My new monitor: Dell U2711
So I've been in the market for a LOOONG time now looking for a really nice LCD monitor for my PC. I've been getting very frustrated with the lack of high resolution LCD monitors and really struggled to get a monitor that delivers a higher resolution than 1920x1200. In the past, most monitors capable of the mythical 2560x1600 were 30" monsters, costing an arm and a leg, and not suitable for gaming AT ALL - so naturally they were not good choices.
Then the other day, whilst looking for an iPad in our 3rd World country, I walked into the iStore at Clearwater mall and saw a breathtakingly beautiful LCD monitor. It was the new iMAC 27" (costing R23,000). I was blown away with the image clarity and vibrant colors of the monitor. I desperately had to get this monitor in my life!
Through some research I learned that it was almost impossible to use the iMAC's display on a Windows based PC. So my dreams were pretty much gone at that point thanks to the whole displayPort technology that they used.
On Monday this week I continued browsing the web and came across an article on one of Dell's new monitors. It was a 27" LCD monitor using an IPS panel and supported the same resolution that the iMAC's display does - 2560x1440.
Some more homework on the product was done and I discovered it's the exact same panel used in the iMAC's display, but it does not use LED backlighting like the iMAC does and still uses CCFL - apparently this turned out to be GOOD news because the LED's on the iMACs were causing problems which resulted in a yellowish tint - something that will be avoided on my monitor thanks to the CCFL lighting.
Also, using CCFL backlighting provides a higher color gamut than the LED version!
So this is the same display that the iMAC uses with its breathtaking colors and super crispness, but at a fraction of the price with slightly improved performance.
I CANNOT WAIT!
**UPDATE**
Okay so all the reading that I've done online states that this is THE monitor to own if your budget allows for it (even in my case where my budget didn't. oh well). The only issue is that Dell has a pretty notorious reputation for being pretty bad when it comes to customer service and when ordering stuff from them, it can take WAY longer to arrive than the stated 14-day waiting period. So - if by next month this time (22/08/2010) I don't have any news on the monitor yet, you'll know I'm a very sad (and de-moer-in) Panda.
The Dell's really are amazing and they've come along way.
Originally Posted by jasong
