It’s obvious that OS X looks infinitely better than Windows (Vista included, even freaking Windows 7 included — I’ve seen those screenshots, and they’re not pretty). But my problem with Macs is that they cost an arm and a leg — for the price I’m paying, I could be receiving a ton more in hardware. Which might not seem like that big a problem — but I, much like many of yourselves, am on a budget. Meaning I can’t afford the Macbook Pro, which would’ve been fine had I been willing to sacrifice performance. I’m not. I want performance. I’m telling you straight up that my Dell Inspiron 6400 can perform just as well as a current Macbook (graphics not taken into account, because the nVidia Go! 7300 is a bit weak). Nonetheless, my point is my machine from two years ago for less than the price of a Macbook today, can perform just as well, or even outperform, one of today’s Macbooks (fancy wordplay).

My Dell Inspiron 6400 has:

• Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 (Merom/1.83 GHz/2MB L2)
• Nanya Technology 2x1GB PC2-4200 @ 4-4-4-12
• NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 128MB
• Seagate 320GB 5400RPM SATA
• 15.4-inch, 1280×800 pixel display

A current $1,399 Macbook has:

• Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz
• 2GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2x1GB
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
• 160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
• 13.3-inch, 1280×800 pixel display

I know that most speeds are different, but I hope I got my point across — with similar processors and RAM, a larger hard drive, and a physically larger display, it wouldn’t be worth it for me to spend another $1,399 (before tax) on a Macbook juuuust yet. I’m a full-time student, so I have to keep my spending as tight as possible, for my own good (haha).

Point made — so, I want OS X on my Dell Inspiron 6400. Ordinarily, I would have stopped there, because it used to be technically impossible. Thankfully, Project OSx86 was created and we can now install a copy of OS X onto our ‘ordinary’ PC’s. I’m now going to warn you about some of the moral things wrong with this:

1. Users can’t install OS X on non-Apple hardware. Last time I checked, it was in the OS X EULA (I’m 92% sure it still is and always will be — how else would Apple make any money?).
2. Users also should have a licensed version of Leopard before they install Leopard on their PC’s. I just feel that this step is necessary to ensure that we are doing it for the right, honourable reason. I’m picking my copy up soon. I’ll post pictures when I do. And if I don’t pick a copy of Leopard up, it’s because…
3. Users should be intending to purchase a Mac, and using this version only as something like a ‘trial’ version to get them accustomed to Mac OS X. I intend to purchase a Macbook this summer (well, I kind of have to — the guilt of doing something like this isn’t right — see reason #1).

As long as we admit that we aren’t going to use this as a permanent solution, I think it’s justifiable even to Apple. For the reason that we are going to buy your product soon and need time to adapt to it (for example, finding software for it).

The Installation

Alright, moving on from guilt to the actual process. There are typically 3 stages of installing OS X onto your PC.

1. Preparation and Downloading — downloading and burning the actual disc. Also, partitioning would be a good idea.
2. Installing — booting up on the disc and then arranging your drive types.
3. Troubleshooting…because there will be trouble. Drivers, software, whatever.

1. Preparation and Downloading

Typically, this is the easy stage. Download an image (I found Kalyway 10.5.2 very friendly, but I can’t provide links — find it yourself). Try to download it all in one session, because I found that my success with Kalyway was mainly owed to the constant downloading. I’m paranoid of Torrents missing some data when I pause it accidentally or shut down the computer. So leave your computer on overnight, and/or while you’re at work/school, and don’t touch anything until the .iso image gets fully downloaded.

Burn it using CDBurnerXP. Typically, I’ve read stories about installations being more successful when burned onto a DVD-R, but I used a DVD-RW without a problem (I like their re-usability).

If you plan to use strictly OS X on your PC, then you don’t need to partition.

If you want to dual-boot Windows XP/Vista and Mac OS X, then you’ll want to partition your drives accordingly. Meaning one drive for Windows, and one drive for Mac. I have one for Windows, one for Documents, and one for Mac. The hard drive partition for Mac should be empty right now, so don’t worry about it. If you’re using Windows Vista, instructions for partitioning are here. XP users I can’t say for sure, but I found a post on how to partition here. Comments in the post are interesting too, read them.

2. Installing

If everything went alright, then you should have a burnt disc. Take it out, inspect it, and then put it back in your drive. Reboot your computer. At the blue/black manufacturer screen (mine says Dell, yours might say HP or Sony or something), press the according button to boot via CD/DVD drive (I think for Dell users it’s F2 or F12). You should see a bunch of text on a black screen, then after a few moments, the OS X installer should pop up. Proceed through the installer, pause on the last step before installing. You’re going to want to customize it according to your computer, because OS X typically isn’t compatible with all sorts of hardware by default. This will be a problem later on.

The installation typically takes an hour including the disc check (I did it for my first couple of times), half an hour without. After rebooting, your computer should play the welcome video (if you have graphical stuttering, it’s because you have a dual core machine and OS X is being cooky. Reboot, type in ‘-v’ and press enter. Then type in ‘cpus=1′ and press enter. Everything should be fine. Type in the information (I didn’t use my real information because I’m really, really paranoid).

3. Troubleshooting

Drivers don’t work. It’s a normal thing. What’s not normal is if everything works fine with your OS X installation on your PC (which can now be dubbed a ‘hackintosh’). Proceed to InsanelyMac and search everything you can find about your specs. Even better — register and write about your problems, or thank them for their work.

Dell Inspiron 6400 users are in luck — user Devilhood has written up a comprehensive guide on how to get everything working on your Dell Inspiron 6400: from sound, to displays. Here’s the link to his guide.

The Secret

The secret is in two parts — the philosophy, and the methodology of installation. Your philosophy at all times should be that you have lived until now without OS X, and you can continue living without OS X. With this mentality, you will be able to sacrifice your stable installation to install some weird drivers to make everything work — which is your goal, to have a functional Hackintosh. Your methodology should be simple and easy — stick to Google and InsanelyMac for your problems. I can be of minor service if you are a Dell Inspiron 6400, but I will not go out of my way to help you find out whether your video card is compatible or something complex like that (sorry, but I’ve got my own things to work on too).

And always remember you can go back to Windows at any time. I know you don’t want to, and you know you don’t want to — but I’ve had to repeatedly agree to the concept of buying a Mac and actually overspending. Because of this though, I feel that I can actually move on and purchase a real Mac eventually. Haha.

I wish you luck. Feel free to comment or pose questions. If you need something silly, like the knowledge of how to get dual monitors to work on your Dell Inspiron 6400 or how to get sound to work, I think I can be of minor assistance.

And in the end, it took me a year and three months to figure out how to do this properly. So be persistent. Prior to 2009, I didn’t even get past the second stage of installation — so yeah, I didn’t get to see an actual working desktop until early March (during the break, when I swore to myself I’d get it working). If you want to see a result of my frustration (and a barrage of insults on my intelligence, haha), feel free to read this post where I wrote about my installing of OS X in third-person and referred to myself as ‘a friend’ because of my paranoia.

I’ve read a bunch of articles on dual-monitors and their benefit towards productivity.  I even tried a pair of dual monitors on my own, which wasn’t a bad experience — but I had to return the monitor to its original owners, so it was a pain moving it back and forth after use.  I really wanted an external monitor — I was expecting to use it primarily as just a replacement, and not so much an addition to my laptop screen (except at times when I needed to do real work).

So I went with the Dell S2209W.  Mainly because I trusted Dell (and my cousin Jonathan from APH Networks really boosts them), but also because I found it for $189.99 during Dell’s 12 Days of Deals a month ago (happy new year, by the way).

I wasn’t expecting much though.  I just wanted an ordinary LCD — in fact, if I could find one for an appropriate price, I would’ve gladly picked up a 17″ monitor — saves my Ikea desk some space.  But enough stalling: how exactly do I find the Dell S2209W, and was the dive worth it?

I tried taking a more “structured” approach to this review: please, tell me what you think!  Inspired by Anandtech’s review on the BenQ E2200HD (a monitor very similar to the S2209W).

- http://www.anandtech.com/displays/showdoc.aspx?i=3449&p=1

Design/Build Quality

Refreshing lack of gloss: the “matte” display.  In contrast to the glossy frame of the Dell S2209W (a cool addition, matches my Das Keyboard very well), the display doesn’t have a layer of gloss over it like my Dell Inspiron 6400 does. So far, I appreciate it: it’s affected less by the Incandescent bulb in my study, and now I can actually open the blinds when I compute — that’s right, it fights the glare!

The glossy frame itself can be a topic of debate: although it’s great from a design standpoint, it attracts dust and shows it off.  Much like the Das Keyboard.  I’ll admit that during normal computing, I can’t notice it — but when I take those macro pictures, I’m a bit ashamed at how dusty it’s getting.  As for maintenance to counter the dust, I guess a quick Swiffer every so-often couldn’t hurt.

Kinda cool base: The base that the display stands on is sizeable enough to offer good balance.  And it’s got a little embedded lower level — perfect for holding loose change (I’ll keep it clean though, I assure you).  Hm, I wonder if it’d have been possible to add a second level and put some USB ports in there though.

No clips to tame those cables and wires! I did manage to stick the majority of cables out through the square tunnel that the Dell S2209W has on the stand, but clips right behind the bottom of the display itself to keep the cables from sight: out of sight, out of mind.  Personally, I find it just a bit annoying — but I know quite a few enthusiasts who are big on cabling.

No built-in swivel! Yipes.  Although the vertical resolution is acceptable (1080px, great in comparison to 800px on my Dell Inspiron 6400), I really would’ve loved a swivel for reading those long passages (something like this review).

The button placement is typical for today’s monitors: all located on the side, hidden from the eyes and easy to reach.  Much appreciated are those little icons — but I just prefer experimenting.  The power button is pretty cool though — I didn’t know how to turn the display off at first, but it turns out you actually push the Power light, which will slide down into the frame of the Dell S2209W.  It’s really, really cool.  It changes to white when the display is active, orange when inactive, and it turns off when the display shuts down.  It’s amazing how simple a feature it is, yet how much a contribution it makes to the beauty of the display.

No built-in speakers: meh, didn’t really matter much to me.  If you can afford this monitor at regular pricing, you can probably afford a pair of speakers.  Har har.  Plus, I tend not to believe in the sound quality of monitors (iMac included).

No USB ports: because I’m using a laptop, I always appreciate extra USB ports.  The Dell Inspiron 6400 features 4 ports — not exactly a generous amount, but sufficient for now.  The Das Keyboard features two ports, and it’s getting enough power not only to power itself but also my Logitech G5 and my iPod on occasion.  If the monitor gets power from USB and from the outlet, why not include a few ports?  Again, oh well — not a matter of life and death.

No HDMI?! I’m going to be perfectly honest — hold your “boo”s, please — I’m not 100% sure what HDMI is.  Here’s what I do know though: it’d probably be best to have HDMI when you want to play PS3 or Blu-Ray on a display.  And if I’m going to pay $269.99 for this thing, I want it to be able to display my PS3 and Blu-Ray movies to its best.  Doesn’t matter to me, since I have neither a Blu-Ray player nor a PS3, but if I had one I’d be raging.

Official Technical Specifications

Dell S2209W
DISPLAY Panel Size: 21.5″ Panel Type: TN – Twisted Nematic Maximum Resolution: Full HD 1920 x 1080 at 60 Hz Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (typical) Brightness: 300 cd/m2 (typical) Response Time: 5 ms (typical) Viewing Angle: 160° / 170° (typical) Color Support: 16.7 million colors Pixel Pitch: 0.248mm CONNECTIVITY Analog DVI-D (Digital) STAND Tilt and built-in cable management BUILT-IN DEVICES None SECURITY Security port (cable lock sold separately) COLOR, SIZE AND WEIGHT Dimensions (W x D x H): 20.6 inches x 8.76 inches x 15.0 inches Weight: Weight (panel only – for VESA mount): 3.84 kg (8.47 lb) Weight (with packaging): 7.2 kg (15.88 lb) Color: Black
Environmental and Regulatory
ELECTRICAL Power: 100 to 240 VAX/50 or 60 Hz+- 3 Hz/2.0A (Max.) Power Consumption Operational: 42 Watts (maximum) Power Consumption Sleep: Less than 2 Watts ENVIRONMENTAL Temperature Range Operating: 00° to 400 °C (320° to 1040 °F) Temperature Range Non-operating: Storage: 0 ° to 60 °C (32 ° to 140 °F) Shipping: -20 ° to 60 °C (-4 ° to 140 °F) Humidity Range Operating: 10 – 80% (non-condensing) Humidity Range Non-operating: Storage: 5% – 90% (non-condensing) Shipping: 5% – 90% (non-condensing) Altitude Operating: 3,657.60 m (12,000 ft) max Altitude Non-operating: 3,657.60 m (12,000 ft) max COMPLIANCE AND STANDARDS Energy Star EPEAT Silver WHAT’S IN THE BOX S2209W 22″ Flat Panel Monitor Power cord VGA cable (VGA to VGA) DVI cable CD User’s guide and documentation

Wow, I’m surprised at how well that chart turned out: you can find the original chart here.

A few observations: it wasn’t just careless observation, it’s official — there’s no HDMI input.  I never knew there was a security port though — this would be great for places such as classrooms or even University dormitories (in case you don’t trust your roommates — shame on you, haha only joking).

And a TN panel.  Many criticize it for being sucky, I really don’t mind.  Of course, I haven’t used anything but TN-panels, but I don’t see what’s so bad about it — image quality is fine during regular computing (and editing).  However, for those wanting the best movie-viewing/video-gaming experience, this might be the dealbreaker.  First no HDMI, and now this?  Keep hope alive.

Unique Screen Resolution and Aspect Ratio

Typically, widescreen computer monitors have an aspect ratio of 16:10 — and thus, 22-inch monitors typically have a screen resolution of 1680×1050 pixels.  I never really liked that.  I tend to prefer “sharper” images — the most pixels on the least screen area as possible.  Meaning that 1680×1050 pixels would’ve been fine, if it was mounted on a 20-inch screen.  And if I were to buy anything bigger than a 20-inch monitor, I’d have to go for a 24-inch monitor (they’re not that expensive nowadays) for the 1920×1200 pixels.  So when I found the Dell S2209W on Dell’s 12 Days of Deals, I placed an order on it ASAP.

And I didn’t regret it. The pixels are no joke — everything looks much crisper, sharper, and I don’t need to worry about horizontal scrolling anymore.  It’s downright impressive at how Dell managed to fit such a high resolution into a 22-inch monitor.  1080 pixels also classifies it as “HD”, but seeing as how I’m connected via VGA, I can’t accurately comment on it.  But after eagerly downloading “Amazing Caves in 1080″ from Microsoft’s WMV HD Content Showcase, I had a look.  1080p video was of near-excellent quality; however, I did feel that bright colours were displayed much more precisely than darker ones, which were slightly grainy (almost artifacting).

I also started catching up on some of my favourite anime: downloading 5 episodes from Dattebayo, I watched Bleach in 480p.  Wasn’t bad, but it was definitely very different from the 1080p video.  Who would’ve thought, right?

What about Image/Video Quality?

Although initially, I had to run it on 1680×1050 pixels because my “graphics card didn’t support it”, according to Dell.  But, after clicking through some options and updating my drivers, I actually got it to work — imagine my excitement!  From a warped, butt-ugly image (because of the 16:10 resolution on the 16:9 screen ratio), to a crisp, sharp image with a ton of screen real estate.

The Dell S2209W by default was a bit blurry, but after some minor manual tweaking, everything was to my preference (I’m not that picky).  As I said earlier, even 1080p plays on full-screen — no black lines, nothing.  It’s freaking beautiful.  480p and 720p videos also play full-screen thanks to the Dell S2209W’s aspect ratio, and the differences are viewable (480p is a bit blurrier — not as crisp as 1080p).  However, as I did mention earlier, I found the bright colours in videos to be displayed a bit more accurately than darker colours, which were a bit grainy for my taste.  But, it could most certainly be due to that VGA connection (still not 100% sure).

I found images to be displayed clearly, sharply, and beautifully.  Everyday-use with website graphics is child’s play for the Dell S2209W (as it should be), but the extra pixel count does take a bit of getting used to.  Imagine this: from 1280×800 pixels to 1920×1080 pixels.  No complaints here though, it’s an excellent adjustment.

Troubleshooting

If you can’t get your Dell S2209W to display at 1920×1080 pixels, update your drivers. After calling Dell Support (the reps did play a part in solving the problem, as they isolated my video card’s maximum resolution being the issue), and Googling around, it’s not an uncommon problem.  And updating your drivers is now a near automated process, all thanks to Microsoft.  In Windows Vista:

1. Right-click your desktop.
2. Select “Personalize”.
3. Select “Display Settings”.
4. Select “Advanced Settings” at the bottom right corner of the window.
5. Select the “Adapter” tab, then under “Adapter Type” select “Properties”.
6. Select the “Driver” tab in the window that opens, and then click the “Update Driver” button.
7. Relax, let Microsoft search for the latest drivers.  If there is a newer driver version, it will automatically be downloaded and installed.  Hello, improved hardware improvement.  Otherwise, sorry — your video card could either be too old or lacking in performance to support such a high resolution.  Get a new one, or give away your Dell S2209W (hey, I had to accept this fact too).

Worked for my nVidia Go 7300, which isn’t bad but isn’t exactly “card of the year”.  It wouldn’t be a bad idea to Google your graphics card to see its maximum resolution though, in retrospect.  Also, updating your drivers will (likely) improve performance — do it whether you’re getting a new monitor or not!

What are ya waitin’ for…

For $269.99, it can go both ways: if you’re looking for a new monitor and do a lot of video-editing (and are not planning to use Blu-Ray or a PS3), then it’s perfect.  Heck, I recommend it not only to amateur designers, but to writers and gamers as well (the 16:9 feature on CS:S works well — trust me).  It’s the most screen real estate you’ll ever get in a 22-inch monitor — so if you browse the Internet a lot, want to view more than one page on Microsoft Word at once (I can seriously do two at once now, at 100%), take high-res photos, or download some HD content and take advantage of Youtube’s new standard 720p, get it. If you find it for less than $269.99, get it.

If you want a monitor for gaming or watching Blu-Ray movies though, you might want to have a look at BenQ’s E2200HD, as reviewed by AnandTech.  Yeah, I tried my best emulating it, but it’s really not the same (especially without “Input” Lag tests, colour accuracy tests, and a comparison to other “real” monitors).