Dell LCD has good picture but took some getting! (Dell E197FP)

Member Name: Sally-Hull

Product:	Dell E197FP
Date:	29/07/08 (130 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Pic quality, build quality

Disadvantages: no speakers, no adjustment on the stand, hard to get good picture

Having had a Fujitsu Seimens PC with a 15" CRT monitor for the past 5 Years I was really looking forward to getting my new Dell PC and 19" Monitor.

I'd heard though that the quality of the image was not as good on a LCD compared to a CRT monitor and being into photography, this was a concern. I did at one one stage consider upgrading to the 'ultrasharp' version but on researching on the net via reviews and forums I decided to bite the bullit and go with it as I'd been told it would be fine for my purposes and the image was good out of the box but could be improved with a few tweeks.

First impressions were not good....my images seemed dull and lacking in contrast no matter how much I messed with the settings via the Dell's easy to use on screen menu. After more research, I found that by tweeking the PC's video card settings..ie 'gamma' setting slightly.....PERFECT!! Better than the CRT.

The 19" screen is just the right size if its not going also used as a TV screen. Suppose its ok for that too as long as your not to far away.

There are no speakers built in which is an annoyance as you need extra speakers taking up space on your desk. Also you'd get a better sound out of separate speakers..I have some on the wall.

I like the silver surround to this.

The stand does not swivel...or tilt.

Overall...it does everything I need it to...most important for me it makes my large file size pics look stunning

Summary: Can't fault the quality

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