Way too much unless you're willing to play on low settings. But if you've got really old games, then I guess you should be ok. You have at least 1gb of memory on that gtx 8800 right?
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HP ZR30w
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Way too much unless you're willing to play on low settings. But if you've got really old games, then I guess you should be ok. You have at least 1gb of memory on that gtx 8800 right?
Sir Stealth
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I don't mind playing on lower settings until I upgrade, so I guess I'll purchase this. Any idea where I should buy this from, preferably a reliable and well known place. I checked out some reviews on nextwarehouse and they're pretty unreliable.
I've purchased three ZR30W's from Nextwarhouse, 1 came in really fast like 2 days but the other two took a while, like a week and a half. They drop ship so I guess it's a toss up. I just went with them because of their hot-swap warranty. On Google they have 4.3 out of 5 stars which isn't the best, but isn't the worst either.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=zr30w&hl=en&cid=16785662316918659687&ei=5iqNTKH7F57axQWvqdxL&sa=button&ved=0CAkQgggwADgA#scoring=p|start=0
DisplayPort any version does 2560x1600 @ 60Hz just fine.
I'm trying to hold off until end of November... I figure that maybe I get better deal ?
I just don't know if I can wait that long.. CostCentral has got them for 1058.58. I'm wondering if I'm really going to get a deal better than this on Black Friday... ?
I just don't know if I can wait that long.. CostCentral has got them for 1058.58. I'm wondering if I'm really going to get a deal better than this on Black Friday... ?
where do you see this price drop ? I went to HP site and they are still $1,299. At CostCentral they have it for $1,058.58 though.
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tripleflip18
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Ordered 9-21 from CS, waiting for shipment still... go it for 1058, so i think its a pretty good price for a brand new tech this size.
EnchainedBlade
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I ordered an HP ZR30W as well. What are the default settings like, and whats the best way to calibrate the monitor?
One of the best things about my Samsung 305T Plus, was that it was factory calibrated and so looked amazing straight out of the box.....so I never bought a calibration device.
One of the best things about my Samsung 305T Plus, was that it was factory calibrated and so looked amazing straight out of the box.....so I never bought a calibration device.
tripleflip18
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Mine came in today, 0 dead pixels and no humming noise, whites are a bit grayish though... unless i do full brightness any suggestions?
I'd really like to see the answer to this too. Did HP drop the price for their middlemen retailers but didn't update their own site? Really curious.
Waiting to see what the input lag scores are like for the U3011 in game mode before springing for this nifty HP.
At low brightness all LCD's whites will go grey-like. Not really a way around that I have seen.
Cnet tested the U3011 at 27ms input lag in both game and non-game modes. I believe Anandtech had the ZR30W around 7-11ms input lag.
Actually, CNET mentions that the input lag for U3011 was 27ms but that it was similar to U2711. Reviewers use different test methods... so it's not apple to apple. Anand actually has a U2711 review as well and it has 15ms non-game and 17ms for game mode. So I'll assume that if it tested U3011 and used same tests for U3011... I would expect input lag to be 15ms-17ms vs 11ms for HP ZR30W. Do you agree ?
So here's a question for you Vega:
Do you actually notice the less input lag? I ask because I've never had a problem with input lag, but then I've never really done any comparison.
I'm looking at a 30" monitor and my first choice would be the NEC PA301W when it launches because I really like the ability to calibrate the monitor and have that calibration keep in effect in games. However if a reduced input lag is something that someone who has used and is used to LCDs can notice, maybe I should reconsider.
Do you actually notice the less input lag? I ask because I've never had a problem with input lag, but then I've never really done any comparison.
I'm looking at a 30" monitor and my first choice would be the NEC PA301W when it launches because I really like the ability to calibrate the monitor and have that calibration keep in effect in games. However if a reduced input lag is something that someone who has used and is used to LCDs can notice, maybe I should reconsider.
Checking other reviews for DELL U2711 from bit-tech.net (http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/monitors/2010/03/16/dell-u2711-review/2), it states the below
"Input lag was a little higher than we would have liked, with the U2711 exhibiting a consistent lag of 30ms behind our practically lag-free Dell 3007WFP-HC control monitor, seen above on the right. This was ever so slightly noticeable in fast paced games, so if twitch-gaming is your thing, you might want to look elsewhere."
"Input lag was a little higher than we would have liked, with the U2711 exhibiting a consistent lag of 30ms behind our practically lag-free Dell 3007WFP-HC control monitor, seen above on the right. This was ever so slightly noticeable in fast paced games, so if twitch-gaming is your thing, you might want to look elsewhere."
Way too much assumption there to be of any use. You cannot compare different monitors tested from different sites and expect them to line up perfectly for an accurate comparison. I would only compare a Cnet review versus a Cnet review and a Anandtech review with an Anandtech review as they both have different variations in the way they test. Going from a Cnet U3011 to a CNet U2711 to a Anandtech U2711 to a ZR30W is way too far displaced for any meaningful comparison.
Yes, I am very sensitive to input lag. I once had a Gateway X3000HD 30" that had noticeable input lag and vowed to always check input lag test numbers before I bought anything new. I will never again purchase a monitor with greater than 1 frame input lag (16ms 60Hz, 8ms 120Hz).
I am sure the NEC PA301W will be a good photo editing monitor, but those high end NEC's have a history of having pretty terrbile input lag numbers.
EnchainedBlade
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So I'll ask again...
What is the default setting like on the ZR30W, and what is the best way to calibrate the monitor?
Should I buy a hardware calibration device? And if so, which one?
What is the default setting like on the ZR30W, and what is the best way to calibrate the monitor?
Should I buy a hardware calibration device? And if so, which one?
I saw a review where it stated that it benefited from calibration... I've also seen some reviews where they used Spyder 3 to calibrate... but maybe Vega can give more details ?
My take is that Spyder 3 is expensive and probably should be fine with factory default settings ?
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So how does the lag feel compared to the LG? You notice a difference?
Just ordered one from cost central. Might order another one at the end of the year if it drops in price. I was going to get the U3011 but I'm very sensitive to input lag. Plus the u3011 is substantially more expensive. I can buy a ZR30W and a new powerful video card for the same price or even less!
I have a Spyder 3 Elite, but the HP look's pretty darn good to me out of the box. I think though that every display benefits from being calibrated to some degree. One thing the ZR30w impressed me with tremendously is it has some of the purest whites I've ever seen on a screen. HP uses some high quality CCFL's in the ZR30w.
The LG was also a low input lag screen since it also has no scalar, less than 1 frame of lag. Virtually ever 30" I've ever seen is of one of two types. Type 1 has no scalar, such as the ZR30W, LG and 3007wfp and all are under 1 frame of input lag (less than 16ms). Type 2 has a scalar/menu and have 2-4 frames of input lag, 3008wfp, NEC's, Eizo's, all PVA panels, U3011, Gateway etc.
Hmmmmm.
What I'm trying to decide is if I want to trade a bit less lag (the NEC 90 series is 2 frames lag the PA series would be the same I think) but lose the hardware calibration. I'm a big fan of the L* gamma curve and of the superb colours I get with calibrating the NEC.
I dunno. I have trouble with the idea that 22ms less input lag is that noticeable. I do know that I see a massive calibrated vs uncalibrated difference on my 2690.
What I'm trying to decide is if I want to trade a bit less lag (the NEC 90 series is 2 frames lag the PA series would be the same I think) but lose the hardware calibration. I'm a big fan of the L* gamma curve and of the superb colours I get with calibrating the NEC.
I dunno. I have trouble with the idea that 22ms less input lag is that noticeable. I do know that I see a massive calibrated vs uncalibrated difference on my 2690.
You do know that the ZR30w, the new NEC and the U3011 all have the same panel with 10-bit LUT correct? If you have a calibrator I bet the ZR30w will look just as good as any of the others. Do it much cheaper, and with the least amount of lag.
Well there are some problems with that. The biggest one is that software calibration doesn't affect games. Games, with very few exceptions, overwrite the LUT on the videocard, which is what you calibrate on any monitor that doesn't have its own internal LUT to calibrate. So you can get a nice desktop calibration, but it doesn't hold when you load a game. Calibrate a monitor, like the 90 series or PA series, and it always holds since it is in the monitor.
The HP monitor has no internal LUT I can tell, as it'd slow things down. It is a 10-bit panel if that's what you mean. It certainly doesn't have a programmable one (as a side note the NECs feature 14-bit LUTs).
The other issue is banding/colour loss. With a 10-bit panel that wouldn't really be a problem, IF the videocard could output 10-bit to the panel. However best as I know, they can't do that aside of pro cards. Well when you calibrate a monitor with only 8-bit output, you lose colours and get some banding.
I'm also a little concerned about the gamut. I like wide gamut displays, but I think that may go too far, and look too saturated for my tastes. The PA301W can be calibrated down to aRGB or sRGB (or anything you like).
I wish I could just try one, but there really aren't any places interested in letting you do that
.What games are you playing exactly that you need super accurate color? I've compared the ZR30w in games versus a regular sRGB monitor and the ZR30w looked way better. Maybe I am one of those people that like's saturated colors?
I don't suppose any games need super accurate colour. However they look good when the colours are good. Things like what being nice and, well white, as in close to D65. Remember that calibration isn't just about getting colours close to a reference, it is making sure they are consistent on the display. For example my current monitor has too low a blue level in the mid ranges. So uncalibrated, things in that range will look too yellow. Calibration fixes that, raising the blue level in those ranges to match the red and green.
Also I'm a big fan of the L* gamma curve. It is a curve that better models how we actually see. Net effect is that dark levels are more linear. You can see more on it here. It is similar to a 2.2 curve, but modified a bit. What I find when I use it is that games don't get too dark, but yet I don't blow out the highs. It lets you see dark AND light parts with detail.
I dunno, I'm just a bit worried. I like the way my NEC looks. I am concerned I'd take a noticeable step down and I'd not like that.
The ZR30w is a great MONITOR, but it has no internal scaler so it isn't going to be as attractive as the DELL or NEC if you want to use your monitor as your HDTV.
I love how useless LG is in their marketing materials.
On the exact same page:
"Widescreen Format
See the whole picture with a widescreen display. A 1680 x 1050 resolution and wide 16:10 aspect ratio deliver a better view."
"2560 x 1600 Resolution
Ultra-high screen resolutions for enhanced pictures, games, and video."
http://www.lg.com/us/computer-products/monitors/LG-lcd-monitor-W3000H.jsp
On the exact same page:
"Widescreen Format
See the whole picture with a widescreen display. A 1680 x 1050 resolution and wide 16:10 aspect ratio deliver a better view."
"2560 x 1600 Resolution
Ultra-high screen resolutions for enhanced pictures, games, and video."
http://www.lg.com/us/computer-products/monitors/LG-lcd-monitor-W3000H.jsp
If you read around page 5-6 of this thread I compare the two.
Read it... Thanks.