MaximumPC 2008 10

the new wave of LCDs

It’s no secret that the expensive Samsung 245T

hosts an S-PVA panel beneath its slim black ex-

terior. But this display’s performance is certainly

worth the price. The 245T off ers a stunning pic-

ture for its class, trumping our longtime favorite

24-inch panel, Dell’s 2407WFP, and even its latest

rev, the 2408WFP (reviewed below).

This 1920x1200 display boasts a 97-percent

color gamut and the eff ect is clear. The 245T

dishes out notably vibrant blues, reds, and

greens, and its color saturation remains strong

at even very light levels. To us, the display’s

colors feel just right: crisp and bold without any

hint of oversaturation. But even if you disagree,

the monitor comes with a number of preset

options for tweaking the coloration to your

exact preferences. We found success using the

Mild preset, as Normal made images appear

drab and Brilliant made our images look like a

supernova.

We were equally impressed by the 245T’s

range of grayscales. The display is able to re-

produce more details as its darker grayscales

turn to black than any other monitor we’ve

ever tested. Its light grayscales are similarly

expansive. The 245T’s healthy grayscale range

translates into superior detail on high-defi ni-

tion images and movies.

Our criticisms of this monitor are few, but

strong: We dislike the 245T’s optional dynamic

contrast feature, as it treated us to a healthy dose

of image fades whenever our movie of choice,

V for Vendetta, switched between scenes of

varying brightness. Nor did we like the 245T’s

lack of single-button contrast adjustments. You

can adjust the monitor’s brightness, but not the

contrast, without having to traverse a number of

OCD screens.

The 245T supports just about any input

connection you might use, including VGA, DVI,

component, and HDMI. You can swivel, tilt, and

raise the monitor at your leisure, and even fl ip

the whole panel to portrait mode. Five included

USB ports sweeten the deal, but we don’t need

any more convincing. With features as strong as

its picture, the Samsung 245T is the

monitor to beat in its size class.

Samsung 245T

This isn’t a perfect display,

but it wins the fi ght

Dell’s 2408WFP is the latest in the company’s line

of 24-inch panels, following on the heels of the

much-beloved Dell 2407WFP (reviewed Septem-

ber 2006). Unfortunately for Dell, improving

upon its predecessor isn’t enough to push the

2408WFP above other tested displays.

The Dell’s grayscale performance in Display-

Mate was great, matching the range of Samsung’s

245T on the light end, although it didn’t quite

match the 245T’s abilities at the darker end of

the spectrum. These subtle diff erences became

more apparent in our real-world testing, as both

our gaming and movie benchmarks looked a bit

darker on the 2408WFP than what we’re used

to seeing. And we also had less detail in our high-

res still images compared to what the 245T was

able to produce.

Although it comes with a number of presets,

none were able to alleviate the loss of detail we

experienced without creating other issues at the

same time. The unnatural, over-the-top bright-

ness added by the display’s multimedia and

gaming presets is simply unacceptable. Similarly,

the 2408WFP’s 110-percent color gamut lends

images far more color saturation than we’re

comfortable with. Even the grayscales them-

selves are tinted by a mild green hue.

The 2408WFP comes with a number of con-

nectors: HDMI, DVI, VGA, and component video,

as well as a built-in USB hub and 9-in-2 media

card reader. Dell also throws in a DisplayPort

connector for the few people who run DP-

capable videocards.

We applaud Dell’s 2408WFP for its eff orts.

While its saturation comes off a bit strong,

we’d use this monitor on our desk without

reservation—unless someone was off ering us

Samsung’s 245T too.

VERDICT

$680, http://www.dell.com^8

DELL 2408WFP

Dell 2408WFP

An improvement and an

imperfection, all in one

We meant to

Photoshop a Best in

Feature ribbon to

this display, but we

didn’t want to tarnish

its beautiful front.

VERDICT

$800, http://www.samsung.com^9

SAMSUNG 245T

SPECIFICATIONS

VIEWABLE AREA 24”

NATIVE RESOLUTION 1920x1200

INPUTS VGA, DVI, HDMI, S-Video,

ComponentComponent

PANEL TYPE S-PVA

SPECIFICATIONS

VIEWABLE AREA 24”

NATIVE RESOLUTION 1920x1200

INPUTS VGA, DVI, HDMI, S-Video, Com-

ponent, Composite, DisplayPortponent, Composite, DisplayPort

PANEL TYPE S-PVA

Do not try to distinguish the 2408WFP from the

2407WFP. For all intents, they are the identical

twins of Dell’s display world.

50 | MAXIMUMPC | OCT 08 | http://www.maximumpc.com