Dell 2707WFP

Is 27", 1920 x 1200 the perfect size/res/ performance/spooge compromise?

For most, the 30”, 2560 x 1600 monoliths that have been entering the market lately are a bit much, especially for gaming. Ignoring the startup cost, at that resolution you really need a pair of 8800GTXs and a superclocked Core 2 Duo to do games justice.

The 2707 is set to fix this, inserting itself neatly in a niche at a mostly monstrous 27”. Despite the size, it manages to keep the 1920 x 1200 resolution of the 24” models, resulting in everything, well, appearing a bit bigger. We can hear the myopes cheering already.

The bigger advantage though is for the home theatre/convergence groups – and bigger high resolution movies are usually always a bonus.

It’s also inherited the mass of inputs from the 24”, with VGA, DVI, component, composite and S-Video – the 30” only supports DVI. This makes it the ideal platform for high-def gaming as well.

We know, the 2407 in its infinite revisions had its fair share of problems with component and the Xbox 360 – so we hooked said white console up through said input in 1080i and 1080p to see what was cracking.

1080p said no right from the beginning, the monitor claiming it was out of range. 1080i looks fantastic though, with the usual flickering filtered nicely out. The image does look a little stretched, but setting the screen ratio to 1:1 fixes this and the black border created by this is still acceptable.

On the PC side, the 2707 is simply delectable – dominating the DisplayMate tests both in the visible greyscale spectrum (all shades from 1 through 255 were definable) and colour ramps. Video looks great, and gaming is just as grand at 6ms G2G, Quake 4 being nicely sharp and fast. About the only complaint we have is that the default PC colour profile is complete arse, and we had to switch to ‘Mac’ to get a decent temperature. A little bit confusing considering we’re running a PC.

The stand and particularly the base look a little cheap, but fortunately are sturdy enough and provide height, tilt and swivel adjustments. We’re not sure whether we like the brushed aluminium frame around the outside, but no doubt it will appeal to some. In fact, the more we see it the more we get used to it.

About the only thing left on the wishlist is the same thing that’s been there since the 2405 – a VGA/DVI PIP (or even two DVI inputs) so we can administer two systems at once on the one screen. Then again we’d also like a built in KVM, a drink holder, three death lasers and for it to turn into a miniature version of Soundwave when the screen goes to sleep, so we figure most will be happy with what’s there.

The 2707WFP is, in a word, awesome. If you know you can’t afford the graphical power to feed a 30” but still want sheer size, then this big bugger is for you.