Dell 2007FP Mini-Review

Dell 2007FP Mini-Review​

This is a long story. You might want to pull up a chair and get some popcorn. I bought a Dell 2001FP in 2004. I think I paid $500 or so for it, which was a pretty good deal for a high quality monitor in 2004. At time I knew nothing about IPS or the like. The image quality looked great compared to my old LCD, which I think was a Hyundai, and I was pleased with the 2001FP. I happily used the Dell as a single screen for five or so years, but then in 2009 or so, I noticed others using two monitors, either with their desktop or an external with a notebook. I thought I might benefit from a second monitor as there were times when I was doing two things at once and having a second screen would let me look at both applications at the same time.

I looked into getting another 2001FP, but Dell had moved onto the 2007FP, which still cost $500 five years later. Dell was also, during that period of time, using multiple screen suppliers for the 2007FP, some of which were not IPS. Having purchased a FlexView T42 ThinkPad since acquiring my 2001FP, I was now much more aware of IPS and what getting it meant. I decided to pick up a bargain 20” HannsG TN panel monitor, rationalizing that since it was a second screen, I didn't need the best image quality or viewing angles. The screen was OK, but next to the Dell, you could easily see who was the champ and who was the chump. I lived with it for a couple years. It wasn't all bad. Once I got the budget monitor, I noticed I could put the Dell into portrait mode and it was a whole new world. I got 1600 vertical pixels, which is fantastic for Office and Internet type stuff. I loved it.

At the beginning of 2011, I discovered the Samsung 2333T, which is a PVA LCD, on sale at NewEgg for $150. I decided I'd had enough of my TN HannsG and bought the Samsung. The Samsung was not as well built as my Dell and it had a glossy case, which I disliked, but it did come in at less than 1/3 the cost of the Dell and had a three year warranty. When I placed the new Samsung next to my old Dell, it was fairly obvious that the 2001FP had dimmed and yellowed some over the years. It still looked great and had I not bought the Samsung, I probably would have not noticed, but there it was. It was almost like the 2001FP was my new cheap monitor and the Samsung was the star. I was really torn. I wanted to get another Dell for the 1600 vertical resolution, but in the end decided to buy another 2333T so I would have matching screens and save myself $300. Don't get me wrong, the Samsungs were very nice with good PQ, but being 16:9 screens, they took up almost the whole of my desk, barely allowing for my speakers. Getting used to 1920x1080 was an adjustment and I did not care for all the extra space on being on the sides. I also hungered for the 1600 vertical resolution my 2001FP offered.

Flash forward to the end of 2012, I got tired of the 2333Ts taking up all my desktop space and decided to look for a 2007FP to run in portrait mode and a widescreen Dell IPS monitor. I almost bought a 2007FP and a U2212HM, but I didn't want to have CFFL and LED monitors, where one dimmed over time and the other did not, so I held off. Then I noticed someone selling two brand new 2007FPs, though a year old, for $400 on eBay with a best offer. I offered $350 and the rest was history. I got them a week later. They arrived with the Dell tape still intact. I rushed to set them up and thankfully, there were no dead/stuck pixels to be found.

The specs of the 2007FP are:
Model: 2007FP
Screen Size: 20.1”
Panel Type: S-IPS, Matte
Resolution: 1600x1200
Brightness: 300 Nits
Contrast Ratio: 800:1
Response Time: 16ms
Viewing Angles: 178°(V), 178°(H)
Connectors: DVI-D, VGA, S-Video, Composite
Adjustments: Tilt and Swivel
Screen Positions: Portrait and Landscape
Stand: Height Adjustable
Compatibility: PC, Mac and Linux
MSRP: $430, Street Price $320-350

The Dell 2007FP first appeared in 2006, making it now seven years old and is still available on Dell's website. It's actually certified for Vista, whew! The M.R.S.P for the 2007FP is $430, though the street price for a new one is usually in the $320-350 range. All new 2007FPs come with a three year warranty directly from Dell. The casing on the 2007FP is mostly matte black plastic with some sliver trim, giving the 2007FP a tasteful professional look, not that I'm all that professional. I prefer the matte plastic because it gives off no glare, which could be a problem at times with the glossy case on my Samsungs, when the lights were on. The monitor weighs about 15 pounds and feels solidly constructed. The stand on the 2007FP is silver. It has hole at the bottom of the stand that helps with cable management. The stand on the 2007FP is height adjustable. There's about four inches between the highest and lowest positions. The stand offers swivel and tilt adjustment as well in case you want to show a colleague something. Perhaps most importantly, the 2007FP can be rotated and viewed in either landscape or portrait mode. In portrait mode, the resolution is 1200x1600 and it makes the 2007FP an unequaled tool for Office and Internet applications, where vertical resolution is much more valuable than extra space on the sides. 1200 horizontal resolution is just the right size for a Firefox window with the sidebar open. Most column based websites like the New York Times or Cnet for example fill the screen with no extra space on the sides. The 1600 vertical resolution allows you to see more than twice as much as a HD screened notebook. That means you'll do less scrolling.

Being that the 2007FP is almost seven years old, it does not have the latest and greatest as far as connectors is concerned. You get the standard DVD-D, VGA, and surprisingly composite and S-Video connectors. When the 2007FP was released, Dell was offering a soundbar for the 2007FP, but I couldn't find it on Dell's website presently, which may mean it's no longer an option. There's no HDMI or displayport connectors either. That might be important for someone who wants to connect their Xbox or Playstation to the 2007FP. They'd need to find a way to get sound unless they want to play without audio. I think most will do fine with the connectors on the Dell and if you have HMDI or a Displayport, but no DVI or VGA ports, you can find a cable to convert it to one of those without too much trouble. In addition to the video connectors, the 2007FP has USB ports. You plug a cable from the USB port on your PC or Mac into the 2007FP, which then allows you to plug USB devices into the 2007FP. I didn't test this feature. My PC has front USB ports, which are not hard to access, but if your PC is under the desk or generally out of sight, having USB ports on the monitor might come in handy.

The 2007FP measures 20.1” diagonally. It's the perfect size to run the screen in portrait mode. If you went any larger, say a 24” 1920x1200, it would be too tall, at least for me anyway. The screen is matte, which means there should be no annoying reflections when using it. The resolution on the 2007FP is 1600x1200, which means it has an old school 4:3 resolution. Some of us were raised on 4:3 screens and still prefer them. The 2007FP use a S-IPS panel. I believe and I'm not 100% certain, that Dell has stopped using the S-PVA panels in the 2007FP and all 2007FPs should have S-IPS screens. When the 2007FP was released, S-IPS was the top of the line LCD panel type, but has now been surpassed by the H-IPS panel type. What does this mean for the average user? I don't think the average user would probably notice any difference between the two, but then again, I've never seen a H-IPS panel, so that's speculation on my part. From what I've gathered doing some Internet research, I don't have a way to measure it myself, the gamut and sRGB on the 2007FP, are not among the better LCDs being sold today. If you're a graphics professional or the best image quality, then you should probably at least consider other options. Having said that, the image quality on the 2007FP is terrific. Right now I'm watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the good old version, in 1080 as I'm typing this review. It looks fantastic. Contrast on the screen is very high at 800:1. Colors are rich and vivid. Colors look natural too, not overly amped up that can be seen on some newer LCDs that have the contrast set too high. I didn't have to make any color adjustments to it either. It looked great out of the box. The 2007FP also offers its buyers wide viewing angles. You can look at it from any angle and it always looks the same.

It's not all rainbows and gumdrops with the 2007FP. The 2007FP has the matte coating to diffuse reflections, but every once in a while, particularly on white backgrounds you can see a bit of sparkle from the matte coating. I mostly don't notice it and even when I do it's not that big of an issue for me, but I know some are more sensitive to it. If you're one of those people, it's worth considering. The response time on the on the 2007FP is a very 2007ish 16ms. Compared to today's monitors, that doesn't seem very good, but in my use of the 2007FP, I've seem no ghosting. I'm, however, not much of a gamer and don't do anything that would cause ghosting. If you want to buy the 2007FP for gaming purposes, the slow response should be taken under advisement. While 1200x1600 works great for most sites, anything with a sidebar, doesn't work well in 3:4 aspect ratio. Google maps would be an example of this. With the sidebar open, it takes up more than half the space. Unless you're planning a Seattle to San Francisco trip, the narrow field of the map does not work well. Usually, when I'm doing something with a map, I like to open Opera on the other screen running at 1600x1200, where the sidebar works much better. The 2007FP uses a bulb for the backlight. If my 2001FP is any indication, the 2007FPs will probably dim at least some over time. That won't be a problem for a newer LED LCD. My 2001FP still looked at good after seven years and in seven years I'll probably want something new anyway, but it's something to think about before buying one.

The 2007FP has four menu buttons on the front, in the lower right corner. The inner most button lets you toggle through the input settings. There's also a menu button, and a + and – to allow you to navigate through the menus. The menu on the 2007FP is fairly basic and does not give users much control. There's brightness settings, input selector, some very limited color adjustments and a few settings having to do with the display like the power settings or the aspect. While the menu does not give you much control over the 2007FP, the Dell looks great out of the box and I only cranked up the brightness in the menu. If you need to tweak it more, the Windows or GPU settings should allow for some fine tuning.

The 2007FPs has been a great purchase. The 2007FP gets you 1600 vertical pixels, just like a WQXGA LCD, but without the $1,200 price tag. Even if you pay full retail on a pair of 2007FPs, you're probably still coming in at half the cost of a 2560x1600 LCD. You also get 2800 pixels across both screens, which is than you get on a WQXGA LCD. Those two years I was stuck at 1920x1080 I call the dark times and is the reason I bought the 2007FPs. In addition to being very internet friendly, the 2007FPs offer top quality construction, a tasteful design and great image quality. Being that the 2007FPs use 4:3 aspect ratio, those who have more than one LCD will save a lot of desktop space by purchasing 2007FPs. The 2007FP gives users enough ports that most won't be left wanting. You also get a solid warranty from Dell. The 2007FP does have some areas of concern like the low gamut/sRGB for those needing the best image quality, the slow response times and the CFFL backlights possibly dimming over time. Professionals needing the optimum image quality will probably spend more than the 2007FPs cost. If just want a good image quality monitor and don't mind the more budget construction of lower cost monitors, there certainly are some good choices out, but I think 2007FP is a very good blend of cost, usability and quality that would make an excellent choice for most buyers.

 

You run Vista?

I'm not sure if that's good or bad.

So in portrait mode, that's 1600Hx1200W. THAT gets my vote!!

Count me as biased, but when I see any short post person, like you, doing a very long post on an old monitor... well that gets my interest!

FWIW Amazon shows list on the Dell 2007FP monitor as $489, with new units still being available starting at ~$350. Used starts (on current Amazon 3rd party) at ~$250 (plus shipping). But a google search might turn up still lower prices; the clear risk being whether or not the unit is one of the IPS units.

That seems to be the risk; i.e. whether the screen on these units is IPS or not.

Well "rainbows and gumdrops" notwithstanding, I ordered a used unit that I'll get later today.

Meaning I hope the screen is IPS quality. Impossible to figure out from the Amazon info.

"like new" but still cost me $190 total (shipping included).

The pix at Amazon are pretty impressive: Amazon.com: Dell UltraSharp 2007FP 20" Flat Panel LCD Monitor With Height Adjustable Stand - C9536: Computers & Accessories

 

I just got the unit from FedEx delivery guy!

Wow, heavier than I expected it to be!!

I'll give it till tomorrow to come up to room temperature and then use it and find out if it lives up to Zaz's high praise.

Here's hoping for it to be GREAT with regard to 1600(H)x1200(W) for portrait use!!

 

I don't know if I can take that kind of pressure.

I think there's a way to tell from the serial number whether it's the IPS or PVA, but I don't think Dell's been selling the PVA version for a couple years now. Yeah, it's on the heavier side, but feels solid. In portrait mode, it's 1200x1600, not 1600x1200. There's a few web sites that are a little too wide, but it's near perfect for office and internet usage. I do not run Vista, but only mentioned it was certified for Vista cause it was humorous.

 

>smiling<

Plugged it in and it looks great! Good colors without having to adjust anything.

FWIW I bought a "refurbished" unit with a manufacture date of March 2009. Given the low price I paid (and the 4 year old manufacture date) I can easily believe it might not be an IPS panel.

If I call Dell up on the telephone, will a Dell support person tell me if it is IPS or PVA?

I was curious about your Vista ref.

AFAIK MS made it work OK, after a rough start.

So far I've got the monitor in landscape. A quick check of my nVidia screen driver shows the screen can be rotated easily, and the physical setup also looks easy to rotate. Anything else I need to do to run in portrait mode?

 

If you've got serial number, if it ends in L, it's the IPS. If it ends in S, it's the PVA. I think you only need turn it and make the adjustment to portrait mode in the display settings.

 

Happy to report that my s/n ends in L (IPS screen). Also very happy to get a 4x3 screen. Thanks very much for your help!

 

Happy to be off assistance.