Dell Computers

Review by Parka : Phenomenal

I've had this monitor for a month now and I've to say that it's phenomenal. I was using the Dell 2405FPW for 5 years until the U2711 was released, almost matching the resolution of the 30-inch (2560 by 1600), at almost half the price. It's a bargain.

The resolution is outstanding at 2560 by 1440. Yes, there's 160 pixels missing from the bottom compared to a typical 30-inch, but coming up from 1920 by 1200 it doesn't really matter.

The colours are vibrant, which is great. The text is a bit smaller, of a size you typically see on 13-inch laptops. It took me a while to get used to the smaller font size.

This set is still non-glossy. But apparently, Dell has applied some anti-glare coating. I've read on forums that some customers disliked it but I've no problem with it - I didn't even detect it was there.

Compared to a 24-inch (1920 by 1200px), the U2711 isn't much taller, it's much wider. I can fit two webpages, 1024px each, and still be able to see icons on the desktop.

Backlight bleeding is barely noticeable. It means if your widescreen movies still show the letterbox black bars, you'll be less distracted.

The U2711 also works well with my PS3 via HDMI. I'm not sure of the audio capabilities but I use a 2.1 speaker plugged in with a 3.5mm jack. One thing to note is you'll have to set the audio settings on your PS3 to output 2.1 sound to make sure they output all the sound, dialogue, effects, surround, etc.

Gaming on the PS3 is very enjoyable. The games are upscaled and there's a notch of graininess. Not really an issue unless you're sitting really close. Everything looks snappy and I don't notice any lag but I'm don't really play FPS games.

Note that this monitor would require a decent graphics card with dual-DVI output. If you want to game at the maximum resolution, then you need a powerful card.

This is a huge physical monitor. My table is really small and it took up almost half of it. But not regrets.

I managed to get this LCD at US$690 equivalent in Asia, Singapore. It's well worth it. This set is going to last me for a long time, until the slimmer LED version comes out in who-knows-which year.

I would recommend this monitor to graphic designers, photographers or anyone who multi-task a lot.

- For Mac Users -

I'm using this on a Mac Pro and have powered it on two graphic card, not both at the same time. It's plug and play, no drivers required.

On the ATI Radeon X1900XT, you won't be able to see the dual boot screen if you hold Alt after the startup (that's if you're using Boot Camp). On the ATI Radeon 4870, it works just flawlessly.

- For technical reviews, just visit the links in my comment section. I found and used them while researching on the U2711.

Review by Amba : Overly aggressive anti-glare coating

I had to give U2711 to my colleague and get back to U2410 as the anti-glare coating on the U2711 is a huge overkill for text work (I mostly work with text). It is probably nice for photo editing, as it will kill all the reflections and glare, but it renders text fuzzy and white background looks low contrast and fuzzy.
As much as I dislike glossy displays, same panel on Apple's 27" makes for better text contrast and ease of reading, even when you see your own reflection in the screen.

I wish it was 19:10 format (say 2400x1500)

Review by Thomas G. Birt "Tom Birt" : Buy it

Although you might be put off by shelling out a grand for a display monitor, you get a lot of bang for your buck. I have tested all the inputs. Don't waste your time with the VGA, it's only there as a last resort during video troubleshooting. The two dual link DVI ports will satisfy most users (switching from two sources). The video cards I've tested only allow a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1200 using the HDMI port. The DisplyPort (DP) as with the DVI ports will deliver the full resolution of 2560 x 1440. The OSD panel is activated by putting your hand near it. It is easy to turn on and off, regardless of room lighting. The OSD menu is easy to use as well. If you play a lot of action games, you might be disappointed by it's response time, but for all other uses it's hard to beat.

Review by Mark A. Adams : A superb monitor ... but

The Dell u2700 is a fantastic monitor, but has quality control issues.
I purchased 2 Dell u2711 monitors directly from Dell 4 months ago (I bought them to replace an HP3065 that I had for 3+ years with a pair of matched monitors).
Up until 3 days ago they were the best monitors I had ever owned. At that time one of the u2711's right half of the screen turned on to a mid-level green. It is intermittent and is overridden for any color that uses a green over 1/2 brightness. The end result is that I will have to RMA it back to Dell.
I Googled "Dell u2711 problems" and was greeted with a number of right hand screen problems. Anyway I can't recommend the u2711 until they fix the QC issue. It is sad, because if the panel problem had not occurred, these would still be the best monitors I have owned.

Review by B. Lee : Beware the anti-glare coating

First, full disclosure: I've tried this monitor with a couple macs. Also in general I'm a big fan of Dell monitors, I have two right now at home (where I do a lot of photo image processing) and I've had nothing but Dell monitors at work for years (where I do scientific image processing). I've never had a complaint about their monitors, in general the Ultrasharp series are great quality for a good price.

On to this monitor: I've had two of these now, and while I really like the size and resolution I think I'm going to give up. The first one had a few bad pixels, pretty bad backlight bleedthrough in one corner (and noticeable in all 4 corners) and one dark corner. (How do you get a corner to have bleedthrough when it's dark and be dark when it's light?) On that one the top layer of the screen also seemed to not fit quite right, it would make a pop sound when I tried to wipe the screen like it was moving or warped. The second one had much more severe backlight bleedthough in only one corner, and then one spot along the top of the screen. It was visible in normal computer use, not just dark scenes. So either I'm extremely unlucky or the quality control is just not what it should be. None of the other Dell monitors I've used have had a single bad pixel or this level of bleedthrough.

And then there's the truly puzzling anti-glare coating. It's not a matte finish like the other Dell monitors I've had, it's more coarse and kind of sparkly. When the screen is bright it's really annoying, when there's any room light it makes the screen look washed out. It's intolerable for photo editing, which is what I got this monitor for -- it makes my images look noisy and speckled. And again, all of this is in comparison to other Dell monitors. I'd never considered getting a glossy screen for photo editing before looking at photos on this screen, but that would be better than this. Best would be a matte finish like their older monitors had.

I got this monitor for photo editing because of the resolution, size, and color calibration. But the uneven backlight & bleedthrough and sparkly coating make it entirely unsuitable for that. I guess it's going back.

Review by Gene Stillman : Stunning Monitor

Excellent value. I have had this for more than a month and love it. No viewing angle problems nor smearing on fast action. This monitor will spoil you for a non-IPS monitor. Excellent for graphics work.

Cons: Only on the price, yet we get what we pay for. I may buy another to upgrade a 1650x1050 second monitor.

As for the one star review below, the "reviewer" is a mental midget, complaining only about a typo on the page.

Review by Online Shopper "Jman" : Great for Graphics, text sucks

I regret to agree with those that have criticized the text on this monitor. The anti Glare coating really messes with text such that it's difficult on your eyes. I have perfect vision and it really bothers me to look at text on this monitor. As for graphics/photo's this monitor is amazing. Unfortunately I use it for both. I don't think it would have been too much to ask for better text after paying so much money.

Review by Purple Tang "Long Islander" : Jitter problem

The right side of screen had horizontal blinking lines. Dell service is excellent. They send me the replacement unit with returning pre-paid FEDEX tag.

You need to upgrade your video card to gain the full top resolution. It is the best monitor I know of.

Review by K. Groh : Super Sharp Picture, High Resolution, Perfect for Graphics

My previous monitor was a Dell 2709W 27-Inch LCD Widescreen Monitor and I really liked it but I was a little frustrated by the resolution limitation of 1920x1080. And the monitor started to go bad (vertical pink line) after two years.

The good news is that Dell stood behind their three year warranty (same as this monitor) and said they would replace it. Luckily for me there were no more of my old monitor left so this is what arrived the day after my warranty call. Great support Dell!

I am so happy, not only because Dell did a great job keeping their warranty promise but best yet, I have 2560 x 1440 resolution. I didn't need to upgrade my video card (NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT). The highest resolution was the default.

I now have a ton more desktop space, great for multiple windows and toolbars.

There is a USB hub, SanDisk reader, and all controls necessary for calibrating the monitor.

I love it and would recommend it to anyone, especially those doing graphics or needing a large desktop. This one is huge.

Review by B. Wong : Outstanding feature but beware of gloss

Pros
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1. Split screen for picture by picture. This gives you composite, hdmi and component at the same time with your other PC screen. Hook up your favorite video game system and play it while doing regular PC work on the other screen together.

2. In the display settings there is a Wide mode. The choice of Fill, Aspect or 1:1 can give you true resolution at native 2560 x 1440 regardless of what you display at. Say for example your PC max output is 1024 x 800, you will see that resolution with a black backdrop that fills up the rest. It will look small but clear. Vice versa if your PC display at 2560 x 1660, it will look like a virtual window where you can scroll past the display portion. Be sure to use the right mode. Otherwise native high res at 2560 x 1440 means everything you look at below this resolution maybe blurry.

3. The USB built-in means I have quick access to USB at my desk without reaching for a hub.

4. Mini cable management hole at the back is ridiculously handy. Keeps table neat. Most underrated feature.

5. Input mode of VGA, two DVI-D, displayport, hdmi 1.3, component etc is more than most can use.

6. Software driver for u2711 is excellent on win XP, vista and win 7. I tried all three.

7. Monitor stem/swivel is high quality.

Cons
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1. Ok looking at white screen. But when looking at black screen, it has a large glossy glare. Is highly noticeable and will annoy probably alot of people. Perhaps the biggest turn off.

2. Unless you have a very modern gaming graphics card, 2560 x 1440 is apparently hard to find. I don't even get this setting on the latest core i7 laptops, which all do 2560 x 1660. If anyone know how to modify display drivers to force 2560 x 1440 out, leave me a message.

3. Despite a good fit the optional Dell AS501 Sound Bar is not worth it. Any half decent PC speaker will top it.