Dell U3011 Ultrasharp Monitor Review

1. Introduction2. The Dell U30113. Testing the Screen4. Closing Thoughts5. View All Pages

Dell have always had a reputation for creating some of the finest monitors on the market. While they do make a wide array of panels for the mass market audience, they have always focused on the high end technology. Their U2410 has received a lot of critical acclaim, earning a top award on KitGuru, and they have also recently released the U2711, a 27 inch panel which features IPS technology.

Both of these panels offer 10 bit colour depth capabilities, helping to target the discerning graphic design industry. Today we are looking at the latest U3011 panel, the class leading 30 inch screen with all the bells and whistles.

The U3011 is a 2560×1600 resolution screen featuring H-IPS technology, it also has a 102% NTSC colour gamut and is capable of displaying 1.07 billion colours from the 10 bit panel design.

Standard Features

• High-performance features and connectivity
• 2560×1600 Resolution. Your PC must have a dual-link DVI-D compatible graphics card that supports this resolution
• IPS (in-plane switching) technology for minimal color deviation across a wide viewing angle
• Latest connectivity options, including HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI-D, USB ports and a 7-in-1 media card reader

Our Dell U3011 sample arrived in a huge box which had seen better days. It was securely packed however.

The U3011 exudes a very similar appearance to the U2410 which we reviewed a few months ago. The panel is surrounded by a 25mm thick black bezel, and it is in a 16:10 format. It isn't particularly stylish looking, but the appearance of a screen is almost secondary to the image it produces. Samsung have often some of the prettiest design ideas, but the Dell unit is rather plain looking. For those interested, the Dell soundbar can be fitted to this screen, although you would need to purchase it seperately.

The panel is coated with a matte Anti Glare (AG) coating which means that it is easier to view in brighter light conditions, or with a light behind the user. The panel itself resides around 5mm behind the bezel. The buttons are capacitive switches which work exactly the same as the U2410 we reviewed last year. The annoying ‘beep' sound can be disabled in the menu system.

The U3011  can tilt on a vertical axis it can also rotate on the horizontal axis. It can also be adjusted for height over a 100mm range to cover a variety of demands. At the lowest setting, the screen resides approximately 35mm above the desk surface. At maximum height this rises to 135mm.

The stand itself is immensely strong as we would expect. It shows a stiff, yet smooth movement and the tilt adjustment is easy to operate.

The left side of the screen features a 2 port USB hub for easy access. There are also 2 additional ports next to the interface connections on the underside of the screen. The U3011 also has a 7 in 1 card reader on the side panel. Connectivity is strong with all the digital connections you could ever need at hand. Dual DVI ports, both of which are HDCP certified. Two HDMI ports sit alongside a DisplayPort to cater for multimedia devices and consoles. Component connections are also available. Dell have also included a VGA port for the analog requirements.

As we mentioned earlier in the review, this panel features a 10 bit H-IPS panel which is technically capable of rendering 1.07 billion colours. Our particular unit had a LG LM300WQ5-SDA1 panel which is listed as a 10 bit implementation. IPS panels have been long capable of rendering true 8 bit colour depth which many people will refer to as '24 bit colour', this is an 8 bit design on a sub pixel level across the blue, green and red planes. This realistically means that an 8 bit colour depth screen can render the full 16.7 million colours without have to dither the image, which can cause subtle ‘stepping' of the images.

When looking at other panel technologies such as TN, they are limited to 18 bit colour, or 6 bit colour depth and will use FRC to generate more colours to reach the final 16.2 million scope. In regards to image quality it is clearly apparent that the bit precision of a panel will be directly related to the steps of brightness which are possible.

The more steps, the better the overall image quality, as less apparent stepped banding will be noticeable. Smoother gradients, less banding will result in a higher quality image, especially for people who need critical colour accuracy, such as web designers and photo editing professionals.

While this sounds like everyone should jump immediately into purchasing a more expensive 10 bit IPS panel, in reality it doesn't always translate into a ‘must have' situation. People who render images for a living would notce less banding between the 10 bit and 8 bit panels, especially with subtle swatches of constant colour tones. Of course you also have to ensure that the software and complimentary hardware are capable of 10 bit colour and depending on your specific configuration this might not be the case.

This is a prime factor as to why DisplayPort is becoming more and more adopted within the professional industry, because a DVI interface is limited to 24 bit colour. The vast majority of people today will be using DVI, and even aging VGA technology. Some panels even have extended internal processing – 12 bit LUT for instance, which can help improve colour accuracy, but they should really only be used on 10 bit panels, not 8 bit panels.

The LG LM300WQ5-STA1 (note the ‘T') was used in the 3008FPW display which is an 8 bit colour panel with a maximum range of 16.7 million colours. The U3011 therefore has an updated panel when compared to the previous revision which should offer finer tonality of images and a higher colour count (1.07billion).

This new panel has other enhancements in place, such a a 102% colour gamut of the NTSC colour space and W-CCFL backlighting. This enhanced colour space will deliver 96% of the Adobe RBG and 100% of the sRGB colour space.

Out of the box this screen is very well calibrated, a distinct advantage over purchasing a cheaper screen. We use a LaCie calibration gun (Blue Eye Pro) and their software to measure specific findings. As we already expected the colour gamut is noticeably wider over a standard panel we would normally review. A larger colour gamut gives advantages as it will enable the panel to display colours which a lesser gamut limited panel could never display. This Dell screen comes with a factory calibration report.

Gamut was registering 2.2 out of the box, which is perfect as this is considered the default setting for computer monitors. We recorded a colour temperature of 6,200k which is a good default setting, although we would prefer 6500k, which is technically classed as ‘daylight'. At 50% default interface settings, the luminance was set to around 150 cd/m2, a little higher than the industry rated settings of around 120 cd/m2. This is easily adjusted however via the onscreen menus and only takes a few seconds.

While we could wax lyrical about extended gamut and advantages, the all important test is to the naked eye. All the colours look more vibrant which is a primary advantage of the technology. In theory it is actually possible (but not feasible) to create a monitor with only four colours and a massive colour gamut range. This could display pure green, pure blue, pure red and even pure white, but couldn't generate any halftones at all. Pure colours, but not much else.

Viewing angles are excellent with only a slight contrast shift horizontally. The IPS panel can display very wide fields of view and is one of the biggest selling points of this technology. It is basically free from off center contrast shifting which can plague lesser panels.

Colour accuracy was superb with only minor deviation within the green shades, something we would expect. No screen is perfect, not within the limits of normal financial demands anyway.

Black depth is very pure and shifting is minimal, with only a 4% leak on the edges of the panel. This is, under normal conditions not noticeable to the naked eye. Many of the screens we have reviewed so far have a shift to around 15% in some instances. When watching movies and playing games, the black reproduction via the U3011 is stellar.

White purity is also great, with most of the panel registering around 2%-5% shift across the width and reaching around 9% at the edges. Again we would normally record higher levels than this, often between 10%-15%. In real world terms, this means that the screen is capable of displaying very pure whites and clean looking video with quality high definition content. There was also virtually no cast across the panel, with only 0.5+% measured via the R channel. Not noticeable to the naked eye, and easily compensated for with correct alignment tools via software.

Out of the box, the U3011 used just over 102watts of power, after we calibrated the screen we reduced this to just under 85 watts. The default screen brightness settings are very high indeed and not really suitable for the majority of tasks. The screen remained quiet at all times, although it could get quite warm after being on for several hours.

We recorded a maximum luminance result of 320 cd/m2 at the highest brightness setting. Our testing showed a maximum recorded figure of 800 for the contrast ratio which is very good indeed. Using Dynamic contrast boosted this to 915:1.

The Dell U3011 is an immensely impressive screen which is an improvement over the older design. As with all high end Dell monitors, the interface and connectivity options are first class and the range of inputs on this panel will cover every possible situation. The new 10 bit panel is capable of rendering very clear, clean and vibrant images without any hint of ghosting or abnormality.

Default settings were well tuned, although the brightness levels are set rather high ‘out of the box'. This is easily rectified, and if it is the only option you adjust, then generally the screen will not disappoint in a variety of situations. The factory calibration of gamma and colour is very good and makes a refreshing change as often we have to spend half an hour or more fine tuning the panels to get the most from them.  Obviously this is important if you don't have access to calibration equipment. We were particularly impressed with the depth of black definition and the purity of white imaging, showing very little shift at all, right across the full physical real estate of the panel. It is clearly a noticeable upgrade when compared to the older 3008WFP, especially in regards to colour accuracy and imaging.

Dynamic contrast claims by Dell are rather optimistic, they rate it at 100,000:1 but I am not quite sure where they are pulling that figure from, it didn't even get close. To be honest, this isn't a deal breaker at all, because its just another mindless ‘figure chasing' ploy by a manufacturer set to impress people reading specification lists online. The image at even half way settings is just too intense to use 24/7, never mind any higher.

Panel uniformity, power consumption and technical design are first rate, and we experienced no issues over the last few weeks of testing. It is backed by great build quality and a good support and warranty system. If you are in the market for a high quality 30 inch panel then this certainly should be right at the top of your shortlist.

Buying monitors from Dell direct is never a wise option, as this screen is retailing on their store for £1,459 inc vat. Other stores such as Amazon in the UK stock it for £1,199 which is a significant saving, more than enough to pick yourself up a fine mid range graphics card to power it.

Pros:

• Good out of the box set up
• Great colour rendition
• high levels of white purity
• rich, deep black definition
• no ghosting
• reasonable power consumption

Cons:

• Dynamic contrast is misleading
• expensive

KitGuru says: Another great screen from Dell which is sure to cement their status in the high end sector.

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