Dell 2407WFP and 3007WFP LCD Comparison
by Jarred Walton on March 2, 2007 11:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Displays
Closing Thoughts
The two Dell LCDs that we looked at today have been out for at least a year now, but it's good to see that they still stack up well against newer offerings. Anyone who purchased a Dell 2407WFP or 3007WFP when they first became available should still be happy with the LCD today. We certainly aren't finished with our LCD reviews, so it's far too early to declare a best overall LCD, but we can still make some basic judgments.
As we've said in the past, for most people looking at purchasing a new LCD price is likely to be an overriding consideration. We haven't looked at any less expensive models so far, but we will get to those soon enough. If you're looking for a good-quality 24" LCD, the Dell and Gateway offerings are nearly equal, both in performance as well as price. The Gateway display is brighter and it offers two component inputs, while the Dell LCDs come with integrated flash memory readers and a three-year standard warranty. At the same price, we currently have to give the Dell 2407WFP the nod over the Gateway FPD2485W, because the Dell LCD produces better overall colors. However, prices fluctuate quite frequently and the Gateway LCD is a pretty close second.
Users willing to spend a bit more money on an LCD can still be very pleased with a Dell 3007WFP, but there's more competition coming out in the 30" market and we will hopefully be looking at some of those offerings in the near future. The current price of $1350 might seem pretty high, but when you consider that the 3007WFP used to cost $2200 it's not that bad. Prices definitely begin to scale exponentially with larger LCDs -- a 24" LCD typically costs almost twice as much as a 22" LCD, and the 30" LCDs are twice the price of a 24" LCD -- but at least you can be fairly certain that an investment in a high-quality display will last you many years. The minimalist approach to inputs and display controls on the 3007WFP are a drawback, but more importantly the fact that HDCP support is only available in single-link DVI mode may be a serious concern for anyone that wants to watch protected content.
The good news is that so far none of the HDCP videos that we've seen are enabling the Image Constraint Token, so for now you should be able to get full quality video whether you have an HDCP LCD, non-HDCP LCD, or even an older analog display. The only thing that appears to be required right now for viewing HDCP content on a computer is a graphics card that supports HDCP. Hopefully, that doesn't change, and given that the encryption algorithms have already been cracked for both Blu-ray and HD-DVD it seems that further locking down content will primarily hurt legitimate users. If you want a large LCD that will primarily be used for viewing videos, a better choice than a 30" computer display is to simply go out and get one of the various LCD HDTVs. 37" and 42" 1080p models can be had for less than the price of the 3007WFP; they may not be better for computer work, but for games and viewing movies the flexibility of a 1080p HDTV is arguably better.
We've always been proponents of large displays, so it's a little odd to actually have to ask the question: is it possible to have a desktop display that's too big? In the extreme, the answer is obviously yes: a 100" display sitting on your desk is more than impractical. What about the 30" LCDs like the Dell 3007WFP -- are they too large? Some people will probably feel they are. A 24" widescreen display looks almost puny in comparison and you will need to make sure you have a workspace that can accommodate the large display. While we would say that some people would be put off by the size of the display, however, in general use it really is a sight to behold.
Users that are looking for more screen real estate might be better off purchasing a couple 24" displays instead, as the final price ends up roughly the same but you get more screen area. Spending $1400 or more on your display is a lot of money, but if it will improve productivity it could be a worthwhile investment. People that do a lot of multitasking as well as content creation could certainly find a use for 30" displays, and some people might even go so far as to run two of them. If you are primarily interested in a large display for Windows desktop use, we have very few complaints about the Dell 2407WFP or 3007WFP.
The two Dell LCDs that we looked at today have been out for at least a year now, but it's good to see that they still stack up well against newer offerings. Anyone who purchased a Dell 2407WFP or 3007WFP when they first became available should still be happy with the LCD today. We certainly aren't finished with our LCD reviews, so it's far too early to declare a best overall LCD, but we can still make some basic judgments.
As we've said in the past, for most people looking at purchasing a new LCD price is likely to be an overriding consideration. We haven't looked at any less expensive models so far, but we will get to those soon enough. If you're looking for a good-quality 24" LCD, the Dell and Gateway offerings are nearly equal, both in performance as well as price. The Gateway display is brighter and it offers two component inputs, while the Dell LCDs come with integrated flash memory readers and a three-year standard warranty. At the same price, we currently have to give the Dell 2407WFP the nod over the Gateway FPD2485W, because the Dell LCD produces better overall colors. However, prices fluctuate quite frequently and the Gateway LCD is a pretty close second.
Users willing to spend a bit more money on an LCD can still be very pleased with a Dell 3007WFP, but there's more competition coming out in the 30" market and we will hopefully be looking at some of those offerings in the near future. The current price of $1350 might seem pretty high, but when you consider that the 3007WFP used to cost $2200 it's not that bad. Prices definitely begin to scale exponentially with larger LCDs -- a 24" LCD typically costs almost twice as much as a 22" LCD, and the 30" LCDs are twice the price of a 24" LCD -- but at least you can be fairly certain that an investment in a high-quality display will last you many years. The minimalist approach to inputs and display controls on the 3007WFP are a drawback, but more importantly the fact that HDCP support is only available in single-link DVI mode may be a serious concern for anyone that wants to watch protected content.
The good news is that so far none of the HDCP videos that we've seen are enabling the Image Constraint Token, so for now you should be able to get full quality video whether you have an HDCP LCD, non-HDCP LCD, or even an older analog display. The only thing that appears to be required right now for viewing HDCP content on a computer is a graphics card that supports HDCP. Hopefully, that doesn't change, and given that the encryption algorithms have already been cracked for both Blu-ray and HD-DVD it seems that further locking down content will primarily hurt legitimate users. If you want a large LCD that will primarily be used for viewing videos, a better choice than a 30" computer display is to simply go out and get one of the various LCD HDTVs. 37" and 42" 1080p models can be had for less than the price of the 3007WFP; they may not be better for computer work, but for games and viewing movies the flexibility of a 1080p HDTV is arguably better.
We've always been proponents of large displays, so it's a little odd to actually have to ask the question: is it possible to have a desktop display that's too big? In the extreme, the answer is obviously yes: a 100" display sitting on your desk is more than impractical. What about the 30" LCDs like the Dell 3007WFP -- are they too large? Some people will probably feel they are. A 24" widescreen display looks almost puny in comparison and you will need to make sure you have a workspace that can accommodate the large display. While we would say that some people would be put off by the size of the display, however, in general use it really is a sight to behold.
Users that are looking for more screen real estate might be better off purchasing a couple 24" displays instead, as the final price ends up roughly the same but you get more screen area. Spending $1400 or more on your display is a lot of money, but if it will improve productivity it could be a worthwhile investment. People that do a lot of multitasking as well as content creation could certainly find a use for 30" displays, and some people might even go so far as to run two of them. If you are primarily interested in a large display for Windows desktop use, we have very few complaints about the Dell 2407WFP or 3007WFP.
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JarredWalton - Friday, March 2, 2007 - link
Noticing motion blur is one thing; being bothered by it will vary by individual. You mentioned Titan's Quest... I played that for over 100 hours without ever being bothered by motion blur. Are the item names clearly readable while running around? Not necessarily, but I can make them out well enough, and the names are secondary to the attributes, so I always ended up checking out items in my inventory.As for that video link... if my picture of a picture was a bad representation of what it's like using a display in person - and I feel it is, even with a decent SLR and a tripod - a handheld camcorder floating around recording a display is ten times worse. Are we supposed to be judging the quality of the display output or the quality of the camcorder and its ability to record LCD screen content? Or maybe the ability of the cameraman to give a reasonable representation of the LCD content? Because it seems to me that it's focused *much* more on the latter two than on the LCD itself. You can see the camera adjusting brightness/contrast on the fly depending on how much light its getting.
Basically, I agree that motion blur can bother people. It doesn't bother me... at all. What I see when playing games just blends together into relatively smooth gameplay, and a delay of a few hundredths of a second is short enough that my old and decrepit eyes don't care. That's why I repeatedly recommend people try out a display in person, because what you get via a review online or in a magazine is a poor substitute for hands on experience. As I state on page 5:
"Most of us don't have a problem with the slight image smearing that occurs on these LCDs, and the camera actually makes it look a lot worse than what we experience in person -- we may have simply captured two frames for all we know -- but this is something that will vary by individual. If you know you are bothered by image smearing, try out a display in person to see if it's suitable for your needs."
Zebo - Friday, March 2, 2007 - link
I have no idea how you guys can't see the color shifting in those PVA's. Every PVA I have tried has had it 1905, 2405 Gateway 24 & 21 etc Color Shifing so bad, viewing straight on, one eye can actualky see something different than the other eye (because the eyes are at different angles) it gave me a headache.Viewing angles on all PVA's suck thats just a fact that other people don't notice will never change my mind compared to an IPS or CRT it's night and day difference.
Heres a good shot of what I mean
http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/9021/dell2007wf...">http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/9021/dell2007wf...
JarredWalton - Friday, March 2, 2007 - link
PVA viewing angles are worse than some of the alternatives, but really how often do you *not* view the display head on? I seriously doubt that I'm ever more than 20 degrees away from a direct frontal view, and probable within 10 degrees in most cases. If that's not how you work with your PC, then other panels might be preferable. I've just never had any real concerns with viewing angles on the 24" LCDs I've tried. Laptop LCDs on the other hand... some of those are absolutely terrible, to the point where moving your head 6" can make the display almost illegible. That too is getting better, thankfully.Zebo - Saturday, March 3, 2007 - link
I view them straight on and they eyes see something different in each due to gamma/color shift. Look, even IPS isnt 178 degrees (or 90:P) like they advertise and starts to fade get shifty at around 35-45 degrees off center but PVA is literally about 5-10 - that's enough on a widescreen to be well over 5-10 degrees at the horizontal edges. Vertical color shift is evident raising my head only about 6" from about 20" away which is the difference between sitting up the chair vs. leaning back, a common position shift for a person using thier PC all day. Horizontal color shift is everywhere from 2-3 ft away. Every PVA panel has exhibited this problem and I know I'm sensitive to it as many don't notice but OTOH many do. TN lappy? don't get me started I just spent two miserable weeks in hotel with one.JarredWalton - Saturday, March 3, 2007 - link
My future laptop reviews are going to be running these sort of color tests and such as well. Of the few laptops I've tried so far, only the ASUS G2P was "good" in my opinion. Most others are a case of "I think I can live with it...." The problem is that unlike desktop LCDs, laptop LCDs frequently aren't bright enough. They focus more on conserving battery life, and while that might be good when they're unplugged, I'd just as soon forget about battery life when plugged in if it gives a better quality display result.timmiser - Friday, March 2, 2007 - link
The idea of getting 7 more inches for $400 less by going the route of a 37" HDTV 1080p is more appealing to me. That would be big screen gaming and spreadsheet work that would be awesome! I think it would be great if AT did a comparison between those two monitors just because they have such a different approach.I would like to see how the 37" 1920x1080 resolution looks compared to the Dell 3007 native resolution. One complaint I have is that the text gets smaller when the monitor gets bigger due to the extreme resolution for the Dell. The text should stay the same or get a little bigger when going to such a big screen in my opinion.
For an extra $100, I can get a 37" 1080p HDTV with a digital tuner which would be cool to switch to an HDTV broadcast on the fly.
Deusfaux - Friday, March 2, 2007 - link
I find it weird the 3007-HC (high color) isn't mentioned, as it's been announced and some people have been able to order it over the phone. It's the 3007 but with a little bit faster response time and better color reproduction (92% of the gamut vs 70-some% on the older 3007).JarredWalton - Friday, March 2, 2007 - link
When we can get one for comparison we'll see how it fares; right now Dell still seems to be shipping more of the "old" revision, and in testing we didn't have any complaints about the quality of the colors (once calibrated). We are trying to get other LCDs to compare with the current Dell offerings, though, so stay tuned....ViRGE - Friday, March 2, 2007 - link
Is Dell actually committed to keeping the 3007 an IPS panel? After the shenanigans that was the launch of the 2007, I'm afraid they'll jump ship to PVA/MVA as soon as they can, while all the reviews still reference the IPS panel.JarredWalton - Friday, March 2, 2007 - link
There are rumors that the new HC panel revision is going to switch to a different type of panel, but for now they're still IPS as far as we're aware. Hopefully they stay that way, but if they change and quality drops, we'll do our best to cover the situation.