Looking for monitor advice

[Spider95]

Hi all,

Looking for advice on a new monitor. I currently have a Dell U2311H and am looking to get another display so that I can have 2.

I haven't quite decided if I want to go for a brand new monitor (and relegate the current Dell to a secondary monitor) or just go for a decent (but cheaper) option for the secondary but keep the U2311H as my main. This may come down to how much I need to pay to get a decent 2nd monitor vs how much extra just splashing out on a complete upgrade would be.

So, basically any advice on a decent monitor as a secondary display as well as what would be a good replacement for a Dell U2311H would be appreciated!

Graphics card is a NVidia GeForce GTX970.

Cheers,

(\(\;;/)/)

[kalniel]

Use case?

[ik9000]

I have the same monitor. it's fine only drawback is pwm which makes using it for long periods a bit tiring on the eyes. have you colour calibrated it yet? I would suggest getting either a P or U series Dell monitor to go with it and make that a secondary monitor. modern ones below 24" are not that common now

[Spider95]

Thanks ik9000, i've decided to go for another Dell (P2317) as the secondary monitor - slightly more than I had intended to pay but have always been really pleased with the U2311H so went for another Dell.

I haven't done a colour calibration - any tips as how best to go about that?

Cheers,

(\(\;;/)/)

[ik9000]

Thanks ik9000, i've decided to go for another Dell (P2317) as the secondary monitor - slightly more than I had intended to pay but have always been really pleased with the U2311H so went for another Dell.

I haven't done a colour calibration - any tips as how best to go about that?

Cheers,

(\(\;;/)/)

xrite i1 pro - works a dream, though to be fair the native factory calibration wasn't that bad, but the calibration nails it (and worthwhile doing after 6 years continuous use)

[LesC]

xrite i1 pro - works a dream, though to be fair the native factory calibration wasn't that bad, but the calibration nails it (and worthwhile doing after 6 years continuous use)

Got an xrite i1 pro myself but haven't got round to using it yet for fear of making things worse! Doesn't help that there's no real instructions on how to use it. However, as I'm quite happy with the factory calibration, is it easy to revert back to it or is the xrite calibration permanent?

[ik9000]

Got an xrite i1 pro myself but haven't got round to using it yet for fear of making things worse! Doesn't help that there's no real instructions on how to use it. However, as I'm quite happy with the factory calibration, is it easy to revert back to it or is the xrite calibration permanent?

it's a doddle. The instructions are all in the software IIRC. And the U2311h has a factory reset option if it really goes wrong (which it won't).

It's a bit more involved on monitors without the built-in calibration ability that automates the process, but even then it's not too bad. Just play with RGB carefully to find the optimum white point - sometimes there is more than one combination (at very different channel brightnesses) which can be interesting. That will make more sense one you've gone through the process.

[Dashers]

I wouldn't worry too much about colour calibration. Use a visual aid like this one: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/ to tweak.

I've found Dell monitors are generally pretty close from the outset.

I own a calibrator and the term is awful as they don't actually achieve uniformity. I've got two identical monitors which my calibrator will setup to be "perfect" and they are very clearly different. I've landed up doing it by hand.

[ik9000]

I wouldn't worry too much about colour calibration. Use a visual aid like this one: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/ to tweak.

I've found Dell monitors are generally pretty close from the outset.

I own a calibrator and the term is awful as they don't actually achieve uniformity. I've got two identical monitors which my calibrator will setup to be "perfect" and they are very clearly different. I've landed up doing it by hand.

I disagree. Visual calibration simply does not give accurate results. You might think it does based on a limited image on your particular screen, but when you come to print something or send it to someone else you'll be disappointed with the result. Some monitors just cannot display sufficient colour depth to get it right, so calibration on an old LCD screen can often look poor. So by eye we tweak them to a dominant image we think is ok, but then other images will look wrong, and the brightness and saturation are often over done. Trying to match different monitors you will always struggle to get a 100% match, but calibration will make it a more proper match in terms of colour accuracy. Accuracy and "vibrant appealing to the eye" are often different things for displays.