Dell loves to throw the kitchen sink at its monitors, but at least it doesn't usually overprice them in compensation. Unfortunately, the SP2008WFP bucks the trend slightly. It has a built-in four-port USB 2 hub that sports two ports at the side and two at the back. A 2Mpixel webcam and USB microphone are subtly integrated into the top of the fascia. The webcam may be of a higher resolution than the one in the Asus PG221, but as it's fixed, you'll have to position yourself correctly to use it.
All of this has pushed the SP2008WFP's price up to that of a 22in screen, although it isn't as astronomically expensive as the aforementioned PG221. Dell stopped short of integrating speakers, although a Soundbar is an optional extra for £35.25 inc VAT from www.dell.co.uk. This would all be fine if the Dell was a top-notch TFT, but in reality, it's merely mid-range.
During our DisplayMate setup stage, it exhibited better viewing angles than the other 20-22in TFTs, with black grades readily viewable. Contrast was also decent in both the dark and light ends of the brightness range, with uniform saturation across the screen. However, this didn't translate quite so well into good video reproduction. The colours weren't as rich as those of the Hanns.G, Iiyama 22in and Samsung TFTs when playing our busy 'The Return of the King' scene. In fact, the image was a little washed out. The Blu-ray movie was more saturated, but not as subtly shaded as the best of the TFTs in this test.
However, the Dell showed its true colours, literally, when gaming. Prey's moody corridors were well displayed, and Need for Speed: Carbon's neon lighting remained vibrant. This is often our experience with the anti-reflective screen coating system - it's more effective for games than movies. Unfortunately, we also thought the SP2008WFP's glossy coating was a little too shiny, making Samsung's SyncMaster 206BW the most comfortable screen for gaming.
As the SP2008WFP is so new the price quoted above is Dell's estimate, so you may be able to pick up this monitor for less from other retailers once the stock arrives. However, its core capabilities as a TFT are merely middling, and not a patch on this month's 20in winner from Samsung, so it would have to come down a lot in price for it to be worth considering.
Author: James Morris
Dell SP2008WFP