Comment on Dell S2330MX 23″ Ultra-Slim VGA Monitor by hungryjoe.
Great for the price,
In terms of a performance to price ratio, this monitor definitely stands above the other monitors I’ve looked at in a similar price and size range. I purchased this to use in my office at school. I do a lot of programming and CAD work so a good screen was an absolute necessity for me, but I didn’t want to bring something expensive to my shared office. I program on an all black background with white letters so I wanted an anti-glare screen with good black levels, while it had enough resolution to use for CAD work. The only other screen I can really compare this to is my Samsung 42″ TV and my 15″ Macbook Pro anti-glare hi res screen. Relative to the samsung TV, the colors are slightly more washed out BUT it is only noticeable when compared side by side. When you pull it away it is difficult to tell a difference. Compared to my macbook pro anti-glare screen, the blacks are similar, but the whites are very different. When viewing both screens side by side, the macbook pro is MUCH brighter than the Dell monitor. Also, there is this sort of graininess (for lack of a better word) with the Dell monitor when viewing all white or white dominant pages. My macbook pro screen does not have this graininess. This starts to bother me when I write reports in Microsoft Word, or read a lot journal papers and articles on this monitor. However, it is something I will live with, considering I paid 150$ for this at my local Microcenter. When viewing side to side, it is difficult to notice any discoloration when viewing an all black screen, however all white screens will begin to show a red and purple glare viewing it maybe 30 to 40 degrees off along the horizontal direction. Vertically, I would say around 10 degrees before it starts to become unbearable to look at. These numbers are very nomimal and the point I’m trying to get across is that you don’t want to look at this monitor too far off the center axis. You’ll get away with the side viewing up to around 50 degrees. Like the others have said, this monitor is very flimsy and thin. My desk is very sturdy and does not shake so this is not a concern for me. The other screen I was looking to purchase was the LG LED monitors for around this price range, however I opted away from them due to the uneven lighting reported in many reviews when viewing pages in all black.
In conclusion, this monitor gets the job done for what I need it to do, which is an even all black screen with decent enough black levels that won’t drive my crazy, and a bright enough screen to use under lighted conditions. Although I have a slight annoyance when using it in conjunction with my macbook high-res antiglare screen, it is something I will live with due to the cheapness of this display. It is cheap enough where I feel comfortable bringing it to a shared office but of enough quality where I can use it for coding and CAD work. I take off a star due to the graininess when viewing lighter colors and the low brightness level.
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