Dell UltraSharp 1905FP: Setting the Bar for New 19" LCDs
by Kristopher Kubicki on January 29, 2005 12:35 AM EST- Posted in
- Displays
Cost Analysis
When we looked at the pricing of 19" LCD monitors two months ago, most models hovered around the $450 price point. Since then, a lot has changed – BenQ FP931 retails for almost $80 less than it did two months ago! However, price does not mean everything in the world of displays. Even though the BenQ FP931 is the first 19" LCD to hit the sub $350 range after rebate, we still wouldn't recommend it over the better rated models from the roundup.
As one of the newer models, the Dell 1905FP is actually one of the most expensive units in our price category. However, keep in mind that the $669 Samsung 193P and the Dell 1905FP utilize the exact same LCD panel. There are a few fundamental differences between these monitors outside of style; for example, the SyncMaster 193P does not use an exterior user interface. Although both monitors use different signal processors, image quality between the two monitors is very similar.
Most of the other monitors in the 19" range dropped approximately 10% in price since the roundup, with the exception of the Samsung 910V, which actually increased in price since the previous analysis. Since that product is getting closer to its EOL, we would not be surprised if the monitor stops showing up in the retail channel altogether in the very near future.
When we first went to Dell.com to price out the 1905FP, we noticed that the price jumped from $499 to $599 over the course of a few weeks. Shopping around for a third party reseller, we found several vendors selling the monitor for under $499 and one even as low as $469. Dell runs dozens of rebates and promotions at any given time – so if you look hard enough, you should be able to find some extremely promising deals on the 1905FP.
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IceWindius - Sunday, January 30, 2005 - link
I"ll wait for SED displays to come out, it will kick OLED's assMrEMan - Sunday, January 30, 2005 - link
Are there people here who actually believe Dell manufactures any components (monitors, drives, motherboards, video cards, etc) in their systems?I would really be surprised if they actually do.
My guess is that the specify which OEM products they want, and then, have them tweaked to make them proprietary.
avijay - Sunday, January 30, 2005 - link
Great review!#31, that lady might get a few extra bucks based on her ratings, and to be honest, those guys try to get as much info as possible, but it doesn't quite work out all the time. I should know, I used to work in a place like that.
BTW, any chance of reviewing the Sony SDM-P234/B 23". I've been trying to find a good review on that LCD for quite a while, but unable to do so. I'd really appreciate it if kristopher can review one and let everyone know the good and the bad about that monitor. Thanks.
najames - Saturday, January 29, 2005 - link
I agree with TwistyKat. I have had enough Dell for a lifetime and I have never even technically ordered from them. I put in a Viewsonic monitor order 1/5 to ship on 1/28, the system was so screwed up my account had somebody elses name attached. After 10 emails, one long call to Mumbai, and another call where the guy basically just sat there didn't answer questions, and said nothing, then cut me off, I gave up and canceled my order on 1/26. They never did get the account fixed so the account linked with the order. It was always my responsibility to fix their problems, including filling out forms for the "webmaster", even though Dell reps could see it was hosed. When I called to cancel the US staff told me my VIEWSONIC monitor was in production at DELL (WTF?), requiring yet another call to Mumbai. The lady in Mumbai did tell me that she wanted me to give her a good rating on service, 1 being poor and 9 being excellent.HeatMiser - Saturday, January 29, 2005 - link
Link to Samsung's panel here: http://www.samsung.com/Products/TFTLCD/Monitors_n_...pxc - Saturday, January 29, 2005 - link
The 1905FP's LCD is 376mm x 301mm, a 5:4 aspect ratio. That fits perfectly with the 5:4 native resolution (1280x1024).http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/monitors/r83...
reactor - Saturday, January 29, 2005 - link
good review, good timing too, was looking at getting a 19" lcd.would like to see a review of the Philips 190S5FB, or an updated roundup, as people on newegg are raving about it.
MAME - Saturday, January 29, 2005 - link
"Fast motion was on par with what we expected for this game; we certainly didn't notice any motion blur, but if the Dell 1905FP is your first LCD, then you will notice a difference immediately."What do you mean by "difference"? Not as good as a CRT?
MadAd - Saturday, January 29, 2005 - link
As well as reviews of other popular models (like the 2005FPW, the HP L2335) are we going to one day get at least *one* set of reliable benchmarks at resolutions up and above 1600x1200 please please!!!!Just a quick roundup of available dx9 cards with mid-high range amd/intel at resolutions up to 1920x1200 - is that too much to ask from your favourite hardware site? :)
Wide screen gaming seems to be taking off and Id really like to know what kind of performance im going to need to run at good frame rates if I do get say the dell, or the hp. Will my 9700pro cut it? Probably not but do I need as much as an xt850?
Go on, I know youd love to do them :)
Thanks
robl - Saturday, January 29, 2005 - link
Great article, thanks! Any chance of reviewing the Apple 30" HD display? I'd love to see how it compares, especially with which video cards support it on a pc. most sites I've seen only talk about it on the apple platform.