Opinion on 30" Monitors

[[XC] Synthetickiller]

I wanted to know what you guys thought of the different 30" monitors out there and if its worth investing the money or just wait till the cost goes down/quality increase.

I have a 25.5" LG and a 24" samsung, both of which are TN panels. The LG looks great, but even 1920x1200 is getting cramped. I was thinking of mounting the 25.5" on its side and doing something else with the samsung 24" (since its an OLD model, 240T) and moving to a 30".

[Locke]

30" monitors are expensive. That's my Opinion.

[Expat GriZ]

Dude...I'm typin' at you on a Samsung 305T. LUVIN IT!!! Haven't regretted it for one second in 2+ years. If you have the cash, and believe me...they are much cheaper for you over there than here in Europe....Go for a new good 30in. and you won't look back!!:up::up:

[Mr.Farva]

Overpriced, and their not worth it unless you get a 2560x1500 model. That my opinion.

[STEvil]

There are 30" that are not 2560x1600?

Only the LG W3000H and Dell 3007 are good as far as I know. They dont have scalers.

[jtdigital]

LG W3000H-Bn
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005115

Something to think about is led back lit monitors which are starting to gain in the market and also led/oled coming out in the future.
Have you thought about a hdtv as a monitor? if you have the space, why not

[zalbard]

I'd love to get one supporting 2560x1600 if not the price...

[Mic]

Upgraded my old LG 19'' monitor to a dell 30'' about two years ago, and I still think its the best upgrade I ever made.

[iTravis]

Once you go bigger you never go back. :D But I don't think manufacturers make 30 screens anymore as I barely see any new models and I notice the price is going down quiet a bit. So if you can afford it then why not?

[Lu(ky]

I have been using my LG W3000H for about 9 months and I love it. When I first got it started playing games at 2560x1600 and I started to get bad headaches. I adjusted the setting a little better and all is well now. No problems with it at all, but if you want to play games at 2560x1600 plan on a good GPU setup SLI/CF or the new 5870X2 or nvidia cards when they come out. Also note you can always buy more 24" Monitors and the ATI eyefinity with 2/3 24" monitors setup.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj252/russb3n/Torture%20Rack/IMG_3009.jpg

[[XC] Synthetickiller]

So let me ask you guys, is a scaler a good or bad thing? That's something I couldn't get an answer to.

I have two monitors right now @ lu(ky....

A 24" and a 25.5" (the 25.5" being an LG that looks identical to yours).

I don't mind it, but I'd rather mount the 25.5" vertically and use a 30" as a primary monitor w/ the 25.5" on the side. I've used triple monitor set ups, but turning my head a lot is a pain in the ass.

How do they scale etc, resolution wise? I've read some bad things about back light bleeding w/ 30" monitors in general. My lg doesn't do this, but idk if the larger size would cause there to be more problems in this area.

I've never seen a 30" monitor that's les than 2560x1600. :up:

There's 28" that aer 1920x1200 and the pixels are as as large as a pencil eraser. That's why I'd prefer a 30" due to better dot pitch.

The dell's really are good? I don't like dell, but if I can get a remanufactured one from their outlet, I'd say 400 over the LG.

[Gunslinger]

I have the Dell 3007 model, and love it. 2560x1600 gaming is freaking sweet.

[iTravis]

Synthetickiller;4085892']So let me ask you guys, is a scaler a good or bad thing? That's something I couldn't get an answer to.

I have two monitors right now @ lu(ky....

A 24" and a 25.5" (the 25.5" being an LG that looks identical to yours).

I don't mind it, but I'd rather mount the 25.5" vertically and use a 30" as a primary monitor w/ the 25.5" on the side. I've used triple monitor set ups, but turning my head a lot is a pain in the ass.

How do they scale etc, resolution wise? I've read some bad things about back light bleeding w/ 30" monitors in general. My lg doesn't do this, but idk if the larger size would cause there to be more problems in this area.

I've never seen a 30" monitor that's les than 2560x1600. :up:

There's 28" that aer 1920x1200 and the pixels are as as large as a pencil eraser. That's why I'd prefer a 30" due to better dot pitch.

The dell's really are good? I don't like dell, but if I can get a remanufactured one from their outlet, I'd say 400 over the LG.

The only good thing that I see having a scaler is when you want other inputs on your monitors (HDMI, components, etc....) The Dell 3008WFP has one and the 3007WFP-HC, 30" Apple Ciname doesn't. Maybe someone else can explain it better but that's pretty much coming on top of my head for now. Also you have to consider other factors such as delay, input lag....
Also depends on what kind of purpose you mainly use the monitor for too? Gaming, image or video editing. I remember Anandtech has a thread about all the 30" roundups so you might wanna check there.
Among those 30" I can think of Dell 3007WFP-HC, 3008WFP, Apple Cinema, Samsung 305T, LGW3000H, Gateway XHD3000 and a HP I forgot the model number. I picked Dell since they have the best price for the money and the quality is awesome too, especially for their high end monitor. I don't know if Dell is gonna release a 30" version of the U2410 since I really like that monitor but since the price is a bit much I gotto stuck with my 2407WFP for now. I see Dell sometimes has a discount for a refurbished Dell 3007WFP-HC for $750 by the way.
My setup so far, I would love to see another discount for the 30" and grab another to run dual 30"....pure orgasm. :drool:

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/7775/clipboard01fb.jpg (http://img263.imageshack.us/i/clipboard01fb.jpg/)

[STEvil]

Can run 3x 2560x1600's on 5870's :)

Scalers are pretty much useless as far as i'm concerned.

[-n7-]

2560x1600 is glorious...nothing else really needs to be said :D

[Xcel]

Another happy 30" owner here. I got a really nice discount on the HP LP3065 a year and a half ago, I upgraded from a 19" CRT. Best upgrade ever, lasts for a very long time. A scaler would be nice if you wanna hook up an xbox or something but I'd choose low input lag over the scaler any day.

[goramus]

was looking around today for a samsung 305t, every single retailer and online store is out of stock on samsung and most other decent 30" displays. is there something new coming really soon and that's why no one is stocking the current generation or what?

[AliG]

get a 1080p projector?

yes they aren't the best for close range, but they're about the same price, meaning you could double your computer into a home theater. Also as far as I understand projectors (which albeit is not much), there shouldn't be any issues with ghosting

~just epinion

[goramus]

projector really wont work for my desk area my fat head would be in the way most of the time. currently running on a dell 24" and a samsung 24" but i brought my laptop in to work today and hooked it up to one of the samsung 305t's here and my god does 2560x1600 make my 24"s look like warmed over dog poo.

[slim142]

So the 3007 will always be better than the 3008?

What makes the 3007 better?

[Xcel]

So the 3007 will always be better than the 3008?

What makes the 3007 better?

It's a matter of opinion, the 3007 doesn't have a scaler which means less input lag. Depends on what you want, more input options vs. low input lag.

[STEvil]

It's a matter of opinion, the 3007 doesn't have a scaler which means less input lag. Depends on what you want, more input options vs. low input lag.

3007 is faster
3008 has better quality

LG W3000H is the panel that is used in the 3008 but has no scaler, thus the best of both worlds.

[slim142]

So what about the NEC one that costs even more than the Dell 3008, does it have best of both worlds or not?

[Carfax]

I bought a Samsung 305t plus about 6 months ago, and it's one of the best investments I've ever made for gaming.

Not only do games look sharper and more detailed, the IMMERSION factor you get due to the increased screen size is awesome!

If you do get a 30 incher, I would highly recommend the Samsung 305t Plus. It's S-PVA (better than S-IPS imo) and comes factory calibrated so the colors are perfect! :)

As for a scaler, I wouldn't even bother with it.

If you need to play a game at a lower resolution, just use windowed mode.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

factory calibrated is not possible... you need to pair the monitor to your ICC profile of your VGA

[Carfax]

I think you said that to me a few months ago after I bought it :p

I'm just going by what I saw in reviews:


The probe quickly confirmed our first impression. The Samsung monitor had good initial settings (it's even pre-calibrated) while the Dell had oversaturated colors. The 3007WFP only provides better results in one situation. Monochrome photos were better and grays more neutral. Once again, the probe confirmed our visual assessment

Source (http://www.behardware.com/art/imprimer/661/)

BTW this review is for the standard 305T, and not the plus version which is what I have. Plus version has a higher color gamut and is HDCP ready if I recall.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

yeah I probably did haha, I had a dejavu moment :p: :rofl: no hard feelings about that ;)

[Carfax]

No problem man.. :up:

Maybe they found a way to include all the ICC profiles for various video cards in the monitor itself. All I know is that the colors are very accurate and look spectacular. I don't think you could get much better, even with a professional calibration tool.

[LinusTech]

I've been using a 305T Plus for about 6 months now and I still get headaches, ESPECIALLY with certian games. Borderlands is brutal for me to try to play on my 30", but only slightly more tolerable on my 2405FPW (win-ass monitor btw), so it could just be the art style that gets to me.

I've also found that my eyes are just more tired in general these days, but I don't know how much of that to attribute to my 30" at home and how much I can attribute to my 17/24/17/17 quad monitor setup at work. I upgraded them both around the same time...

I DEFINITELY notice input lag more with this monitor than I do with my 24", but YMMV because everyone perceives it a little differently. Playing around with different settings like vsync and AA seems to help and some games are worse than others, but when it's bad, it's unplayably BAD.

So overall I give it 1.5 thumbs up, and while it's not as big of a deal as my move from a 19" CRT to a 24" LCD was several years ago, I haven't exactly put the 2405 back on my desk either...

[STEvil]

windowed mode doesnt deactivate a scaler.

[Carfax]

I DEFINITELY notice input lag more with this monitor than I do with my 24", but YMMV because everyone perceives it a little differently. Playing around with different settings like vsync and AA seems to help and some games are worse than others, but when it's bad, it's unplayably BAD.

Strange, I've never noticed any input lag or ghosting on my monitor. These problems seem to have been licked with modern LCDs.

[Carfax]

windowed mode doesnt deactivate a scaler.

When I said that comment, I meant he shouldn't bother with getting a monitor that has a scaler.

The 305T plus doesn't have a scaler, so I just use windowed mode if I need a lower res and it looks perfect.

[shazza]

I'm happy with the quality of my Dell 3008 (lag isn't an issue for me, as I mostly play RPG games and use it for Photoshop / Office Apps). I like all the screen real estate, but have to say I've never really adapted to it for gaming - it's just a bit too big for me and not that comfortable to use (my issue is more about neck/shoulder discomfort, not eyestrain). Although games look great at 2560x1600.

Also have a 27" Dell that is just about perfect for me - although it's only 1920x1200, this works better for my old eyes and I seem to be able to get full view without having to move my head a lot.

Actually looking to go to 3 x 24 with Eyefinity. That way, I'll still have lots of display space, and can experiment with 3 screens for gaming.

[[XC] Synthetickiller]

Now we just need the price to drop well below $1000.

[STEvil]

When I said that comment, I meant he shouldn't bother with getting a monitor that has a scaler.

The 305T plus doesn't have a scaler, so I just use windowed mode if I need a lower res and it looks perfect.

Why bother with windowed? If you use the hardware scaling capabilities of your GPU all the content looks fine as long as its good content to start with.

[LinusTech]

Strange, I've never noticed any input lag or ghosting on my monitor. These problems seem to have been licked with modern LCDs.

I can easily detect motion blur (most people call it ghosting, but usually they are using the wrong term) in many games on any "VA" or "IPS" panel, but not to the point where it detracts from my gameplay experience.

Input lag only comes up for me in certain scenarios and my experience has been that certain game engines feel "laggier" than others as well as many other factors.

Remember input lag is made of of a huge chain of events

Mouse sensor to mouse electronics
Mouse to USB controller
USB controller to chipset
Chipset to CPU
CPU to video card
Video card to monitor electronics
monitor electronics to panel
panel refresh rate
pixel switching time

Most of these are negligible, but you need to remember that it's a threshold. As long as it's below (for example) 75ms person A might never notice it, so if he's using a wired mouse on a laggy monitor, he might have a great experience, but as soon as he adds a wireless mouse to the mix, he can feel it.

Person B might have a wireless mouse with a very responsive monitor and swear by wireless mice for gaming.

It's hard to compare one person's gaming setup to another person's, and when you add in that everyone's perception of input lag is different it becomes very hard to compare....

[STEvil]

also the game engine plays a large part. L4D2 for example if you drop below 30fps it doubles or tripples the speed of the mouse on my machine for some reason..

[Carfax]

Why bother with windowed? If you use the hardware scaling capabilities of your GPU all the content looks fine as long as its good content to start with.

I tried using the GPU scaling and to me, it looked blurry and washed out :shrug:

[Carfax]

I can easily detect motion blur (most people call it ghosting, but usually they are using the wrong term) in many games on any "VA" or "IPS" panel, but not to the point where it detracts from my gameplay experience.

You must have some keen eyes then. I checked for motion blur and input lag right after I hooked my monitor up, both on the desktop and in games, and I never noticed anything..

Of course, thats not to say there isn't any, but I'd definitely rather not notice it than notice it.

[flopper]

its not the eyes, its just a finer brain that can calibrate to the visual key movement.
I notice difference with 4ms and 20ms in fps games.

Input lag is also the reason some feel seasick playing and watching games.
Your brain is able to detect stuff people normally never think off.
normally the brain "delete" and shuts it out, its still there tho, like sounds in the background, which if you cut the power will find out how much sound is in the background and how it affects the stress levels in your body.

visually, stuttering, inputlag is there, some can detect it and see it.
I used others computers, and I was like, can you even play with this?
They go smiley, oh its so good.....
however, everything was so lagged, delayed, and simply was unplayable.

so if someone tells me, this screen has input lag, I go with their assesment.
that dosnt mean I might see it or that it will bother me.

I cant play using lcd as far, as it simply is unplayable so still use crt.
I get a TN panel soon to test to find out how it works.
when your able to finetune your senses, and start to discover how much stuff goes on without your even aware, its a new brave world out there to find out about ;)

[STEvil]

I tried using the GPU scaling and to me, it looked blurry and washed out :shrug:

Try a different resolution. 1440x900 works awesome for me if I cant get 1920x1200...

[lutjens]

Among those 30" I can think of Dell 3007WFP-HC, 3008WFP, Apple Cinema, Samsung 305T, LGW3000H, Gateway XHD3000 and a HP I forgot the model number. I picked Dell since they have the best price for the money and the quality is awesome too, especially for their high end monitor.



I think most of the XHD3000s have been removed from the market. If you find one, do NOT buy it. They are very poor quality monitors with very poor manufacturer support.

The Samsung 305T lacks HDCP if I recall, but are good otherwise. Don't know much about the LG, but the HP LP3065 is a decent monitor from what I've heard, but HP support may be spotty. The Dells are also good, but their support apparently has issues as well when it comes to monitors, and I heard they require come calibration or adjustments to achieve maximum color quality. I chose my LCD3090WQXi 30" monitors because NEC support is excellent and the monitors are top quality. Not the best connection-wise, but the color quality is superb and NEC quality in general is excellent (I use NEC at work extensively). The NECs cost a fair bit more, but you are are buying a top of the line piece of equipment, as well as buying piece of mind.

My $0.02...;)

[slim142]

lutjens

I also heard all positive reviews about the NEC monitor.

Im now debating between the Dell 3007-HC, the NEC and the LG.

Stevil mentions LG has the best from the 3007 and 3008. The NEC one is positive reviews everywhere I go. The 3007 looks good too, but I think has some time in the market already.

Any help here

[[XC] Synthetickiller]

I'd say if you only want to speed 1000 - 1200, get the LG. The NEC is 2000+, right?

The NEC is going to be a much better monitor, but for me, I simply can't justify spending 2K on a monitor with the salary I make.

[slim142]

You got a point.

Even though the NEC is considered the best by many, the price is insanee. I think Ill stick to the LG.

[AndrewZorn]

im still reading reviews every so often, i will be ordering whatever the new best sub-$1500 30" is around february

cant wait to make my keyboard look even smaller

http://elitekeyboards.com/proddata/images/pdkb400w_iso.jpg

[slim142]

I have a question

So on 30 inches there is no point in having HDMI or not?

I see a lot of people complain many screen dont have it, but others say that is because HDMI doesnt support the resolution. Then why Dell bothered with it and even DP?

[iTravis]

I have a question

So on 30 inches there is no point in having HDMI or not?

I see a lot of people complain many screen dont have it, but others say that is because HDMI doesnt support the resolution. Then why Dell bothered with it and even DP?

HDMI 1.3 can support up to 2560x1600 if I remember correctly. But since it's just based on DVI standard, you can always just get a DVI-HDMI cable if you want to hook it up to a device with HDMI. As for the reason manufacturers like Dell doesn't bother with HDMI, I think it's because they still have to pay a usage fee while with DisplayPort, they don't have to pay for licensing fee. And either HDMI or DisplayPort doesn't improve IQ anyway so it's better to stick with DVI since it's a standard for monitor for such a long time.

[winstontj]

I have a pair of Dell 3008WFP monitors and love them. I was worried about spending time in front of something that size but it's not that bad. One is my central monitor mounted horizontally and one is off to the side mounted verticle.

Excellent monitors and well worth the investment.

[slim142]

HDMI 1.3 can support up to 2560x1600 if I remember correctly. But since it's just based on DVI standard, you can always just get a DVI-HDMI cable if you want to hook it up to a device with HDMI. As for the reason manufacturers like Dell doesn't bother with HDMI, I think it's because they still have to pay a usage fee while with DisplayPort, they don't have to pay for licensing fee. And either HDMI or DisplayPort doesn't improve IQ anyway so it's better to stick with DVI since it's a standard for monitor for such a long time.

I really like the LG, but I just noticed it only has 1 port. Not that I need VGA, but HDMI and/or DP would have been nice.

[STEvil]

You can get DP or Mini-DP to DVI adaptors.

[iTravis]

I really like the LG, but I just noticed it only has 1 port. Not that I need VGA, but HDMI and/or DP would have been nice.

My Dell 3007WFP-HC comes with 1 DVI port either but it doesn't bother me that much since I only need DVI anyway, if I wanna hook it up to other devices with different ports then I'll just get a converter cable.

[slim142]

My Dell 3007WFP-HC comes with 1 DVI port either but it doesn't bother me that much since I only need DVI anyway, if I wanna hook it up to other devices with different ports then I'll just get a converter cable.

Yeah thats not a problem.

However, I wonder if the human eye is able to tell the difference between a native HDMI/DP display to a DVI one with a converter (IF there is any difference between HDMI DP and DVI).

Ive never seen a native HDMI or DP computer screen connected so idk if there is any improvement at all.

[AndrewZorn]

like he said, they are the same... ive heard some unsubstantiated stuff that HDMI can handle more color bits and stuff, but other than such mysticism, they are the same. its not like converting an analog signal, anyway, the conversion is lossless since it is digital.

[slim142]

I see
I guess the LG is my choice then. Now time to save up xD

[jtdigital]

i can't decide between these two

samsung 40" lcd hdtv 1920x1080
lg w3000h-bh 30" lcd monitor 2560x1600

:(

[slim142]

I remember a comparison between a Samsung HDTV and a LCD for computer only

The LCD one won in quality, but as expected, the HDTV won when it comes to "more use".

It was made by Maximum PC. I guess it all depends on what you plan on using it with. Me, when it comes to buying a new computer screen, I stick with computer LCDs and dont look at HDTVs.