Dell P992 Monitor - Sleek Black Beauty (Dell P992)

Member Name: aljones

Product:	Dell P992
Date:	21/02/02 (8980 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Flat screen, No flicker, Excellent quality

Disadvantages: No USB hub (if that bothers you)

The Dell P992 monitor is a stunning, though expensive, monitor to use or own. If you can afford it, I would highly recommend it. And if you are wondering `Do Dell make decent monitors?`, well, the answer is yes, because they are actually Sony units (or, at least this one is).

So, what do you get? The screen size is a hefty 19 inches across the diagonal, though the quoted visible area is just 17.95 inches. But, it`s completely flat. It`s a Sony Trinitron tube, and there is quite literally completely flat. Until now I`ve only used traditional goldfish bowl style CRT monitors, so for the first hour or so using this one, it actually looked as though it was curving inwards! The extra size of a 17-inch monitor is welcomed, and really does provide a lot of benefit.

The resolution is also quite simply stunning. It is easily capable of running at 1600 x 1200, though I tend to have it running at 1280 x 1024. At that size, all the text is quite clear and still large enough to be read easily by anyone. It runs at this resolution all day, everyday, 5 days a week, and has not once shown any signs of problems developing. For those who are interested, the quoted horizontal scan range is 30 - 110 kHz, though I`m not technically minded enough where hardware is concerned, but I`m sure some of you will want to know that information. Although it never gets used for any high power games, there is no sign of flicker ever, with it typically running with a refresh rate of 75Hz, according to the onscreen display. It is recommend to be set at either 75Hz or 85Hz on a PC, though as I`ve never had any problems at 75Hz, I`ve never changed the setting. The picture is perfectly still, and re-appears in the correct position every morning when it gets switched on. I have heard that some other monitors tend to resize the display every time they are switched back on, but I can reliably say that this monitor doesn`t suffer that problem.

The dot pitch is a very comfortable 0.2
4mm, which in my experience is one of the best available. The screen is very easy on the eyes. I sit in front of it for several hours at a time, and have not once experienced any form of eyestrain while using it. Compared to my LG Studioworks monitor at home, where I find my eyes straining after just one hour at the desk. You get all the usual controls to alter the brightness and contrast, and also the `warmth`, which apparently is to ensure colour consistency with scanned images. We don`t use images much at all, so I can`t really comment on this feature, though I`m sure it works as well as the rest of this monitor.

The controls on the front of the monitor consist of 7 buttons, plus the power button. 4 of the buttons are cursor keys for the onscreen display, one is for bringing up and selecting items on the onscreen display, and the others are for other function, which I`ve never used so can`t remember what they do. The cursor buttons also double up as direct access buttons to adjust the brightness and contrast up and down.

The on-screen display (OSD) is quite straightforward to use, though it isn`t the easiest I`ve had the pleasure of fiddling with. It gives you access to all manner of options to adjust the screen image, including the colour, orientation, geometry, and size. You also have the ability to change the language, and bring up a basic help menu.

One thing that you might notice when using the monitor are two very thin lines across the screen, one a quarter of the screens high from the top, the other an equal distance from the bottom. These are apparently wires that stabilise the picture. Most of the time they are hardly noticeable, especially when sat at a decent distance away from the screen. They only really show up when you have a particularly light image on the screen, such as a Word document, and even then only become noticeable when you look closely. After a while though you just forget about them, and only on the odd occas
ion will you notice they are still there.

As far as connection are concerned, you have the good old monitor lead dangling off the back of the unit ready to connect to your PC, and a socket to plug the power cable into. No fancy USB hub is provided on this monitor as is the case with some of the newer more expensive models, but as I have a total of 0 USB devices at the moment, I don`t see it as a problem. The unit does weigh in at a massive 26 kilos, and does need to be held firmly when picked up because of its immense weight. Once sat on your desk, the swivel-tilt base makes it very easy to move the monitor to your ideal angle, and takes no effort at all. The model I own is black, though the technical colour name for it is `Midnight Grey`. And the monitors casing is very much like the screen itself: square and flat. Barely a curve in sight, which does give it a certain quality feel.

So, you want one. OK, head over to:

http://www.euro.dell.com/countries/uk/enu/dhs/ default.htm

...and click on Accessories, then CRT Monitors, and then 19 inch monitors. You will then get the shock of your life when you see the price. £411! Not cheap, but if you use your monitor as much as use mine, it is well worth it as it so much easier on the eyes that anything else I`ve used.

The Dell P992 is a cracking monitor that really does the business. If you have a budget large enough to afford one, I would certainly recommend it, as I have never seen anything so crisp and clear in my life.

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