Dell Ultra Sharp 1800FP Reviews

Quick Info about my Reviews:
    I'm pretty much a hardware guru, and can tell the difference between 60khz and 80 khz refresh rate of a CRT monitor using my naked eye.  I have an attention for details when it comes to my gears.   As much as I would like to, I do not get paid for doing my reviews nor get any perks from any company so my reviews are honest and straight forward.  Since I'm spending my own time doing this, I don't proof read for grammatical mistakes or sloppiness only check for info accuracy.  I'm sure whoever read this is interested in the hardware anyway.   Do not get offended as I like to slap in sexual and politically incorrect jokes here and there

Intro:
    This is my second LCD review,  and I will be compare this to my other Microtek 18" LCD that I reviewed. 

Purchase:
    It was on sale for $383 (with shipping & tax went to total of $415).   So I quickly brought it before the sale expired :) I've just checked the Dell website now and it's listed as $599.  Price wise it's cheaper by around $25 dollars than my other LCD (Microtek 18").   But the thing is it was on sale and the Microtek I got it regular price.   Anyway on to the review.

First Impression:
    Let's briefly discuss the packing.  The monitor came with a decent size printed manual and a CD with monitor drivers and some PDF files.  (I already like it better than the Microtek which came with a few flat pieces of paper for warranty and no CD :)

    Size wise the screen + casing of  the Dell is smaller than the Microtek.  Dell have only like less casing around the LCD making it seem smaller.  Also the screen is higher from the base stand giving me extra room to put stuff underneath the monitor.  One thing I like about the Dell is there's little grooves on the base stand that I can put pens/pencils in and it won't roll down. Of course what I just mentioned is just personal preferences.  Maybe you like having your pencil roll off your monitor.

Dell on Right have smaller screen Bevel	Wee! bevel keep my pens from rolling off

    Another thoughful "feature" of the Dell is that the Power and Video (Analog/DVI) cables connect directly to the back of the display through a hole on the neck.  It uses standard Power/VGa/DVI cord to connect so if anyone breaks u can get a cheap one from anywhere instead of paying high price for a proprietary cable.  The Microtek have standard VGA cable that connect directly to the back but the power supply is different.  Like alot of LCD I've seen, the Microtek have an extra separate power adaptor box that you need to plug to the monitor then plug a regular power cord to the box.  The external box is just another hassle that I have to deal with and as  u  can see from the pic, I have to tape it to the back of the monitor stand.  Now I have to worry about the cable/cord of the external power box breaking and worrying about paying extra for the box :P

Specs Comparison

Performance:

    Dot Pitch and .1" screen size is hardly any concern because it's such a small difference.  The Microtek have better contrast ratio than the Dell but that doesn't translate into any better picture quality.  Here's a few shot of the picture comparison.  They are running off my Radeon 7500 using Dual monitor so both picture show the same exact thing.   The Dell is using DVI while the MicroTek is using Analog. 

Microtek Vs Dell	Analog Vs DVI	Can't see much I don't have steady hands

    I don't know how much you can tell by the picture. I didn't really adjust the coloring on either monitor.  You must also factor my digital cam is not that good and there's JPG compression on the pic.  It may not be a fair fight comparing Analog to DVI.  But hey if it got DVI then why not use DVI? stupid to not use it when it's there.  When I was doing my picture snapping my mom walked by and told me the Dell picture looks better...  Mind you she's don't know jack  about  computers or electronics. 

    As for performance and image quality of the Dell it's EXCELLENT.  Even with a lower contrast ratio, the image quality of the Dell is very good.  It is noticeably sharper then the Microtek.  The color of the Dell is also more richer.  The response time of the pixel on the Dell is also noticeably faster than the Microtek.    With regular office/email/surfing usage you won't really notice any difference in response time, but when it's time to play some FPS you'll notice a big difference.  There's very little blurring on it.   My friend who don't have as much a trained eye as me.  tried playing Soldier of Fortune on both monitor and told me that the Microtek is blurrier.  I don't know if the Dell LCD screen is actually better or because of the DVI interface, but the picture is sharper, richer and pixel response is responsive.   (and that's all we care right :)

    Ohh, btw. I run the monitor in 1280x1024 95% of the time, at lower resolution the image is still excellent.   Those weird resolution that I was having slight problems with on the Microtek, it's not as bad with the Dell.  Also with DVI I I  was able to get 85hz out of the display.

Problems with the Dell 1800FP
    According to Dell Specs the 1800FP have a 160 degree viewing angle.  It's not really true. The Microtek  also have 160 degree viewing angle and it works as promised  perfectly.   I can look at the microtek screen anywhere from any height  and up to 160' angle and the picture shows proper color (though slightly washed out near the extremes).
    With the Dell the display get discolored when you look at it from past a certain angle/position.  (similiar to how a projection TV looks when you are watching it from a bad angle).   Let say that the middle of the screen is the center and 3 oclock is to the right and 9 oclock is to the left side.  If you are at or  more than around 120 from  the monitor  at 5oclock and 10 oclock your image will get discolored.   If you're looking at the monitor from the right side and is away at an angle it will still look perfect but if u do that same angle on the left side of the screen the display will be discolored.

Angle will get Discoloration	Excellent Display	Color still OK

    So basically speaking you do get the 160" degree viewable but only 50% of the time.  9-12 oclock is bad and 3-6oclock is bad with higher angles.  This is worst when the screen showing colors/pictures have dark shades of color.  (overall some dark colorful images).   if you're typing a report or surfing the problem don't really don't show up that much (For example on the pictures above you won't see the discoloration because there's alot shades of white and bright color)

    If you play a game with some dark atmosphere and alot of variations on color the problems is pretty bad at specific angles/position.  Normally if you sit in front of the monitor none of the problem will show up.  But if you're like me and sometimes watch Movies on it and you're lying on a couch without being at a good angle to it. you'll be pissed off.

Gaming:
    Gamming is not that bad on this monitor and it's a lot better than the Microtek because of less blurring.  Again, I don't like playing games especially FPS on LCD.  As good as the Dell 1800FP is it still blurrs during fast movements.  But that's just me, I'm picky and have expensive taste when it comes to hardware.  Even though the response time is faster, the fastest screen "refresh dislay" will max out and look like you are running at 45fps.
    For you hardcore gamers.  Stick with CRT, it's kinda stupid to have your video card hit 100+ fps and your LCD monitor is only able to pump out what seems like 45fps.

How my desk look with the 19" CRT	Chicks dig LCD displays! and guys with photoshop

Test System:
    - WinXP
    - Athlon 1800XP,
    - 712meg DDR PC2100
    - Via266 chipset.
    - 99 Nissian Maxima
    - 120 gig WD HD
    - SoundBastard Live
    - Radeon 7500 DVI   

The Good:
- Exellent image color quality
- Sharp picture
- Pretty good pixel refresh making gamming more acceptable
- Little details like standard power/video cables and pencil grooves :P

The Bad:
- Discoloration at specific angle/position
- Not really 160" degree vieable
 

The Verdict: 
    For the $415 bargain price I paid for this LCD I would have given it a perfect score if it wasn't for the discoloration issue.  Price is a big factor in the score.  Cost might be an issue for you if you don't really play much games and want a good LCD at a low price you might wanna get the Microtek C893 because of the bux/bang factor.   But if you see this this Dell at lower than $500 GRAB IT QUICK!  If you were to buy it at $599 it's not such a hot purchase and would warrent a 3.5 triangles.  

I rate it 4.5 out of 5 triangles.

comments, questions, threats, ridicules?  geniv@geniv.com

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