Dell U2414H HD Monitor
Great quality IPS display that doesn't break the bank. Delivers a crisp picture and intense colours. Thanks to it's low response time performs great for gaming
It’s been a long time since I have upgraded my workstation monitors. My job as a web developer requires me to have as much pixel space as I can get my hands on, I didn’t just get one of these monitors, I picked up two!
Dell’s 23.8” UltraSharp 16:9 IPS LED Monitor is a thing of beauty. Out of the box, its bevel, when turned off, is a mind-blowing 0.6mm which is stupidly thin and perfect for a dual or even triple monitor setups.
The screen is VESA compatible and has a response rate of 8ms, a resolution of 1920×1080 (60Hz) and even comes with a built-in USB 3.0 hub directly into the monitor.
I could have opted for the UP2415 that has a resolution of 1920×1200, but for everyday desk usage space is an issue for me otherwise I would have picked up three!
Top Tip: If you plan on doing a lot of gaming, and you’re thinking about whether to get two or three monitors then I’ll settle that one for you now. Buy three! While the bezel is super thin, it is still noticeable and not suited to gaming. You need the third PC monitor so you can see your crosshair!
The monitors were packed securely carrying that faint smell of freshly bought hardware. Inside the box was documents, a sleek brushed metal stand, a driver CD, a power cable, a USB 3.0 Upstream Cable cable and a min-DP to DP adapter.
One thing to note out of the box was there were no screws at all; the metal stand is extremely high quality to which the screen simply hooks on and clips in.
Dell UltraShap U2414H First Impression
After attaching the monitors up to my dual monitor stand, getting them turned on and booted into Windows, I was taken back by how crisp the colors were being produced from the screen out of the box. Not only that, the bezel where both monitors join was near on non-existent!
I could imagine gaming being an extremely rewarding experience with three of these monitors hooked up although the 8ms response time could let it down in some high paced games.
The Dell UltraSharp U2412H front-panel is a sleek touch panel with perfectly spacing buttons marked with minimal circles. When you start to use the monitor’s settings panel, they are clearly marked and very easy to use when compared to previous touch buttons I have used.
Dell UltraShap U2414H Connectivity
Being a workstation grade monitor primarily aimed at video editors, graphic designers, and workstation applications, Dell have not skimped on connectivity providing ample room to connect the U2414H to a number of different sources.
- 2 HDMI(MHL) connectors
- 1 Mini DisplayPort
- 1 DisplayPort (version 1.2a)
- 1 DisplayPort out (MST)
- 1 Audio Line out
- 4 USB 3.0 ports – Downstream
- 1 USB 3.0 port – Upstream
Dell UltraShap U2414H Gaming Performance
To test the Dell UltraShap U2414H gaming performance I tried to boot up Counterstrike: Global Offensive but was immediately presented with a problem – I couldn’t see my stupidly small cross hair!
So I quit the game, went back and booted up Dirt 3.
In a game where the centre of the screen is not a make or break scenario, I felt much more immersed in the experience with colors popping out of the screen and crystal clear game-play; and while the U2414H does have a response rate of 8ms, this didn’t pose any problems with zero ghosting or tearing through the game which was the one thing I was worried about when considering buying them.
Final Thoughts
While dual-monitor setups will restrict what you can play at high-resolutions if you went down the triple-monitor route this problem would not be an issue as your FOV in FPS games would be out of this world.
The build quality is simply outstanding for the price; the colors are vibrant and they look amazing on my desk. Having a resolution of 3840×1080 has improved my programming workflow immensely allowing me to copy easily information and text with easy without having to manage 20 different windows which is not uncommon.
For 180GBP you can’t go wrong with Dell’s UltraSharp U2412H especially if you are like me constantly pushing pixels in photoshop, editing videos or playing high-resolution games.
