HP ZR2740w - High Resolution IPS that Doesn't Break the Bank
by Chris Heinonen on March 16, 2012 1:15 AM ESTInput Lag and Power Use
Since the HP automatically scales the image if it is not sent at 2560x1440 and I don’t have a CRT that can produce that resolution, the HP had to run at 1920x1080 resolution for the lag tests. This is our second review using the SMTT program to test lag, but this lets us separate the input lag from the pixel response time, so we can hopefully figure out the effect of scaling the image. There is a chance that the performance with a native 2560x1440 signal could be better on the input lag, so these measurements again represent the worst case scenario.
Despite this, the lag on the HP is very low overall, with 14.55ms being the worst case scenario. This breaks down at 2.6ms of input lag, and then 11.95ms of pixel response time. This is less than a frame of lag at the 60Hz refresh rate the display supports, so it should be fast enough for your gaming use, though hopefully your video card can keep up with it at 2560x1440. The effective lag, which is a more subjective measurement, came in at right around 10ms in my estimation. At that point you can clearly see what color a pixel was changing to, even if it hasn’t reached peak brightness yet. I really don’t think anyone will have issues gaming on the HP, which is very nice.
With the size of the ZR2740w, and the amount of light that if can put out, you can imagine that even with an LED lighting system it is going to use a lot of power. At minimum brightness the HP consumed 26 watts, and at maximum brightness it consumed 96 watts. With my usual settings (closer to 150-160 nits of brightness) I was seeing closer to 45 watts of power use on it. This isn’t the most efficient display you can get, but when you consider that it is likely to replace dual 24” monitors for a lot of users, the power use is better in perspective. Compared to the 30” monitors we have reviewed it is very good, and about equal to the 27” Apple Cinema Display.
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kenyee - Sunday, March 18, 2012 - link
That would have made it an interesting display...the Dell looks better...least expensive 30-bit native display for high gamut...cheinonen - Monday, March 19, 2012 - link
From what I can find, the Dell also appears to be 8-bit + A-FRC for 10-bit, the same as the ZR2740w. Native 10-bit panels are very rare and expensive, as the 24" HP DreamColor with native 10-bit color costs almost $2,000.Oxford Guy - Wednesday, March 21, 2012 - link
10-bit processing for a standard gamut white LED backlit display seems unnecessary.notathome - Sunday, March 18, 2012 - link
http://www.overclock.net/t/1215866/reviewed-400-25...27" 2650x1440 for about $400. Yeah it has no features but, it will look great once it is calibrated.
nastyemu25 - Monday, March 19, 2012 - link
I'd really like to see a review or something regarding these Yamakasi/Catleap Q270 monitors coming out of Korea. 27" LED 2560X1440 at an affordable price? yes plzWhy aren't any other manufacturers able to get something like this done?
nastyemu25 - Monday, March 19, 2012 - link
Or maybe not a full review, maybe just some impressions or something...Mygaffer - Monday, March 19, 2012 - link
They talk about how expensive these monitors are to make but that seems like so much smoke and mirrors. As far as I can tell these monitors have by far the highest margins on them of any type of monitor.You can import from South Korea Catleap 27" S-IPS 2560x1440 monitors for $400 and less. Seeing as how they use very similar panels to the Apple Cinema display yet cost less than half as much shows you how much of a premium we are really being charged here.
Oxford Guy - Wednesday, March 21, 2012 - link
Does it come with a flicker-free constant control backlight?Mygaffer - Tuesday, August 14, 2012 - link
Why, does that add several hundred dollars to the cost? Mine does have brightness control.