Dell S2409W
Manufacturer: Dell, Inc. Part number: Y183D
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Dell S2409W is a 24-incher that sacrifices features for price, but makes up for it in performance and ease of use.
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CNET editors' review
Dell S2409W price range: $279.00 - $459.99
- Reviewed by: Eric Franklin
- Edited by: Lindsey Turrentine
- Reviewed on: 02/11/2009
The good: Low price; great performance in games and movies at optimal viewing angle; intuitive and elegant OSD; lots of OSD preset modes.
The bad: Bad lower viewing angle; lack of ergonomic support; includes only a VGA cable; unstable footstand.
The bottom line: The Dell S2409W is a 24-incher that sacrifices features for price, but makes up for it in performance and ease of use.
If you're looking for a low-priced 24-inch monitor, the Dell S2409W will serve you well. For as little as $300, the Dell gives you VGA, DVI, and HDMI connections, great performance for games and movies, and an intuitive and elegantly designed onscreen display (OSD) that includes a plethora of useful options. Compared with the $690, 24-inch Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP, the S2409W lacks connection options and ergonomic features. Still, if price is your focus, the Dell S2409W provides good quality for the money. The BenQ E2400HD is available for about the same price, but it has slightly worse performance and fewer OSD options.
Design and features
The bezel of the 24-inch Dell S2409W is a striking, glossy black that reflects everything. The bezel measures a short 0.75 inch long on all sides, and the middle bottom of the bezel has a slightly flush, silver Dell logo on it. The panel is nearly 1 inch deep, which is thin for a 24-incher. (Most 24-inch monitors we've tested have panels well over an inch deep.) A thin, 1 centimeter strip wraps around the outer edge of the panel, bringing the panel width to 22.75 inches; that's about average for a monitor of this screen size.
The circular footstand is nearly 9 inches in diameter and unfortunately doesn't provide the type of stability we expect; it doesn't take much lateral force to wobble the whole display.
As mentioned, the Dell S2409W can be found for as low as $300, but not without some sacrifices. To get the price that low, Dell skimped on a few ergonomic features, including screen height adjustment, rotation, and pivoting. The screen does tilt back 20 degrees and forward 5 degrees, but that--and a hole in the display's neck to route your cables--is all the ergonomic benefits you get.
The Dell S2409W's connection options include the video connection trifecta of VGA, DVI, and HDMI. Although the VGA and HDMI are easy to reach, the DVI port sits just a little too close to the display's neck to rule out hand cramping when trying to connect the cable. Sadly, Dell only includes a single VGA cable with the monitor, so if you want to risk hand cramping, you'll have to invest further.
The OSD button labels are located on the bottom right side of the bezel and consist of four buttons (located on the right side of the panel): a Menu button, an Up button, a Down button, and an Enter button. Calibrating the display using the OSD in a lit room where you can see the labels is simple and easy. Worse, the buttons are only separated by a sliver of space, so it's difficult to tell where one button begins and another ends.
If you'd rather not deal with the sometimes headache-inducing process of calibration, the OSD includes nine preset modes including Standard, Movie, Sports, Nature, Game, Multimedia, Cool, and Warm. Each mode alters the sharpness and color temperature in an attempt to make it more suited for the task at hand. We found that the Standard preset was the best all around for movies. The Movie preset's picture is over-tuned to the point that dithering is very much apparent and details that should look smooth look bumpy instead. The Game preset, however, was tuned better than Standard for games.
The OSD interface is the same one Dell started using for the Dell Crystal. It's an elegant and intuitive interface that includes typical controls for brightness, contrast, and color options, but also controls that directly affect the OSD, like a menu timer and controls to modify the OSD's level of transparency.
The most touted feature of the 24-inch Dell S2409W is its 16:9 aspect ratio, which supports a resolution of 1,920x1,080. Dell and other vendors refer to monitors capable of this resolution as "Full HD" monitors. This is an interesting name given that a 16:10 24-incher would have an even higher native resolution of 1,920x1,200, but we digress.
More and more monitor vendors are starting to move toward 16:9 from 16:10. The main reason for this is that hi-def content, in particular 1080p movies, can fit onto a 1,920x1,080 screen without necessitating that the image being stretched or scrunched.
Manufacturer's specs:
Resolution: 1,920x1,080
Pixel-response rate: 5ms
Contrast ratio: 1,000:1
Brightness: 300cd/m2
Connectivity: HDMI, DVI, VGA
HDCP compliant? Yes
Included video cables? VGA
Performance
We tested the Dell S2409W with its DVI connection. The display posted a composite score of 87 on CNET Labs' DisplayMate-based performance tests compared with the 24-inch BenQ E2400HD's score of 85. The two displays exhibited similar performance in most of the DisplayMate test screens, but the Dell scored slightly better in our color tracking tests as it exhibited no noticeable compression or expansion at the dark or light ends of the color scale. A color-tracking error occurs when the intensity of red, green, and blue (RGB) do not adjust identically with signal-level changes. During two color tests, Low Saturation Colors and 64-256 Intensity Color Ramp, the BenQ showed clear signs of expansion at the light end of the scale, while the Dell displayed the colors in the scale smoothly.
The Dell S2409W posted a brightness score of 242 candelas per square meters (cd/m2), according to our test, which is lower than the 300 cd/m2 maximum claimed by Dell. The BenQ E2400HD barely bested it with a 246 cd/m2 brightness rating. Contrast ratio was more favoring to the Dell as we measured it at a 1,001:1 contrast ratio, virtually the same as Dell's claimed 1,000:1 rating. This beat out BenQ's 892:1 contrast ratio by more than 100.
We got a huge surprise when we looked at World of Warcraft on the Dell S2409W; it looked crisp, colorful, and darn near perfect running at 1,920x1,080. WoW looks great on pretty much every monitor we test, however, we do want to point out a viewing angle problem. Unfortunately, viewing the game from a lower-than-optimal viewing angle made the screen darken to the point that graphic details of the game could not be seen--typical of most TN panels. See the paragraph at the bottom of this section for more details on viewing angle.
When watching our favorite test scenes in the Kill Bill Vol. 1 DVD on the Dell S2409W, what we noticed most was that its performance was virtually identical to the BenQ E2400HD's. Colors were vibrant, but didn't have the same kind of pop like we saw with the Apple LED Cinema Display. The blacks were deep without losing any dark details in dark scenes. We didn't notice any streaking or ghosting, and the screen remained sharp for a DVD.
The 1080p Blu-ray version of House of Flying Daggers looked great for the same reasons stated above; however, we did not notice any quality advantage to the screen's 16:9 aspect ratio.
The best settings we determined for watching games and movies on the Dell S2409W, was Standard preset mode, with a contrast of 65, and the brightness set however high your eyes can take. We settled on an 87 for brightness.
The optimal viewing angle for a monitor is usually directly in front, about a quarter of the screen's distance down from the top. At this angle, you're viewing the colors and gamma correction as they were intended. Most monitors are not made to be viewed at any other angle. Depending on its panel type, picture quality at nonoptimal angles varies. Most monitors use TN panels, which get overly bright or overly dark in parts of the screen when viewed from nonoptimal angles. Both the Dell S2409W and the BenQ E2400HD displays use TN panels, and when they are viewed from the side angles, the screens appeared to only darken slightly. When viewed from the bottom the screen darkened immediately but not as dramatically as some smaller monitors like the Gateway HD1900 and the Samsung SyncMaster 953BW. Of course, when viewed from the optimal angle, we had no problems.
 Juice box |
|||
| Dell S2409W | Average watts per hour |
| On (Default Luminance) | 36.1 |
| On (Max Luminance) | 41.58 |
| On (Min Luminance) | 18.11 |
| Sleep | 0.84 |
| Calibrated (200 cd/m2) | 33.08 |
| Score | Fair |
| Annual energy cost (@$0.1135/kWh) | $11.35 |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test LCD monitors
Service and support
Dell backs the S2409W with great coverage, including a three-year parts-and-labor warranty that covers the backlight. It also offers support through a 24-7 toll free number, 24-7 Web chat, and fast 24- to 48-hour turnaround e-mail. Navigating Dell's site and finding the drivers, product manual, and quick guide was simple and easy.
User reviews
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Better than expected
by Spartanic on September 29, 2008
Pros: Blu-Ray movies and PS3 games look wonderful through HDMI. Nice crisp visuals. Better than I had expected for $349. No smudy shadowy text like the SP2208WFP. Viewing angles not too bad for a TN panel. Screen not reflective.
Cons: 16:9 aspect ratio means it is wider than it is tall. Didn't bother me too much though. The extra viewing space is actually pretty nice. Design is kind of bland other than the rounded corners but if your like me then you care more about how it works.
Summary: I read tons of negative reviews on the 22inch SP2208WFP but I bought it anyway just to see for myself what the fuss was about. Sure enough it had the ...
Summary: I read tons of negative reviews on the 22inch SP2208WFP but I bought it anyway just to see for myself what the fuss was about. Sure enough it had the smudgy shadowy text that everyone complained about. I tried everything to get rid of it but nothing worked.
Then low and behold the 24inch S2409 was introduced and amazingly it was price very near the smaller 22inch SP2208WFP. So I immediately returned it and bought the S2409 instead even though there weren't any reviews on it yet. However there were tons of skepticism from people even though they didn't own it. But I had to see for myself it was worth it. Yes its a TN panel, yes its price is too good to be true. But low and behold it lives up to the hype. Viewing angles are decent, HD content from Blu-Ray movies and PS3 games are very crisp and colorful. The smudgy and shadowy text was no where to be seen.
Its easy to see what Dell had to do to save money. The exterior design of this monitor is quite bland but it matters little to me since function is more important, the rounded corners adds a hint of style though. One minor issue is that since the buttons are built on the side of the LCD you end up accidentally pressing on them when you lift the monitor around. There are only three input options which is DVi, HDMI and VGA. Good enough for me. All in all I plan to keep mine.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very Happy so far
by kentonv on April 17, 2009
Pros: 24" screen! 1920x1080 (true HD/widescreen)
Cons: none that I can see so far - (only had it 1 day so far)
Having a little height adjustment would be nice, but not a deal breaker. Most desks now have an elevated LCD monitor stand anyway, so you may not even need height adjustment capability.Summary: This is a great monitor for the price. I nearly didn't purchase it based on the text reviews provided by CNET, but then I watched the Video Review and ...
Summary: This is a great monitor for the price. I nearly didn't purchase it based on the text reviews provided by CNET, but then I watched the Video Review and did some more research and decided I would go ahead with my purchase.
Some things I want to note:
1) Under "The Bad" CNET indicates that this monitor "includes only a VGA cable" - which is not true. Everywhere else I looked the Package Contents description always said "includes VGA and DVI cables" Granted, the VGA cable that comes with the monitor is pre-attached, but the DVI cable is there nonetheless.
2) The Video Review attempts to show how "unstable" the base is - I don't purchase a monitor to knock it about the way it was demonstrated in the video - so I think the "unstable footstand" is also a bit misleading to potential buyers.
3) There is also mention of how connecting the DVI cable to the monitor can cause hand-cramping. I found that if I simply attached the DVI cable first then attached the Base I had plenty of room to work. I essentially reversed steps 2 and 3 in the Quick Setup Guide that was included with the monitor.
I purchased two of these monitors to replace my 2x 17" CRTs! I use two monitors for my video editing work and needed something that had enough screen real estate for all the windows I need on screen at one time. I'm very satisfied.5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Bang for your Buck
by Flaming_VT on January 9, 2009
Pros: -elegant design
-HDMI, DVI, and VGA
-Aduio IN/OUT (not listed on specs, but it's on the back of my monitor)
-No dead pixels
-great color and viewing angle
-widescreen
-ships with VGA and DVI cables
-price!Cons: -lack of USB hub, webcam/mic, and built in speakers
-doesn't ship with a HDMI cable
-inputs hard to access without laying the monitor screen-downSummary: I got the Dell S2409W because it had what I needed at a low price. I wanted to be able to hook my MacBook Pro, my HP TX2500z, and my ...
Summary: I got the Dell S2409W because it had what I needed at a low price. I wanted to be able to hook my MacBook Pro, my HP TX2500z, and my Xbox 360. As the S2409W has 3 inputs (VGA, DVI, HDMI) I can plug all 3 in without much trouble. I will need external speakers for the Xbox360 but they are quite cheap these days.
The screen starts up quickly and is very responsive to resolution/input changes. Playing games on it is a joy and the screen is big enough that you can see all the details.
For the price, the Dell S2409W is hard to beat. It is big and has the 3 major video connections. It has a great picture and is very bright. If you don't need a webcam, extra USB ports, or built in speakers, the S2409W is hard to pass by.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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very impressed
by cphi on July 31, 2009
Pros: bright, crystal clear, and plenty of on-screen real estate
Cons: the wider 16:9 aspect ratio takes some adjustment and is not really as practical for computer use. it's certainly not as bad as I'd feared though. the stand is effectively unadjustable (although the fixed position is sensible)
Summary: I use my monitor mainly for reading text on websites and pdfs while sitting at a desk. For this purpose, the monitor is almost perfect. The image is bright, and ...
Summary: I use my monitor mainly for reading text on websites and pdfs while sitting at a desk. For this purpose, the monitor is almost perfect. The image is bright, and text is crystal clear. The viewing angle is not enormous but during normal use for me this is completely irrelevant. I had a Dell 2408WFP briefly before returning it. In terms of clarity of text, this monitor is infinitely superior. The aspect ratio is a bit of a pain but you do get used to it pretty quickly. I don't play games or watch movies on it and am no judge of color balances so can't comment on these. For general browsing and work though, I am *very* happy.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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REALLY WORTH for the price.DVI cable included in box.
Pros: DVI and VGA inputs, awesome for games and 1920x1080 mode. It also manages easily different sources connected at the same time, as a VGA notebook, a DVI PC and other HDMI, without disconnecting cables.
Very nice design and horizontal angle.Cons: Lacks of a more ergonomic stand, but definitively worth for the price!
Summary: Definitively worth for the price!
We bought 2 complete Desktops from Dell (Studio XPS), that included a 20' monitor, so we upgraded to these models almost for the same money. ...Summary: Definitively worth for the price!
We bought 2 complete Desktops from Dell (Studio XPS), that included a 20' monitor, so we upgraded to these models almost for the same money. It was GREAT to see the results when they arrived: Watching other screens (as the one i use at the office now) became old fashioned, also plasmas or lcd tvs don't look as stunning as these S2409W.
S2409W have 2 digital (DVI and HDMI) and 1 analog input (VGA),and can manage up to 3 devices connected at the same time, just switching them with the touch of a button.
In my case theDVI cable was included (perhaps because we also bought the desktops to Dell), and we always use them in 1920 x 1080 mode, flawlessly. Not a single pixel in both units dead.
The design is simple, but still beautyful. The power indicator has 2 colors, backlit on the front panel: White when on, and orange when in stand by, it looks great too.
The contrast, color and viewing angle is amazing, the brightness is OK.
It could have height adjustment to make it even better, or a webcam included, but i would recommend it without a doubt!1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Mine came with a DVI Cable
by Celtlaw on March 16, 2009
Pros: Colors of photos seem more natural
Cons: None, but I've only been using it to 10 minutes
Summary: I just wanted to note that my monitor from Other World Computing came with both a DVI cable and a VGA cable.
Summary: I just wanted to note that my monitor from Other World Computing came with both a DVI cable and a VGA cable.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Better than the review
by brupub on October 5, 2009
Pros: Picture, contrast and OSD - games and movies are great - best performance/cost.
Much more stable than expectedCons: Height adjustment missing
Summary: Great value - couldn't ask for much more for the price
Summary: Great value - couldn't ask for much more for the price
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Fine Monitor
by allthingsav on August 3, 2009
Pros: Gloss black bezel is quite good looking. Performance, color saturation and fidelity is super. My first wide screen and I am quite happy with it and the pricing.
Cons: Really don't have any
Summary: Great monitor for the price.
Summary: Great monitor for the price.
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Itīs definitely worth it
by Merkel1 on July 10, 2009
Pros: Great for games and movies
Cons: none so far
Summary: A great buy - solid for what it is worth
Summary: A great buy - solid for what it is worth
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Great buy for the money
by Greg467 on March 31, 2009
Pros: Sleek design, easy setup, great picture quality
Cons: None come to mind
Summary: I purchased the S2409W from Dell on sale for $249.00. After shopping around for smaller monitors with a higher price tag, this one just made sense as a good ...
Summary: I purchased the S2409W from Dell on sale for $249.00. After shopping around for smaller monitors with a higher price tag, this one just made sense as a good deal. It does come with a DVI cable by the way. OSD easy to use, very little adjusting was requried to get an all around good picture for HD TV, Movies and Games. If you want a decent 24" monitor at a price that you can live with...this one is a good fit.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Dell, Inc.
- Part number: Y183D
- Description: Prepare to be blown away by the stunning clarity and realism of the Dell S2409W 24-inch widescreen flat panel High-Definition LCD monitor that is designed to bring you a digital entertainment. This sleek and stylish monitor delivers the ultimate visual experience designed to thrill the senses. Discover a way to enjoy High-Definition multimedia content such as the movies and blockbusters as well as high quality photo and video with superb full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution and 16:9 aspect ratios. The Dell S2409W is able to seamlessly deliver High-Definition contents in the highest resolutions intended and the 16:9 formats is perfect for desktop computers to run the growing variety of Full HD media contents. Optimize your viewing pleasure with excellent high contrast ratio and a fast response time of 5ms that helps prevent smearing when using the display for fast motion video such as gaming or video editing, giving you vibrancy and brilliance that surpasses your expectations. The high brightness of 300cd/mē provides excellent performance while viewing motion video at high luminance.
General
- Display Type LCD display / TFT active matrix
- Width 22.7 in
- Depth 8.8 in
- Height 16.4 in
- Weight 17.9 lbs
- Enclosure Color Black
Image
- Display (projector) image aspect ratio 16:9
- Image brightness 300 cd/m2
- Image Contrast Ratio 1000:1
- Max horizontal view angle 160
- Max vertical view angle 170
Display
- Diagonal Size 24 in - Widescreen
- Viewable Size 24 in
- Dot Pitch / Pixel Pitch 0.276 mm
- Max Resolution 1920 x 1080
- Color Support 24-bit (16.7 million colors)
- Response Time 5 ms
- Display Positions Adjustments Tilt
- Video Output None
- Signal Input HDMI, DVI-D, VGA
- Features HDCP
Audio Output
- Type None
Input Device
- Type None
Expansion / Connectivity
- Interfaces 1 x VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15), 1 x DVI-D - 24 pin digital DVI, 1 x HDMI - 19 pin HDMI Type A
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included 1 x VGA cable, DVI cable
- Features Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately)
- Microsoft Certifications Compatible with Windows 7
Power
- Power device form factor Internal
- Voltage Required AC 120/230 V
- Operational power consumption (standby) 2 Watt
Environmental Parameters
- Min operating temperature 32 °F
- Max operating temperature 104 °F
- Operating humidity range 10 - 80%
Sustainability
- CNET Labs: Operational power consumption 36.1 Watt
- CNET Labs: Calibrated power consumption 33.08 Watt
- CNET Labs: Max brightness power consumption calibrated 41.58 Watt
- CNET Labs: Min brightness power consumption 18.11 Watt
- CNET Labs: Power consumption Stand by / Sleep 0.84 Watt
- CNET Labs: Estimated Annual Energy Cost 11.35 US Dollars
- EPA Energy Star Compliant Yes
- EPEAT Compliant EPEAT Silver
Manufacturer info
- Dell, Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Dell, Inc. products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://www.dell.com/
- Address:
One Dell Way, Round Rock, TX 78682 - Phone: (800) 274-3355
- Email: LB_Order_Questions@dell.com
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