Dell U2713HM - Unbeatable performance out of the box
by Chris Heinonen on October 4, 2012 12:00 AM ESTDell U2713HM Input Lag and Power Use
As I stated on the Nixeus review, since I don’t have a CRT that can do 1440p resolution I’m stuck testing these higher resolution displays at 1080p. Because of that the scaler gets involved, and that can lead to extra delays that you might not see if you run at 1440p. The pixel response should be the same, but the lag could vary from being the same to perhaps the low 1-2ms we see from some displays like the HP ZR2740w.
Here the Dell performs almost identically to the Nixeus that we recently reviewed, which means bad things for gamers. We have over a full frame of input lag, and then 11ms of pixel response time to bring our total lag up to 29.5ms, which is nearly two full frames on a 60 fps game. While the U2713HM is fine for everything else, for games that require fast reflexes and can’t deal with two frames of lag you’ll probably need to look elsewhere. I know some consider two frames to be acceptable and some consider anything over one frame to be unacceptable, so you will have to decide what you can live with.
On the power use side, I don’t know what Dell did to this display but it is stingy when it comes to energy use. Even with the backlight at maximum and the screen pure white, we see only 45 watts of power being used. With the backlight at minimum this drops down to 18 watts of power. No 27” display in here has come close to this yet, and there are 23” and 24” class displays that almost use as much power as the 27” Dell does. I guess the eco consciousness at Dell goes beyond just packaging to the actual power use of the monitor as well.
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10101010 - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
It may be that there is lack of uniformity in the application of the anti-glare coating so one monitor of the same brand/model may be a lot worse than one from a different batch, or perhaps just the next one on the assembly line.I have some older Samsung PVA monitors with anti-glare coatings that don't have the problems I've seen on newer monitors. It isn't just Dell with the overly sandy/grainy/sparkly anti-glare coatings. Not too long ago I ordered two HP monitors that had the same problem, so I sent them back. Even in the reviews of NEC's expensive professional monitors, the optical distortion from the anti-glare coatings has been noted by the reviewers.
At the end of the day, it seems no one except for Apple has the strength of will to make a monitor without an anti-glare coating. It is not surprising that Apple is doing well and virtually every other computer company is flailing. Revenue growth is correlated with innovation growth. And the inability to innovate even in small details shows how moribund and obsolete traditional PC hardware companies are becoming.
peterfares - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
No anti-glare coating is innovation now? No. The anti-glare coating was added because using monitors without it in professional settings (which have lots of fluorescent lights) is unbearable.I have a U3011 at home and the only place I can put my desk is right next to a window. The anti-glare coating is a lifesaver. I'd go insane if it was glossy are reflected everything from outside.
Impulses - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
While that may be true of a lot of things... Glossy screens are the devil in many professional and indoor overhead-lit environments; even amongst MBP users a lot of people end opting for or wishing for anti glare displays... It's more of a personal choice than anything. Ican't stand glossy displays on my desk but it's possible I've never adjusted the room lighting enough to really be able to adjust to a glassy display. I'm definitely hoping for a matte one my next laptop, although I don't use it much at home (still bothers me elsewhere).
iSayuSay - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
Thunderbolt!! It's 2012 and I'm done with Apple BS with their $1000 display solution? Why Dell did not going all out and kill Apple Thunderbolt Display? It has USB 3.0 and a few PC mainboards also popping out with TB port. So it's a good time to show Apple is not the only one!peterfares - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
This has DisplayPort which is the video tech used in thunderbolt. USB 3.0 would be useless for this monitor other than being used for the USB hub (which it is)Gothmoth - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
i looked at amazon here and the u2711 cost 20 euro LESS then the 2713HM.so what to buy if they both cost nearly the same?
NeBlackCat - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
1) Whether the Displayport interface carries sound to the monitor, when connected to a Dell laptop. My U3011 doesnt (though HDMI does). Well known problem.
2) Do (or can) the USB ports remain powered/active when the panel is off? This has bugged me forever on other Dell monitors which don't allow this - makes them next to useless if you like to turn your monitor (but not laptop) off to save energy sometimes.
3) Long shot, but is CEC supported on DP/HDMI, or is there any other way to turn the monitor on/off, switch inputs, etc, automatically or remotely, and is there an auto-power off timer function? Some folks have their big monitors do double duty as HTPC screens, for which this is useful.
Note to Dell: since I imagine the answer to the above is 'no', please consider making it 'yes' on a future revision! :)
cheinonen - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
1 - I didn't try the audio out, so I don't know, but I can try to check and see2 - I didn't turn the panel off, since the power draw in energy saving mode is less than a watt
3 - This I'm almost certain won't work. There isn't auto-detection for a signal on inputs coming from a PC, so I'm assuming there is no CEC support if it doesn't even have that signal detection.
peterfares - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
My U3011 carries sound over DisplayPort. I've only tested it with an HP 2740p tablet though. I have never tried any Dell laptops. My old Studio XPS 1340 has DisplayPort but I gave that to my father and my newer Latitude XT3 only has a DisplayPort on the docking station which I do not own.layte - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
I'd never buy a Dell display ever again. I bought a 3008wfp back in 2008 and it recently failed due to poor component choice by Dell in putting together the PSU (a particular diode fails http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1419... ). It seems to be a very common problem, with numerous people having the exact same symptoms.Dell basically told me to bin it and buy a new one as they don't offer a repair service.
Yea, thanks for that. Way to keep customers who buy your expensive high end stuff sweet. I'll take a punt on one of those Korean Ebay specials, at least you know they wont care.