Dell U3011 coming soon.

Got my monitor ... ordered it on Monday and the projected delivery date was Friday. Definitely dwarfs my 22" 2209wa.

Got a rev 03/July model - no bad pixels or obvious tint issues. Was concerned about text size with the smaller dot pitch since a lot of people seem to have better eyes than I do, and though slightly smaller it's not enough for me to up my DPI. Smaller pitch in the 27" would have probably been too much.

Loaded up Borderlands and Vindictus (source-engined game) and my 6950 oc still lets me play on max settings. Seems more immersive since you have screen in most of your peripheral vision. The gui doesn't scale in the source game so the tiny life bar/mini map in the upper left and right corners kinda disappears unless you actually look up it.

Overall very happy with my purchase and that it came with no defects to mess around with ... will hopefully last me quite a few PCs, I know I'll be paying for it for a while :)
 
Post a picture of the 22 next to the 30 please :D

How does gaming feel on it?
 
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Here you go ... a landscape and portrait. Games feel more immersive with the big screen, and I think look better with the finer dot pitch, ie could get away with less AA. Still can use maxed settings, but I'm not playing the most cutting edge games.

dscf1129a.jpg


dscf1126u.jpg
 
Man you guys with your pretty pictures are making my urge to buy one even worse. :D

Is there anything we know of coming in the nearish future in the 30" bracket to compete with the U3011/ZR30W or should I just keep a look out for deals on one of them? I don't NEED a new monitor as my 24" has suited me well but man the urge to upgrade to one of these beasts is strong.
 
It doesn't look that much bigger. I wish they sold like 42" IPS 2560x1440 displays. Dot pitch has never bothered me. Aliasing never really bothered me either, not usually.

I think I'll still get it. I have a 25" monitor now, and maybe it will seem bigger in person. I'm hoping for the Wow factor.
 
wiploc said:
Man you guys with your pretty pictures are making my urge to buy one even worse. :D

Is there anything we know of coming in the nearish future in the 30" bracket to compete with the U3011/ZR30W or should I just keep a look out for deals on one of them? I don't NEED a new monitor as my 24" has suited me well but man the urge to upgrade to one of these beasts is strong.
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There's always the PA301W-BK-SV.
 
wiploc said:
Man you guys with your pretty pictures are making my urge to buy one even worse. :D

Is there anything we know of coming in the nearish future in the 30" bracket to compete with the U3011/ZR30W or should I just keep a look out for deals on one of them? I don't NEED a new monitor as my 24" has suited me well but man the urge to upgrade to one of these beasts is strong.
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if you aren't dying, then I would just wait for a good deal on the U3011 or ZR30W

and I am not aware of any newer models at the moment....I don't think they will be coming out any time soon because the U3011 just barely turned 1 year old...or next month will be 1 year old
 
Crest said:
It doesn't look that much bigger. I wish they sold like 42" IPS 2560x1440 displays. Dot pitch has never bothered me. Aliasing never really bothered me either, not usually.

I think I'll still get it. I have a 25" monitor now, and maybe it will seem bigger in person. I'm hoping for the Wow factor.
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I'm not sure the picture does it justice on how much bigger it is ... and the resolution - 1.7mp vs 4.1mp, over double the pixels of my old screen. I am coming from 22" though so a smaller step up for you.
 
I got the Dell U3011 and had a few days to play around with it.

Pros:
-no dead pixels and overall gorgeous screen

Cons:
-The AG coating is caked on big time. All the new ultrasharps seem to have an unusual amount of grainy/sparkly sheen over their screens, more than the typical IPS monitor.
-Plastic bezel looks kind of cheap
-Side bezel buttons are annoying because they make a beep every time you click it.

If Dell could have just stuck to what works (normal buttons) and less AG coating, this would have been perfect.
 
caldera said:
I got the Dell U3011 and had a few days to play around with it.

Pros:
-no dead pixels and overall gorgeous screen

Cons:
-The AG coating is caked on big time. All the new ultrasharps seem to have an unusual amount of grainy/sparkly sheen over their screens, more than the typical IPS monitor.
-Plastic bezel looks kind of cheap
-Side bezel buttons are annoying because they make a beep every time you click it.

If Dell could have just stuck to what works (normal buttons) and less AG coating, this would have been perfect.
Click to expand...

You can turn off the beeps in the OSD menu.
 
Jason Novak said:
I'm not sure the picture does it justice on how much bigger it is ... and the resolution - 1.7mp vs 4.1mp, over double the pixels of my old screen. I am coming from 22" though so a smaller step up for you.
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Agreed. I upgraded to a 30" from a 24" three years ago, and I felt the difference was substantial. Consider that his picture is taken back away from the monitors like you'd view a TV; even the Sears tower looks underwhelming from enough distance. However, realistically you are sitting 2.5-3.5' from the screen and its presence is much more dramatic. This is to say nothing of the difference in pixel count, which again, is substantial.
 
Anyone ever had a problem with one of these flashing on and off or refusing to come back from standby? I think it's my video card, since sometimes when it does this I notice artifacts in 3D accelerated applications, but I haven't been able to reproduce this on my TV so far. On the other hand, my TV's resolution is much smaller (only 1080p) and it could simply be more tolerant to corruption in the signal.

EDIT: Okay, it's definitely the monitor - just swapped out my 480 for a lowly 9600GSO and it's still doing it :-(

EDIT 2: I took a video that captured some artifacts, and it flashing on and off while trying to play a YouTube video fullscreen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM2tZwnV8Bw

The second video (the one where it flashes on and off) is the Black Ops trailer from the [H] front page. It has some sharp cuts to black but nothing like what I see on my monitor.
 
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New $250 off coupon i found on dell's site: SZ3HF00B6$7LM6 So it comes to $1250. Not sure If I should buy or keep waiting...


How important is dell small business? Is it really that different of support? Is saving 250 worth it if the support is bad?
 
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Crest said:
New $250 off coupon i found on dell's site: SZ3HF00B6$7LM6 So it comes to $1250. Not sure If I should buy or keep waiting...


How important is dell small business? Is it really that different of support? Is saving 250 worth it if the support is bad?
Click to expand...

I would say wait for another deal. $1250 before tax is nothing to write home about if you ask me....You can definitely get deals around the $1120-ish range before tax
 
But do we have any idea when we might see another deal? all codes I've found are dead.
 
I think my A02 U3011 bites the dust...well not really completely dead...but it has a stuck pixel...I thought it was a dust particle so I tried to wipe it down but it seems to be still there....

Is there anything I can do before I have to call in for warranty? I tried loading up Jscreen fix but they want you to pay to use their app :(
 
Crest said:
But do we have any idea when we might see another deal? all codes I've found are dead.
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Dell holds sales quite often...if you are really dying for one, then go ahead and pick one up....but if you can hold off, then wait till another sale goes on

ask anybody in this thread, they will say $1250 before tax is pretty much standard price...if you get it for $1250 with tax and shipped, thats actually a better deal, and around what you should be shooting for
 
It's 1250 with free shipping, don't know about tax. But I'll try to wait. Perhaps until I get paid in a couple days and check it out.
 
Crest said:
It's 1250 with free shipping, don't know about tax. But I'll try to wait. Perhaps until I get paid in a couple days and check it out.
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I'm pretty positive there is tax involved. Dell doesn't tell you theres tax until you punch in your zip code.
 
i went from a 2405fpw to a VE278Q and noticed an extreme improvement in input lag. The ghosting on the VE278Q was basically unnoticeable.

I hate 16:9 so I got a u3011 and while yes there is some input lag, it's not much worse than the VE278Q.

my brother has a 3008 and I have to say that the metal bezel is something I really wish this monitor had. Also they did quite an accurate job calibrating the monitor at the factory
 
Just got my U3011 at 1099. They discounted me an extra $25 for taking 3 days to return my phone call. Yes, this is DELL I'm talking about, believe it or not.
 
Heinrich711 said:
Just got my U3011 at 1099. They discounted me an extra $25 for taking 3 days to return my phone call. Yes, this is DELL I'm talking about, believe it or not.
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Damn, I need to stop being paranoid about talking to people.
 
Dell is running a $200 of instant rebate thingy right now. Still waiting on a 25% off coupon. Fingers crossed.
 
So I had to exchange my original U3011 since the bezel was made a little off and was funny looking. Now I am on my replacement U3011. This unit is perfect until I realized today that the heat coming from it has a weird smell to it. Anyone experience this?
 
Plastic heating up. Nothing unsusal, unless if it persists after about 20 hours of continuous use (pulled that figure out of thin air - I just know if it doesn't go away after about two days of use, then something is still burning).
 
well i know when I first started using mine, it gave off a slight plastic smell....but now I am just use to it or its barely there...it shouldn't be a problem really...unless it is very strong

give it a few more days to break in...was the replacement brand new or refurbbed?
 
dukenuke88 said:
well i know when I first started using mine, it gave off a slight plastic smell....but now I am just use to it or its barely there...it shouldn't be a problem really...unless it is very strong

give it a few more days to break in...was the replacement brand new or refurbbed?
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My replacement was brand new. First day the smell was really strong but it has been almost a week and smell is about 70% of the first day
 
I know I keep posting about deals on this monitor, but I keep wanting to get it for under 1200 before I hit the trigger. Slickdeals.net posted a coupon code for 15% off all monitors at dell for small business.
ZXP20F740G$W11

But when I plug it in, it says I don't meet the requirements. The coupon does say it can't be combined with any other discount, which i guess means the automatic 200 off that dell is doing right now.

Screeny: http://puu.sh/54LX

I was excited to order and get it this coming week, but looks I'll still be waiting.
 
Hello, been reading this thread for a few days now, finally got time to post.

I just got a u3011 here in Canada a couple days ago. Rev A03, made July 2011 in Mexico. Got it for $1199cad with free shipping. It replaced a 32" LG TV. It was a downgrade in size but 1080p was starting to lose its appeal. I mostly will be using it for games and web browsing, I don't do anything that requires 100% accurate colours or anything.

Anyways, I'm having a few issues with it, which is disconcerting considering the price.

1) My first problem I think is more an issue with my eyes. Text is way too small, but I was expecting that because of the res. I have Windows set to 125% and my browser is zoomed in to make text bigger, but doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose? Maybe my expectations are out of place.

2) This one also might be my eyes, but text isn't very crisp. It's readable but sometimes depending on what I'm trying to read it can be a little difficult. Would switching to displayport help with that at all or is dual-link DVI comparable?

3) The brightness. From reading up on this monitor I knew it was bright, I was expecting that. But it seems that when I turn the brightness down enough to make Windows Explorer and lighter websites usable I have issues with some darker websites becoming dark to read comfortably. This forum seems to be ok mostly, but the Star Wars Old Republic site for example is extremely dark (blue text on a blue background...).

4) I've mostly been using CC because if I switch to sRGB or AdobeRGB everything has a greenish colouring, and no matter what I try I can't really get an exceptable balance, especially on flesh tones. This is my first IPS so maybe that's just how they are, and I don't have access to any calibration hardware, but so far I'm not impressed with the colour.

5) Speaking of colour, I think this final issue might require an RMA. When I was trying to adjust the colours, reds specifically, the left and right halves of the display become different shades. I took a few pics, hopefully they will explain it better then I can.

Red Hue set to 50
http://nightrunnersguild.com/SAM_1032.JPG

Red Hue set to 65
http://nightrunnersguild.com/SAM_1033.JPG

Obviously I don't plan on running at 65, but even at 51 the split is noticeable. I just set it to 65 to make the issue clearer.


At this point I think it has to be replaced anyways, but I'm contemplating just returning it, it might not be the right monitor for me. I might try a smaller 1920x1200, but having used a 32" previously I'm not looking forward to giving up more size then I already have, especially for only an extra 120 pixels in height.
 
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I have a new U3011 rev A03 also. I do notice some difference in color on the different halves. But I only notice it while testing. I have a bit of light bleeding in the lower right corner. A gain, only when I look for it. I worry about getting to RMA hell. Monitor A has issues 1, 2, 3 - monitor B has issues 4, 5 which are worse than 1, 2, 3.

I would say if you don't see it during normal use and it looks great, you may not want to go into a RMA cycle and wind up never getting a perfect monitor anyways.
 
Asgorath78 said:
.....

Red Hue set to 50
http://nightrunnersguild.com/SAM_1032.JPG

Red Hue set to 65
http://nightrunnersguild.com/SAM_1033.JPG

Obviously I don't plan on running at 65, but even at 51 the split is noticeable. I just set it to 65 to make the issue clearer.


At this point I think it has to be replaced anyways, but I'm contemplating just returning it, it might not be the right monitor for me. I might try a smaller 1920x1200, but having used a 32" previously I'm not looking forward to giving up more size then I already have, especially for only an extra 120 pixels in height.
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That second picture shows an electronics issue for sure. At the very least RMA this unit, and possibly going to something else. The PPI on a 30" and the new 16:9 27" is definitely something to get accustomed to, especially from a 32" TV.

Since you're accustomed to 1080p as well, maybe a 27" 1080p screen would work for you?
 
Hi Asgorath78, in regards to your questions:

1. Small Text - The U3011 has a much higher resolution than a comparable 1080p display, so naturally text will appear smaller unless it's scaled to fit your monitor. Some people prefer the smaller text for more content packed into the same space. Other people prefer larger but smoother looking fonts, which you get with 125%+ font scaling. Unfortunately not all programs scale fonts properly, leaving them too small.

2. Crisp Text - DisplayPort will look identical to Dual-link DVI.

3. Brightness - I have mine set to 0-5% brightness most of the time, since it's uncomfortably bright otherwise. What settings are you using? I know you mentioned custom color...

4. Greenish sRGB/Adobe RGB - sRGB should give you the most natural look in all programs, assuming you haven't done any calibration... have you enabled any color profiles in Windows, and/or your video card? If you're getting a green tinge then either your video card is sending out a funky color scheme or the monitor is malfunctioning. For example, I have a Radeon and in the drivers I can check "enable EDID for display," which tries to compensate for wide gamut. It only looks right if the monitor is in Standard or Custom mode though.

5. Uh... what's going on with that pic you're using? It looks like there's a thumbnail of the image under the transparent Aero Glass, in the bottom left corner... and the thumbnail has the split colors in it also.
 
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