MaximumPC 2006 09

reviews TESTED. REVIEWED. VERDICTIZED

76 MA XIMUMPC SEPTEMBER 2006

As with all the parts that go into our annual

Dream Machine, picking the perfect monitor

takes careful consideration. Follow along as

we evaluate the latest crop of 23/24-inch

LCD panels, in search of a monitor that’s as

righteous as our rig.

—KATHERINE STEVENSON

DELL 2407WFP

Dell’s 2405WFP graced the ranks of last

year’s Dream Machine, so it’s only natural

that we consider its successor—the 24-inch

2407WFP. Like last year’s model, the 2407

sports a slim bezel, a full range of ergonomic

adjustment options, loads of inputs (see Spec

box), Picture-in-Picture functionality, and two

built-in media readers to handle all formats.

It also boasts new, hipper onscreen-display

buttons and a revamped interface.

In the DisplayMate (www.displaymate.com)

screen evaluation scripts, the 2407 demon-

strated a deep black; a uniform backlight;

and strong, though not perfect, grayscale

performance. When tasked with reproducing

85 or more steps of gray, we detected subtle

differences in hue among the steps, which

suggests that the red, green, and blue color

channels aren’t tracking identically at fine

increments of shade. We also saw banding

in the horizontal grayscales of 128 or more

steps, though the vertical scales were per-

fectly smooth throughout.

Such slight imperfections won’t neces-

sarily show themselves in real-world apps.

We looked for any signs of color or detail

discrepancies in a series of high-res digi-

tal images and a predominantly dark DVD

(Batman Begins), and

found none. In games,

Dell’s 2407 also held

its own, with a picture

that was virtually free

of redraw errors at its

native resolution. All

in all, it’s a heck of a

package—and at a

rock-bottom price.

HP LP2465

HP’s panel matches

Dell’s in screen size,

ergo-adjustability, and OSD offerings, but its

port options are limited to two DVI-I (which

can carry either an analog or digital signal)

and four USB 2.0 ports. HP also throws in a

bundled app that provides color-calibration

screens for the monitor.

In terms of its DisplayMate perfor-

mance, the LP2465 exhibited good white/

gray and black/gray distinction, a uniform

backlight, and accurate grayscale repro-

duction, but the screen stumbled dramati-

cally in our speed tests. We recently added

Pixel Persistence Analyzer (www.bench-

markhq.ru/english.html?/be_monitor.html),

which evaluates a monitor’s pixel response

performance with a stream of image pat-

terns. Here we noticed that images moving

quickly across the screen were disrupted

by a persistent stutter on HP’s panel—but

not on the other monitors. Curious as to

how this activity might show itself else-

where, we fired up our game tests. When

we moved through the game environ-

ments in a similar fashion, the hitch was

evident, as were signs of image tearing.

We explained the anomaly to HP, received

a replacement monitor, and saw the exact

same problem. HP engineers subsequently

did their own testing, with similar results.

They’re now working on a fix, so perhaps

the LP2465 will be a worthy monitor in

time—but for now, you should avoid it.

VIEWSONIC VP2330WB

Viewsonic’s VP2330wb enters the fray at

a slight disadvantage, sporting a screen

that’s a full inch smaller than the others here,

though it has the same 1920x1200 native

resolution. It also has the slight disadvan-

tage of using a hefty power brick for juice—

rather than the easy-to-route-and-accom-

modate power cords that the other LCDs

tested use. And while we appreciate the four

built-in USB ports, we wish they weren’t all

located behind the screen—it’s nice to have

a couple on the side for convenience.

In our tests, we observed some bright

splotches on a dark screen due to an

uneven backlight—this was the screen’s

biggest failing. The VP2330 proved

capable at grayscale reproduction, though

like Dell’s entry, it displayed subtle color-

tracking errors, which were visible at 65

steps and beyond; and it showed signs

of kinks and ripples in grayscales of 256

steps. These issues didn’t seem to nega-

Large-LCD Lineup

In search of a primo LCD for this year’s Dream Machine

We’re put off by a hitch we observed in two different HP

LP2465 screens.

Dell’s done it again, offering up a large

widescreen panel that does justice to our

Dream Machine.

$1,000, http://www.hp.com

HP LP2465

TALENT

Good ergo adjustments,

grayscale performance,

and color.

TALON 

Strange hiccup in screen

action leads to problems

in games.

$850, http://www.dell.com

DELL 2407WFP

POISE

Strong all-around per-

formance; lots of inputs;

excellent price.

POISON

Some grayscale issues

keep it from being perfect.

9

MA XIMUMPC

KICKASS