Dell 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.

Processing Lag Comparison (By FPS)

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.

LCD Power Draw (Kill-A-Watt)

Dell U2713HM Display Uniformity Dell U2713HM Conclusion
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  • blackmagnum - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link

    I find Dell's monitors have good price/ performance ratio. They might not be as cheap as the Koreans, but last a while longer and have better support. When will they have 4K monitors...
  • p05esto - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link

    Agreed, if you are doing professional work and using the monitor day in and day out what's a couple hundred extra dollars? For gaming and casual stuff, then sure....take a chance.
  • rs2 - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link

    A couple hundred? Probably nothing. But when you can get a roughly equivalent monitor from Korea for ~$320, the extra $380 dollars is enough to buy a second 2560x1440 display and run them in a dual-monitor setup.
  • hrrmph - Saturday, October 6, 2012 - link

    First 27" with an all-USB 3.0 Hub. That alone is worth something.

    Amazon has them available for pre-order at $705:

    http://www.amazon.com/Dell-U2713HM-CVN85-27-Inch-L...

    I've got one on order and I hope these are going to last as long as the several HP LP2465 monitors that I've been using for most of a decade. The USB hubs in those were incredibly reliably as well, and I'm hoping that the all-USB 3.0 hub in this Dell 27" model is up to the task.

    As far as value goes, sure the Korean models might be good for a second or third monitor, but with the Dell you *should* get grade A quality (at least for an enthusiast, if not for the professional), under a fairly full kit of options and functionality.

    For something that I'm hoping might last 10 or 15 years, like my other monitors, the probable annual amortized cost difference is fairly negligible.

    Too bad they had to drop to 24-bit (from 30-bit) to get the cost under control. Still, if the USB 3.0 hub can handle everything I throw at it and the monitor can still offer up better resolution than my existing 1920 x 1200 monitors, then its a great value.

    -
  • sonny73n - Sunday, October 7, 2012 - link

    The Korean monitors (Achieva, Yamasaki... just to name a few) you're talking about use LG eIPS display. Actually those LG displays are rejects or did not meet quality requirements for Dell or HP. You'll probably get at least a couple dead pixels on those Korean monitors. Who knows what other defects they might have. That's why they're much cheaper.

    Ever heard of Dell Zero dead pixel policy?
  • Stealth Pyro - Tuesday, August 13, 2013 - link

    Not accurate it in the slightest. A lot of them actually have perfect pixels without you even buying into the perfect pixel markup scam. When Dell/HP/etc. reject the displays, it doesn't at all mean that they had dead pixels. There might have been other defects with DELL'S PCB's or other internal components, and then these Korean manufacturers buy all those monitors deemed as defective and pull the panels (that are just fine) to put into their own monitors.
  • TheJian - Monday, October 8, 2012 - link

    ROFL@anyone willing to give their CC# to a Korean company from ebay etc. Even the ones on Amazon have 1 review, a Gmail address for returns/help, no about page, a blank faq page, no phone# to call etc. How dumb can you be to buy one of these? If you don't even own a domain I can't be bothered to even think about your company as relevant to my purchases...LOL.

    The only way this would be an option is if I WAS IN KOREA and down the street from your company :)

    Dell is the wiser choice here (or any other US based company with an actual website and a phone#).
  • Stealth Pyro - Tuesday, August 13, 2013 - link

    -_- eBay sellers don't get your credit card number when you buy from them. Money is transferred via PayPal.
  • Deo Domuique - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link

    How do you know the Dell lasts a while longer? Like we know everything about the Korean monitors.

    It's double price. If it was 100 or 150$ more, we could talk, but double price? Certainly I'd prefer a Korean monitor, but unfortunately a little hard to find in my country, yet...
  • Stealth Pyro - Tuesday, August 13, 2013 - link

    Doesn't last shit longer. I've had my Crossover going just fine for over a year and I don't even turn it off (something a lot of paranoid owners do to increase its lifespan).

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