Dell Professional P2717H 27-inch Monitor

  • Affordable

  • Great ergonomic adjustments

  • Lots of port options

  • Low resolution

  • Poor color accuracy

  • Brightness

The Dell P2717H is a capable business-oriented monitor that performs well in the office, but won’t be a great pick for gamers or multimedia consumers looking to get a vibrant display.

  • Design and Features
  • Setup Process
  • Image Quality
  • Performance
  • Software
  • Price
  • Competition
  • Final Verdict
  • Specs

We purchased Dell Professional P2717H 27-Inch Monitor so our expert reviewer could thoroughly test and assess it. Keep reading for our full product review.

Over the years, Dell has become a go-to when hunting for a good professional monitor, incorporating useful features and thoughtful ergonomics for office workers. Released back in 2018, Dell’s P-series monitors like the P2717H, are well-liked for their basic but solid specs and capabilities. The P2717H is the 27-inch, non-USB-C version in the series, and you should keep in mind there here are some different variations, like the 24-inch model and others capable of USB-C connectivity. Each model is fairly affordable for its size class, but the 27-inch may be ideal for offices looking for functional monitors. 

Design and Features: Another beautiful, sleek design from Dell

Dell’s monitors in recent years have really stepped up their game in terms of design. Gone are the dull plastic monitors that plague classrooms and offices across the world. In their place, Dell has created a consistently beautiful look for their displays that stretch across all their professional series, giving them a nice sleek design that feels premium without being flashy.

The stand and trim on the P-series monitors use metal-like plastic with a brushed aluminum feel throughout. The professional look feels at home in an office but also looks great in any other setting. The stand features a wide base for stability, allowing the monitor to pivot from left to right for ergonomic adjustment. You can also adjust height, orientation, and tilt to easily suit your needs, and there is a passthrough hole for nifty cable management.

Moving up to the screen itself, the bezels aren’t the thinnest we’ve seen, but they’re quite slim and unobtrusive. The display is also fairly thin, but not nearly as much as those with external power supplies. Under the bottom right lip, you’ll find the controls to adjust settings with the standard arrangement (no fancy joysticks here, but they work well enough).

The rear of the display has a handy USB-A port with two slots for attaching external devices and accessories. For inputs, you’ve got two more USB ports, an HDMI (1.2), a DisplayPort, and a VGA if you’re still rocking the old-school tech. The nice thing about these inputs is that they are downward-facing, allowing you to get the monitor closer to a wall if needed.

There’s also VESA compatibility with the P2717H so you can ditch the stand and attach it to a wall or desk mount if you want. Some cheaper displays don’t include this (like the Acer SB220Q bi we recently reviewed), so it’s a welcome addition.

Setup Process: Plug and play

Dell, like most other modern monitor manufacturers, has made setup a breeze with the P-series. Since most people will be using their P2717H for business or light entertainment with a PC, we’ll cover this process in detail, but also touch on gaming console use. Your setup may differ a bit, but this setup process should be enough to get you going.

You’ve probably already taken everything out of the box, peeled off the plastic film, and have your cables ready to go, so begin by selecting which input method you plan to use. For most PCs, you can choose whichever you prefer between VGA, DP, and HDMI, but we prefer DP plugged directly into the graphics card whenever possible.

With the power cable and video input connected, power on the monitor and your computer. Windows should automatically recognize the new display, but you’ll want to check and make sure it’s set up properly. Open up your display settings by either right-clicking on the desktop or searching for it under settings. Scroll down to “Advanced Display Settings” and on this page, you should see that both the resolution (1920x1080) and refresh rate (60Hz) are correct.

If you plan to use this monitor with a gaming console, you’ll need to use the HDMI port, but it doesn’t support HDR or 4K, so keep that in mind. Begin by plugging in all your cables, powering up the console and display, and then go to your console settings under display and sounds. Confirm the resolution and refresh are correct and run a test if needed. This process is mostly automated, so you should have no issues.

Image Quality: Decent, about as good as FHD gets

Though 1080p is mostly on its way out with 2K and 4K displays dropping in price with each passing day, it’s still a perfectly capable resolution—especially if you don’t want to spend a fortune on your setup. The Dell P2717H is solid all around in terms of image quality, but it does have a few shortcomings.

One of the biggest downfalls of this monitor is its performance in dark environments. Though this is typical for IPS displays, the P2717H has a low contrast ratio and poor black uniformity, so blacks will appear somewhat gray. It will, however, fare much better in brighter rooms, so keep that in mind. Overall brightness isn’t too great either, so avoid glare with windows or lights (though the coating on the screen helps somewhat).

Another issue is that for a FHD monitor, 27 inches is a lot of real estate to cover, meaning you may lose out on some pixels per inch (or ppi) versus something smaller like a 24-inch screen. 

On the other hand, the P2717H boasts impressive gray uniformity and color accuracy, with 98 percent sRGB and 76 percent AdobeRGB.

On the other hand, the P2717H boasts impressive gray uniformity and color accuracy, with 98 percent sRGB and 76 percent AdobeRGB. That should be enough for some professional users, but will likely be too low for serious pros. Since this is an IPS panel, viewing angles are solid, much better than a TN. That said, the backlight bleed that plagues all IPS panels is also found here, but that’s pretty much a given for any similar display no matter where you get your monitor these days.

Performance: A bit underwhelming, but solid for business

Since this is more so a business monitor, we primarily tested it as such, but also used it with some light gaming and entertainment. While you’re browsing the web, working on documents or editing some photos, the P2717H is perfectly suited to the task. Colors are bright and vibrant thanks to the IPS display, and though the 60Hz refresh rate isn’t impressive for gaming or entertainment, it feels fine for the workplace. 

If you’re an amateur photographer or videographer, you’ll be quite pleased with this Dell, as the color accuracy out of the box is excellent. If you require super accurate AdobeRGB however, you’ll need to bite the bullet and spend more to get that accuracy.

For gaming, the Dell P2717H is decent, but won’t impress anyone who knows the ins and outs of monitor technology. The biggest factors that hold this monitor back is the aforementioned low 60Hz refresh rate and the lack of either FreeSync or G-Sync technology. The display is somewhat saved by its relatively low 6ms response time, but ghosting is definitely noticeable with certain colors, especially white. If you plan to mostly game on this, you should probably look elsewhere.

If you’re an amateur photographer or videographer, you’ll be quite pleased with this Dell, as the color accuracy out of the box is excellent.

Software: As basic as basic gets

Unlike some of the fancier and more expensive Dell monitors, the P2717H lacks pretty much anything in the way of useful software features. Accessing the on-screen display via the controls at the base of the frame gives you your standard options to fine-tune settings like brightness, colors, and contrast for those who want to make changes.

One cool feature that’s noteworthy is that the USB ports on the back of the monitor act as hub even when on standby. This will allow you to charge things or use accessories even if the monitor isn’t on. 

While the monitor may not have all the bells and whistles, it is very well built and looks great in a professional environment.

Price: You get what you pay for

In terms of price to performance, the Dell P-series aren’t the cheapest around for 60Hz FHD displays. That said, they are much more premium feeling than some cheaper alternatives, and feature a top-notch stand for ergonomics that looks great to boot.

From our research, the P2717H can usually be had for right around $250-300 depending on the vendor. From Dell, the monitor is often marked down by $60, making it a pretty solid deal.

Dell P2717H vs. LG 27MP59G-P

The closest match to Dell’s P2717H is the LG 27MP59G-P. Both of these displays feature similar specs at FHD resolution, but there are some big factors that may push you towards one over the other.

For starters, the LG is roughly $50 less than the Dell, depending on where you can find it, but that does include some cost-cutting. The LG has a really basic stand with virtually no ergonomic adjustments, and to make things worse, it also has no VESA compatibility (you’re stuck with it).

Each of these monitors have the same inputs, but the LG has some really nice elements for gamers, including 75Hz refresh (compared to Dell’s 60Hz), FreeSync, lower response time, and some gamer-oriented software to give you an edge.

Overall, it’s obvious that the Dell P2717H is best suited for professionals looking for a work monitor, while the LG 27MP59G-P is aimed at gamers. That should pretty much steer you in the right direction when picking between the two.

A sharp, capable business monitor.

Specs

  • Product Name
  • Professional P2717H 27-inch Monitor
  • Product Brand
  • Dell
  • UPC
  • 884116230779
  • Price
  • $399.99
  • Product Dimensions
  • 24.4 x 7.9 x 16.3 in.
  • Release date
  • 2018
  • Warranty
  • 3-Years Advanced Exchange Service and Premium Panel Guarantee
  • Platform
  • Any
  • Screen Size
  • 27-inch
  • Screen Resolution
  • 1920 x 1080 FHD
  • Ports
  • 2 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0