Sarath
iDota
Dell UltraSharp U2311H 23 inch IPS Monitor
*i.dell.com/images/global/products/monitors/monitors_highlights/monitor-u2311h-overview1.jpg
PRICE: INR 14500(locally) Online: INR 16000 (inc. shipping & taxes)[Note: Buying online is cumbersome as Dell website does not give you the option to buy but rather write to them. They respond with an e-mail citing details of the monitor, its price and payment options; anyone interested can PM me his/her e-mail address and I will forward that mail to you]
Bangalore only "where to buy?":
Lowest Price I found: Rs.13500click here>*www.chip5.com/golchhait/new-arrivals/products/view/9/1017.html .
I bought from: Binary World (also ITerials) INR 14343*bwindia.net/ThePCConfigurationShowandWelcome Address: Binary World, #19, BDA Complex, Indiranagar, Bangalore 560038. Google map location: type "Binary World" in search window *I DON'T KNOW HOW TO POST GOOGLE MAP LINKS
This review cannot be used for direct comparison between other similarly priced IPS/TN alternatives as I am limited to observing just this monitor. Hence this review will deal with the pros and cons of this monitor alone and not its comparison with others.
REVIEW:
Pros:
• IPS panel
• Good colour reproduction and contrast
• Affordable IPS technology
• Good viewing angles (178° Vertical and Horizontal)
• Full HD 16:9 aspect ratio (good for movies)
• Can be tilted vertically and horizontally
• Side USB ports (2)
• The Premium Warranty (about which I will elaborate later)
• Matte finish
• VESA wall mountable
Cons:
• No HDMI port
• Expensive; similarly sized TN+Film panels are priced below 10k
• Boring looks (subjective; not for me. A plain black bezel with a beautiful stand)
• Aspect ratio of 16:9 not the ideal for general computing
• Not easily available depending on location
• Screen too bright and gamma correction(to 2.2) is needed before using [calibration]
• Technically I should add the response time of 8ms, but the implications of the same have not been seen in in-game performance, i.e. ghosting etc is not observable
*i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc480/sarathmay3/Monitor/DSC_0217.jpg
Technical specifications:
Size 23 inches
Resolution 1920x1080
Aspect ratio 16:9
Pixel pitch 0.265
Panel technology H-IPS
Viewing angles(10:1 contrast) H: 178°V: 178°
Response time 8ms G2G
Max vertical refresh 60Hz
Connections DVI, DisplayPort, VGA, soundbar power, 4x USB
Accessories DVI, VGA, DisplayPort, USB upstream, power cables
Click to see gallery of monitor: (from online source) Nos.5
My views: based on
Initially, the first week:
◊ At first glance, I didn't really appreciate the upping of display quality, but was more amazed by the sheer size of the screen, as I was upgrading from a 15.6" laptop TN screen.
◊ The monitor proved too big for web surfing and hence I have been using a smaller window covering 75% of the central space. This is only about the screen size. But coming to games a bigger screen shows its advantages as being more immersive.
◊ The fact that I had paid close to 5000/- extra for this panel over a TN one was starting to bother me for neither was I interested in movies nor any form of photo editing.
◊ I was starting to notice improvements in many of the youtube videos I am subscribed to (like RWJ, Smosh etc) and could feel it had a warmer colour tone
◊ Any improvements or otherwise were largely unaware to my untrained eye. The brightness was bothering me and I even went ahead and created a thread for help in calibrating the monitor. All I did in the end was decrease the contrast, which proved more effective than the brightness setting.
◊ The OSD is not the most user friendly but gets the job done
◊ No HDMI meant that the PS3 would never benefit from this panel (w/o converted)
Later, a month after:
◊ The IPS finally showed its prowess like a peacock at full bloom in many scenarios which I will discuss individually.
◊ One day I had to transfer some of my work from my laptop to my new PC. This was the first instance which actually showed me that IPS was superior, much superior to the TN panel. However the laptop screen at 15.6" and 1366 x 768 pixels was a limitation in my comparison.
I decided to do the IPS vs TN battle in my own home ground:
Wallpaper: This was the easiest comparison I could make. DL the same wallpaper (resolutions in mind) and do a side by side comparison. I was so accustomed to the IPS panel that the TN screen felt lacking in many levels. The picture appeared washed out and fiddling with various screen settings proved one thing once and for all. The IPS shows more colours.
Youtube videos: The limitations of youtube are many due to bandwidth restrictions and many videos limited to 480p but even in this ground the IPS experience was better than the TN
Anime: I watch Bleach weekly and the anime just felt like the crayons had gone a brighter shade. Warmer colours and nothing much more than that.
Movies: Since I am not going to watch the same movie twice I couldn't make a side by side comparison of the same. Movies experience although was much better with superior colour and contrast.
A video I had shot on my phone was slightly better on this monitor. The limitation in this is the quality of the sensor in the phone.
This however is a definite BUY for movie lovers. Missing this at such a price point would be a criminal mistake.
GAMING: Despite all that I have written above let me tell you, my PC inc the monitor was built ground up with gaming and only gaming in mind. There are absolutely no movies in my 1TB HDD.
I made no comparison between a TN and IPS here due to hardware limitations of my HP Dv6 laptop in playing Crysis2 etc.
α) Crysis 2: This was the first game I played on this PC and the experience was amazing. I was looking for ghosting owing to the 8ms response time but there was none. Its was splendid. It is difficult to say that the colours were much better or not but I must say this was the most visually beautiful game I've played till date.
β) Call of Duty- Black Ops: The second game to fill the screen wasn't visually as appealing as Crysis but wasn't much far behind. Many scenarios were rendered beautifully and again no ghosting was seen.
γ) Dota: Now this is a game released in 2003 or later (emphasis on old) (also its not a game but for the sake of simplicity let us consider it to be) Its an online game with minimum system requirements and also visually not taxing. But since I have played this game on more than 50+ different PCs I can say that all this monitor showed was cartoonish colours but not overly so. Since the game is very old, the colours may appear too warm to my accustomed eye, but the fact remains that, thats how it is in this particular game. Better colours? I dont know. More colours? Definitely yes. Improvement? Cant say
To sum it up I would say this is a worthy gaming monitor on par with others I have used myself and in gaming cafes such as Sify Gamedrome, Reliance WebWorld and Reliace Zapak Gameplex.
Other points:
◊ However owing to it being a 60hz monitor it is not 3D capable.
◊ Lack of HDMI port is a blaring omission and should be kept in mind before purchase
◊ They are well suited for graphics designing and such applications. However this is widely used by gamers as cited in many review online (based on my two weeks of research)
◊ If memory serves me well, then this IPS monitor is capable of showing 40% of the perceptible colours. TN is much lower and I am unaware of any technology with higher ratings.
Service / Support Details: 3-Year Advanced Exchange Service and Premium Panel Guarantee: "Dell UltraSharp displays are designed for perfection in every pixel. In the event you discover even one bright, defective pixel during your limited hardware warranty period, we'll exchange your monitor at no cost to you."-from Dell website. If I am not wrong it applies to 5 dark pixels too.
¶‡ I would strongly recommend this monitor to anyone willing to spend around INR 15000 on a monitor. Irrespective of the usage be it graphics designing, movie watching or gaming; also follows its importance in that order. As for me I would say this is a good gaming capable monitor.
Despite saying that I would not recommend someone looking for a gaming monitor to jump from a sub 10k 23" monitor like a Dell ST2220M to this monitor and spend 5k more on something that would be largely underutilized.
¶‡ This monitor took 2 weeks of research out of the one month I did for my entire PC from scratch. So its been widely scrutinized by me in countless online forums and reviews.
¶‡ I wanted to do this review in the previous month but couldn't due to time constraints(exams). I have not been able to compile a good review but I hope my attempt at it throws some light on the Dell U2311H monitor.
CAUTION: Once you are accustomed to a IPS panel you risk considering every TN panel obsolete, leading to a viscous cycle of visual depression on using a TN; also making it very difficult to go back
Thank you for reading.
‹
‹
‹
‹
‹
`
*i.dell.com/images/global/products/monitors/monitors_highlights/monitor-u2311h-overview1.jpg
PRICE: INR 14500(locally) Online: INR 16000 (inc. shipping & taxes)[Note: Buying online is cumbersome as Dell website does not give you the option to buy but rather write to them. They respond with an e-mail citing details of the monitor, its price and payment options; anyone interested can PM me his/her e-mail address and I will forward that mail to you]
Bangalore only "where to buy?":
Lowest Price I found: Rs.13500click here>*www.chip5.com/golchhait/new-arrivals/products/view/9/1017.html .
I bought from: Binary World (also ITerials) INR 14343*bwindia.net/ThePCConfigurationShowandWelcome Address: Binary World, #19, BDA Complex, Indiranagar, Bangalore 560038. Google map location: type "Binary World" in search window *I DON'T KNOW HOW TO POST GOOGLE MAP LINKS
This review cannot be used for direct comparison between other similarly priced IPS/TN alternatives as I am limited to observing just this monitor. Hence this review will deal with the pros and cons of this monitor alone and not its comparison with others.
REVIEW:
Pros:
• IPS panel
• Good colour reproduction and contrast
• Affordable IPS technology
• Good viewing angles (178° Vertical and Horizontal)
• Full HD 16:9 aspect ratio (good for movies)
• Can be tilted vertically and horizontally
• Side USB ports (2)
• The Premium Warranty (about which I will elaborate later)
• Matte finish
• VESA wall mountable
Cons:
• No HDMI port
• Expensive; similarly sized TN+Film panels are priced below 10k
• Boring looks (subjective; not for me. A plain black bezel with a beautiful stand)
• Aspect ratio of 16:9 not the ideal for general computing
• Not easily available depending on location
• Screen too bright and gamma correction(to 2.2) is needed before using [calibration]
• Technically I should add the response time of 8ms, but the implications of the same have not been seen in in-game performance, i.e. ghosting etc is not observable
*i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc480/sarathmay3/Monitor/DSC_0217.jpg
Technical specifications:
Resolution 1920x1080
Aspect ratio 16:9
Pixel pitch 0.265
Panel technology H-IPS
Viewing angles(10:1 contrast) H: 178°V: 178°
Response time 8ms G2G
Max vertical refresh 60Hz
Connections DVI, DisplayPort, VGA, soundbar power, 4x USB
Accessories DVI, VGA, DisplayPort, USB upstream, power cables
Click to see gallery of monitor: (from online source) Nos.5
*cdn.cbsi.com.au/story_media/339304283/dell-ultrasharp-u2311h_1.jpg
*cdn.cbsi.com.au/story_media/339304283/dell-u2311h-inputs.jpg
*cdn.cbsi.com.au/story_media/339304283/dell-u2311h-stand.jpg
*cdn.cbsi.com.au/story_media/339304283/dell-ultrasharp-u2311h_4.jpg
Viewing Angles:*cdn.cbsi.com.au/story_media/339304283/dell-u2311h-viewing-angles.jpg
*cdn.cbsi.com.au/story_media/339304283/dell-u2311h-inputs.jpg
*cdn.cbsi.com.au/story_media/339304283/dell-u2311h-stand.jpg
*cdn.cbsi.com.au/story_media/339304283/dell-ultrasharp-u2311h_4.jpg
Viewing Angles:*cdn.cbsi.com.au/story_media/339304283/dell-u2311h-viewing-angles.jpg
My views: based on
Initially, the first week:
◊ At first glance, I didn't really appreciate the upping of display quality, but was more amazed by the sheer size of the screen, as I was upgrading from a 15.6" laptop TN screen.
◊ The monitor proved too big for web surfing and hence I have been using a smaller window covering 75% of the central space. This is only about the screen size. But coming to games a bigger screen shows its advantages as being more immersive.
◊ The fact that I had paid close to 5000/- extra for this panel over a TN one was starting to bother me for neither was I interested in movies nor any form of photo editing.
◊ I was starting to notice improvements in many of the youtube videos I am subscribed to (like RWJ, Smosh etc) and could feel it had a warmer colour tone
◊ Any improvements or otherwise were largely unaware to my untrained eye. The brightness was bothering me and I even went ahead and created a thread for help in calibrating the monitor. All I did in the end was decrease the contrast, which proved more effective than the brightness setting.
◊ The OSD is not the most user friendly but gets the job done
◊ No HDMI meant that the PS3 would never benefit from this panel (w/o converted)
Later, a month after:
◊ The IPS finally showed its prowess like a peacock at full bloom in many scenarios which I will discuss individually.
◊ One day I had to transfer some of my work from my laptop to my new PC. This was the first instance which actually showed me that IPS was superior, much superior to the TN panel. However the laptop screen at 15.6" and 1366 x 768 pixels was a limitation in my comparison.
I decided to do the IPS vs TN battle in my own home ground:
Wallpaper: This was the easiest comparison I could make. DL the same wallpaper (resolutions in mind) and do a side by side comparison. I was so accustomed to the IPS panel that the TN screen felt lacking in many levels. The picture appeared washed out and fiddling with various screen settings proved one thing once and for all. The IPS shows more colours.
IPS:*i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc480/sarathmay3/Monitor/DSC_0177.jpg
TN+Film (CFL)*i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc480/sarathmay3/Monitor/DSC_0179.jpg
TN+Film (CFL)*i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc480/sarathmay3/Monitor/DSC_0179.jpg
Anime: I watch Bleach weekly and the anime just felt like the crayons had gone a brighter shade. Warmer colours and nothing much more than that.
*i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc480/sarathmay3/Monitor/DSC_0219.jpg
A video I had shot on my phone was slightly better on this monitor. The limitation in this is the quality of the sensor in the phone.
This however is a definite BUY for movie lovers. Missing this at such a price point would be a criminal mistake.
GAMING: Despite all that I have written above let me tell you, my PC inc the monitor was built ground up with gaming and only gaming in mind. There are absolutely no movies in my 1TB HDD.
I made no comparison between a TN and IPS here due to hardware limitations of my HP Dv6 laptop in playing Crysis2 etc.
α) Crysis 2: This was the first game I played on this PC and the experience was amazing. I was looking for ghosting owing to the 8ms response time but there was none. Its was splendid. It is difficult to say that the colours were much better or not but I must say this was the most visually beautiful game I've played till date.
β) Call of Duty- Black Ops: The second game to fill the screen wasn't visually as appealing as Crysis but wasn't much far behind. Many scenarios were rendered beautifully and again no ghosting was seen.
γ) Dota: Now this is a game released in 2003 or later (emphasis on old) (also its not a game but for the sake of simplicity let us consider it to be) Its an online game with minimum system requirements and also visually not taxing. But since I have played this game on more than 50+ different PCs I can say that all this monitor showed was cartoonish colours but not overly so. Since the game is very old, the colours may appear too warm to my accustomed eye, but the fact remains that, thats how it is in this particular game. Better colours? I dont know. More colours? Definitely yes. Improvement? Cant say
To sum it up I would say this is a worthy gaming monitor on par with others I have used myself and in gaming cafes such as Sify Gamedrome, Reliance WebWorld and Reliace Zapak Gameplex.
Other points:
◊ However owing to it being a 60hz monitor it is not 3D capable.
◊ Lack of HDMI port is a blaring omission and should be kept in mind before purchase
◊ They are well suited for graphics designing and such applications. However this is widely used by gamers as cited in many review online (based on my two weeks of research)
◊ If memory serves me well, then this IPS monitor is capable of showing 40% of the perceptible colours. TN is much lower and I am unaware of any technology with higher ratings.
Service / Support Details: 3-Year Advanced Exchange Service and Premium Panel Guarantee: "Dell UltraSharp displays are designed for perfection in every pixel. In the event you discover even one bright, defective pixel during your limited hardware warranty period, we'll exchange your monitor at no cost to you."-from Dell website. If I am not wrong it applies to 5 dark pixels too.
¶‡ I would strongly recommend this monitor to anyone willing to spend around INR 15000 on a monitor. Irrespective of the usage be it graphics designing, movie watching or gaming; also follows its importance in that order. As for me I would say this is a good gaming capable monitor.
Despite saying that I would not recommend someone looking for a gaming monitor to jump from a sub 10k 23" monitor like a Dell ST2220M to this monitor and spend 5k more on something that would be largely underutilized.
¶‡ This monitor took 2 weeks of research out of the one month I did for my entire PC from scratch. So its been widely scrutinized by me in countless online forums and reviews.
¶‡ I wanted to do this review in the previous month but couldn't due to time constraints(exams). I have not been able to compile a good review but I hope my attempt at it throws some light on the Dell U2311H monitor.
CAUTION: Once you are accustomed to a IPS panel you risk considering every TN panel obsolete, leading to a viscous cycle of visual depression on using a TN; also making it very difficult to go back
Thank you for reading.
‹
‹
‹
‹
‹
`
Last edited: