How to get on the Big Screen! (Dell E228WFP)

Member Name: HairyGodmother

Product:	Dell E228WFP
Date:	13/07/07 (493 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast response time, ideal for gamers

Disadvantages: No HDMI input

With my love of fast action games, it is little surprise that what I really needed in a monitor was something with a fast response time and clean crisp image. My old 19in CRT monitor was taking up far too much space on my desk and after at least the 38th time of having to try and shift it enough to get to the sockets behind I'd had enough!

I have always liked the look of the new style flat monitors and decided that this was the way forward for me. If nothing else it would certainly free up more space on my desk and certainly wouldnt weigh as much as half an elephant. I'm sure my old monitor didnt weigh quite as much as this but it cant have been far short!

With my favourite game being GTA, a fast running, high graphics game, I thought an upgrade in physical screen size wouldnt go amiss too. Although I did wonder whether the larger screen would distort the graphics somewhat. However, it certainly didnt! Although the screen isnt much bigger than my old one, it seems to me like i'm almost playing on a cinema screen in comparison!

The screen was relatively cheap, I think that was my first surprise. For some reason I had it down in my head that a new LCD monitor was going to cost me a small fortune. I paid £300 for mine from Dell which I think is exceptionally reasonable for a monitor of such high calibre.
The screen itself is a very smart design with a thin black border around it and wide viewing angle the screen sits perfectly on my desk and would be a compliment to any home or office.

At 22 inches, the screen size is quite large so obviously you would need to have this kind of room to accomodate a monitor of this size, but the extra three inches are definitely worthwhile!

For comfort, the screen has a large tilt range (forwards and backwards). It can tilt approx 4 inches forwards and 20 inches backwards. This makes it ideal for you to find the correct balance for your posture and eye level.

The screen has a brilliant resolution, at 1680 x 1050 pixels and the colours appear vibrant and crisp. As with all monitors it has its own built in adjustments for colour and contrast etc.

My second test of the monitor, after game play, was to attempt to watch a dvd on it from my computers DVD drive. This was very clear and a vast improvement on my old monitor where all the colours seemed so dark that it was hard to watch at times. With the E228WFP the films were actually a joy to watch. For the first time in my life the colours were perfect, the contrast was balanced and the clear image made my movie experience all the more entertaining.

Surprisingly for a monitor of this size, the weight is comparably low. I tried it on my scales and it said it was just over 5kg. So there will be no pulled ligaments or broken backs from lugging it around!

Apparently the monitor can be hooked up to a PS3 to play blu-ray discs but I have found out that you would need an adaptor to do this as there is only a DVI (Digital Video Interface) input and no HDMI (High Bandwidth Digital Copy Protection) which the PS3 uses. However, as I do not possess a PS3 it doesnt really bother me!

The full spec can be found below, but rest assured I would definitely recommend this monitor, not only for the great value that Dell always seems to offer, but for the fantastic image quality and fast response rate (5ms).

Monitor Size and Type : 22-inch Widescreen LCD Flat Panel Monitor
Resolution : 1680 x 1050 Pixels
Response time / Brightness / Contrast Ratio : 5ms / 300cd/m² / 800:1
Dimensions (WxDxH) / Weight : With Stand: 511mm x 149mm x 409mm / 5kg
Features : 100mm VESA® Mounting, Antiglare with Hard-coating 3H
Port(s) Total ( Free ) / Connector Type : Analog (15-pin D-Sub) / Digital (DVI-D) with HDCP, Security Port Slot
Dot Pitch : 0.282mm (Pixel Pitch)
Colour : Black
Compatibility : PC

So if you have just got paid, just got a new credit card, or are milking the husbands credit card, get out there and go and buy yourself one! You won't regret it!

Summary: A great screen for a great price!

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