Dell UltraSharp 2001FP Preview: Gaming LCDs for the Masses
by Kristopher Kubicki on November 10, 2003 12:36 AM EST- Posted in
- Displays
Benchmark analysis
There were quite a few subjective things we had to say about this LCD. Starting from the top down, we were happy with the intensity levels. You might notice our 192T scored high on the black level adjustment tests, while the 2001FP scored only a 4.5. After looking at several upcoming panels, we felt our scoring of the 192T was a bit high.We would like to stress that screen uniformity was very good considering this is a 20" LCD. This is particularly important because there were several mixed feelings about the original 2000FP's screen uniformity. Likewise, considering the 1600x1200 resolution, imperfections in the uniformity are more apparent than on a 1200x1024 LCD.
We were very disappointed with the analog performance of this LCD. Dell ships the LCD with a very good cable (by OEM standards), which pays off considering there was much lower interference than we expected. The actual streaking was quite terrible though. Obviously, with the 1600x1200 resolution, we are pumping more data over the analog signal, which makes it more susceptible to imperfections. The obvious solution here is only to use the DVI cable. For a $900 monitor, would you expect to use anything less?
We noticed a few other nitpicks here and there. Strange horizontal patterns were more vulnerable to streaking than vertical ones for some reason. Color termination was slightly upsetting on the analog connection as well. (Color termination problems occur when you notice a gap in between two complementary colors that should be right next to each other.) Fortunately, DVI cut down on these problems dramatically. Opposed to popular urban computer myth, the analog cable did not reproduce colors better than the DVI cable.
This monitor has a leg up on the 192T as far as antiglare is concerned. We were quite harsh on the 192T's sacrifice of antiglare for brightness. In our opinion, the 2001FP is an excellent example of increasing the brightness of an LCD without removing anti-glare.
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Shalmanese - Monday, November 10, 2003 - link
Couldn't you just put the Cable insulator on the inside of the cable holder so that it doesn't snag?wicktron - Monday, November 10, 2003 - link
impressive.spynoodle - Thursday, January 24, 2013 - link
Almost ten years later, I'm still using this monitor, and I think that it's still great. I bought it at a yard sale for $40 around a year ago, and I have not been disappointed. I'm not much of a gamer, so all that really matters to me is accurate color reproduction and good anti-glare, and I think that this monitor still beats many modern LCDs in those areas. Honestly, given my dual-monitor setup with a Samsung 172t, I wouldn't trade it for most new widescreen LCDs.