Monitor Review Dell S2417DG G-Sync Gaming Monitor
Dell is not the name you think of for good gaming monitors. Dell owns Alienware which makes great gaming monitors that are up there with Acer, Asus and ViewSonic, but the Dell brand name for the most part is treated as a top tier name brand in business displays. Therefore, it shouldn’t be odd for Dell to make a good gaming monitor. Enter the Dell S2417DG.
The Dell S2417DG (the “S” stands for specialty, the 24 stands for 24 inches, the 17 stands for its 17th generation design with its angled bottom bezel, the “D” stands for display, and finally the “G” stands for G-Sync) is a 23.8 inch 8-bit color Twisted Nematic Film panel display with G-Sync that drives the display at 144 frames per second. If paired with a good video card the display can be overclocked to 165 frames per second at the hardware level (no display overclocking hack required). The display’s resolution is 2560 X 1440 making it the highest resolution 24” G-Sync gaming display at its price point of around $435 at BH Photo Video.
The S2417DG has an incredibly clear and fast 24” display that is perfect for gaming, and the Quad HD resolution makes games look crisp and clear. The 1 millisecond refresh keeps the game animation both blur and ghosting free, and the 144 frames per second keeps the gaming action fast. The stand, although Dell’s standard 24” business display stand, can vertically raise, lower, tilt, rotate and pivot. It looks like the same as the stand on almost every other business display that Dell makes which is not a bad thing because Dell has been making this stand for several years and for good reason … they just work. The addition of the USB 3 hub, although not functionally necessary for gaming, does provide an easy way to connect flash drives and portable hard drives, and other accessories.
The fact that it is an 8-bit TN panel means that it has a limited viewing angle as it is using technology from a couple years ago (that said if you are in the middle of working or gaming you are not going to try to do either from more than a 45 or -45 degrees from center). There is also noticeable banding in any gradiation of artwork or slower moving scenes in video. The panel also has some bright light bleed around the edges. It’s not so apparent when you are watching bright scenes in movies and video games, or when you are working, but when you watch darker nighttime scenes in movies and games the light bleed becomes slightly apparent (for me when I am playing video games, I barely notice it).
This gaming monitor is for anyone who wants the killer features of a G-Sync gaming monitor with a 24” fast TN based Quad HD (2560 X 1440) 24” panel (for the record this is the only Quad HD G-Sync 24” monitor on the market) for the price of a 25” Full HD (1920 X 1080) G-Sync display. It is also a great gaming monitor for those who do not care about “gamer style,” and led lighting because this monitor deceptively looks like a business monitor which will fit in a work environment especially with its ergonomic stand.
Final Thoughts and Conclusions
The S2417DG is a great feature packed gaming monitor that boasts all the right features to make gamers happy. Although there are a couple shortcomings like gradient banding and a little light bleed around the edge of the panel. The monitor has way more advantages like 144 – 165 (overclocked) frame per second gaming, G-Sync, Quad HD resolution, and a fast 1ms refresh TN panel with a great price tag making it a great buy. This display is a great bargain at around $435. It is parked dead center with the other 24” G-Sync gaming monitors, but with it’s higher resolution display and built in hardware based overclocking make it a better option then the Acer Predator XB1 at around $350 or the Asus ROG Swift PG248Q at around $430, or the Acer Predator XB271H (27” Full HD 1920 X 1080, 144Hz G-Sync) at around $500. If you are looking for a great G-Sync high resolution gaming monitor for a reasonable price which is why I highly recommend this monitor (for the record PC Magazine gave it an Editors Choice award, and a Best of 2017 award which helped me in my decision to purchase this display).