Hi, this is my first post on MacRumors! First off, there is some really great information in this thread. I'll do my best and try not to say the same thing as others that have previously posted here...
From my experience with two Dell U2410's over the past number of years, I recommend you get yourself a newer generation U2413. Don't bother worrying about anything other than the sRGB color profile when starting out either.
Since cameras tend to use this color space as well as many of the print shops, displaying any other color space on your monitor may cause inaccuracy with what you're seeing in your workflow.
There are other profiles to work in that can display a greater color gamut, however using those is only recommended if you know what you are doing.
If you do work in another profile, you will need to look out for color shift and also need to know what the ink and paper combination will do if there is clipping of a color that cannot be reproduced. It may look acceptable and pleasing on paper, or absolutely incorrect and look horrible.
I've been extremely satisfied with my dual U2410 setup and calibration using Lacie Blue Eye Pro every few months. dE average is 0.5 and dE94 average is 0.3 (anything under 1.0 means great accuracy) with 0% deviation in gamma and color temperature. I'd upload a pdf of one of my calibration reports to show you, but I'm not sure how to do that.
Soft proofing is dead-on accurate when applying the photo labs profile to check for their differences in setup.
Bottom line, pick the best monitor you can afford so that you won't have to upgrade once you see the lower end model shortcomings. I know that's been said before, but it's worth mentioning again because it is so true.
Get the calibration device after the fact once you're comfortable with the purchase. Color accuracy out of the box is okay at best, but the Dell really shines once it has been calibrated.
The other thing... since you are writing 85% of the time, I would also think you want accurate white backgrounds with your text so that your eyes don't fatigue. A calibrated higher end Dell will give you that for sure.
Good luck and hope this helps.
From my experience with two Dell U2410's over the past number of years, I recommend you get yourself a newer generation U2413. Don't bother worrying about anything other than the sRGB color profile when starting out either.
Since cameras tend to use this color space as well as many of the print shops, displaying any other color space on your monitor may cause inaccuracy with what you're seeing in your workflow.
There are other profiles to work in that can display a greater color gamut, however using those is only recommended if you know what you are doing.
If you do work in another profile, you will need to look out for color shift and also need to know what the ink and paper combination will do if there is clipping of a color that cannot be reproduced. It may look acceptable and pleasing on paper, or absolutely incorrect and look horrible.
I've been extremely satisfied with my dual U2410 setup and calibration using Lacie Blue Eye Pro every few months. dE average is 0.5 and dE94 average is 0.3 (anything under 1.0 means great accuracy) with 0% deviation in gamma and color temperature. I'd upload a pdf of one of my calibration reports to show you, but I'm not sure how to do that.
Soft proofing is dead-on accurate when applying the photo labs profile to check for their differences in setup.
Bottom line, pick the best monitor you can afford so that you won't have to upgrade once you see the lower end model shortcomings. I know that's been said before, but it's worth mentioning again because it is so true.
Get the calibration device after the fact once you're comfortable with the purchase. Color accuracy out of the box is okay at best, but the Dell really shines once it has been calibrated.
The other thing... since you are writing 85% of the time, I would also think you want accurate white backgrounds with your text so that your eyes don't fatigue. A calibrated higher end Dell will give you that for sure.
Good luck and hope this helps.
. I've been pondering my needs and in reality the u2412m would probably be more than adequate for me and then I could move to a 2 monitor set up later... BUT the main thing that concerns me is the PWM issue with IPS Screens. The u2413 only uses PWM below 20% brightness so it would be better in that regard than the u2412m... Should that be a major factor in my decision making? The main thing that annoys me about the 2413 (other than it's dearer) is that you can't hardware calibrate if you are using a Mac as Dell's software is currently not compatible with OSX.