Dell UltraSharp U2412M 24-Inch Screen LED-Lit Monitor, Black

This is a gorgeous monitor. I wanted an IPS monitor for editing photos in Photoshop and Photomatrix (HDR). My 1080P gaming monitors just werent cutting it. My choice came down to Asus or Dell, and I finally went with Dell because of price. Frankly, the Asus PA248Q is probably equally gorgeous. I have tried out both the DVI and DisplayPort and see no difference. Before opening photos in photoshop, I ran X-Rites Colormunki Display on the Dell and on one of my old cheap TN monitors. The Colormunki made a striking difference. The initial factory setting of the U2412M was too green. In contrast the munki made my cheap monitor look worse (low contrast to improve color accuracy, I think). Whatever. It made the Dell IPS monitor look wonderful, and that is what matters. Update: Got my second monitor and it was a bit red. Again, Colormunki fixed it. Out of curiosity, I fired up some games on the U2412M. Common wisdom is that IPS is not good for gaming. Perhaps. Again, I thought it looked fantastic. My eyes must not be good enough to see the alleged light leakage IPS monitors supposedly have. I am pleasantly surprised by the ability to game on this monitor and the 1200 vs 1080 height difference is something I really like. Gaming is absolutely NOT what this monitor is for, but if you play games in addition to editing photos, this monitor works fine. My original plan was to have only the one IPS monitor and game on cheap TNs. This monitor changed my mind. I have ordered a second one and after a few paychecks will acquire a third. The TN monitors will be retired. Update: Third one is on its way! I have no use for HDMI on my computer screens, so I cannot comment on that. I mounted it on a multi-monitor stand, so I cannot comment on the supplied base. I selected this U2412M over a wide gamut monitor because I rarely print my photos. My (limited) understanding of wide gamut is that it is meant for people who mostly print their work. For display on screen, this regular IPS is better than buying a very expensive monitor and then not using the wide gamut you paid for. Should you buy the Dell U2412M instead of the Asus PA248Q? Personally, I believe they are equivalent. When I was buying, the Dell U2412M was cheaper. When you read this, it just might be the other way around. I recommend going with lower price. In summary, I found this Dell to be the best value for my photo editing and am pleased with its ability to game. I am buying more. I highly recommend using a calibration tool such as a Colormunki or Spyder4.

Pros: + Nice 1920x1200 resolution. I dislike the recent trend of making computer monitors 16:9 instead of 16:10. + Extremely bright on full blast + Great and sturdy adjustable stand with a 90 degree swivel (great for coding or web use) + Anti-glare coating isnt as noticeable as other reviewers claim + Matte screen. I hate glossy screens with a passion. + Convenient USB ports on the side and back + Have yet to see a single dead pixel. + Decent response times. Ive done some gaming on it and havent noticed much (if any) ghosting. Cons: - Backlight bleed. Mine isnt as bad as others Ive seen, but its still there. Lowering the brightness seems to help; you can turn it down to zero even and still have a bright picture. Its really only noticeable if the entire affected area is black. Im not too upset with it, and I dont feel like playing the RMA lottery to see if I get a better one and then end up with a worse one instead. The bleed is my only real complaint. If youre looking for a quality monitor in an affordable price range, I would definitely encourage getting this. Dells monitors have always impressed me with their quality, and a cheaper off-brand monitor wont look as good (even if its the same actual panel).

I bought this to replace a hand-me-down Dell monitor that had a band of discoloration. I looked online for magazine reviews of monitors and this one got high marks; after comparing several of the highest-scoring ones, I decided on another Dell because of the extra height. I didnt want to move from a 1920x1200 monitor to a 1920x1080 one and lose that extra inch or so after having been used to it for years. The colors look great, the resolution and size are what Im used to, and the anti-glare coating on this one seems better than the previous one. I sit with my back to a window and I cant see any reflections from all that light. I was concerned at first that there was not a button for switching between inputs because I have two computers hooked up to this monitor, but the buttons are customizable, so I was able to make one of them an input-switch button. Even if I hadnt done that, I could have gotten to that function fairly easily through the menus. Its slightly less convenient to not have the buttons labeled, but not enough to be annoying. I like the energy-saving features of the monitor as well. I have installed the PowerNap program that came with it on my main computer, and the screen-dimming when the screen saver goes on works just fine; there is a noticeable time for the screen to go back to full brightness after the mouse is moved/key is pressed to end the screensaver, but its worth it to me to save energy.

Very nice quality monitor for the price. Color calibration appears straight on, great wide viewing angles typical of IPS panels, with no dead or stuck pixels whatsoever and absolutely no backlight bleed on the one I received. Refresh rate is low at 8ms, so Id expect some slight ghosting on fast FPS games - absolute hard core gamers probably need to look at another brand or model. Dells base is the best designed I have ever owned. The landscape to portrait pivot function of the base is very nice and allows you use the monitor vertically instead of horizontally - very useful when proofing documents. The only thing I dont like about it is that it is very easy to scratch the base when pivoting if you dont remember to tilt the bottom of the monitor outwards as you pivot it (a minor quibble, and more user error on my part than an actual design fault). Packaging from Amazon was great - Dells box (which itself was built like a tank and held the monitor screen securely within cardboard and not foam restraints) was packaged securely within a second Amazon box padded with paper. Cant ask for much more than that. All in all, a great monitor for the price.

The monitor itself is awesome when you consider how little it costs. But setting it up was a real hassle for me. Granted I am running a 5 year old system, but it is a Dell computer, running a Dell monitor, replacing a Dell monitor... how hard should that be? Anyway, to resolve this, I needed to address two problems (at least on my machine). First, when I bought my PC, it came with a graphics card that only has DMS-59 pin as a digital connector. These things are outdated. So I needed to buy a DVI-D to DMS-59 connector. Mind you, the stupid DVI-D connector is also outdated, but the regular DVI-I that is popular today also works with it. I just wish the Dell tech knew this and told me so. Second, I needed to unravel the driver puzzle. Basically my graphics card does not have a driver that supports Windows 8.1 (which I am running). I looked into buying a new graphics card, but then would also have had to update the power supply... which basically costs as much as a new computer when you add all this stuff together. So I finally learned that you can use the old Vista legacy driver... and now it works perfectly. I hope I never have to go through that again, but at least I can say the monitor works great. Now I just have to get used to the idea of moving my mouse from one side alllllll the way to the other :)

My first criterion when I was looking for a 24 monitor was screen resolution: I wanted 1920x1200. I know that its not completely rational; 24 1080p monitors (1920x1080) can be found for half the price, but I needed those 120 rows of pixels. This is partly because I will probably end up placing this in a dual-monitor setup next to a 20 4:3 monitor (1600x1200) and I like the vertical resolution to match. Well, whatever my reasons, I was set on 1200 vertical resolution, and given that restriction this was clearly the best deal to be found. Ive found nothing negative to report about it, only pros. 1) nice physical presence, with a fairly small bezel, not too modern-looking, unobtrusive. It has good smooth height adjustment, looks like about 5-1/2 inches of motion. Of note, it can adjust all the way down until the lower edge of the monitor is resting on the base, something that my other monitors have not done. 2) really, really good buttons and on-screen controls. There are 4 unlabeled buttons on the right side. At first I was concerned that I would have to memorize what each one does, but thats not the case. You hit any of the four to bring up a menu, and the on screen controls always clearly show what each button does. This shouldnt be such a big deal, because you dont spend much time in these menus, but it just makes me happy, and gives me confidence in the rest of the monitor. Note: I dont see a dedicated input source button, so folks who use the monitor switching inputs as a sort of KVM will have to go a couple layers into a menu to switch inputs, but this doesnt impact me at all. 3) display. The display is flawless to my eyes. I havent spent time tinkering with the color management options because the defaults look good to me, but there is a lot of configuration available, along with presets for movie, gaming, text, color temp settings, etc. Im able to make the display nice and dim, much dimmer than other monitors that I use. I use it for standard email, web browsing, streaming video, and gaming. For these tasks its perfect. Ive had no problems with ghosting or response times in games, its just a beautiful clear experience. I recommend it highly, although as I said if youre willing to give up those 120 rows of pixels, a 1080p monitor can be had for a lot less money.

One of the best purchases I have ever made. As a software engineer and photography enthusiast who works with computers most of the time when not sleeping, I have high standards for monitors and have played with a lot of them. I can say that this one is the best value for the money. The color is pretty accurate (not as accurate as those super expensive monitors that cost $1000+ though), and the uniformity of the display is superb. Dont get tricked by those fancy looks and functions of some cheap monitor (not so cheap though, still cost $100+)--those functionalities have nothing to do with the display quality. This display is so good that I immediately bought another one for my GF after getting my hands on this one. You could easily find that the color in those display you used before (TVs, cheaper monitors) are far more inferior and you immediately enter a new world with vivid color. This monitor is great for programming and photo editing for enthusiasts (pros may choose those expensive ones), and other uses that you could imagine. The 16:10 ratio is also optimal for working, and I never had any problems with movies even though for 16:9 movies you cannot get a full coverage. Actually I found the bottom black gap is perfect for subtitles. If youre looking for a 24-inch monitor, buy this one as fast as you can. You may also want to consider the 27-inch version if youre looking for a larger monitor.

When I was deciding on a monitor, the whole Dell UltraSharp line was brought up again and again. Its safe to say they have a reputation for quality monitors. Of course, they come at a premium. Id imagine some people wonder what that premium gets. Well, to be fair, I dont necessarily think this will be worth it versus lower-priced competitors for everyone, but it was for me. Here are the things that sold me on this monitor, (and that it delivers in use), in order of importance to me: 1) The wide viewing angle. I can be a bit of a slouch at the computer. My old 23 inch monitor, a fairly inexpensive one, had a smaller viewing angle, so that if I slouched, it appeared darker. No such issue with this Dell. You dont have to get yourself in just the right spot. This is really nice for practical reasons, but of course encourages bad posture on my part! 2) Great Stand The stand on this thing is awesome. It goes way up and way down. It tilts to vertical. Its stable as can be. On my cheap Ikea desk, my typing would cause my old monitor on its flimsy stand to jiggle a bit. No such issue here. 3) Aspect Ratio The monitor is 1920x1200, instead of the now more-common 1920x1080. This gives some more pixels of height to the screen. If your focus is movies, perhaps this isnt the best thing (although its a minor issue at worst). For my personal uses of gaming, browsing the web, and working, that is great extra space, plain and simple. 4) Colors! Pretty simple, the Dell delivers rich, accurate colors. A lot of this depends on ones calibrations, but the Dell makes my old monitor, side-by-side, look much more washed out than I ever realized it was. So those were my key points. The Dell has delivered flawlessly on them. Is it worth it for everyone? Not necessarily. Is my older 23 inch monitor still capable of delivering a perfectly nice experience? Sure. In the end, though, you are getting what you pay for with this monitor. Thats not in question.

So Ill get the big points out of the way first. No, its not a 10 bit panel, and yes, its an e-IPS panel (the low-end of IPS). If you dont know what either of those things mean, dont worry about it. This is far and away a better monitor than any TN panel out there (even the best TN panel wont match a low-end IPS panel for color reproduction, and its likely what youll get with any monitor under $200). So with that out of the way, Ill review this monitor as someone looking for a better than average LCD panel. That is, after all, what Dells U2412M is designed to be. Its not aimed at professionals. Its aimed at consumers that arent happy with how their TN LCD cant quite ever do white justice. Its aimed at the casual or enthusiast photographer that wants decent colors but doesnt have a job riding on it. Its aimed at the gamer that is disappointed by how hard it is to make out a dark room in their favorite game. It wasnt that long ago that TN panels in this size and resolution were going for the same kind of money (the Acer P241w sitting next to this Dell was $300 new). The fact that you can now get an IPS panel for under or around $300 is incredible. Compared to my old Acer (which Ive never been able to get decently calibrated) the Dell is fantastic. Whites are so much whiter. Colors are richer. Details are sharper. The OSD is quite frankly brilliant (the softkey system makes fumbling for the right button in the dark a thing of the past). Then add features I never had with my Acer, like the height and swivel adjustments, rotation, and a USB hub. Its money well spent as far as Im concerned, and Im very happy with it. Now to address an issue Ive seen in several reviews: yellow tinting. The display I got (model U2412Mb, rev A00) shows no signs of it. Thats only a sample size of one, so I cant claim that its gone, but its definitely not present on the one I got. I ran the Windows 7 monitor calibration (which is a visual calibration, calibrated eyeballs required), and was generally pretty pleased with the results. I dialed out a bit of green and just a hint of red (the gamma was pretty much spot on), and if anything it makes it look like my old Acer has the yellow tinting problem. For sake of mentioning the competition (I know how much some people like to comparison shop), you might check out ASUSs PA248Q. I havent seen one myself, but it seems to be the only real price to price direct competitor. The ASUS has USB 3.0 and HDMI if thats important to you. This Dell has neither (no HDMI at all, and the USB hub is 2.0). If youre like me and just cant stand how average TN paneled LCDs are these days, this Dell is a very good option. Im very happy with mine. It arrived with no issues (no weird tints, no dead/hot pixels of any kind). While I cant say for sure that your Dell will be just as good (quality control being what it is these days), I can say its worth it if you do get a good one. As always with Amazon, youre likely to have the best luck buying directly from Amazon (thats what I did).

Colors a little off and brightness too high out of the box, but monitors color balance and brightness is near perfect after calibration. Make use of suggested brightness and color settings online to get you much of the calibration benefit. The most striking difference with other TN-panel monitors Ive used is the considerably higher contrast level after calibration. HDR rendering effects are *striking* on this screen. Ive gone back to replay the original FEAR and Black Mesa on this, and the excellent contrast image enhances the games atmospheres greatly. The anti-glare coatings color shimmering effect some describe is only somewhat noticeable when close to the screen, and only when looking at a full or mostly-white background. At normal use distance while browsing, watching or editing video, or playing games, most people will be unable to spot the effect. I looked interesting on paper, but I did not fully realize how useful the portrait display mode would be to me until I used it. When rotated to portrait, the following become possible: 1. Full vertically extended view of many news and information websites. 2. Zoomed view of a single legal-size page in Acrobat or Word. Those concerned by the lack of HDMI input, I would suggest you should not be. The video signals of HDMI and DVI-D are the same; HDMI adds a digital sound transport that this monitor cant take advantage of. Get an HDMI to DVI adapter and youll be fine. Finally, do not underestimate the benefit of a 1920x1200 resolution when editing HD video. The extra vertical resolution makes it easy to work on the video at full 1080P resolution while preserving 120 vertival pixels of room for palettes above or below.