When will 30" + monitors become affordable?

B

Burticus

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Nov 7, 2005
Messages
5,099
I've had a 26" 1920x1200 monitor for about 4 years now. It was $400ish back in the day, and now you can get 26" monitors for under 300.

I'm ready for a bigger screen and more resolution. But the 30" monitors that are out now start at a grand and go up. WTF?

A quick glance at Newegg shows the cheapest to be an HP (ZR30W) for $1179. That is just sick. That is almost 4 car payments.

I would do 500-600 maybe for a 30" monitor at 2560x1600.

Why? Why?

Any comment even suggesting I buy a TV will get laughed at. Unless it's some new 4K one I haven't seen yet (which would certainly cost more than $1k anyway, defeating the point)
 
Why? Because the 2560x______ panels are all IPS and therefore expensive to produce. Don;t get your hopes up waiting for them to get cheaper.
 
In addition to the sky high prices, those monitors on Newegg have very limited input options. I couldn't even hook up 2 systems at the same time, sux...

Right now I have personal rig, work laptop, and xbox 360 all hooked up. I'd hate to give those up. Hell the work laptop only has VGA unless I bust out the gigantic docking station, those big monitors don't even have a VGA input.
 
Burticus said:
In addition to the sky high prices, those monitors on Newegg have very limited input options. I couldn't even hook up 2 systems at the same time, sux...

Right now I have personal rig, work laptop, and xbox 360 all hooked up. I'd hate to give those up. Hell the work laptop only has VGA unless I bust out the gigantic docking station, those big monitors don't even have a VGA input.
Click to expand...

Sry amigo, but VGA is being deprecated.

New budget panels will have DP as the new standard input, as it is license free. VGA is going the way of the Dodo bird. It is actually amazing it has hung around this long.
 
The move to Full HD (FULL HD!!!) and the fleeing from 16:10 have sort of screwed up the higher-end monitor market. The industry has decided that 1920x1080 is the max any consumer is really gonna want, as that's what their TV does and why on earth would you want more pixels, how are you going to use them all?! (says this to hoards of 1920x1200 monitor owners, is confused when they do the Spock eyebrow thing)

At the same time they've also decided that 23-24" is really the biggest monitor most people will want. If you need more than 24" you must be some sort of vertical purpose very fringe case. So monitors over 24" are now premium items, and anything over 1920x1080 is a premium resolution.

30" panels will never be cheap at 2560x1600. 16:10? Why would anyone ever want that?! The future is FULL HD 1920x1080. (so, so mad at the laptop makers)
 
You can find 30" Apple cinema displays on Craigslist and Ebay for $700 all over. That is one of the highest quality 30" I can think of.
 
yiYFj.png


Really wish I had picked up a few more of these back in 2009! Notice the 3 year warranty ;)
 
I spent a total of around a grand on all three of my 3007s. Watching Craigslist and being patient on ebay can pay off. I also had an lp3065 that I snagged for $200 and fixed for $50. Most of the time if the monitor's panel is good you can fix it yourself for less than $100 (and sometimes its much much cheaper)
 
420 eh? Some dank deals brah. Fear of pixels SuperSubZero? Most of what you say or predict is the opposite of forthcoming trends, including an approaching increase in 2560x1440 27" (QUAD HD!!!) displays and a probable reveal of high density (retina-esque, perhaps) displays hitting new parts of Apple's lineup later this year. Whenever those hit other manufacturers may follow suit, bringing us closer still to our vectored future where I'll starve.

Surely you can see how having more real estate lends itself to workflow. Even 16:9 is a hindrance, real men prefer 16:10 and 2560 doesn't hurt.
 
Last edited:
To answer your question - 30" monitors will become affordable when the technology to achieve much better yield in panel production is acquired by two or more manufacturers.
 
But why is everyone selling theirs on craigslist/fleabay if they are so awesome?

That deal cre3d had for $685 with the 3 year warranty for a factory refurbished isn't bad at all.

But the lack of inputs is a total bummer. I would have to keep my current monitor just for work and 360, and I have a strong dislike of mismatched LCDs.... (and this is a tangent... my 26" is an Emprex, a Fry's special cheapo edition. It's been awesome, no complaints. But I started looking for another one to double up a year ago and cannot find them anymore. It's like they disappeared off the planet... wah.)
 
The only affordable options are used 30" or new (or used) 27" at x1440. I oped for a zr2740w, as I didn't mind as much losing vertical pixels at this resolution, though I would never go for a 23" where it is more noticeable.
 
Finding Dell 3007's and 3008' for 800-ish at refurb sites. Do these have the AG coating issues the modern LG paneled 3011s and 2711's do?

BB
 
Keep an eye on craigslist, I scooped one today after watching for about 3 weeks for an incredible price. Got a 3007wfp-hc, with 3 years left on the warranty for $400.
 
Last edited:
There is nothing wrong with 16:9 , and the only reason 16:10 has more pixels is an arbitrary panel cut. A "square" fits in a recctangle and a rectangle fits inside a square. They are just aspect ratios. Almost all games use HOR+ based on the horzontal anyway, much like a virtual lense. With lenses, a wider aspect ratio is always more scene content.
.
By the way Quad Full HD (QFHD) due out is 3840x2160 rez not 2560x1440, and is 60hz, ips, at around 27" 16:9. Gladly there is no 16:10 version to muddle things. You could always run it with bars if you wanted 16:10 though with plenty of pixel height if you just prefer that aspect rather than basing your opinion on pixel count limitations of lower resolution monitors (usually 1080 vs 1200).
.
Regarding multiple input gripes - I wouldnt want a screen with a scaler on it , which these kind of resolutions need to play consoles so that argument is invalid in my opinion. You would be better off getting a 32" tv or a scaler-less 1080p monitor on the side for 1:1 pixel rendering. Scalers introduce input lag and imo are unacceptable on a pc for gaming.
.
..Regarding "affordable" - that is subjective. You can get a "modest" 7970 gpu for $500 , or a dual high end gpu or sli/crossfire for $550 - $700 - $1000 etc (who knows $ on 7990). For modern games on a 2560x screen you do need more gpu power too. A 1000watt or higher psu isn't cheap either.. Some motherboards cost $250 - $400 . A ps3 was $500 for a long time even years ago. A good newer model TV can run $1250 - $2500. ....$750 - $1250 for a really good monitor is not outrageously priced imo.
.
While I love my 2560x screen for desktop stuff I think even 120hz 1080p TN's are better for gaming.. and even those only blur/smear slightly less. You can get one for $399 at times though which is more affordable. Personally there are so many tradeoffs that I won't ever stick with only one monitor technology for some time. One for desktop, and one for games. Btw most 2560x with multiple inputs have a scaler which is unacceptable to me. I believe the HPZR30w is one of the only 30" that don't have a scaler, and neither do the 27" cinema display, and the euro hazros. Almost all of the 2560x screens have over-aggressive AG coating too other than the cinema display and euro hazros afaik too.
 
Last edited:
I found an HP LD4200 42-in. IPS monitor for $220 at a pawn shop. They didn't know what it was. Resolution is at 1080p though.
 
that is more like a TV, including a variety of inputs (incl component and s-video) which implies that is has scaler too. A pawn shop could have been hot goods they were trying to dump who knows :p
The pansonic viera line of LCD TV's is all IPS also. The OP said he didn't want a tv though so might be splitting hairs on that 42" you mentioned anyway.. much like the old westinghouse 37' tv~"monitors". Imo even a 30" is pushing it size-wise at desk viewing distances.
 
im in your same boat, i have a 25.5 1920x1200 and want to configure eyefinity, but dont want to have to buy 2 new ones at that resolution
 
Burticus said:
But why is everyone selling theirs on craigslist/fleabay if they are so awesome?

That deal cre3d had for $685 with the 3 year warranty for a factory refurbished isn't bad at all.

But the lack of inputs is a total bummer. I would have to keep my current monitor just for work and 360, and I have a strong dislike of mismatched LCDs.... (and this is a tangent... my 26" is an Emprex, a Fry's special cheapo edition. It's been awesome, no complaints. But I started looking for another one to double up a year ago and cannot find them anymore. It's like they disappeared off the planet... wah.)
Click to expand...

Speaking for myself and a friend, we sold our 30" (a 3007wpf and an LP3065) once Eyefinity came out and switched to three 24" screens. A couple months later we both decided we preferred a single high res screen to three, so we switched back.
 
Burticus said:
Maybe I need to think about used or refurb. I see some $399 30" Samsungs on fleabay. Used giant monitors with no warranty kind of scare the hell out of me though.

Overstock has a LG 30" refurb for $735. Still effing pricey. And I would have to buy a high res DVI KVM so that eats up another $200+
http://www.overstock.com/Electronic...-with-USB-hub/6341667/product.html?cid=123620
Click to expand...

For the record, that samsung 30" (305t, 305t plus) - is awful. I RMA'ed so many times they eventually just gave me a refund check. Stupidly high failure rate, which is why it sells for so cheap and why it is discontinued. That and the gateway xhd3000 (which both use the same PVA panels IIRC) are the two to avoid unless you're extremely handy with fixing things.

As far as pricing goes, your best bet is always buying used. As other have mentioned, if you're patient enough, you should be able to find a used one locally for under market value (which for a 3007wfp seems to be in the ~600 range on ebay if I'm not mistaken). It's not common, but it's not too rare either, just have to keep your eyes open and be willing to negotiate.
 
ml1209 said:
I found an HP LD4200 42-in. IPS monitor for $220 at a pawn shop. They didn't know what it was. Resolution is at 1080p though.
Click to expand...

Doesn't it have a model number anywhere? Highly unlikely. Took me a few seconds to google and find out it retails new at over 2000€. So what's wrong with it.
 
i got an apple cinema display 30" last october(second hand but excelent condition) for exactly 1000$,in my country they were beeing sold few years ago for around 3 grand.I went with the apple monitor because its the only 30" out there without AG coating.
 
I keep hearing the Apple 30 has anti-glare and that it doesn't. Which is it? Were there two kinds?
 
i guess every monitor has it all depends how bad is it.On the apple u cant seee it,i had one h zr24w for 1 week and on that one it was noticeble,on the ACD i cant see it ...
 
There is an anti glare layer on the 30 inch displays. I had one a while ago. I can't say how bad or good it is, because I don't really notice ag. I've used both glossy and matte screens and I have no preference.8

Edit: I will say though, the 30" acd looks like shit compared to the dell 3007wfp-hc.

40269_1458595217573_1014161926_31206096_2664387_n.jpg
 
Last edited:
I seem to recall hearing that 30-inch monitors were selling surprisingly well? If that's the case, there's probably just no interest in lowering the price on something that enough customers are buying regardless.
 
That pic of suiken_2mieu's setup is exactly what I do not want. It irritates me greatly to see mix and matched displays on a desktop. Like what I said in a previous post, it slays me that the monitor I bought back in 2008 is nowhere to be found anymore, I can't buy another one to match.... makes sad face.

I'll have to give up the 30" dream, even if I could afford it, the lack of input options is a killer. Hell I can get 2 of these for cheaper anyway.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254052
Hanns-G 27" 1920x1200 $279, and fairly certain I've seen them on sale below $250 before. Not LED, but searching on Newegg with 1920x1200 and LED criteria stops at 24"

Yeah I know the Hanns-G is a cheapo TN panel, but the one I've been using forever is too and it doesn't bother me at all. Yes if I saw one of those 30" Dell's I would probably think differently, I know.
 
an influx of demand will boost supply creating competition in the 30inch market. But very few people need/want 30" so it will never be affordable.

I went the used route and got a 305t for $500 about 2 years ago. It did break and I had to repair it but the repair was as easy as baking a cake; that is funny because I did the bake fix.
 
I still refer to my original reply and consider that they are not overpriced considering ips and resolution. They aren't 30" TN screens, and the cheaper IPS screens you see around now are not the same kind of ips.. they are a budget type of ips panel that is not the same. Ipad or android tablet with ips screen are $400 - $600, many gpu's or multiple gpus that would be suggested for gaming on a 2560x screen would be $500 or much more ($1k was the comparison mark for awhile), a higher end gaming capable laptop is $1250 - $1400, and a good newer model tv is $1250 - $2500. Spending $750 - $1250 on a gorgeous ips at 108.8 ppi (27" versions) is not outrageous.
.
.. I also want to again recommend for gaming a 27" or even a 23" 120hz 1080p TN which is much closer to your budget and would be much better for gaming if that's what you are doing on it much of the time. The high rez ips smear/blur more than even a 2ms-5ms 60hz TN , and are much more demanding on your gpu which would end up costing your more $, frames, and/or graphics settings in order to run on the more demanding of the modern game titles.
.
As much as I love my 2560x 27" ips, 120hz is better for games being slightly less blurry (the 120hz being slightly less smear and seems to snap back to "solid" at slower movement part of FoV movement arcs quicker), as well as it's 1080p rez being less demanding. A professional crt like the fw900 blows every LCD away as far as motion is concerned to be honest since the crt doesn't blur and all LCD's smear/blur on fast FoV movement to one degree or another .
.
 
elvn said:
I still refer to my original reply and consider that they are not overpriced considering ips and resolution. They aren't 30" TN screens, and the cheaper IPS screens you see around now are not the same kind of ips.. they are a budget type of ips panel that is not the same. Ipad or android tablet with ips screen are $400 - $600, many gpu's or multiple gpus that would be suggested for gaming on a 2560x screen would be $500 or much more ($1k was the comparison mark for awhile), a higher end gaming capable laptop is $1250 - $1400, and a good newer model tv is $1250 - $2500. Spending $750 - $1250 on a gorgeous ips at 108.8 ppi (27" versions) is not outrageous.

.
Click to expand...

well what do you have to say about the new Ipad resolution of 2048x1536 and the new galaxy tab is rumored at 2560x1600.

Both of these tabs will have extremely high quality screens at High resolutions all significantly less than a 1000 bucks.

Technology seems to be advancing and leaving computer monitors behind. You'd think if they can fit 2560x1600 on an 11.6 inch screen that they could fit 2650x1600 on a 22" monitor. I didn't buy a 30" screen because i wanted a big monitor I wanted a high resolution.
 
They will but it won't be under $1k.
.
The LG panel Quad Full HD (QFHD) 60hz IPS supposed to be coming out is sort of like a block of four 1080p resolutions at 3840x2160 which will be around 166ppi which is higher ppi than your theoretical 22" at 2560x1440 ( ~133.51 ppi). 17" laptops have been higher ppi for a long time too, and of course phones. That doesn't mean a high quality 27"/30" ips isn't worth $1k. There are plenty of cheaper TN screens just like there are various grades of TV's and gpu setups. And the 120hz ones that are still much cheaper than the higher end + higher rez ips are arguably better suited for games + allowing less gpu costs.
..
Btw the 30" 2560x has larger pixels than the 27" ones. They have 100.6 ppi vs the 27" 2560x 's 108.8ppi. If the 2560x1600 16:10 monitors had the same pixel densitiy they would be around 27.75" diagonal.

(LG Quad full HD)
26.5"................3840 x 2160.......166.26 ppi ....0.1528 mm <-- 166ppi quoted resolves to 26.5"
27"...................3840 x 2160.......163.18 ppi.....0.1557 mm <-- may not be viewable size if ppi quote is accurate

10.1"................1280 x 800.........146.55 ppi....0.1783 mm <- android tablet
17"...................1920 x 1080.......129.58 ppi....0.1960 mm <-- laptop

22.5" (24")........2304 x 1440.......118.13 ppi....0.2150 mm <--- FW900 widescreen CRT max rez 22.5" viewable (80hz) ..
27"...................2560 x 1440.......108.8 ppi....0.2335 mm
30"...................2560 x 1600.......100.6 ppi....0.2524 mm

22"...................1920 x 1080........100.132 ppi..0.2530 mm
20.1"................1680 x 1050..........98.4 ppi ..0.258 mm

23"...................1920 x 1080.........95.78 ppi....0.2652 mm <-- 60hz/120hz
24"...................1920 x 1200.........94.3 ppi....0.2692 mm

24"...................1920 x 1080..........91.8 ppi....0.2767 mm
19"...................1440 x 900...........89.37 ppi....0.2842 mm
27.5"(28")........1920 x 1200..........82.33 ppi....0.3085 mm
27"...................1920 x 1080.........81.59 ppi....0.3113 mm <-- 60hz / 120hz panels
 
elvn said:
They will but it won't be under $1k.
.
The LG panel Quad Full HD (QFHD) 60hz IPS supposed to be coming out is sort of like a block of four 1080p resolutions at 3840x2160 which will be around 166ppi which is higher ppi than your theoretical 22" at 2560x1440 ( ~133.51 ppi). 17" laptops have been higher ppi for a long time too, and of course phones. That doesn't mean a high quality 27"/30" ips isn't worth $1k. There are plenty of cheaper TN screens just like there are various grades of TV's and gpu setups. And the 120hz ones that are still much cheaper than the higher end + higher rez ips are arguably better suited for games + allowing less gpu costs.
..
Btw the 30" 2560x has larger pixels than the 27" ones. They have 100.6 ppi vs the 27" 2560x 's 108.8ppi. If the 2560x1600 16:10 monitors had the same pixel densitiy they would be around 27.75" diagonal.

(LG Quad full HD)
26.5"................3840 x 2160.......166.26 ppi ....0.1528 mm <-- 166ppi quoted resolves to 26.5"
27"...................3840 x 2160.......163.18 ppi.....0.1557 mm <-- may not be viewable size if ppi quote is accurate

10.1"................1280 x 800.........146.55 ppi....0.1783 mm <- android tablet
17"...................1920 x 1080.......129.58 ppi....0.1960 mm <-- laptop

22.5" (24")........2304 x 1440.......118.13 ppi....0.2150 mm <--- FW900 widescreen CRT max rez 22.5" viewable (80hz) ..
27"...................2560 x 1440.......108.8 ppi....0.2335 mm
30"...................2560 x 1600.......100.6 ppi....0.2524 mm

22"...................1920 x 1080........100.132 ppi..0.2530 mm
20.1"................1680 x 1050..........98.4 ppi ..0.258 mm

23"...................1920 x 1080.........95.78 ppi....0.2652 mm <-- 60hz/120hz
24"...................1920 x 1200.........94.3 ppi....0.2692 mm

24"...................1920 x 1080..........91.8 ppi....0.2767 mm
19"...................1440 x 900...........89.37 ppi....0.2842 mm
27.5"(28")........1920 x 1200..........82.33 ppi....0.3085 mm
27"...................1920 x 1080.........81.59 ppi....0.3113 mm <-- 60hz / 120hz panels
Click to expand...

yes the question is why wont it be under $1000. If you can get a $500 tablet with 2650x1600 why can't we get a $500 monitor with 2650x1600.

The question is theoretical because I know the answer. Why release a 2560x1600 monitor for 500 when you could do it for 1000. Its not like monitor manufacturers are really fighting for the 1% market that buys high end resolutions thus have no benefit to advance technology aside from justifying a higher price.
 
Burticus said:
That pic of suiken_2mieu's setup is exactly what I do not want. It irritates me greatly to see mix and matched displays on a desktop. Like what I said in a previous post, it slays me that the monitor I bought back in 2008 is nowhere to be found anymore, I can't buy another one to match.... makes sad face.

I'll have to give up the 30" dream, even if I could afford it, the lack of input options is a killer. Hell I can get 2 of these for cheaper anyway.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254052
Hanns-G 27" 1920x1200 $279, and fairly certain I've seen them on sale below $250 before. Not LED, but searching on Newegg with 1920x1200 and LED criteria stops at 24"

Yeah I know the Hanns-G is a cheapo TN panel, but the one I've been using forever is too and it doesn't bother me at all. Yes if I saw one of those 30" Dell's I would probably think differently, I know.
Click to expand...

Well that is not my setup now. That was an in-between phase a long time ago. I now sport 4 dells (about to get a 5th when my tax return comes). I'm basically rebuilding my initial build of 5x1 Portrait 23" TN's into 5x1 Portrait 30" IPS Monitors.

Turning:
32243_1409342066275_1014161926_31075585_7918986_n.jpg


Into:
396809_2815367496032_1014161926_32538211_1345272484_n.jpg


The right is actually a 3007wfp instead of an HC model. I didn't want to mix panels but I got it for only $320 so I bit.
Note the size comparison with the keyboard.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top