Dell U2713HM - Unbeatable performance out of the box
by Chris Heinonen on October 4, 2012 12:00 AM ESTDell U2713HM Conclusion
With the U2713HM monitor, Dell hasn’t broken any new ground. Instead, they have taken the same panel that many vendors are using and presented it in a well thought out and constructed package that is a pleasure to use. From the packaging to the stand to the OSD, everything is designed for ease of use, and after weeks of use nothing left me feeling annoyed or that it needed to be changed.
Performance for the Dell U2713HM is very good, with the performance out of the box being extraordinary. Calibrated color performance is very good, and the contrast numbers are as good as any 27” display we've tested, even with the more difficult method now being used. The only negative for the display is the slower response time for gaming, though as I mentioned before this might be improved by running at the native resolution (but we can't directly test this).
The U2713HM lists for $799 and though Dell often has sales on their displays I don’t know how much this will affect this model. Compared to the $650 HP ZR2740w you get better pre-calibration and post-calibration results, more inputs, an OSD system, USB 3.0 support, and the same contrast ratios. If prices were equal from a sale, I’d pick the Dell U2713HM over the HP unless I absolutely needed faster response times for gaming that the HP offers due to its lack of a scaler. Even then, the Dell might be the exact same at gaming when using the native 2560x1440 resolution.
Compared to the $430 Nixeus model that was just reviewed (though currently selling for $500), it becomes a more difficult a decision. The Dell is superior in performance in all areas out of the box, and remains superior in white and black uniformity and levels as well as contrast, even after calibration. It also offers USB 3.0, better build quality, and a far better OSD system. The color errors are equivalent after calibration, but the Dell offers such great performance out of the box that you likely don’t even need a calibration for it, which for many saves the cost of decent calibration hardware. For those that don’t care about calibration and are most focused on a display for general use, it’s still going to be hard to beat the value offered by the Nixeus.
In the end, I think the U2713HM is a very well designed display and one that I do recommend, especially if it is available on sale from Dell. It is one of the few displays that after spending time with it I don’t have any annoyances or problems that I feel need to be fixed. The user experience from opening the box to using the display is well considered and designed, with no major flaws to be found. A Dell display might not stand out on your desk, but with its test performance it stands out in my lab. Dell has a wonderful blend of features and performance in the U2713HM, and while not the value leader in 27” displays, this might be my favorite overall model in this category right now.
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Gothmoth - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
yeah that´s bad.. i currentyl have 3 samsung 24 inch displays.during the three year warranty i send one of them in 3 times the other 2 times for repair.
defective powerboard each time. if they die again im out of luck.
that´s why i am frightened to buy expensive gear.
it will only last for the warranty period.... :(
peterfares - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
Did you fix it according to the directions on that site? Seems like an easy fix, just need to change out one large through-hole component.layte - Friday, October 5, 2012 - link
I have the parts arriving shortly. Looks like getting into it will be just as difficult as the soldering job.seapeople - Monday, October 8, 2012 - link
Dell's customer service is great considering you have reasonable expectations.Did your Dell equipment break while in warranty? If so, then call Dell, *boom* they give you a new one, and if they don't have that model, they give you the newer version of that model.
Did your Dell equipment break while not in warranty? If so, then you're on your own. If that bothers you, then buy the extended warranty, or otherwise buy something you can afford to replace on the chance it breaks out of warranty.
ajp_anton - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
The reviewed monitor is gone in the processing lag chart, unless it's name was changed to the U2412 which has the correct value from the chart above.For power usage, "Even with the backlight at maximum and the screen pure white".
Normally in TN panels a black pixel uses slightly more power than a white one (how negligible is this btw?). Is it different for IPS, or have they changed it?
mczak - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
Yeah this is indeed reversed for both VA and IPS in theory (TN needs active transistor to block light, VA and IPS need active transistor to let light through - this is also the reason dead pixels are more likely to be always lit with TN but always black with IPS/VA).That said though the difference should be pretty minimal - if you'd have a dynamic backlight that would far outweigh such effects.
TheManWithThePlan - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
This monitor seems to have worse calibration out of the box. The U2711 review had an uncalibrated 2.24 DeltaE.http://www.anandtech.com/show/2922/3
Have the testing methodologies changed or are the monitors objectively worse measuring?
cheinonen - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
Almost all previous models were measured using a XR Pro or an i1Display2, which are colorimeters that are subject to drift over time, and inherently not as accurate as a spectrometer. They also have issues with non-traditional CCFL lighting, which can include wide gamut CCFL, LED, and OLED. Last year I moved all display reviews to use an i1Pro spectrometer, which does not have these issues at all and is NIST certified to have a maximum error of 1.0 dE across the spectrum.The i1Pro isn't as good at measuring minimum black levels so for those I use an i1DisplayPro or C6 colorimeter, as we are only measuring luminance and not dE values. The move to the i1Pro also means that we have numbers that are more accurate, but not subject to direct comparisons with older measurements. I did some testing of the i1Display2 to the i1Pro, and they could have a difference of over 10 dE with the same pattern, so some values could be off. Using an i1Display2 is better than using nothing, but I trust the i1Pro numbers from the past year more than anything else.
rickon66 - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
Folks keep comparing this to no name Korean monitors where you have to "roll the dice" to see if you have a god one. This has a 3 year warranty and in my experience with several premium Dell monitors-if anything goes wrong with it a new monitor will appear at your door within 24-48 hours. This is a deal if you can get it at $559.Despoiler - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
$559 in Australia.