A few questions before I take the plunge and become a WSGer

IIDX · Post by **IIDX** » 23 Jan 2006, 22:17

Ok so after reading all these great reviews of the Dell 2405fpw and realizing that 19 inch just won't cut it for me (especially since I got xbox 360) I am ready to become a widescreen gamer 8)
I just have a few concerns and questions that I want to ask before getting one.

1) As I already said I am looking at getting a 2405fpw. I've read quite a bit about it, but are there any issues I may run into while using it with normal computing/gaming/xbox 360? Or is there another monitor around the same price point or lower that I should consider?

2) I have an x800 pro flashed to 16 pipes, 2 gigs of ram and a 2.8c ghz p4. Is playing at the higher resolution (currently play stuff at 1280x1024) going to severely drop my framerates, or should I be fine for a while longer?

3) One issue I have with my current monitor is that things not playing in the native resolution look bad! If I get the 2405fpw and it turns out that some games don't play in widescreen, will using the black bars on the left and right to show 4:3 pictures make the games still look good?

4) And finally, with this HDPC crap coming up in thw 2407fpw, am I going to end up being screwed when I buy a 2405 and have it become obsolete the next day?

Thanks, sorry for asking so much!

Post by **BongoTrumman** » 23 Jan 2006, 22:44

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Have you used the search function and read the threads that already contain the answers you are looking for? There are a lot of opinions about the 2405 here, the quality of the monitor itself and it hooked up to a pc and a xbox 360. There are some screenshots of the 2405 and nfs:mw on the 360. ItÃ‚Â´s good to keep the same question threads to a minimum so you donÃ‚Â´t have to search forever to get all the answers. Some opionions is to wait buying a WS as a new generation is coming. You can read threads about that to, pros and cons.

Myself I have a HP L2335 and I am very pleased with it. I got my xbox 360 hooked up to it via component 1080i and all my games looks really good(except the AA problem). All 360 games are made for 16:9 so it will only look better in WS.

Playing pc games in the monitors native resolution will drop your fps quite a bit. But it depends what kind of games you play and on what quality if you will notice a difference.

EDIT: ctrlsteef, that was close :).

Post by **ctrlsteef** » 23 Jan 2006, 22:44

About the 360 and the 2405 has been writen a lot. The search is on the left. You should use it. But since i'm not a bastard here is a link to the biggest topic about this.

Comfirmed! 2405 FPW HD-Component input for Xbox 360! :D

then there is the videocard. Depends on what games you play. I have a x800 aswell with a 20" screen and i play most current games at the native res with lots of options at high or medium. But since the 2405 is a little bigger you may want to consider buying a new gpu.

point 3: They look just as they would on a 4:3 screen, just with black bars on the side. No other differences.

Poitn 4: I have no knowledge about this, someone else can answer this?

Post by **Paddy the Wak** » 23 Jan 2006, 23:18

Hello ... welcome to the WSGF ... 8)

1... Great monitor ... antialiasing when using the 360 looks bad ... :( ... that's the only issue I have ... :D

2 ... I will think you will see a big drop in framerates when you are running games at 1920x1200 with the same details you had at 1280x1024 ... :(

3 ... Playing games at non native resolutions doesn't mean that they are not widescreen resolutions ... :D
...... If a game doesn't support widescreen resolutions then you can either play it stretched or with black bars on the sides (using graphics card drivers) ... :D
...... Non native resolutions scale up very well on the Dell 2405 ... :D 8)

4 ... Sorry I don't know ... :(

Post by **ctrlsteef** » 23 Jan 2006, 23:25

EDIT: ctrlsteef, that was close :).

Damn, you just beat me to it. :evil: :wink:

xeones · Post by **xeones** » 08 Feb 2006, 14:18

i don't think you will drop in framerate too much at 1920x1200, as long as you leave AA off. (i don't think you need it at that res anyway)

And non-native resolutions actually look ok on the 2405.

Of bigger concern to you if you like first person shooters is the ghosting. I found the blurriness when moving the scene around fast was unacceptable and i returned mine yesterday. I havent' decided on a new one yet.

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 08 Feb 2006, 19:54

On point 4... not sure.

I don't think the 2405 will be obsolete overnight; but playing Blu-ray or HD-DVD movies on Vista won't look great.

But it'll be a fine computer monitor for a while yet. :)

Post by **skipclarke** » 13 Feb 2006, 00:09

1) As I already said I am looking at getting a 2405fpw. I've read quite a bit about it, but are there any issues I may run into while using it with normal computing/gaming/xbox 360? Or is there another monitor around the same price point or lower that I should consider?

- As the Xbox 360 is optimized for TV's not PC monitors depending on the media source Game/DVD it may or may not look good.

Tutorial: Viewing Image Quality - Monitors, Consoles, DVD

2) I have an x800 pro flashed to 16 pipes, 2 gigs of ram and a 2.8c ghz p4. Is playing at the higher resolution (currently play stuff at 1280x1024) going to severely drop my framerates, or should I be fine for a while longer?

- An X800 will be dragged down by 1920 X 1200. You will have to reduce some high end newer game settings.

4) And finally, with this HDPC crap coming up in thw 2407fpw, am I going to end up being screwed when I buy a 2405 and have it become obsolete the next day?

- Read here Post subject: Latest HDMI/HDCP News, Rumours, Projections & Truth

I should know within the week whether HD-DVD & Blu-Ray players will have component out or other than HDMI ones.

You would also be well served to read through these:

Tutorial: Initializing Your Gaming PC Hardware & Software

Tutorial: Types & Uses of Monitor Input Cables

How-To: Choose WS Resolutions & Aspect Ratios

Tutorial: Using & Un/Installing ATI Based Drivers

Tweaks: Ultimate Gamer Mother Lode ! ATI/nVidea/Win XP/Games

IIDX · Post by **IIDX** » 13 Feb 2006, 00:27

Thanks for all the help guys...I've pretty much decided I REALLY want a 2405FPW ...my only question left is how can I raise some money?? :lol:

I am in University and have no income, so I'm selling off a few things but I'm still a bit short! Oh well, I'll get there somehow.

I just kind of wish I had a credit card so I could finance it from dell, even though I know that's bad :oops: (not really though since I'll be working full time starting april)

Gabbo · Post by **Gabbo** » 13 Feb 2006, 00:38

Try and avoid the credit card thing until you actually have the means to pay it off. Trust me... I learned my lesson in my early 20's. Hell I really didn't get free of the debt until recently.

Poor student eh? Been there. You can sell blood or plasma, or sell pot. (I am just kidding man... lol. You can't have a 2405 in jail.)

However you manage it, you will love the 2405.

Post by **skipclarke** » 13 Feb 2006, 01:51

Sell your soul to the devil?? :twisted: :twisted:

IIDX · Post by **IIDX** » 13 Feb 2006, 03:32

Sell your soul to the devil?? :twisted: :twisted:

At this point I think I would if I could... everynight I go to bed and try to fall asleep but I start thinking about how Im going to get the money, and how awesome my PC and 360 will look when I get it! ahh. Oh well, I'll get it sometime. 2 months at the latest, since I'll be working during the summer.

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 13 Feb 2006, 19:31

It'll come, don't worry. :) But Gabbo is right - avoid credit cards or loans... they're bad. Unless of course you've got the money to pay the bill off when it comes. Interest payments are painful.

IIDX · Post by **IIDX** » 13 Feb 2006, 21:19

It'll come, don't worry. :) But Gabbo is right - avoid credit cards or loans... they're bad. Unless of course you've got the money to pay the bill off when it comes. Interest payments are painful.

Lol...I always used to tell myself I'd never use a credit card for anything unless I'd have the money very soon after...I have a lot of friends who maxed a few cards by the time they were in their mid twenties and it really sucked.

I even had a friend who bought a video camera, paid the minimum for at least 4 years, then when he was a bit older he went to pay off the rest and realized he hadn't even made a dent in the principle! haha. By then the camera was so old it wasn't even worth owning.

Oh well, I'm a Commerce & Admin student so I've learned lots about interest and how it can screw you around ;)
I think I'd still buy it on credit though seeing how I can make up at least half of the cost selling my current monitor and a few other things, and then during the summer I'll be making like 15 bucks an hour.

FramerateUK · Post by **FramerateUK** » 13 Feb 2006, 22:07

Tip: Dont use a credit card :) And welcome to the board :)

I always pay off my credit card the same month, i only use it for its extra insurance and fraud protection features.

Of course, its usefull too if your waiting for next months paycheck to come in :)

Funnily enough, i increased my credit limit on my card today, to buy some new amp equipment for my guitar :) (only because my bank block my card every time i buy something expenensive though!).

On another note, the 2405 rocks, i bought one in December, for use with my PC and 360. You wont regret it, its a fabulous monitor, my only gripe is its annoying when you have to play a non WS game on it (such as EA's Rugby 2006 which has only just come out). Other that that, its great :)

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 13 Feb 2006, 22:12

I always pay off my credit card the same month, i only use it for its extra insurance and fraud protection features.

Same here. ;) Increased fraud protection and purchase protection is very useful. It's nice to be able to set a credit card company on a store if the get pissy about a return of faulty goods, too...

FramerateUK · Post by **FramerateUK** » 13 Feb 2006, 23:31

[quote]I always pay off my credit card the same month, i only use it for its extra insurance and fraud protection features.

Same here. ;) Increased fraud protection and purchase protection is very useful. It's nice to be able to set a credit card company on a store if the get pissy about a return of faulty goods, too...

Exactally :wink:

When shopping online, i only use my credit card too, i had some money stolen from my debit card and used on online gambling sites! Although LloydsTSB got every penny back for me, and sent me a new card very quickly, it left me worried that the theives could possible, if it happened again, clean out my bank account! At least with a credit card its safe.

IIDX · Post by **IIDX** » 14 Feb 2006, 00:40

Credit cards are actually almost stupid how safe they can be.
My brother is head fraud detector at the company that does all of the Interac E-mail Money Transfers here in Canada (http://www.certapay.com shameless plug!)
and he told me that all you have to do is contend a credit card charge and if they don't have 100% proof you made it, you get the money back.

I think he knew someone who just got fed up and went out and maxed their credit card, contested the charges and they couldnt' do squat about it. She didn't have to pay anything.

Post by **skipclarke** » 15 Feb 2006, 13:22

Can she spell "fraud" charges?

Also How To: Quickly Ruin Your Credit Rating.

Having credit is a very good thing - when used wisely.
(I.E buying a tractor :wink: )

BEFORE purchasing to a cash flow projection & a household budget
- the figures don't lie.

Jimmie 48 · Post by **Jimmie 48** » 16 Feb 2006, 02:09

Samsung LN-R238W.Its a great all around widescreen.PC,HDTV,and is the choice TV for XBox 360.I am more than happy with it at a Native resolution of 1360x768.Also probably cheaper than the Dell.Great Set!!!

Widescreen Gaming Forum