Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP

Verdict:

[+] 24
It has every port imaginable; superb image quality; excellent OSD; USB ports and media card reader

[-] Spooks
Early versions suffered from input lag

A trawl through the usual online retailers will reveal all sorts of enticing monitor bargains - a 24in TFT costing an incredible £199 topped our quick search - but with these cheap TN panels, you generally get a dull and depressing display. If you want higher quality, you need to shell out a little extra cash on a screen with a superior panel technology, such as the S-PVA panel featured here in this update of our favourite 24in monitor.

The main update over the 2407WFP-HC is the 2408WFP's ability to display an impressive 110 per cent of the NTSC colour gamut, giving it incredible colour control and making the 2408WFP a viable option for image professionals as well as visual purists. Like the gorgeous (if extravagantly priced) Samsung SyncMaster 245T, out of the box, the 2408WFP defaults to an oversaturated picture. However, we like the screen this way - colours are rich and vibrant, bringing scenes to life in a way that dimmer and more washed-out TFTs can't manage. Reds and greens in particular benefit, and this made films and games particularly enjoyable. However, if you aren't partial to oversaturated colours, it's incredibly easy to rectify, as Dell's Ultrasharp screens have excellent on screen displays.

Speaking of which, the OSD is a clear and modern mix of text and graphics, with the setting options sensibly divided into manageable categories. Red, green and blue levels can be individually adjusted, and there are several other layers of calibration for visual perfectionists who want to delve deeper. The preset picture modes are a mixed bunch - we prefer to define a single setup rather than activate a usually inferior colour mode depending on the particular type of image we're viewing.

STAND AND PORTS

The 2408WFP has the recognisable and attractive stand used for most large Dell monitors. It can be raised by up to 100mm, rotates 90 degrees into portrait mode and swivels easily. The card reader on the side makes it convenient to quickly load image or video files onto your PC, and a pair of USB ports on the side (two more are located on the rear) takes care of flash drives and other peripherals.

Dell has added DisplayPort to the HDMI, two HDCP-compliant DVI, D-SUB and the many video inputs of the previous model. DisplayPort is intended to become the do-it-all video standard of the IT world, replacing DVI and existing in parallel with the more consumer-focused HDMI. We've yet to see many graphics cards and laptops equipped with DisplayPort, but at least the 2408WFP is future-proof.

The various video inputs can be combined on-screen using the picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture modes, which could be handy for keeping an eye on your level-grinding in World of Warcraft while using a console, or if you've routed a standalone Blu-ray player in via the HDMI. For consoles and Blu-ray players, the option for 1:1 pixel mapping is excellent - a 1080p image can be displayed as intended, rather than stretched vertically to fill the 1,200 lines of the panel, as with many other 16:10 aspect ratio displays.

VISUAL PERFORMANCE

We found games and HD video playback on the 2408WFP incredibly engaging. We could see every chink and nook of detail in the dark and shadowy Sheilob's Lair chapter of 'Lord of the Rings: Return of the King', proving that the 1,300:1 static contrast ratio is one of the Dell's major strengths (most other panels have a 1,000:1 static contrast range). The 3,000:1 contrast quoted on the Dell website refers to the dynamic contrast range - we turned this off when testing as it was distracting.

The 400cd/m2 maximum brightness makes for beautifully clean whites, and adds to the punchy vibrancy of the display. Particularly bright monitors often have light bleeding into the screen at the top and bottom edges, but the 2408WFP displayed no such issues and the backlight was perfectly even. Our colour gradient tests were smooth, showing that this screen displays colour with supreme accuracy, and we saw no signs of unwanted colour tinting in our greyscale test patterns.

A common weakness of S-PVA panels is that they can't match the cheaper TN panels for response times. This may have previously been the case, but Dell quotes a perfectly reasonable 6ms grey-to-grey response time for the 2408WFP, so it shouldn't be an issue. Indeed, we played a wide variety of games and videos without discerning any blurring or ghosting.

However, response times aren't everything when it comes to a TFT, and some gamers - particularly competetive FPS freaks - may notice an effect called input lag. This lag between the image being sent by the graphics card and being displayed on screen and is caused by the pixel processing modern TFTs apply to their panels. During testing of the 240WFP, we didn't notice input lag, but as you can see from this forum thread, some readers who purchased early 2408WFPs claimed it did impact on their enjoyment of the screen. We put the question to Dell, and they responded in the thread, confirming that as of mid July, the 2408WFP will be updated, with 'a wider selection of sharpness settings, improved power save recovery, and less input lag.'

CONCLUSION

The Ultrasharp 2408WFP is the latest in a long line of impressive, high-quality large monitors from Dell. Its predecessor earned a great deal of praise and this TFT improves on it in every way. The gulf in quality between this screen and cheaper 24in screens is huge; the 2408WFP is a joy to use, while cheap screens are dim and lifeless. We've yet to see a screen that can match the 2408WFP's blend of image quality, design and useful extras. As ever with Dell, buying this screen requires patience, because its price is up and down like a bungee jumper. In June, it cost only £456; now it's £562. Next week, who knows? It's a shame the cost is so variable, because in other respects, this screen is consistently excellent.

* You can buy the Dell Ultrasharp 240WFP from Dell for £562.83 (price correct at the time of review)

* For more information on the CW03-MT, see Dell's website.

• Revoltec FightMouse Pro - Peripherals
• SilverStone Raven RV01 - Cases
• Sapphire 1GB HD 4850 X2 - Graphics cards
• Microsoft SideWinder X8 - Peripherals
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 295 - Graphics cards
• Sapphire 1GB HD 4870 Toxic - Graphics cards
• Shuttle X27D - Desktop PCs