Displays Dell U2711 vs U3011 (price/quality) [hlp..pls..]

Hello, everyone!

I'm new here and, first of all, i'd like to ask You to forgive me for my poor english.. but i'll do my best explaining my thoughts..

So, as the topic says, i'm in need of professional opinion (especially the opinion of people, who use either/both of these monitor models).. but, i'll start with something that may help You answer my further questions.

I've recently upgraded my pc to "above average" state (core i5 2500k/GF560 Ti/8GB DDR3 1333/...) and wanted to get most out of it right now. So.. i've decided to buy 24" BenQ EW2430 (previously i had LG F920B 19" CRT). Everything seemed fine, until i tried to play games.. The horror... Maybe that's me.. but.. I've found out that lag compensation mechanism (as far as i know) ruins gaming experience just about everywhere it shouldn't.. at al.. Just for the record - i'm not a hardcore CS, COD or BF-like game player. I, usually, prefer RPG's, strategies, quests. The thing is, it was a real shocker for me, when i finaly launched Dragon Age (1)/Deus Ex:HR, and found out that camera movement makes a "smeary" mess out of gorgeous picture (when static).. Every single game i've tried recently.. well.. let's just say, that the image quality can be evaluated like "tolerable"(some isometric old games, like heroes 3) to "pure horror" (like DA and TES:Skyrim (especially night-mission-sequences.. )).. Right now i can say this - i'm tired of constant headaches/eyeaches (when trying "not to notice").. Also i've tried to max out contrast (can be helpful in some games).. But, overall, as You can already sense, i'm not very pleased..

P.S. Before i start asking real questions, i wanted to mention one thing that could just make readers smile. That was the first day, when i brought this monitor home. I've immediately noticed trailing problem and decided to take a timeout, smoke and think off what my "speech" would be like, when i call the delaer to ask to change this piece of..ehm..equipment for something more suitable for my needs. Approx. 5-10 minutes later i come back to my room only to discover that my cat left four nice "top-down" scratches on the screen. Fail. Don't worry, the cat still lives.

So, finally, the questions:

1) I've read more than enough (at least i think so) of reviews and threads about theese monitors. But i'm still confused, mainly, because there are different opinions about how these U-models perform in gaming. Sometimes input lag is mentioned, sometimes ghosting, sometimes - "trailing".. Some mention that 30" model is better than 27".. Some say that to see that kind of differences in games, user has to be uber-demanding.. May i remind You, i'm definitely not a FPS player and a very demanding pro-gamer at all. I just don't want to see color smearing everywhere. If there's a little ghosting effect or input lag, that would be ok for me. Ideas..?
And, one more thing.. I suspect that my hardware wouldn't let me play most recent games with top possible resolutions of these two monitors.. If i lower resolution (keeping aspect ratio), will this dramatically affect picture quality (these two are..huge..to say the least..)?

2) The second question is also about gaming, but this time it's about Xbox360/PS3 + U-**11 usage. I've tested bouth of them on my BenQ recently (with Xbox360 original HDMI). Again, maybe it's just my imagination.. But in some games i see heavy lags and in some - totaly lag-free gaming (in comparison with standard TV set).. I hope there's atleast someone who tried this "combination" out (any lags/trails/ghosting)? And another thing.. i've learned that 27" has 16:9 aspect r. (native for modern consoles) and 30" has 16:10 (obviously, not native). So, i suspect that on 30" black bars will appear (at the top and the bottom) or it can be "fixed" by changing aspect ratio at hardware level (16:10->16:9)?

3) The situation i'm currently in is this - my monitor is placed higher on my table, than it should be. Currently i cannot tilt my BenQ down towards me (so that i can look at it in position that could be described like "from down to top") because the provided monitor "leg" doesn't allow that. Is there an option to do something like this with these U-monitors not risking for the to fall..?

4) I've read enough posts about problems with theese two.. So i'll try to include few main questions in one.
Is there any real difference between theese two, when it comes to white balance, concidering that i'm no professional photo/movie/etc..-editor?
What about monitor overheating? (if i remember correctly, it was mentioned that this problem is often the cause of permanent damage..)

5) And, finally, the last one. I use my pc for many things besides gaming. In fact, gaming is about 15-20% of all time. Most of the time i read, work (programming), watch movies, browse internet, edit photos.. I've learned that pixel size of the 30" is > thant 27".. So, concidering everything above, which monitor model could be better for me?


Feww.. I hope i did no double posting.. I also hope that You will have patience to read this "poem" till the end and, hopefully, answer..

Why i'm so concerned about all this and ask soo many questions..:

a) 2711 = 900$+; 3011 = 1350$+;..and, concidering the problem, that i've already spent 1400$+ on all equipment (where 400$ is ... ... BenQ...), i don't want to throw any more money out of the window.

b) I live in Latvia. They say that we are in EU now. Yes, of course *sarcasm*. I wouldn't even ask if there was no way i could just enter tech-store and plug in every possible device i have to see how it works. The reality is that, most likely, the customer wouldn't be able to return the product if he/she is not satisfied with it.

And yet again, i hope someone could enlighten me and, maybe, give some advices/opinions on my situation..

Best wishes,
Ilja

 

If you go up to a 27" or 30" monitor your going to need to change your GPU as it wont be fit to power games at those resolutions and you will always have to buy high end graphic cards for gaming at that those resolutions. Do you really need to go that large? Why not buy a good quality 24" monitor?

 

I had one 460 with my U3011 for a short while and it was absolutely fine, but it does ofc depend what games are being played - and the 560Ti is consierably better than the 460! But it's a good point - with 460 SLI I now have equivalent to (in some cases better than) a single 580.

@OP

Since you do programming you will definitely benifit from using the biggest screen space; so, all other factors aside, the U3011 is your best bet. There is a big difference between the pixel sizes of the U2711 and the U3011 as you noted - the U2711 has very small pixels, which is why I didn't get one.

 

Yup, that is mainly because you are using a PVA panel. They aren't really designed for gaming. They provide the best contrast ratio (which you won't get on an IPS panel, it will be better than a TN panel using the same back light technology, but not above a MVA or PVA panel, that's for sure). So expect that. For me, compared to my NEC CRT monitor I come from, my U2410 provide sufficiently good enough contrast ratio. In other words, I am really happy. Then again, I rarely work/play with really dark scenes, and when I do, I never found it to be a big problem. I see it could be better.. but not a deal breaker. Remember that you can't have everything. You have to expect down sides. Every LCD panel technology has downsides. You try to pick the one that best fit your needs. A note: The Dell U2410, U2711, U3011 have a VERY bright back light. I have my U2410 set at 0% brightness (default 50% which is way to bright), having it at 50% and above, will play with your contrast ratio. So don't jump into conclusion if it's an issue, directly, reduce the brightness to 0-20% and see how it is (you'll see that the monitor is plenty bright at such level).

I am saying the above, only because you come from a PVA panel and, well CRT. Again, for me, it's not an issue, and I find it to be much better than TN panels, so that's a win for me, considering that an IPS panel provides mainly great colors and excellent viewing angle, all by providing great gaming/movie experience.

Even your cat hates it.

You have to be careful with user reviews. Many don't know what they are talking about, some people don't have the monitor, or even the same panel technology and goes with rumors or false claims, like "This monitor uses an IPS panels, so therefore it's will be awful for gaming. TN all the way!". That was true like back in early 2000's. Not any longer. Ok it's not as fast a TN panel of today, but it's MUCH MUCH MUCH faster than before, and I don't notice anything (I have the U2410). No input lag, no ghosting, and I play on the monitor slowest mode: Adobe RGB. So the color processor (which creates input lag), is at work and nope.. not an issue. My game play is like yours. But that is just me. The Dell U2410, U2711, U3011 all have "Game" mode where the color processor turns off, so you have reduce input lag, if it's ever an issue.

You'll get black lines at the top and bottom on the 16:10 monitor. Same as a variety of PC games even if you set the game at the proper resolution. Personally, this is a non-issue, because the lines are so black that it feels like it's just the frame of the screen. (then again I have the U2410, not the 27+ version).

The bad news: HDMI on the U2711 (I don't know about the U3011, but probably the same), support a max resolution of 1920x1080 (maybe the U3011 can do 1920x1200), based on some people experience with it. I believe Dell is using HDMI 1.2, which max resolution is indeed 1920x1080. So that image will be stretch on the screen, you can use 1:1 pixel mapping feature of the monitor to make it better, but either the image will keep it's aspect ratio and scaled, or you'll get a non scaled image (black all around), depending on the device connected to it.

More bad news: Most XBox 360 and PS3 games actually run at 720p, some even at lower resolutions. Very few (2D games mostly) are in 1080p. The system does some up-scaling in to reach 1080p, so don't expect great visuals, especial that you sit up close. Maybe sit further away from your screen, and it should be better.

I don't really understand, but the Dell U series monitors are all fully adjustable (portrait mode rotation is not available on the U3011 and U2711 provided stand, but is on the smaller sizes)
You can tilt, rotate and play with the height.

I can't comment on your question because I don't have the monitor, but I have not heard of such over heating issues. I believe if you don't have the monitor enclosed somewhere, with the brightness set to really high, on a very hot sunny day, where the sun hit the screen, and you have no A/C, and your windows and door closed (or there is a heatwave outside and there is no wind), then I don't think it will be an issue. The monitor has a 3 year warranty. Dell will pay all shipping costs both directions (they e-mail you a pre-paid shipping panel, ready to be printed and stick on the box with some transparent tape, and ready to call the mail carrier for pick up. Usually you get to keep your monitor until you receive the replacement, so if it somewhat works.. you can still use your system until the replacement monitor arrives). Dell also pays return shipping the same way (e-mail you a pre-paid shipping label), if you want to return the monitor (only if you ordered from Dell).

But, please inform yourself with Dell of your region to know their warranty policy and return policy, before purchasing. What I just said applies for Dell Canada and Dell U.S, and what I was told from people about Dell U.K.

I am like you. For me 24inch (16:10) does the trick. The main reason is that it's 16:10. It it was 16:9, I would go crazy. So I guess the U3011 in your case. BUT the U2711 is a higher resolution, a lot higher. So I don't know.

 

All i can say, that is not such a big problem for me. I'm not a very demanding one. If there will be no way to play modern games i'll just lower some graphics settings (res./texture size/view dist./.. and so on). For instance, i've already met some trouble with performance in games. I've borrowed BF3 copy from my fried just to see how it runs on my pc (my friend has rather old pc and wanted to go for upgrade). I've found out that at 1920x1080 + maxed out graph. settings, this game runs very good, but the experience i got from playing this title was a tiny bit "farther" from comfortable. So, i lowered resolution and got very comfortable gaming with no explicit picture quality reduction. I've experimented with changing resolutions (and graph. settings) in almost all of my other games, and i can still say - this is not a big problem for me. The only thing that concerns me in gaming is not having color smearing all over the place.

 

This is one of the things i wanted to hear the most. This would be absolutely great. Because at work, where current monitor pixel size is relatively small, it's, sometimes, really hard to concentrate on my work, rather that trying not to hurt my eyes.

 

In fact, i can say i've seen a pc+u3011 running random movie/pictures/os, and can say that even with default settings it looks amazing! I also adore matte displays and the thing that this monitor is very bright doesn't disturb me at all.

Now i know that for sure

In fact, i don't really care about these black lines. I do not find them really distracting in any way. I just wanted to know for sure. Besides, i'we played console games on a small old tv and didn't have any problems with that. So..

I see. But, for everyone to understand - this should be a temporary problem (the possible image stretching). Right now i'm in a situation when main TV set is constantly occupied. For the most of time i just don't have much spare time to play games at all. Above all that, both of my consoles are very popular (friends, family.. everyone wants them). So, even if i'll manage to play them on on "U", i don't think this would be a major problem, especially concidering that i'll buy a descent tv set in near future.
As for the real resolutions - i know about this problem. And this is rather obvious. If someone of you is really interested, i can provide a link for a post that holds real resolutions for most of Xbox360 and PS3 games. I hope my action won't be thout of as an advertisement. So, here's one:
http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=46241

My BenQ tilt can be adjusted about 3-5 degrees towards the user. I hope Dell U monitors do better job, because, personally, i feel that it's still somewhat not enough for me.. Btw, i've tried to search for some VESA's.. All i can say is wow.. I didn't even know these are so expensive.

As for monitor replacement and problems, i've read about them. Still, i think that is one of the possible cases that could be described like "s*** happens". Everything can be fixed if the problem occurs and you return monitor in time. I just hope that such things like constant overheating do not cause long term problems.

Thank You for the warning! I'll definitely dig up some information about that.

Today i've been to one of the tech-shops. And i've seen a miracle. Sadly, that was just one miracle. U3011 on a shelf (btw, that was a first time in a few years). So i guess i'll just have to apply my persuasion (+20) skill on them. Have to bring my laptop there and just test something.
Again, sadly, there's no U2711 nowhere near.. So.. I would really appreciate that, if some more "U-27/30" owners would express their opinions..

P.S. GREAT, SINCERE THANKS (sorry for caps) to all, who participated!!
P.P.S. For everyone else - thanks in advance!

Regards,
Ilja

 

If someone else (beside me, of course) is still reading this.. Today i've tested both "U" monitor models personally. So.. :

1) Absolutely minimal lags in FPS(Crysis, BF3) / RPG (Deus Ex:HR, The Witcher 2, Dragon Age, TES: Skyrim)
2) No visible "smearing"
3) Amazing natural-like colors (+ rather good presets (here U3011>U2711) and great customization (both))
4) Matte = a big + (in my opinion, this feature is a salvation - eyes tire less when you read much)
5) Easily adjustable "stand" (although, a bit "shaky")
6) Resolutions: both are great. There are clear differences between them, but, personally, i don't think i need THAT much of space (U3011.. it's HUGE..). Tried to use Eclipse with both of them. Superb! But, again, even then i don't need that much of 30". 27" is perfect for this.
7) I've plugged in my Xbox360(Fable 2, Alan Wake)/PS3(Metal Gear Solid 4, Gran Turismo 5, God Of War 3, MK9, Uncharted 2). U2711, in my opinion, is a winner here. Picture is sharper, and the screen size is perfect. U3011 has black lines at the top and bottom (as it was mentioned above), but there's nothing criminal. About picture upscaling - everything's fine, overall. Though some games have problems ("edges" because of poor antialiasing, like Fable 2).

Bottomline. I'd recommend these two to everyone (professionals are professionals.. they know best what they need.. ). However, the price is still a bit steep. But these two are truly worth the money, i think.

 

Anandtech web site says that the Dell U3011 (on their review) can tilt about 30 degree up and about 5 degree down, which I can confirm that's about right on my U2410.
I don't see why the monitor would be so high up that you need to tilt down, you should rethink your setup, or even get a new desk.

When you check out the U3011 in store be sure:
- That the monitor is set on Adobe RGB color mode
- That the contrast ratio is set to 50%
- That your laptop, after it's connected uses Windows default sRGB color profile. (Control Panel > Color Management panel)
- That your laptop is connected via DVI or Display Port for the best image and colors. If you are about to use VGA... then well lower your expectations. I think 1920x1200 on VGA is pushing it VGA already, where depending on the wire placement, level of interference and wire quality, you can see a interference on your image, and off colors a tiny bit. So at higher resolution... I don't know what to expect.

Check the forum on U2711 and U3011 to get people opinions, the whole forums is not checking this thread.

For those interested, today only: Dell Canada has 500$ off the Dell U3011, passing from 1499.00$ down to 999.00$ Canadian. http://accessories.dell.com/sna/pro...l.aspx?c=ca&l=en&s=dhs&cs=cadhs1&sku=224-9949

 

It's not placed that high as You may think. It's just that i'm used to tilting my old CRT towards me and lay back on my "office"-type chair when watching movies
About everything else You've said, i've already checked these two monitors out (i've also posted about this yesterday.. however, i think they are still under moderation..), but thanks for Your efforts!