Dell U3011 Review: Dell's New 30-inch Flagship
by Brian Klug on January 13, 2011 9:17 PM ESTPower Consumption
The 30-inch category of displays have always been power hungry, and the U3011 is no exception. Laws of physics still apply here, and when it comes down to it, there's just a lot of area to fill with photons. The U3011 specifications note that power use of 250 watts is maximum, 110 is typical, and standby is around 1 watt.
At maximum brightness, the U3011 draws 144 watts. At minimum, 73. That's just slightly below the ZR30w, but not really enough to make it notably better or worse.
We don't measure it directly, but subjectively the U3011 feels surprisingly cool. There isn't a ton of heat which seems to come out the top grilles, nor a ton of heat coming out the front (unlike my BenQ FP241w monitor array which seems to noticeably warm my face).
Conclusions and Final Thoughts
The U3011 is an all around good performer, though I find myself wishing that contrast and Delta-E were just a bit better so it was an unequivocal winner in all the right areas. That said, it does have a number of advantages over the HP ZR30w, namely an OSD, a wealth of input options, and audio pass through. Where the HP ZR30w bests the U3011 is with its excellent display arm which feels subjectively sturdier and beefier, and its slightly better color performance and input latency. Heck, maybe there's something to be said for not having that display controller SoC.
If accessory inputs like an extra DVI and HDMI port are what matters (not to mention the option of having 5.1 audio out), the U3011 is the better choice. As an all around desktop display, the ZR30w edges out in my mind purely because of the slightly better display performance and build quality - it feels solid and just seems to have a much beefier display arm. It's a tossup that ultimately comes down to what features are really most important, and price. Right now, even price is a tossup, as the two are priced within $10 of each other on Amazon. Personally, having HDMI with audio pass through and all the scaling options makes the U3011 the better pick, but again that's just my take. Now the question is: who will be first to market with a 120 Hz 30-incher?
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Sabresiberian - Friday, January 14, 2011 - link
Indeed! Thar's the thing I most want at this point; I hope manufacturers are reading your articles! Samsung? LG? Anyone listening?;)
mapesdhs - Friday, January 14, 2011 - link
Can this new Dell display accept a sync-on-green signal? How well does it handle lower
resolution inputs such as 1920x1200 or 1600x1200?
Such large displays don't seem to be quite there yet wrt quality and sensible pricing, so I
went with a 24" HP LP2475W (HIPS version).
Ian.
flblws - Friday, January 14, 2011 - link
how much? $1300? and still has a VGA port? REALLY?AND
and no 120HZ or 240HZ ?
Really?
yawn....
cjl - Saturday, January 15, 2011 - link
No monitor with this res will have 120Hz (or higher) anytime soon - the bandwidth just isn't there over DVI, HDMI, or DisplayPort (though the latest DisplayPort might just about be good enough - I'm not completely positive). As for the VGA port, some people still have laptops with only a VGA output. Obviously, it isn't meant to be the primary input, but it is there as an option (among the enormous number of other inputs).DanNeely - Saturday, January 15, 2011 - link
VGA is there because it costs next to nothing to add, but you can forget running native resolution over it. I tried once by accident (my GPU decided to send analog video over a DVI-I cable) to my NEC 3090, and the result was a ghastly mess. My initial reaction was to wonder if my monitor was DOA.AnnonymousCoward - Saturday, January 15, 2011 - link
DP1.2 x4 has the bandwidth for 2560x1600, 30-bit, 120Hz. All techs have the bandwidth for 120Hz at lower res.Soldier1969 - Saturday, January 15, 2011 - link
Well you keep on yawning my poor friend ill keep playing with maximum eye candy at 1600p. I have a 55 inch LED Sony 240hertz for everything else and a second 120hertz 37inch Samsung panel next to my 30 incher for double duty. Meanwhile you keep playing on your puny panel. You need to get educated on the tech or just keep showing your ignorance. You get what you pay for. If you want to play at the best res there is for PCs then get one otherwise just keep playing with TN panel garbage that keeps being churned out for the poor folk that think its good as it gets.Luay - Saturday, January 15, 2011 - link
Everyone is comparing the HP to the Dell but has anyone heard of Hazro?I'm sure a little attention to this company and its products will encourage them to venture into other markets. review please!
https://www.hazro.co.uk/shop.html#ecwid:category=4...
MeanBruce - Saturday, January 15, 2011 - link
With do many tech groups claiming to be delivering exactly what their customers were asking for let's hope someone from Dell Monitor Design reads Anandtech or at least these many comments. Everyone seems to be in agreement on the lack of RBG LED and DisplayPort 1.4 for this flagship design. There is hope though, Dell is due to replace the U2410 this year with the U2412, and in the past has introduced it's latest developments on the 24in platform then later they appear on the 27 and 30. So let's hope the new 24inch Ultrasharp is everything we have come to expect from Dell panels, and hey throw in a remote to control all inputs and the OSD and volume on the Soundbar. For all that I would have no problem with a $699 or $799 pricetag, they already make three other 24inch monitors at very low price points. Give the rest of us what we want!MeanBruce - Saturday, January 15, 2011 - link
Even $899, if it's Drop Dead Gorgeous!Peace Brothers!