30" Display: Which one to buy

Planning to buy a 30" LCD monitor and have narrowed down the choices to the following:

EIZO SX3031W
* http://www.eizo.com/products/lcd/sx3031w/index.asp
* costs around $2,500
* probably the best image/color quality (???)
* 2 DVI inputs: one for 2560 × 1600 resolution, and one for 1920 × 1200 with HDCP
* Picture-by-picture mode - two equal halfs of 1200 x 1600 for displaying input
from two computers simultaneously.
* image scaling to native resolution
* Digital Uniformity Equalizer for uniform brightness and chroma.
* Brightness stabilizer
* 12 bit LUT built-in.
* 5 year warantee

Samsung 305T
* http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2071695,00.asp
* costs around $1,300
* 1 DVI input
* probably second best image quality after EIZO.
* 3 year warantee
* no image scaling (use graphics card for this)
* none of the other bells and whistles that EIZO has.


HP LP3065
* http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2077914,00.asp
* costs around $1,400
* three DVI inputs each with HDCP
* probably third best image/color quality based on reviews
* no picture-in-picture or picture-by-picture, etc
* no image scaling (use graphics card for this)
* none of the other bells and whistles that EIZO has.
* 1 year warantee

Dell 3007
* http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1907749,00.asp
* costs around $1,200
* image quality not as good as EIZO or HP or Samsung 30" monitors.
* 1 DVI input
* no image scaling (use graphics card for this)
* none of the other bells and whistles that EIZO has.
* 3 year warantee

Gateway XDH3000 seems to be a good monitor, but kind of overkill with all the connectors which I will never use. I just need a good PC monitor for coding web development (60% use), web browsing (20% use), waching TV using TV tuner card in my PC (15%), and playin games (5%). Image quality is most critical to me even though I don't do graphical editing. I can sacrifice a bit on response time if it substantially increases image quality, although I still want a good response time so that I can watch TV on the monitor using the TV tuner card that is in my PC. Also, HP has just 1 year warantee while others offer atleast 3 years.

Is it safe to say that EIZO is the best 30" monitor to get (one reason I didn't switch over to LCD monitor so far was that CRT monitors always seemed to have better image quality and still do).

Anything I am missing from the above comparision?

Is shelling out an extra $1000 bucks for EIZO as compared to other 30" monitors worth it? What am I getting in return for that extra $1000?

Where do I need to go (in San Francisco bay area) to see a demo of EIZO SX3031W, HP LP3065, or Samsung 305T?

Thanks,

Albert
Webmaster,
InterEC.NET | Job Search For Engineers
http://www.interec.net

Eizo is best for color accuracy. Although that doesn't always mean better image quality. Considering you mostly do coding instead of graphic work, it might be better to save a few bucks and go with something cheaper.

One thing to consider is even though you don't have much use for those extra inputs of the Gateway, there is a chance you might down the road. An expensive 30" panel isn't something most people will replace as easily as other components and it should last you for a few years, so thinking of your future needs might help with the decision.

If you get HD content for your tv, it might be better to hook it upto the gateway directly also. Even though this might sound a bit biased, I would get the Gateway. I haven't regretted purchasing this monitor at all.


Bit off topic, but you guys need to redesign the site. Looks kinda bland. ^^

hey the samsung 27inch display is a decent option too, if you dont wanna get stuck with a very low resolution of 2560x1920.

huh? The 30" is 2560x1600. And it's a high resolution.
Also keep in mind the 27" has a fairly large pixel pitch.

I have a 3007 and 3007wfp. I think you'd be nuts to even consider the Eizo for 2x the price. I simply can't imagine looking at either 3007 and thinking that it's not adequate for your purposes.

That being said, if I were in the market now I'd get the Gateway, hands down.

Also, in another thread someone mentioned that Dell is actually selling the 3008 to customers via phone if you're some kind of high-end client. That might be worth checking into even if you're not.

If I remember the Eizo is not IPS.

I have always thought that CRT monitors have better image quality than any LCD monitor. I bought a top-of-the line 19" Sony CRT 7 years back and it is still doing great for me and beats any LCD monitor in terms of image quality and performance which is what the monitors are all about.

I am definitely no expert when it comes to monitors, but I find it surprising that market is willing to sacrifice on the quality and performance offered by CRT monitors for "style" and "low bulk" offered by LCD. To me the comparision doesn't make sense (unless I am missing something).

I really don't want to switch over the LCD monitors (although I have used them off and on), but given that there is no 30" CRT monitor and even if there was one it would be so heavy that my desk would probably break, I am kind of hesitantly switching over to 30" LCD and I can definitely use the extra space that is offered by 30" LCD.

I have a great CRT monitor with absolutely no gloss to reflect light, no angle viewing problems, and no sparkling due to some funny coating.

In any case, I just called up dell sales rep and they said that the 30" 3008 will be coming out during 1st week of December and if this is real, I don't mind waiting few weeks to let the reviews roll in and see what the Dell 3008 is all about before deciding what to buy, but as for now it's pretty clear from reading the reviews that Dell 3007 monitors lag in image quality with respect to other similar 30" monitors and this is not to mention that pretty much ALL of them lack in image quality when compared to a decent CRT monitor.

Things would have been much better if people tried to reduce the bulk of CRT monitors instead of adoping newer LCD technology which really doesn't cut the cake yet.

Albert,
Webmaster,
InterEC.NET | Job Search For Engineers
http://www.interec.net

gateway - expensive AND worth it - i paid $1850 incl/tax for mine, how is that overkill compared to a $2500 eizo

using a HD cable box w/HDMI connection for HD PIP tv viewing - no longer using my computer PCI video card - frees up a slot in my computer - and can watch tv in semi-transparent mode if needed to keep in background

as long as you were considering a 2500 dollar monitor, go with the one with max inputs - this is a 'years ahead' monitor - think in terms of what you'll probably want for connectivitiy 'years ahead' - cameras, HD/DVD and blu-ray boxes, etc

...and if you eventually get something else in the way of a new monitor years down the line, the gateway then becomes a 30" HDTV for use in a spare room, etc, w/full connectivity to home cable boxes, stereos, etc.

i hear about the new dell, but no specs w/$ cost - and the gateway is here and now...consider the gateway again, you won't regret it

I don't know much about that Eizo specifically but I consider Eizo's in general to be over-rated and not worth the cost. I would get the Dell S-IPS out of those (and I like NEC's best - and they make Eizos). Some people have issues with what they describe as wide gamut saturation depending on usage and tastes. Just looking at the 2 Dell 30's on this site in the "face to face" angle comparison shows a difference:

http://www.lesnumeriques.com/duels.php?ty=6&ma1=88&mo1=92&p1=946&ma2=88&mo2=178&p2=1765&ph=8

Yup, I looked at NEC too (NEC MultiSync LCD2690WUXi ) and they were mostly on the top of my list, but unfortuntely there is no NEC multisync 30".

What I need is a place where I can go and physically see these 30" monitors. My local Fry's, Best Buy, and Circuit City doesn't have anything bigger than 24". The dell kiosk at the mall didn't have a 30" also. As far as Dell is concerned, I like Dell computers, but all the reviews I have read so far basically rate image quality of dell as the lowest (Samsung 305T first, HP 30" second, and then Dell 30").

NEC 26" (http://www.necdisplay.com/Products/Product/?product=9bd245b5-7b0f-4f52-9ac3-37506ddc9775) looks nice although one good thing about 30" LCDs is that their pixel pitch is lower (0.25mm) as compared to 26" LCDs (0.28mm)

I've personally only seen 30 inch units at Apple stores...

Finding high end displays in brick and mortar stores is a problem.

(And some folks would certainly be willing to pay a bit pay more for an option to do an easy return or exchange in the case of bad pixels and such...)

interec said:

Yup, I looked at NEC too (NEC MultiSync LCD2690WUXi ) and they were mostly on the top of my list, but unfortuntely there is no NEC multisync 30".

What I need is a place where I can go and physically see these 30" monitors. My local Fry's, Best Buy, and Circuit City doesn't have anything bigger than 24". The dell kiosk at the mall didn't have a 30" also. As far as Dell is concerned, I like Dell computers, but all the reviews I have read so far basically rate image quality of dell as the lowest (Samsung 305T first, HP 30" second, and then Dell 30").

NEC 26" (http://www.necdisplay.com/Products/Product/?product=9bd245b5-7b0f-4f52-9ac3-37506ddc9775) looks nice although one good thing about 30" LCDs is that their pixel pitch is lower (0.25mm) as compared to 26" LCDs (0.28mm)

Click to expand...

The NEC looks really good and its H-IPS. I'd add this one too. Can buy it from egg or Amazon. They have pretty good return policy. I'd give it a shot.

http://www.planar.com/products/flatpanel_monitors/px_flatpanel/px2611w.cfm

I’m basically caught up in the same dilemma. I actually ordered a 3008WFP and there have been several delays in getting it delivered. At a $2000 price tag I’m considering canceling my order and going with the Gateway. Not meaning to hijack your thread Albert, but do any of you guys know if there is a direct comparison thread between the 3008WFP and the XDH3000?

No body has a 3008WFP to compare with.

I had a XHD3000 and I returned it to BestBuy the next day. The backlight was way too bright and you can not adjust it. If you check the XHD3000 thread you will see other issues with input lag. It is a 72% gamut S-PVA pannel.

When you get your 3008WFP tell us more about it, and how did you order it?

Thanks

Dave

BamaDave said:

I’m basically caught up in the same dilemma. I actually ordered a 3008WFP and there have been several delays in getting it delivered. At a $2000 price tag I’m considering canceling my order and going with the Gateway. Not meaning to hijack your thread Albert, but do any of you guys know if there is a direct comparison thread between the 3008WFP and the XDH3000?

Click to expand...

Not a problem BamaDave. It would be nice to see how 3008WFP works out if you decide to get the display.

Personally, I am in the "confusion" phase right now. I would have preferred to get a 30" NEC Multisync, but NEC doesn't have one, so I am somewhat leaning towards getting either the 24" (LCD2490WUXi) or 26" (LCD2690WUXi) NEC models, but not sure yet. I guess 24" is big enough too.

I myself just upgraded from a 19" Sony G400 (possibly the same as yours?) this week to an NEC 2490WUXi. Yes I paid a boatload for it but I am glad I made the switch.

I agree that 99% of LCDs are garbage (*hate* TN and most MVA panels) and I find it frustrating that some people brag about their uber overclocked and SLI'd rig, which they then plug into a crappy 22" TN. Just stupid. That said, a lot of pro photo and design work is being done on LCD, most notably the high end Eizo monitors. I work in film and I even see a lot of work being done on the higher end Dell monitors at top notch commercial and visual effects houses that do work for the national market. To say that all LCDs are inferior to CRTs is ridiculous. MOST are, but not all.

Do I wish CRTs were still being manufactured? Absolutely, I still think they provide better black levels than any display technology out there. My home theater has a 40" HDTV CRT. The damn thing weighs 300lbs and is no longer made anymore, but I won't be trading it for a plasma, LCD, or DLP anytime soon. My Sony computer CRT was bought in 2001 and while it was doing great, it obviously wasn't as tack sharp as the day I bought it, plus it runs slightly green now. I'm not happy that I had to drop $1200 to find a suitable replacement for it but I AM happy with the replacement. It is just too bad that great S-IPS monitors carry such a premium over the other panel types.

interec said:

I have always thought that CRT monitors have better image quality than any LCD monitor. I bought a top-of-the line 19" Sony CRT 7 years back and it is still doing great for me and beats any LCD monitor in terms of image quality and performance which is what the monitors are all about.

I am definitely no expert when it comes to monitors, but I find it surprising that market is willing to sacrifice on the quality and performance offered by CRT monitors for "style" and "low bulk" offered by LCD. To me the comparision doesn't make sense (unless I am missing something).

I really don't want to switch over the LCD monitors (although I have used them off and on), but given that there is no 30" CRT monitor and even if there was one it would be so heavy that my desk would probably break, I am kind of hesitantly switching over to 30" LCD and I can definitely use the extra space that is offered by 30" LCD.

I have a great CRT monitor with absolutely no gloss to reflect light, no angle viewing problems, and no sparkling due to some funny coating.

In any case, I just called up dell sales rep and they said that the 30" 3008 will be coming out during 1st week of December and if this is real, I don't mind waiting few weeks to let the reviews roll in and see what the Dell 3008 is all about before deciding what to buy, but as for now it's pretty clear from reading the reviews that Dell 3007 monitors lag in image quality with respect to other similar 30" monitors and this is not to mention that pretty much ALL of them lack in image quality when compared to a decent CRT monitor.

Things would have been much better if people tried to reduce the bulk of CRT monitors instead of adoping newer LCD technology which really doesn't cut the cake yet.

Albert,
Webmaster,
InterEC.NET | Job Search For Engineers
http://www.interec.net

Click to expand...

daveswantek said:

No body has a 3008WFP to compare with.

I had a XHD3000 and I returned it to BestBuy the next day. The backlight was way too bright and you can not adjust it. If you check the XHD3000 thread you will see other issues with input lag. It is a 72% gamut S-PVA pannel.

When you get your 3008WFP tell us more about it, and how did you order it?

Thanks

Dave

Click to expand...

I actually just read all 16 pages of that thread and my feelings were somewhat questionable to say the least. There are several options that the XHD3000 has over the 3008WFP and I’m not really a gamer. I want to interface my DirectTV HD TiVo to the monitor for my viewing and the Gateway monitor may do a better job.

I worked a contact through the parts department and they took my order. Initially the standard sales folks had no knowledge of when it would be available but I was just persistent and made contact with a with a senior CSR and that’s when I got the ball rolling. They took the order and sense there has been two delivery date extensions. The last time they pushed the delivery they basically asked for confirmation if I want a refund, thus my questions about alternatives.

interec said:

Not a problem BamaDave. It would be nice to see how 3008WFP works out if you decide to get the display.

Personally, I am in the "confusion" phase right now. I would have preferred to get a 30" NEC Multisync, but NEC doesn't have one, so I am somewhat leaning towards getting either the 24" (LCD2490WUXi) or 26" (LCD2690WUXi) NEC models, but not sure yet. I guess 24" is big enough too.

Click to expand...

My experiences with ordering monitors will lead to believe that time delays are typical. I have been running multiple monitors for years and I just want to give a 30” a shot. I do know how you feel as I have spent hours reading and I’m still somewhat confused at to which to purchase.

Good luck!

David

If you can hold out a little longer, NEC is making a 90 series 30 incher. I don't know how soon, but Travbomb said release date around Q4 2007/ Q1 2008. But he said that maybe 6 months ago so I don't know how the production is coming along.

SignalPST said:

If you can hold out a little longer, NEC is making a 90 series 30 incher. I don't know how soon, but Travbomb said release date around Q4 2007/ Q1 2008. But he said that maybe 6 months ago so I don't know how the production is coming along.

Click to expand...

Yes I think I can wait for 2-3 months for NEC 30". But found this while browsing the web:

http://www.i4u.com/article8480.html

Hmm, seems like CRTs are coming back! although in much better shape, form, and price. Now if all the LCD/TV manufacturers would have invested their research dollars on the right thing in the first place, we wouldn't have to deal with all the LCD crap. We would have just gone from bulky CRTs to thin and low weight CRTs without sacrificing image quality. But 2009 seems like a bit too long to wait, and it will probably take a year or so to work out the issues, so I guess LCD will have to do until then. But I definitely ain't buying any large screen TVs at least until Sony FED is out and well tried. (No big fan of LCD here )

interec said:

Planning to buy a 30" LCD monitor and have narrowed down the choices to the following:

Samsung 305T
* probably second best image quality after EIZO.

Dell 3007
* image quality not as good as EIZO or HP or Samsung 30" monitors.

Click to expand...

I think you have this completely backwards. The Dell has an IPS screen (best kind) and has wide color gamut (92%). The Samsung has a PVA screen with lower color gamut (72%) not to mention probably has other Samsung infamous traits of Lag, overdrive ghosting and angular tone shifting.

The dell is probably the best bet image quality bang/buck.

Snowdog said:

I think you have this completely backwards. The Dell has an IPS screen (best kind) and has wide color gamut (92%). The Samsung has a PVA screen with lower color gamut (72%) not to mention probably has other Samsung infamous traits of Lag, overdrive ghosting and angular tone shifting.

The dell is probably the best bet image quality bang/buck.

Click to expand...

The price difference between these $1000 something monitors is just couple of hundred of dollars (excluding the EIZO 30" which is $1000 extra and not sure what EIZO is offering for an extra $1000).

Dell 3007 does have an IPS screen, but if their image quality is lagging behind Samsung 305T (as per the reviews), so as far as I can tell Dell screwed something up to make the IPS panel image quality lag behind both the Samsung 305T and HP LP3065. But the list is based on reviews that are available on the net (see URL below). There were other reviews as well which basically said the same thing.

Dell 3007WFP-HC: http://www.trustedreviews.com/displays/review/2007/07/18/Dell-UltraSharp-3007WFP-HC-30in-Monitor/p1

Samsung 305T:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/displays/review/2007/05/23/Samsung-SyncMaster-305T-30in-Monitor/p1

HP LP 3065:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/displays/review/2007/07/26/HP-LP3065-30in-LCD-Monitor/p1


I spend a lot of time in front of a monitor and really do need one with an excellent image quality. I think I am narrowing down on either the 24" NEC (LCD2490WUXi) or the future 30" NEC (hopefully it will come out soon). But it would be interesting to see Dell 3008WFP also once the reviews start coming in.

I have provided a short review under the main Gateway XHD3000 thread here: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1222863&page=16

I would definitely consider the Gateway XHD3000 if you are in search of a quality LCD.

sorry, you narrowed the field down? which ones did you exclude?

seriously just get one, get one from a place that has a good return / satisfaction guarantee. that usually means you will pay extra, instead of rock bottom price.

don't wait, if you want and need it, get it now. upgrade later. there is always something better around the corner. that just means the gear is getting better.

i have a dell 3007hc and am very happy with it. great price performance (relatively with 30 inch monitors),

interec said:

I spend a lot of time in front of a monitor and really do need one with an excellent image quality. I think I am narrowing down on either the 24" NEC (LCD2490WUXi) or the future 30" NEC (hopefully it will come out soon). But it would be interesting to see Dell 3008WFP also once the reviews start coming in.

Click to expand...

Here is a review with some substance:

http://www.behardware.com/articles/661-4/the-new-30-inch-monitors-dell-and-samsung.html
Main drawback of the Dell seems to be a crappy default profile. Once properly profiled it pulls ahead.

I would agree the 24" NEC (LCD2490WUXi) is a great choice.

Is Eizo a real brand name? That is, a brand name w/ real R&D? Because who on earth is Eizo?

Also, for double the price, I can give you 5 yr. warranty too. You know what is the price of these monitor in 5 yr.?

I personally go w/ the Samsung MVA, I'm ordering 2 for myself this christmas

samsung isn't MVA but PVA.
Eizo doesn't make panels but they seem to have a special deal with samsung to handpick them.
What sets Eizos apart from other LCDs is the extra electronics LUT, brightness sensors, Gamma correction ect. and a specialized way of mounting the backlight.
So for consumer displays they are pretty much the same as NEC when it comes to features. Only PVA instead of IPS based.

Benny said:

Eizo doesn't make panels but they seem to have a special deal with samsung to handpick them.

Click to expand...

But they used to make great CRTs. I suppose they did manufacture the cathode-ray tubes themselves (Eizo-Nanao)?

The Nano CRTs where Mitsubishi I know because I had one before I bought the mighty Sony GDM-F520.

Dave

delete: wrong location.