Review: Dell P2415Q 4k/UHD 60Hz IPS 24" Monitor

[srolle]

 

Here is my short take on the Dell P2415Q 4k/UHD 24” 16:9 monitor. For a more detailed/technical piece, the folks at PC Monitors have a good review posted on their site.

 

My Use Cases:

• Digital Photography and Editing – Full-frame DSLR RAW Files @5k Resolution Un-cropped
• Casual Gaming – FPS, Racing, Sim, etc.

Install & Setup:

• Packaging for transport is all cardboard, with no foam or padding. It is still well secured, though, and I wouldn’t be worried about it during shipping. The screen does have the standardized foamy cover over it. I didn’t notice any blemishes on my model.
• Unpack was very easy (contents are basically the screen, the stand, and the cables/docs/disc), and physical installation even easier. Just lay the screen flat facing down, and then click-in the stand to the receptacle on the back of the screen panel without the need for tools/screws. Done.
• The included DP to miniDP cable is reversible. I used the DP side on my GPU and the miniDP side as input to the monitor. If I want to connect my 13” MBP Retina to the display, I can just use the miniDP side for the Thunderbolt port and the DP side into the associated monitor input space. There is another DP output on the display for daisychaining.
• I am not currently using the USB 3.0 ports provided. Dell includes a USB cable, if you do want to make use of them.
• Once powered on, the miniDP input was not auto-detected. I needed to select the correct input from the OSD. Fortunately that menu and the raised buttons to control it are very intuitive to use without too many options and sub-menus to get lost in.
• I set the color to the factory sRGB calibrated “Standard” and Dell includes a document with those calibration results for those who like to look over that kind of stuff.

Physical Appearance:

• I would venture a guess that the 24” size of this 4k monitor might be considered too small for some people. I personally find this screen to be a perfect size for my needs. It fits nicely onto my writing desk and into the room in general, without being overwhelmingly large as if it were a second TV. Plus, sitting so close to larger screens while gaming in FPS style gives me a bit of a headache. Down the road, both the compact size and reasonable pricing of this model make it very attractive to simply add a second unit to my setup. I paid an all-inclusive total of $490 to my front door for this display.
• Dell does not really make pretty hardware. I find the basic design of their displays to be good looking enough, but the Dell logo on the front of the bezel in silver is not great. I would like to see them remove the logo from the front altogether for a simple and clean look, in all-black atop the silver base.
• The hole in the base for cable pass-through is another minor eye-sore but it basically disappears from sight and mind once you’re up and running.
• The full tilt and swivel features feel like a bonus. I don’t really move my display around that much after initial placement, but knowing that I can make these adjustments without feeling like I paid extra for them is much appreciated.

Operating System and Digital Appearance:

• UPDATE: Windows 10 Pro High DPI scaling works just fine.
• I currently use Windows 7 Pro with scaling set to 150%. It’s just livable, and I find myself leaning into the screen a bit to focus on the smaller text items. I am hopeful that Windows 10 will fix this issue. OS X has implemented a very solid scaling solution with HiDPI and I’m not sure why other OS’s cannot simply do the same kind of thing.
• Steam in big-picture mode looks just fine, so no issue there.
• Lightroom for photo editing is also OK, but I have to lean in to use all those sliders while making adjustments.
• To address the scaling/appearance issue, I believe Dell has been clever with their implementation of lower resolutions such as 1080p and 1440p. From the PC Monitors review:

“It is a common misconception that running 1920 x 1080 on a ‘4K’ UHD monitor will automatically provide equivalent sharpness to a native 1920 x 1080 display. That belief is held because the UHD resolution has exactly twice as many pixels vertically and twice as many pixels horizontally as the Full HD resolution. In practice monitor interpolation processes aren’t perfect.

 

In the case of the Dell P2415Q, though, the interpolation process is surprisingly good. In fact we’d go as far as to say it’s excellent. If you run the monitor at 2560 x 1440 (WQHD) or 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) then you do lose a degree of sharpness compared to running that resolution on a 23.8” model that has a similar screen surface. This loss of sharpness is fairly minor, though, and is in fact one of the lowest losses of sharpness we’ve seen from an interpolation process on any monitor. On the desktop text looks a little soft but not really blurry as you’d usually observe from a normal viewing distance. When looking at images or playing games the monitor seems to capture a lot of the detail you’d expect when running the resolution natively. This interpolation performance is much better than we’ve seen on other ‘4K’ UHD models and we feel makes the monitor rather flexible.”

 

Color Performance:

• Absolutely perfect for me, and should be for others who also live in the sRGB web/connected digital media space. I can easily find the sweet spots of saturation/contrast without hunting or guessing while editing photos and that just saves me time. Well done, Dell.

Gaming Performance:

• I am quite stunned by how well my GTX 980 SC is able to handle 4k gaming. I really thought it was going to be crap, and I was wrong. I used GeForce Experience to scale down the quality, which basically turns off AA and leaves the other settings on “High.” In-game performance was totally acceptable to me, but I fully realize that serious gamers will most likely be put out by the frame rates achievable.  I pulled a Valley benchmark of 35fps using 4k “Ultra” with AA turned off. Going down to “High” probably would put me closer to 60fps – but I should confirm.
• There is an overlap of gaming performance when using 1440p full-quality settings and 2160p medium-quality settings. I found them to be pretty much equivalent. Per the interpolation snip above, the monitor runs lower resolutions very well. This gives different users some flexibility, and that’s a serious benefit.

Other Notes:

• I’ll use this section for future input.

Conclusion:

• The Dell P2415Q is a very flexible display with a compact footprint (and a sensible price) that allows me to span 1080p, 1440p, and 4k depending on my needs and the application in use. It’s an easy recommendation for a user looking for a great all-rounder.

[Maslofski]

so is it 4K or UHD?

[Vavetti]

Is that picture made by you? Looks really good

[srolle]

Is that picture made by you? Looks really good

 

the desktop background is a picture i took of a painting in an art museum. a good example of how the display would handle color when editing photos.

 

yes, i took the picture above of the display on the desk if that's what you're referring to  

[Vavetti]

the desktop background is a picture i took of a painting in an art museum. a good example of how the display would handle color when editing photos.

 

yes, i took the picture above of the display on the desk if that's what you're referring to

Yeah I was referring to the picture of the display and the desk, looks really nice B)

[Joe_Easy]

nice review, thanks for taking the time to write it up with so much detail.

 

I think that we're in a "golden" age of displays and display innovation to be honest and I can't wait to see where it goes.

 

I considered this Dell but didn't tick enough boxes for me quite yet so will wait another year or so to see what happens with IPS 4k and graphics cards to be able to drive it well.

[srolle]

nice review, thanks for taking the time to write it up with so much detail.

 

I think that we're in a "golden" age of displays and display innovation to be honest and I can't wait to see where it goes.

 

I considered this Dell but didn't tick enough boxes for me quite yet so will wait another year or so to see what happens with IPS 4k and graphics cards to be able to drive it well.

 

yeah, no worries. hopefully this will be useful to somebody in the market.

 

one thing to be aware of when looking to get a lot out of 4k, is the bandwidth restriction of the current DisplayPort revision (limited to 60Hz at 4k). i don't think the displays themselves are really a bottleneck at this point - it's more on the GPU and interconnect side. it will take some time, especially to get everything in the right price range.

[Techteen14]

so is it 4K or UHD?

 

4K is both UHD and DCI.

 

I was looking into getting this or the 27" model, but several things stood in my way (and still do):

1. Scaling isn't where I want it to be, and won't be until Windows uses the same type of scaling that OS X does.
2. Not the most attractive thing ever, though Acer's 4K displays though...
3. I'd probably need to buy a GPU (running Intel HD 4600 right now, I don't game so 4K would be the only reason I would need a GPU).
4. The price is a bit hard to swallow for a student with no income, though that might change when monitors get cheaper and if I get a job this summer.

[The Crazed Child]

damn that's quite nice

[othertomperson]

 

4K is both UHD and DCI.

 

I was looking into getting this or the 27" model, but several things stood in my way (and still do):

1. Scaling isn't where I want it to be, and won't be until Windows uses the same type of scaling that OS X does.
2.  

 

Scaling is fine at 27". Think, at 150% increase text becomes the same size it would be on a 1440p panel. At 23", though, I can see this being a problem.

[Techteen14]

Scaling is fine at 27". Think, at 150% increase text becomes the same size it would be on a 1440p panel. At 23", though, I can see this being a problem.

 

I want Windows to scale the same way that OS X does (the only thing I like about OS X), and until it does I won't buy a new monitor.

 

If I'm shelling out hundreds of my own dollars, I want the monitor to work exactly how I want it to.

[othertomperson]

I want Windows to scale the same way that OS X does (the only thing I like about OS X), and until it does I won't buy a new monitor.

 

If I'm shelling out hundreds of my own dollars, I want the monitor to work exactly how I want it to.

 

That'd be nice, but most useful with the 3K laptops being sold more than with a 27" display.

[srolle]

Update: 4k scaling with "High DPI" under Windows 10 Pro (200% recommended) looks good. My system now "matches" and looks and feels much better with a modern OS.

 

I still stand by this review, and am quite happy with the monitor.

 

 

 

[ConnorDahne]

I have the 28" version of this monitor.
Colors are great, but I have a hard time gaming on it..
It's only 30hz and has a little lag, but for UDH videos it gets the job done.
I got mine for about ~$250USD so i can't complain

[srolle]

I have the 28" version of this monitor.

 

 

the two are actually unrelated - this 24" model is 60Hz IPS and it corresponds to a 27" bigger brother which is also 60Hz IPS.

[ConnorDahne]

 OOOOOOOOH, yeah that sounds much better than what i have.
Guys disregard what I said lol

[Dredgy]

Good to read a positive review of this as I intend on using this for monitoring 4K video and light color grading work without taking up much desk space.

[DevTechStudios]

This seems like the perfect monitor for me. I like the post!

[Agosto]

What about responsiveness, motion blur and ghosting in games?

[srolle]

What about responsiveness, motion blur and ghosting in games?

 

i don't know how to objectively capture that. i don't have any noticeable issues with gaming - i set the AA off and reduce quality to "high" for 60fps and i really enjoy the experience. fast motion is observable and i can aim properly when shooting. instead of a blur, i can definitely see the target strafing and ducking. 

[MrSuperb]

I have the bigger brother (P2715Q) and the supplied displayport cable has given me some headache ...

[Agosto]

I have the bigger brother (P2715Q) and the supplied displayport cable has given me some headache ...

 

What kind of issues?

[TheConverter]

MRW when using this monitor:

 

[MrSuperb]

What kind of issues?

 

no output, just a black screen.

(the monitor is recognizing, that there is a signal, i.e. it is not going to sleep mode, but it isn't displaying anything)

 

I guess it is a problem with single stream 4K@ 60Hz being on the edge of the capability of Displayport 1.2 and if the connection isn't perfect (e.g. due to a bad cable) it won't work.

 

This issue can be resolved by reconnecting the cable and/or power cycling the monitor

[srolle]

no output, just a black screen.

(the monitor is recognizing, that there is a signal, i.e. it is not going to sleep mode, but it isn't displaying anything)

 

I guess it is a problem with single stream 4K@ 60Hz being on the edge of the capability of Displayport 1.2 and if the connection isn't perfect (e.g. due to a bad cable) it won't work.

 

This issue can be resolved by reconnecting the cable and/or power cycling the monitor

 

hmmm. i don't sleep the computer, just have the display turn off after so many minutes... but i did try this a few times and it did happen. i just power cycled the display though to fix.

 

i'm going to try hooking up my MBP and see if it is the display's issue or the OS/driver.