Dell UltraSharp U2711 27-inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor (G615T) Review

I've had this monitor for a month now and I've to say that it's phenomenal. I was using the Dell 2405FPW for 5 years until the U2711 was released, almost matching the resolution of the 30-inch (2560 by 1600), at almost half the price. It's a bargain.

The resolution is outstanding at 2560 by 1440. Yes, there's 160 pixels missing from the bottom compared to a typical 30-inch, but coming up from 1920 by 1200 it doesn't really matter.

The colours are vibrant, which is great. The text is a bit smaller, of a size you typically see on 13-inch laptops. It took me a while to get used to the smaller font size.

This set is still non-glossy. But apparently, Dell has applied some anti-glare coating. I've read on forums that some customers disliked it but I've no problem with it.

Compared to a 24-inch, 1920 by 1200, the U2711 isn't much taller, it's much wider. I can fit two webpages, 1024px each, and still be able to see icons on the desktop.

As for backlight bleeding, it's hard to detect. It means if your widescreen movies still show the letterbox black bars, you'll be less distracted.

The U2711 also works well with my PS3 via HDMI. I'm not sure of the audio capabilities but I use a 2.1 speaker plugged in with a 3.5mm jack. One thing to note is you'll have to set the audio settings on your PS3 to output 2.1 sound to make sure they output all the sound, dialogue, effects, surround, etc.

Gaming on the PS3 is very enjoyable. The games had to be upscaled and there's a notch of graininess. Not really an issue unless you're sitting really close. Everything looks pretty snappy and I don't notice any lag but I'm don't really play FPS games.

Note that this monitor would require a decent graphics card with dual-DVI output. If you want to game at the maximum resolution, they you need a powerful card.

This is a huge physical monitor. My table is really small and it took up almost half of it. But not regrets.

I managed to get this LCD at US$690 equivalent in Asia, Singapore. It's really value for money. This set is going to last me for a long time, until the slimmer LED version comes out in who-knows-which year.

I would recommend this monitor to graphic designers, photographers or anything who multi-task a lot.

- For Mac Users -

I'm using this on a Mac Pro and have powered it on two graphic card, not both at the same time. It's plug and play, no drivers required.

On the ATI Radeon X1900XT, you won't be able to see the dual boot screen if you hold Alt after the startup (that's if you're using Boot Camp). On the ATI Radeon 4870, it works just flawlessly.

- For technical reviews, just visit the links in my comment section. I found and used them while researching on the U2711.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Dell UltraSharp U2711 27-inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor (G615T)

Product Description:
Experience a revolutionary screen performance with the Dell™ UltraSharp™ U2711 27-inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor. With an outstanding resolution of 2560x1440 (WQHD) pixels, this monitor delivers stunning detail, depth and responsiveness. Coupled with a dynamic contrast ratio of 80000:1 and a fast response time of 6 ms, you can enjoy great color intensity such as deep blacks and bright reds, razor-sharp graphics and text. Additonally, with a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, this monitor produces brilliant color and excellent detail for high-definition graphics. Furthermore, with a color gamut of 110% provides vibrant, true-to-life color across all display modes. Equipped with 4 USB ports and a media card reader allow easy connection of peripherals like cameras and game consoles. Designed for comfort and convenience, this monitor is equipped with height-adjustable stand, tilt and swivel features that make it easy for collaborative viewing. In addition, the In-Plane Switching technology (IPS), allows superb color consistency whether you’re sitting in front of the display or standing off at an angle. With all these features and more, the Dell™ UltraSharp U2711 27-inch widescreen monitor lends distinctive style and sophistication to your desk and compliments your lifestyle. Dell branded monitors undergo exhaustive testing for performance, reliability, durability and compatibility with Dell systems.

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Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP-HC 30-inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor - Max Resolution 2560 x 1600 - Contrast Ratio 1000:1 - Response Time 8ms - Digital DVI-D with HDCP connector ONLY (no VGA) Review

It's big, bright, fast, beautiful and did I mention it's big? I mean two side-by-side magnified A4 documents big. The $1100 price is great too compared to other 30" models.

The reason why this monitor is considered obsolete by Dell is the complaints from videophiles about its lack of connectivity options. Specifically, dual-link DVI is the only way in. So, if you are planning on connecting game machines or BlueRay drives or HD cable boxes via HDMI, you are out of luck. But, why would you want to do that? Even full HD video only goes up to 1920x1080. This monitor does 2560x1600. It makes a lot more sense to pay $800 for a 42" 1080p LCD TV, which is bigger and better for viewing video anyway. This is an ultra-high-resolution monitor, pure and simple, and I love it for doing a good job there.

===== Added 11/29/2008 =====

As the channel runs low on stock of this monitor, the Gateway XHD3000 30" Widescreen HD LCD Monitor becomes a better value. The latter, however, does not employ the S-IPS panel from LG, which is generally considered the best and most expensive LCD technology as of 2008. This is another reason why some 30" monitors are still a good buy in my mind even though 24" models are selling for under $300 nowadays. Those cheap monitors use TN panels, with poor color, contrast and viewing angles. Smaller S-IPS monitors (e.g. HP LP2475W 24in LCD Monitor 1920X1200 and Planar PX2611W 26-Inch Widescreen Digital/Analog with Height Adjust Stand (Black)) still cost $600+ and are becoming scarcer by the day due to the competition from its cheaper cousins. Even Samsung, which holds the patents for the middling S-PVA technology, has been introducing TN models.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP-HC 30-inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor - Max Resolution 2560 x 1600 - Contrast Ratio 1000:1 - Response Time 8ms - Digital DVI-D with HDCP connector ONLY (no VGA)

Product Description:
The DellTM UltraSharpTM 3007WFP-HC 30-inch WideScreen Flat Panel Monitor is an ideal tool for CAD-CAM, 3D modeling, pre-press editing, video editing, graphic design and professional photography. Boasting a fast response time, high contrast ratio and ultra-high resolution, this monitor offers crisp imagery and picture detail. It is designed to be flexible, with a stand that offers adjustable height, swivel and tilt so you can optimize your comfort while viewing it on your desktop. The integrated four USB ports and 9-in-2 media card reader allow the monitor to act as a media extension for your PC. It features capacitive touch buttons that allow for easy brightness adjustment and one-touch system shutdown. The 3007WFP-HC is like a window to another world, offering you a chance to enjoy multimedia and gaming, immersing you in a visual experience designed to awe and inspire. This Flat Panel Monitor comes with a 3-Year Advanced Exchange Service. Dell-branded monitors undergo exhaustive testing for performance, reliability, durability and compatibility with DellTM systems. IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS MONITOR ONLY HAS DVI CONNECTION CAPABILITY AND DOES NOT SUPPOR VGA OR DISPLAYPORT INTERFACES. Use this monitor ONLY a DVI-D interface straight through and a graphics cartd capable of producing 2500x1600 resolution. The Dell 3007WFP-HC DOES NOT HAVE VGA or DisplayPort connectors. THIS MONITOR MUST BE USED WITH A DVI GRAPHICS CARD CAPABLE OF 2500X1600 RESOLUTION. MONITOR DOES NOT HAVE A SCALER AND WILL NOT WORK AT ANY OTHER RESOLUTION. DO NOT BUY IT IF YOU PLAN TO USE IT WITH VGA, HDMI OR DISPLAYPORT. For VGA, DisplayPort and HDMI interfaces, buy our Dell UltraSharp 3008WFP monitor with built-in scaler that supports multiple interfaces and screen resolutions.

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Hewlett-Packard 30-Inch Lcd Monitor (EZ320A8#ABA) Review

I have been using this monitor for four months now and plan to get a second in the very near future. The colours are true, display is sharp and bright. And there is nothing like working on a big screen.

It delivers exactly as promised with one very minor shortcomming, like all 30" monitors on offer at the moment it only works at full resolution, there is no scaling chip to support downgraded resolutions. This does not matter if you are using it with a graphics card that can support the full resolution as the issue is known and the cards will do the scaling if necessary.

The only practical limitation is that you cannot plug this monitor into a machine that does not support its native resolution. This is not a likely to be a problem as you are not likely to buy it unless you have a machine that can drive it! At the moment the graphics card settup will set you back almost as much as the monitor or more if you have an SLI setup.

I looked at the Dell and Apple alternatives. The HP is somewhat cheaper and has both a built in DVI switch and USB 2.0 hub. According to the specs you can only drive dual link DVI over 15 ft of cable but I have this working fine over a 50 ft cable driven by an nVidia 8800 GTS.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Hewlett-Packard 30 Inch Lcd Monitor (EZ320A8#ABA)

Product Description:
Stop your co-workers in their tracks with the stunning new 30-inch diagonal HP LP3065 Flat Panel Monitor. This flagship monitor features best-in-class performance and presentation features on a huge wide-aspect screen while letting you work as comfortably as possible - you might even forget you're at the office.

Get 38% OFF

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