Dell UltraSharp 1704FPT 17" Flat Panel LCD Monitor with Height Adjustable Stand

List Price: $329.00 Discount Price: $299.00

Features:

• Offers brightness of 300 cd/m² and 500:1 contrast ratio for vivid, true-to-life images and text
• Features wide viewing angles of 70° in horizontal and 65° in vertical direction
• Max Resolution: 1280x1024 at 60 Hz, Includes a built-in USB hub, with 2 USB ports on the side of the monitor
• Delivers distortion-free, sharp images with 500:1 contrast ratio and 12 ms response time
• Port(s) Total ( Free ) / Connector Type: 15-pin D-sub miniature / DVI-D

Customer Reviews:

A good monitor overall [Posted on 2005-06-30]
The most important part of a monitor is its screen, and this monitor does not disappoint. Colors are rich and text is sharp even through the analog input. Great response time and acceptable viewing angle. It's very bright - it lets you adjust the brightness from 0 to 100 and I have mine on 60 and it's still as many photons as my poor eyes can take (70 would be brighter than any laptop). I like the modern look of the monitor, and the USB hub is nice and unobtrusive. The base is sturdy and weighty, and has a nice little rubber sleeve to keep your cables together. The 3-prong power cord plugs directly into the monitor, no brick necessary. The menu is easy to use and offers enough configuration options.

The main problem with this monitor is that the mechanisms by which it raises/lowers, swivels, and pivots are a bit "sticky." You'll try to raise it an inch, and it won't budge, so you'll apply more and more pressure until it finally lurches a half foot upward. And the same problem going down. Also, the screen rotation pivot doesn't "lock in" at 90 degree angles - sure it stops rotating, but it's off by a little bit. To keep the screen perfectly level, you'll have to use a ruler and measure the distance of both bottom corners to your desk each time you adjust it in any way - otherwise it might be off by 1-2 degrees, which is extremely annoying. (My personal opinion is that it doesn't make much sense to pivot a 1280x1024 monitor anyway since it's only a 256 pixel difference.)

It's a good monitor, especially for the price, but I have to subtract a star for the positioning problems.

Brilliant Display, Terrific Value. [Posted on 2005-07-25]
I have have owned this monitor for 3 months now and I really am impressed by the quality of the image and the general design quality of the monitor. Before moving to this monitor, I was using an IBM ThinkVision, an excellent monitor but a poor value given it's high cost. Having high expectations and requirements for my next monitor, I considered many monitors, including the Samsung line of Syncmasters before settling on the Dell Monitors. In terms of value and performance, I sincerely feel that this monitor tops out all other monitors.

In terms of display quality, this monitor is superior. I am a graphic artist and have noticed no difference between this monitor and others including the IBM Thinkvision and Samsung Syncmaster. There is no ghosting, the response time is superior, and generally, to even a fairly trained eye, there is nothing better out there in the market.

The build quality of the monitor impressed me as well. The monitor is slim, very sturdy, and just gives off an aura of quality. The buttons are tight and the swivel is firm. Dell definitely had the user in mind with a convenient USB hub.

Overall, this monitor is a superb buy and I strongly recommend it.

Good Value [Posted on 2006-01-09]
I bought 1704fpt to extend my iBook 12" screen, it is my first LCD monitor. It is quite heavy. The monitor height lock only works on lowest and highest position. But it does not slip down in the middle position. The 4 USB ports hub is useful. The screen is VERY bright and factory default color is not right. I had hard time to calibrate it. Beside that, it is perfect!

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