Up until recently the 30-inch computer monitor was in its infancy. Models like the HP LP3065 and the Dell 3007WFP offered up serious resolution (2560×1600) but stayed out of reach of all but professional users. The cost became even more of an issue when buyers realized that the monitors were short on features, as the first generation of 30-inch LCDs lacked multiple inputs as well as accessories, like card readers.
The second generation of 30-inch LCDs are here and this time the manufacturers are doing things right. The displays are still expensive, but now we are seeing all the features found on their 24-inch and 27-inch brethren. Case in point, Dell’s 3008WFP–this is the follow up to the company’s 3007WFP, the monitor that set the standard for these big panels when they were first released. The 3008WFP is designed to be just what you would expect from a high performance display in its price range; basically, to offer up a lot of screen real estate, a great looking panel, and a wide range of inputs. In fact, the 3008WFP excels at this last point as it packages dual DVI, VGA, component, composite, S-video, HDMI, and DisplayPort. DisplayPort is the big mention here as it is possibly the next big interface and should soon start to replace the aging DVI and HDMI, which never really took off. As expected, the monitor has HDCP support.
Looking at the Dell 3008WFP we can see that it is quite easy on the eyes, at least in an industrial design sort of way. The gunmetal gray brushed metal bezel looks and feels incredible and despite the size of the LCD, Dell managed to build in a number of adjustments. The hinge design allows for multiple tilt points as well as swiveling and height adjustment. Changing the height is based on tilting a hinge at the top of the neck piece, as opposed to a piston action, so vertical movement is limited. The monitor uses a glossy base which has a monster footprint, but it’s flat so you can put your stuff on top of it. It works well as a place for your gear as otherwise it tends to built up fingerprints and dust in a way that is not befitting something so attractively designed. The 3008WFP passes the one real adjustability test–it can be properly positioned without you having to get up from your chair, though two hands are needed at times. One thing the 3008WFP is missing is that it does not rotate, but it can be attached to a monitor arm if this is an absolute must-have.
The 3008WFP goes back to Dell’s admirable tradition of packing a few extras with the display. The big two are a USB hub and a card reader. To not have a USB hub in a display this large is just lazy engineering and a card reader is also extremely useful. The 3008WFP supports CF, xD, SD, SDHC, MS, and MMC. There is also a simple setup for cable management as cables can pass from the bottom of the display, though the neck piece and, unseen, out of the rear.
LCD setup is handled through a series of buttons on the front of the bezel. The setup is not far removed from what you would expect if you have worked with other high-end Dell displays though it is much improved from older models, like my trusty 2405WFP. You can adjust the brightness (you will definitely want to dial this down if you are working with text) as well as the contrast in seconds and you can jump from input to input with the click of a button. While these important functions are easy to accomplish the display also has all the granular controls that you would expect from a professional level product, like multiple picture-in-picture settings, sharpness adjustment, dynamic contrast, custom colors adjustments, and preset color modes, including MultiMedia, Game, and Adobe RGB. The action of the OSD is not particularly fast, but it’s workable, and things are helped along by an excellent layout.
Like any other display, setting up the 3008WFP is not difficult, it’s just a matter of making a few connections and turning the display on. The hardest part with the setup is actually getting the 34lb monitor in place as it is difficult to move and the large base means it will not slide on your desk. The huge panel and sun-like brightness means you will want to allot sufficient room between you and the display, at least an arm’s length. Some people will have to scale up font sizes, but that is not uncommon given the monitor’s high resolution (pixel pitch is 0.2505mm).
Once it’s in action, the 3008WFP looks great. The 3000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 8ms response time, 178/178 degree viewing angles, and 117% color gamut make for a top-notch viewing experience. The coloring is vibrant and clarity is, for the most part, excellent. Aside from its small size, text is crisp and legible. Dark shades looks quite good as well, though there are color settings to play with if you think things looks a bit off or if you have specific concerns. The monitor could benefit from a slightly higher refresh rate in order to clean up the picture slightly during fast action, but this is a very minor concern as overall the display looked quite nice.
During gaming and video testing the 30008WFP excelled in most respects. Picture quality remains high so long as you have the hardware to support the image–it’s no fun gaming in windowed mode at 1280×1024. The monitor is able to upscale inputs though, so this should be taken into consideration. The official word from Dell was, “the 3008 upscales all inputs to its native LCD panel resolution, which is 2560×1600. If customers want to avoid upscaling, then they need to drive the monitor with a graphics card that can output 2560×1600 over either DisplayPort or dual link DVI. Every other graphics card output mode gets scaled.” The monitor handles scaling relatively well, and games really shine at full resolution.
Video looks excellent as well but you have to be careful what you are feeding to the display–while 1080p works well, SD content does not look great on such a high resolution display. The 3008WFP does have on-board video processing but when dealing with a non-PC source the Gateway XHD3000 (a competing 30-inch display) seems to be the better pick.
Our test unit had one issue that was bothersome–a strange buzzing noise. This was a high-pitched sound that was barely audible and cycled on and off every three seconds or so. This happened when the monitor was sleeping, never when it was on, so it was extra annoying because it was not drowned out by our test computer. We contacted Dell about this and it appears to be an isolated incident that was not observed by their QA department. They said they would happily send a replacement unit if this was a customer’s display.
Out of curiosity I attached the 3008wfp to our test hardware in order to measure power consumption. As you might expect the LCD has some serious draw–while operating it sucked up around 165W at its maximum point. At zero brightness, which makes sense for people who work with text or online, it was down to 80W or so. While sleeping it was good for about 2-4W. As expected, a display this large and bright requires a lot of juice to keep it running.
After spending some time with the 3008WFP it’s clear that it marks a solid step forward for Dell’s displays. As with the competition, their first 30-inch display was notable for its size and resolution but it lacked a lot of the features that people want from a larger monitor and were able to get, for much cheaper, on 24-inch and 27-inch units. In the 3008WFP Dell includes an improved picture (with wider color gamut), a card reader, and a full range of inputs, making this monitor a great choice for the high-demand users, albeit an expensive one.
The display is heavy, has limited tilt/height adjustment, and it is by no means cheap but it is still a dream product for a lot of people, especially since it can act as a display for all sorts of devices and has DisplayPort built in. If you are looking for a 30-inch display that will spend a lot of time working with non-PC inputs you might want to consider the Gateway XHD3000, but for graphics and other workstation use, the 3008WFP handles itself quite nicely.
If you need a 30-inch display with a wide color gamut and multiple inputs, the 3008WFP is one to pick up, but if you only need something large, you can save a lot by considering the 3007WFP-HC which is significantly cheaper (currently about $1200).