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#295161 - 12/03/2007 15:58 dell monitor prices
pca
old hand

Registered: 20/07/1999
Posts: 1102
Loc: UK
hi.

I have been toying with the ide of getting one of the very nice Dell 2407WFP monitors as the new one for my 4-head system, and have found there seems to be an enormous discrepancy in pricing on the thing.

Here on the US site it is $699, or about £362. Here on the UK site it is £759.05, or $1461, a 109% increase in price!

Even worse, in Germany, it's 1558.90 euros, which is $2055 or £1064, representing a 193% or 40% rise over the US or UK prices respectively.

Now, you can't tell me that this huge difference is down to import duties, shipping, etc, especially as the things are going to be imported from china to all three countries anyway. Also, if you hunt around, you can find the same Dell monitor sold by non-dell suppliers for considerably less than dell sell it, even in the UK. Here, here, and here for example.

I phoned Dell, and after being transferred around several indian call centers, ended up talking to a fellow who first claimed that the reason Dell sold them for so much is that all the other suppliers were flogging reconditioned units. I pointed out that the biggest price difference was between the US and the UK, and he then said it was because the Dell supplied ones were fresh off the shelf, while other suppliers had old, stale stock. After some more talking he offered me one at £675, a mere £125 more than the next most expensive supplier, and said the difference was down to the fact that Dell would replace it in 24 hours if there was a fault.

When I pointed out that at least one of the other suppliers was someone I've used a lot, and they would do the same, the price came down to £660. Still too much, so I gave up.

It's a little thing, but it's annoying. Dell constantly run huge advertising campaigns on TV alleging they're the cheapest and best PC dealers around, but they seem to have a fairly odd attitude to what 'cheapest' and indeed 'best' seems to mean.

I have actually seen genuine reconditioned 2407WFP monitors going for as little as £240, but I'd prefer one with a real warranty. I just don't want to pay twice as much as the next guy to get it, bearing in mind the next guy is only on the other side of a really, really wide lake

pca

Edit: Fixed links (URL-encoded a doublequote) -wfaulk
Edit: didn't notice it had already been fixed, broke it completely, can't fix it, no idea why - pca
Edit: Fixed again, more properly this time -wfaulk


Edited by wfaulk (14/03/2007 14:46)

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#295162 - 12/03/2007 16:12 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: pca]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
This reply has nothing to do with monitor prices.

I tried to fix the formatting error, but was unable to without screwing up a link. If you click on the third total "here", add a doublequote after the "24" in the URL.

Nevermind. Fixed it properly this time with a tinyurl link.


Edited by wfaulk (14/03/2007 14:47)
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#295163 - 12/03/2007 18:32 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: pca]
russmeister
enthusiast

Registered: 14/07/2002
Posts: 344
Loc: South Carolina
Quote:
I have actually seen genuine reconditioned 2407WFP monitors going for as little as £240, but I'd prefer one with a real warranty. I just don't want to pay twice as much as the next guy to get it, bearing in mind the next guy is only on the other side of a really, really wide lake


You would have to buy 3 at that price to lose money compared to the one with a warranty from Dell. The chances of getting 2 dud monitors causing a third purchase are very slim. I'd take my chances if I were you.
_________________________
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---------------------------------------------------------
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." Vince Lombardi

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#295164 - 12/03/2007 19:03 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: russmeister]
Cris
pooh-bah

Registered: 06/02/2002
Posts: 1904
Loc: Leeds, UK
Quote:
You would have to buy 3 at that price to lose money compared to the one with a warranty from Dell. The chances of getting 2 dud monitors causing a third purchase are very slim. I'd take my chances if I were you.


I took my chances with my 2 2005FPW's and have never looked back, the Dell monitors are well worth the full price so if you can get them at £260 go for it !!!

I think I got one of them from eBay, really really cheap if I remember, I use them every day with out issue.

Have you checked www.aria.co.uk they often have Dell stuff really cheap with the 24 hour warranty still in place.

Cheers

Cris.

PS - The soundbars are pretty good for day to day desktop sounds and are worth the extra £££'s I think I paid £15 via eBay for mine.


Edited by Cris (12/03/2007 19:07)

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#295165 - 12/03/2007 19:20 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: Cris]
BartDG
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/05/2001
Posts: 2616
Loc: Bruges, Belgium
I have no real info to add to this thread, other than to agree the Dell 2407 is a magnificent screen. I'm typing this on one now.

I LOVE it!
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#295166 - 12/03/2007 19:33 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: pca]
matthew_k
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
Those prices are certainly outrageous. For that kind of money you could get a 30" one over here. The 24" is definitly the sweet spot these days, it's a great monitor. Mine has been pressed into service as the living room TV these days, which is does suprisingly well, but I'd certainly like it back.

Matthew

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#295167 - 13/03/2007 10:16 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: pca]
g_attrill
old hand

Registered: 14/04/2002
Posts: 1172
Loc: Hants, UK
These are only 20" (16:9), but HP have a £50 cash-back offer at the moment meaning the total cost is £140ish inc VAT.

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#295168 - 13/03/2007 11:01 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: g_attrill]
jarob10
enthusiast

Registered: 07/01/2002
Posts: 274
Loc: Stockport, UK
Quote:
These are only 20" (16:9), but HP have a £50 cash-back offer at the moment meaning the total cost is £140ish inc VAT.


Ordered! Thanks for the tip off
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A coward you are, an expert on bulls you are not.

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#295169 - 13/03/2007 13:44 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: jarob10]
furtive
old hand

Registered: 14/08/2001
Posts: 886
Loc: London, UK
I couldn't stretch to a Dell 24" so I've got one of these:

http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=326621

Which is pretty lovely too
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#295170 - 14/03/2007 13:57 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: wfaulk]
RobotCaleb
pooh-bah

Registered: 15/01/2002
Posts: 1866
Loc: Austin
Too lazy to do it, but tinyurl would get around the problem.

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#295171 - 14/03/2007 14:47 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: RobotCaleb]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Done.

Speaking of which, the TinyURL Firefox extension is pretty cool.


Edited by wfaulk (14/03/2007 14:54)
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#295172 - 16/03/2007 11:57 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: BartDG]
pca
old hand

Registered: 20/07/1999
Posts: 1102
Loc: UK
Well, I finally gave in and ordered one, and I agree, they're fantastic. The downside is that it was a right pain in the arse getting four monitors working off the same PC, and now that I have made it work, the PC is too slow anyway So I need yet another round of upgrades. This always happens - "I'll just replace this bit and reuse the other parts" you think to yourself, then find out you need to replace this part as well, and this one, and that one doesn't fit properly anymore, and I need some longer cables now...

It would have been easier to just set up a whole new machine from scratch! At least I managed to move my windows 2000 installation complete with all the installed software to another drive, so I don't have to add three weeks of software installation to the task list.

Now, of course, having seen the 24 inch one, I'm lusting after the 30 incher Perhaps when the lottery picks the right numbers...

pca

Oh yes, for anyone running multiple head monitor systems under windows, this is really useful. It allows a separate task bar for each monitor, so tasks on that monitor minimise to the correct taskbar. It also allows you to save and restore the desktop icons, which is something I've been looking for for about 10 years.

Edit: fixed your link -wfaulk


Attachments
295975-multiplemonitorgoodness.jpg (204 downloads)



Edited by wfaulk (16/03/2007 12:18)
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Experience is what you get just after it would have helped...

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#295173 - 16/03/2007 13:18 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: pca]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
Quote:
Now, of course, having seen the 24 inch one, I'm lusting after the 30 incher


Naw.. that's just too much to fuss with, being restricted to dual-link cards/cables means the bloody thing would be useless for connecting to lower-end machines in the test lab!

Cheers

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#295174 - 16/03/2007 13:23 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: pca]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
Quote:
Well, I finally gave in and ordered one, and I agree, they're fantastic.


Patrick, dig out your tape measure and let us know the exact minimum vertical clearance required for this beast, from table surface to the highest point on the top of the monitor (lowered as far as the adjustments will go).

My work surface here has 48cm between it and the bookcases above it.

Cheers!

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#295175 - 16/03/2007 14:01 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: mlord]
peter
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4180
Loc: Cambridge, England
Quote:
Patrick, dig out your tape measure and let us know the exact minimum vertical clearance required for this beast, from table surface to the highest point on the top of the monitor (lowered as far as the adjustments will go).

My work surface here has 48cm between it and the bookcases above it.

Dell list the minimised height of the 2407WFP at 38.8cm, that of the 2707WFP as 44.2cm, and that of the 3007WFP as 47cm...

Peter

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#295176 - 16/03/2007 14:08 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: pca]
Roger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
Quote:
need to replace this part as well, and this one


I've had this broom for 20 years...

Quote:
Oh yes, for anyone running multiple head monitor systems under windows


Yeah, Ultramon really is the wasp's nipples. I even paid for another copy so I could use it at work and at home.
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-- roger

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#295177 - 16/03/2007 14:13 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: Roger]
JBjorgen
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
After using the demo, I gladly paid for UItramon too. Allows you to stretch a single piece of wallpaper across all monitors, maximize an app accross all monitors, easily flip apps from one monitor to the next, etc. It's hard to imagine using mulitple monitors without it.
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#295178 - 16/03/2007 14:13 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: Roger]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
HP 20" for £136 exc P&P after rebate. RRP for the newer version of the monitor is £170. *shrug*

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#295179 - 16/03/2007 14:24 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: mlord]
pca
old hand

Registered: 20/07/1999
Posts: 1102
Loc: UK
The top of the monitor with it not quite at it's full vertical extension, as in the picture, is exactly 44cm from the surface of the desk.


pca
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Experience is what you get just after it would have helped...

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#295180 - 16/03/2007 15:44 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: mlord]
pca
old hand

Registered: 20/07/1999
Posts: 1102
Loc: UK
Quote:
Naw.. that's just too much to fuss with, being restricted to dual-link cards/cables means the bloody thing would be useless for connecting to lower-end machines in the test lab!


Yes, I had come to that conclusion myself, although they're still absolutely amazing to work on. I had a play with the apple version a while ago and it's just incredible.

pca
_________________________
Experience is what you get just after it would have helped...

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#295181 - 16/03/2007 16:12 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: JBjorgen]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
Quote:
After using the demo, I gladly paid for UItramon too. Allows you to stretch a single piece of wallpaper across all monitors, maximize an app accross all monitors, easily flip apps from one monitor to the next, etc. It's hard to imagine using mulitple monitors without it.


Wow. Just like KDE.

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#295182 - 16/03/2007 16:24 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: peter]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
Mmm.. oddly enough, the Dell Canada website doesn't show the 2407 in the monitor lineup. They go from the cheapy 22" straight to the 27" with nothing in between.

But it does pop-up when searching for "2407". Just odd.

-ml

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#295183 - 16/03/2007 16:43 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: mlord]
BartDG
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/05/2001
Posts: 2616
Loc: Bruges, Belgium
Quote:
Quote:
Now, of course, having seen the 24 inch one, I'm lusting after the 30 incher


Naw.. that's just too much to fuss with, being restricted to dual-link cards/cables means the bloody thing would be useless for connecting to lower-end machines in the test lab!

Cheers


Mark is right. Using four of these 30" screens, would mean you would need four dual-link VGA cards as well. And there are not that many motherboards around which have four x16 PCI-express slots.

Four 24" screens would be considerably easier to set up.
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#295184 - 16/03/2007 16:47 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: pca]
BartDG
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/05/2001
Posts: 2616
Loc: Bruges, Belgium
Quote:
The top of the monitor with it not quite at it's full vertical extension, as in the picture, is exactly 44cm from the surface of the desk.
pca


I've just measured the height of my screen, and mine measures 46 cm from the surface of the desk to the top of the screen. And yes, that's on it's lowest setting. Maybe there are two different types of mount?
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#295185 - 16/03/2007 18:33 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: BartDG]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
It depends when you bought yours. Dell somewhat changed the construction of their monitor line starting with the 30". They changed from that oval base to the triangular one (among other things, but that's the easiest way to tell). I don't know if this changed the height, though. It may have.

Congrats on the monitor! I love my Dell, and I recommend their monitors exclusively. I fear the day when they have to start figuring out how to make increasingly higher profits on them, causing that Dell line to also go down the toilet.
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Matt

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#295186 - 16/03/2007 18:57 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: Dignan]
peter
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4180
Loc: Cambridge, England
Quote:
Congrats on the monitor! I love my Dell, and I recommend their monitors exclusively. I fear the day when they have to start figuring out how to make increasingly higher profits on them, causing that Dell line to also go down the toilet.

We have a load of Dell monitors at Sigmatel Towers, and we reckon they're already very busily optimising their profits on them. We've had ones where, despite being the same model number in the same style case, the colour temperature is completely different and it's obviously an entirely different panel of the same size and resolution. We even had a couple where a strange discoloured triangle in the top left of the screen, turned out to be a bit of that pale orange electrical tape that components sometimes come stuck together with -- stuck between the LCD itself and the front panel.

Peter

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#295187 - 16/03/2007 20:19 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: Dignan]
BartDG
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/05/2001
Posts: 2616
Loc: Bruges, Belgium
Quote:
They changed from that oval base to the triangular one

Mine's got the oval base, and as far as I can see (a bit hard to tell from the photo), Patrick's got the triangular one. That's probably indeed the reason.
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#295188 - 17/03/2007 12:41 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: BartDG]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
Quote:
Quote:
They changed from that oval base to the triangular one

Mine's got the oval base, and as far as I can see (a bit hard to tell from the photo), Patrick's got the triangular one. That's probably indeed the reason.

Your's is the slightly older model. The newer one doesn't exactly have a triangular base, more like this shape: ^

Patrick, what inputs does your monitor have? Does it have the full assortment that the old 24" model had?
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#295189 - 17/03/2007 23:31 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: Dignan]
pca
old hand

Registered: 20/07/1999
Posts: 1102
Loc: UK
Yes, it's a sort of chevron-shaped base. The monitor has DVI-D, VGA, Svideo, composite video, and component video inputs. As well as the built in card reader and usb hub. Pretty nice.

pca
_________________________
Experience is what you get just after it would have helped...

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#295190 - 19/03/2007 01:05 Re: dell monitor prices [Re: peter]
altman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/05/1999
Posts: 3457
Loc: Palo Alto, CA
Quote:
We even had a couple where a strange discoloured triangle in the top left of the screen, turned out to be a bit of that pale orange electrical tape that components sometimes come stuck together with -- stuck between the LCD itself and the front panel.


Ah, Kapton tape. Binds the known universe together where excellent insulation is required

Hugo

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