Review on Dell UltraSharp 2209WA Black Widescreen Monitor - Enhanced for Wide Screen Experience by Roberto Reid

My ten year old CRT monitor got too dim in total darkness so I decided it was time to get rid of it. I did a bit of shopping and looking at the reviews and settled on the Viewsonic VX2250WM LED as it got great reviews, a good size and a very reasonable price. I found it as cheap as Revain at a local store, bought it, brought it home and installed it. The first thing I noticed was that the top of the screen was significantly darker than the bottom. I was a little surprised at how bad things are. I don't want to go into too much detail here, but from what I can tell from the monitor calibration page, it had a gamma of 1.7 on one end and 2.2 on the other. That's ridiculous. But here's the thing; All monitors with TN panels do the same. They're not all as bad as Viewsonic, but they all do, and it always catches the eye, especially if you're doing any type of graphics work or just tend to get annoyed with such things. And, of course, every monitor in every store is sold only with TN panels. If you don't believe me, go to a store and try a monitor connected to your computer. Set your Windows background to a solid color and see how it looks. So I sent Viewsonic back and was left with the task of ordering the monitor online without having seen it first. Fun. I did some more research, researched the different types of panels and settled on an IPS panel. After seeing how good the reviews were for this model and how relatively cheap it was, I gave it a go and was very happy with the monitor. First the problem with gamma disappeared. Not 100% gone, there is still a noticeable difference in monitor brightness, but it's barely noticeable and can only be seen when the screen is completely white. It looks as good as my CRT at the best of times, and in fact it might just be my eyes. Second, the color rendering is much nicer. Most of the time it's not the most obvious thing, but in Left 4 Dead 2 when the landscape gets really dark, there's a lot more detail and everything looks less gloomy. Oh yes, it's a great gaming monitor too. When there are delays, I don't notice anything with dynamic shooters. And for gaming, I prefer resolutions below 1080p for better frame rates at native resolution. It's also easier on the eyes in everyday use, unless you get something 25 inches or larger. The stand is also much nicer than your average monitor, with the ability to raise and lower, tilt and even rotate the screen. It's 90 degrees. The USB hub is also a very nice bonus. My only real complaint is how bright it is. It's great for gaming and videos, but it can be a bit annoying when browsing the web, which typically has a bright white background. To compensate, I added a custom color setting to the monitor that lowered the contrast and darkened the overall image. I would prefer if there was a way to dim the backlight for darker whites and deeper blacks. One thing that was pretty nice about the Viewsonic, you can use Eco mode to get an overall darker picture, but that's the only benefit this monitor had. So if you're looking for a monitor that's a step up from the typical cheap monitors you see in stores, this could be the one for you.