Dell Professional P2213 22" Black 2017

A boring office monitor with a fantastic stand. Buy it for the ergonomics, not the panel.

Let's be blunt: the panel itself is nothing special. 250 nits brightness, 83% color gamut, and a 5ms response time put it in the bottom quarter of monitors we track. The display quality lands in the 5th percentile, which is rough. But here's the thing, for office work, it doesn't matter much. Text looks crisp enough at 1680 x 1050, and the anti-glare coating with 3H hardness means you won't be fighting reflections under fluorescent lights. Just don't expect to edit photos or watch movies on this thing. The entertainment score of 14.9 out of 100 tells you everything you need to know.

If you're comparing this to something like the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27VQMY or the Acer Nitro XV271U, you're in the wrong ballpark. Those are 27-inch gaming monitors with high refresh rates and better panels, but they cost several times more. The P2213's real competition is other used office monitors, and in that space, it wins on ergonomics alone. The SANSUI 27 inch is bigger and newer, but it's a budget panel with a flimsy stand. If you need a monitor that stays put and adjusts to your posture, the Dell is the better pick. If you want screen real estate or gaming performance, look elsewhere.

At $55 to $72 on the used market, this is a no-brainer for a second monitor or a budget office setup. The best deal we found is on Amazon, where renewed units are going for around $55. For that price, you're getting a monitor with a stand that would cost you more than that alone if you bought it separately. Just factor in that you might need to buy a DisplayPort or DVI cable, since refurbished units often ship without them.

The Dell P2213 is a relic from the era when 16:10 office monitors ruled the cubicle, and honestly, it still holds up as a cheap productivity workhorse. It's a 22-inch TN panel with a 1680 x 1050 resolution, which sounds ancient until you realize it's still perfectly fine for spreadsheets, email, and staring at code. The real story here is the stand. Dell's Professional series stands were always the best part of these monitors, and this one has height adjust, tilt, swivel, and pivot, which puts it in the 91st percentile for ergonomics. That's genuinely impressive for a monitor you can grab for under $75.

If you're looking for a monitor for gaming, photo editing, or watching movies, this isn't it. The TN panel, low brightness, and weak color performance will frustrate you. Go grab a used IPS panel instead, something like a Dell Ultrasharp or a budget ASUS with an IPS display. You'll spend a bit more, but your eyes will thank you.

The Dell P2213 is a one-trick pony, but it's a really good trick. The stand is exceptional, the build quality is solid, and the price is basically pocket change. If you need a cheap, reliable monitor for office work and you care about ergonomics, buy this without hesitation. If you want anything beyond spreadsheets and email, this isn't your monitor.