Dell U3014 unusable for motion?

Is there anything wrong with the ZR2740W? Why would anyone get the 27xi over the ZR2740W?

I don't get why the ZR2740W is being so unrepresented, being cheap, having no backlight flicker and such low input lag... Where's the ZR2740W thread? There must be something wrong with it.

I brought up the 27xi because HP didn't pull an Acer and leave the overdrive like Acer did on the S275HL which is essentially an S2740L with a different chasis and normal glossy coating.

The ZR2740W is not popular because the original version had the typical grainy IPS coating and it lacks an OSD. The Viewsonic VP2770 has lower input lag and less ghosting than the HP.
 
Got my 3014 yesterday, previously had a 3008.

I've crossposted this on Dell forums, but if any of the 3014 owners could try these Black level benchmarks and compare with my results, i'd appreciate it - i don't know whether my unit is faulty, or whether this monitor just isn't for me.

on this test image -
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/962/calibration.gif
no permutation of brightness, contrast, ambient light or colour profile can let me see any difference at all between A, B, C, D and E.

likewise, on this test image -
http://blog.bigsmoke.us/uploads/2009/01/monitor-calibrate.png
i can not see anything other than all-black on the 1% through 11%, the whole screen is a wall of identical black except for the colour bands, regardless of brightness, contrast, ambient light or colour profile. the top colour test, it's all completely black for a solid 2cm to the right of the aqua line where the coloured bars are supposed to become visible.

http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/Calibration/monitor_black.htm

this test says a good monitor can start telling the difference straight away, and an average monitor will kick in at step 5 to 8.

mine is completely black until step 18, which then is completely visible (and then gets brighter at each stage until the end at step 23).

the result is identical if i am in a completely dark room, whether my contrast is high or low, whether my brightness is high or low.

And this test page, the only reason i can tell there are supposed to be boxes at all is because of the red numbers:
http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/black.php#blacktest.png

if not a faulty unit, what settings other than brightness and contrast should i be changing? or is this just what Dell's $1500 monitor does?

(the only device I can check myself at the moment, is my crappy little circa 2008 asus eeepc netbook - which happily starts being visible in the drycreekphoto benchmark at step 7, with more noticeable differences between steps beginning at step 14).
 
Thanks xyzzs. May I ask what your brightness and contrast are set to, and whether you have done much in the way of adjustments to other settings? Sounding like mine is faulty, which is a relief.
 
No it doesn't, it has significantly more.

http://www.prad.de/new/monitore/test/2013/test-viewsonic-vp2770-led-teil11.html#Reaktionsverhalten

7.2 ms signal delay+5.2 ms pixel response times=12.4 ms total. The Advanced setting is essentially the same (it might be 1-2ms slower) as Ultra but does not overshoot.

http://www.prad.de/new/monitore/test/2013/test-viewsonic-vp2770-led-teil11.html#Reaktionsverhalten

4.8 ms signal delay+12.2 ms pixel response average=17 ms

2.4ms signal delay difference=not discernible
 
Brightness - 25
Contrast - 50
Color Temp - 7500k

Everything else is default.
 
False alarm on the poor black level performance - was a driver issue - AMD/ATI drivers were defaulting to a large negative on the software brightness (no idea why).

Still had to replace the first one because of 2x bright pixels. The replacement today, however, has a dark pixel then a smudge of several (not sure how many) other dark pixels in close proximity to each other (or some kind of flaw - hard to pick out what's going on, it doesn't look particularly pixelated, but it's definitely under the glass. sigh, fingers crossed for round 3.
 
Anyone know of a good way to software calibrate this without needing to spend +200$?
 
I bought this monitor just a couple of hours ago. RTC overshoot does exist and very visible -at least on my unit- when scrolling black text over grey background. It is very annoying. I haven't seen it on other color combinations yet.
 
I bought this monitor just a couple of hours ago. RTC overshoot does exist and very visible -at least on my unit- when scrolling black text over grey background. It is very annoying. I haven't seen it on other color combinations yet.

Registered just to respond to you. I ordered one from Dell and got it in yesterday, same issues you are having. They sent me an A01 revision, wouldn't you think that they would be sending out the A02 updated model? I got a replacement coming from them but if they send the same crap I'm asking for a refund.

Are you getting a replacement? Or did you decide on a different monitor?
 
Lol...someone start a kickstarter and make their own 30" monitor (you can still license a panel from a manufacturer).
 
Just got my replacement in, and declined receipt of it (FedEx delivery). Not only did they send me another A01, they sent me a refurb. I'm under the impression that within 20 something odd days, you are supposed to get a new replacement, not a refurb.

Anyhow, returning this for a refund and hoping someone may have an idea on what might be a good alternative.
 
Just got my replacement in, and declined receipt of it (FedEx delivery). Not only did they send me another A01, they sent me a refurb. I'm under the impression that within 20 something odd days, you are supposed to get a new replacement, not a refurb.

Anyhow, returning this for a refund and hoping someone may have an idea on what might be a good alternative.

I guess it depends what your intended uses are and what features/problems are most important to you.

I'm personally going to wait for the Asus 39" 4K....if its below $1000 and has the typical contrast/blacks of MVA panels, I'll buy it.
 
I guess it depends what your intended uses are and what features/problems are most important to you.

I'm personally going to wait for the Asus 39" 4K....if its below $1000 and has the typical contrast/blacks of MVA panels, I'll buy it.

Primarily gaming and general home/business use. I'd rather not go over 30" though, haha. I am eyeing either the 27" or 30" NEC.

Also for others that may end up having the same issue as me. I'm on the phone with them now and they offered me another new replacement but apparently they would only send the A01 model since the monitor I am sending them back has a serial number which is associated with the A01 versions. They wouldn't be able to send me the A02 even though it's the same model number due to the serial number. Bummer, I really wanted to like this thing.
 
Anyhow, returning this for a refund and hoping someone may have an idea on what might be a good alternative.

There's a DGM coming out that uses the same GB-LED panel as the Dell but early reviews are very bad so far - almost the same price as the Dell, plus inferior in both 664:1 contrast ratio and stand quality. :(

The only other 30" alternative are older CCFL panels such as the Achieva which are far worse on paper but being 2/3rds the price of the Dell it might be tempting.
 
There's a DGM coming out that uses the same GB-LED panel as the Dell but early reviews are very bad so far - almost the same price as the Dell, plus inferior in both 664:1 contrast ratio and stand quality. :(

The only other 30" alternative are older CCFL panels such as the Achieva which are far worse on paper but being 2/3rds the price of the Dell it might be tempting.

Honestly I'd probably be ok with a 27" as well. I'm on an old 23" Asus non-IPS. I think I saw some people going with some other monitor that the model number started with VZ or something like that, I'll have to check.
 
Just get a 27" 2560x1440 monitor. 30" monitors have always been overpriced and not meant for anything but work which is why they all use wide gamut panels. 30"= Beats By Dre of Monitors.
 
Honestly I'd probably be ok with a 27" as well. I'm on an old 23" Asus non-IPS. I think I saw some people going with some other monitor that the model number started with VZ or something like that, I'll have to check.

Of the 27" panels I tried, I liked the Viewsonic VP2770 the most. See NCX's review for details, but basically it has the least problems amongst the IPS/PLS 27" monitors while having good contrast and low input lag (for an IPS).

If you live in the US/canada/UK I suggest ordering it through Amazon because of their generous replacement/return policy. I ended up returning mine because of light bleed (though it has the least light bleed of the 27" monitors in its class) -- that's one issue thats unacceptable for me in a monitor since I use it often for movies/games.
 
Just get a 27" 2560x1440 monitor. 30" monitors have always been overpriced and not meant for anything but work which is why they all use wide gamut panels. 30"= Beats By Dre of Monitors.

I'm going to go check out your review of the Viewsonic VP2770 like kabobi suggested. Would you recommend that monitor over the others you have reviewed?

Thanks a lot for the input btw.

edit- nice review on the VP2770. Subscribed to your channel. I'll pull the trigger on it if you think that would be my best bet.

edit2- The link in your description in the video that is supposed to be for your settings is broken. I'd like to know what method of connecting you used and anything else pertinent.
 
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Of the 27" panels I tried, I liked the Viewsonic VP2770 the most. See NCX's review for details, but basically it has the least problems amongst the IPS/PLS 27" monitors while having good contrast and low input lag (for an IPS).

If you live in the US/canada/UK I suggest ordering it through Amazon because of their generous replacement/return policy. I ended up returning mine because of light bleed (though it has the least light bleed of the 27" monitors in its class) -- that's one issue thats unacceptable for me in a monitor since I use it often for movies/games.

I order pretty much everything from Amazon, haha. Going to check out his review now, thanks!

edit- ordered :)
 
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Registered just to respond to you. I ordered one from Dell and got it in yesterday, same issues you are having. They sent me an A01 revision, wouldn't you think that they would be sending out the A02 updated model? I got a replacement coming from them but if they send the same crap I'm asking for a refund.

Are you getting a replacement? Or did you decide on a different monitor?

Sorry for the delay in replying.

Actually it's funny, I registered just to warn people not to buy this thing. Not that people didn't warn others but there are some positive or neutral reviews out there. Had to counter them :) Like you, I really, really tried to like this monitor but... I just can't. It's that bad.

Re getting a replacement. Initially I wanted to try my luck; some posters (however being rare) reported that their units don't have those horizontal lines but there are many issues with this crap, h-lines is just one of them. I find the RTC overshoot very annoying for example. Here is the entire list: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1039977385&highlight=#post1039977385

I'm gonna return this and I think I'll go for a 27" 2560x1440 this time. Need to look for reviews for what to buy.
 
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I guess it depends what your intended uses are and what features/problems are most important to you.

I'm personally going to wait for the Asus 39" 4K....if its below $1000 and has the typical contrast/blacks of MVA panels, I'll buy it.

Well, we can dream, right? :)
 
Sorry for the delay in replying.

Actually it's funny, I registered just to warn people not to buy this thing. Not that people didn't warn others but there are some positive or neutral reviews out there. Had to counter them :) Like you, I really, really tried to like this monitor but... I just can't. It's that bad.

Re getting a replacement. Initially I wanted to try my luck; some posters (however being rare) reported that their units don't have those horizontal lines but there are many issues with this crap, h-lines is just one of them. I find the RTC overshoot very annoying for example. Here is the entire list: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1039977385&highlight=#post1039977385

I'm gonna return this and I think I'll go for a 27" 2560x1440 this time. Need to look for reviews for what to buy.

If you don't particularly care for wide gamut, for a 27" 1440p try the Viewsonic VP2770. Between that and the U2713HM that I tried, I liked the Viewsonic a lot more principally because of the less significant (almost none) light bleed and absence of cross hatching. I personally also preferred the stand of the Viewsonic.

If you can, order it from Amazon. One of the Viewsonic I got had 2 dead pixels, which I sent back. I should tell you though that I ended returning mine because of the (minimal) light bleed it had. I just can't stand it for the price I'm paying.
 
After reading the reviews, I decided to go with Viewsonic VP2770.

Thank you for the suggestion, kabobi.
 
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I just bought three U3014s, figuring that I would probably get scan lines, but if they were a significant problem I could swap them for A03s. Didn't want to miss them on sale for $1k.

I was surprised at the degree of IPS glow around the corners on dark backgrounds, but I got used to that almost immediately and don't see it as a problem. I can indeed also see the horizontal scan lines mentioned by others in the lower-left. They're most obvious on images with gradients; faces show them pretty clearly. They are subtle; I may not have even noticed them if I hadn't read about them beforehand, although I think I eventually would have. I don't see them at all most of the time, but they have jumped out at me on a couple occasions so far. (Had the monitors about 3 days now.) Anyway, no big deal, can warranty replace if they continue to bother me.

What IS a huge problem and has me seriously considering returning all three monitors is the RTC overshoot. I use F.lux (www.justgetflux.com), which warms the overall color tone of the screen at night. It's supposed to help with sleep cycles, and seems to work (the current time of 3am notwithstanding). However, it also sets up the worst possible conditions for overshoot afterimages: black text on a very light but non-white background. Your eyes adjust to the filter, so the background ends up looking white. But then you scroll, and on these monitors, you get what look like fairly bright green, glowing trails behind the text. (The overdriven pixels are actually just whiter than the background, but look green since you've adjusted to the reddish tint.) Anyway, it's distracting and hard on the eyes. Didn't get anything remotely like this on previous monitors.

In the daytime with the filter off, I rarely notice the issue, because usually backgrounds are white. The overshoot won't show up on white, and even on light grey it's not too noticeable. On the warm-colored backgrounds I use all evening though, it's terrible. :(

What I'm trying to decide now is whether to return all three monitors and get U2713HMs, or to just return the center one and replace it with an NEC PA302W-BK. I don't do a lot of scrolling on the side screens, so I imagine I can live with the U3014s there. (Annoying though it is to have to tolerate a thousand dollar monitor.) But this setup is already pricy. Replacing the center one with the NEC is really getting up there. (Three PA302Ws would be ridiculous.) The 27s would definitely be the more cost-effective option, but I haven't seen them in person, so don't know how I feel about it. FWP :p
 
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What IS a huge problem and has me seriously considering returning all three monitors is the RTC overshoot. I use F.lux (www.justgetflux.com), which warms the overall color tone of the screen at night. It's supposed to help with sleep cycles, and seems to work (the current time of 3am notwithstanding). However, it also sets up the worst possible conditions for overshoot afterimages: black text on a very light but non-white background. Your eyes adjust to the filter, so the background ends up looking white. But then you scroll, and on these monitors, you get what look like fairly bright green, glowing trails behind the text. (The overdriven pixels are actually just whiter than the background, but look green since you've adjusted to the reddish tint.) Anyway, it's distracting and hard on the eyes. Didn't get anything remotely like this on previous monitors.

Is this still an issue with the U3014? I got a RevA03 built in Sep. 2013 from a Dell RMA. I notice serious ghosting with vertical scrolling when there is black text over a light grey background. There is a very clear trail of white text. Is there a newer revision of the U3014 that addresses this issue?
 
Why would Dell fix what they don't consider to be an issue? Check the Dell forums (Google 3014 overshoot ghosting), a Dell rep confirmed that they would never fix the xx13/14's overshoot multiple times over a span of a few months last year, despite the growing number of complaints. Return it and get a good monitor...plenty of vastly superior 27" 1440p monitors are available for a 3rd of the price. If you want to insult yourself again the HP Z30i doesn't suffer from overshoot ghosting (the Lenovo and Korean LED back-lit 30" are the same as the 3014) but has terrible color presets.

Best 1440p Monitor List.
 
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There's a new rev a04 out. They've fixed most of the previous issues, but the backlight bleeding is still there.
 
There's a new rev a04 out. They've fixed most of the previous issues, but the backlight bleeding is still there.
Thanks for the heads up. By chance, do you have a link to an A04 discussion, aside from the single post on the Dell forums?
 
Thanks for the heads up. By chance, do you have a link to an A04 discussion, aside from the single post on the Dell forums?

I'm basing this on the monitor I received. The bottom left and right have severe backlight bleeding. The top corners are fine.

I did see one of the Dell techs say on their forum that backlight bleeding isn't a concern for them because as long as the center 2" of the monitor is accurate, it meets their specs. Pretty cavalier attitude for them to take considering this is supposed to be their highest quality / premium monitor.

I have a few days left until I return this. If you have any questions regarding this rev, I can help with that.
 
Hi guys. Found this thread after searching for info on the U3014. Mine is a Rev AO4, manufactured in May 2014 (according to the label on the box). I got mine on Friday as a warranty replacement for a three year old U3011. I'm pretty sure it's brand new, even though the guy on the phone said I'd be getting a refurb.

The ghosting/overshoot is very bad on mine and in gaming mode the brightness will dim by itself after a couple of minutes. I've messed with a lot of settings via the monitor's OSD but it either makes things worse or does nothing at all. I see no appreciable difference between the Standard and Game mode/pre-sets.

Here's a video in Game mode. Watch the clouds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoN-QDc6HIE&feature=youtu.be

I have no idea if my unit is faulty or this is typical of all U3014s. I was pretty stoked to have received this but now I'm not so happy.
 
The ghosting/overshoot is very bad on mine and in gaming mode the brightness will dim by itself after a couple of minutes. I've messed with a lot of settings via the monitor's OSD but it either makes things worse or does nothing at all. I see no appreciable difference between the Standard and Game mode/pre-sets.
.

Which preset mode are you in?
In Game mode, the Dynamic Contrast setting is turned On by default. Maybe that's the reason you noticed the brightness will dim by itself depends on what is being displayed.
If possible, go to Menu --> Display Settngs --> turned off Dynamic Contrast and Smart Video Enhance.
Overshoot is pretty obvious on certain website depends on the background and text color. Otherwise it is acceptable for me as I don't game on this.
 
I'm in game mode. I can turn off Dynamic Contrast and have done so previously, made no difference. The Smart Video Enhance is greyed out and not configurable. I guess they must have disabled that in Rev.A04.

What they should have done is provide an option to turn off the Overdrive function as that is what is causing the severe reverse-ghosting.
 
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