a fan of glossy since I'm practically in a cave. I have never used a matte LCD for more than a few and the sparkly look to the coating (or whatever it is) bothers me a lot. In fact it drives me crazy on whites.

Between the Dell 30 and the NEC 24 it's a no brainer. I'd definitely go with the NEC.
 
Has anyone been brave enough to order the refurb'd NEC 2490, and if so how did it work out and what is the policy with dead pixels? Can you only return if it's "defective" which I am curious what that means (> x # of dead pixels)?

I ask because, like so many other folks, I'm trying to decided between the HP 2475 and NEC 2490. I was just about to go with the HP 2475 based on my finances / features and then . . .

PS- Thanks gang for the spirited debate on the two LCDs as I'm sure it's helped more than just me narrow in on the pro's and con's
 
Morris_Jones said:
Has anyone been brave enough to order the refurb'd NEC 2490, and if so how did it work out and what is the policy with dead pixels? Can you only return if it's "defective" which I am curious what that means (> x # of dead pixels)?

I ask because, like so many other folks, I'm trying to decided between the HP 2475 and NEC 2490. I was just about to go with the HP 2475 based on my finances / features and then . . .

PS- Thanks gang for the spirited debate on the two LCDs as I'm sure it's helped more than just me narrow in on the pro's and con's
Click to expand...

I was deciding between those monitors as well. Went with the HP because it's a great monitor overall and I benefit from wide-gamut when working with RAW images in Photoshop. Each has its advantages and disadvantages but for peace of mind, I wanted to pay $600 and get a new monitor with 3-year warranty rather than pay the same amount and get a refurbished LCD with only 90-days warranty.
 
Cool. I decided to go the conservative route and order the HP 2475 from Amazon. I went the cheapo shipping route so it should be here by Spring but I'll let folks know how it goes and what version/revision I end up with. There were a couple of reviews with folks mentioning getting really old stock so I am a bit curious on that one.

Hope your NEC ends up being pristine and thanks for everyone's $0.02.
 
Now, if only we could get a refresh of that HP or Planar model that also had LED backlight and maybe a glossy screen! One can dream, right?
 
I think I'm going for the NEC. How's the input lag, ghosting, latency issues on this? Hopefully, not bad considering the price point.
 
Tough one here. Leaning towards the HP since it is newer but the NEC is just an unbelievable price. the 10% off frees up money for extended warranty too. Anyone know which one has better black levels? I also do a moderate amount of casual CS:S.
 
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