From the time I started opening the box to the time I was hooked up and had an image on this Dell monitor it took no more then 5 minutes.

Working with computer hardware is second nature to me so if it takes you a few minutes more don't panic. One thing that I did not do was read the manual; I did not have to. For all the people who don't want to take unnecessary risks, reading how to connect and set up the monitor might be a good idea.

The first connection that I set up was the VGA connection; it worked fine. Since I much of my work comes from reviewing Xbox 360 games, I made sure that the HDMI connection works well; it did. The last thing that I made sure was in working order was the DVI connection. Once again, no complaints. The only complaints that I have is that there are no USB ports on this monitor and there also are no speakers.

If all you plan on doing with this monitor is to have it hooked up to your PC only, the lack of speakers or USB connections should not affect you, but if you plan on hooking up a Blu-Ray, DVD or gaming console to this monitor, the lack of a USB connection or speakers MIGHT be a small issue. The monitor does include an audio port where external speakers or headsets can be connected. Connecting a wired headset to the monitor is extremely easy, however, if your headset does not have a volume adjustment controller you're stuck with the default sound volume being outputted.

Hooking up external speakers to the monitor can be an easy or a difficult task depending on your actual speakers. My external Dell speakers draw their power from a USB connection. Since the monitor does not have any USB connections I actually have to use my PC for the power source; I am lucky that my PC is in close proximity. If your external speakers need to be plugged in for their power source, all you need is a free outlet and the sound problem is solved. I also managed to have 2 computer and 1 Xbox 360 hooked up to my monitor at the same time (sort of). The Xbox is hooked up to the HDMI outlet, my main computer is hooked up to the Digital Input outlet and my other computer is hooked up to the VGA outlet. Now the monitor does not split the image into 3 separate sections on the monitor, but with a few pushes on just one button, the user can switch between any of the 3 connections as needed. Now that's comfort!