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Dell ultrasharp U3011 anyone?

B

bluesteel

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 5, 2007
431
65
Earth
i've gotta order a monitor in the next week or so for a new Mac Pro i ordered. i'm running between the NEC PA271W and the Dell ultrasharp U3011. I know the NEC is a fantastic monitor, better for professional color-critical workloads, and probably a better all around monitor than the Dell. but I like the idea of having a 30" again (i use to own two 30" ACD). i do some graphic/motion graphic/effects/web work, and a bunch of 3D work with Maya.

anyone got any personal experience with this Dell ultrasharp U3011?
 
I bought the U3011 and while it was great in terms of features and connectivity, the anti-glare coating looks ATROCIOUS. The panel has a very strong "sparkle" effect. I returned it for the Apple LED Cinema 27" and I *LOVE* it. Much more vivid, richer colors plus I saved $500.
 
Ashok0 said:
I bought the U3011 and while it was great in terms of features and connectivity, the anti-glare coating looks ATROCIOUS. The panel has a very strong "sparkle" effect. I returned it for the Apple LED Cinema 27" and I *LOVE* it. Much more vivid, richer colors plus I saved $500.
Click to expand...

hey, thanks for the info! this is exactly what i was afraid of, the "sparkle" effect. glad i did not order one yet. my eyes are very sensitive to that stuff. argh!! so its not like looking at a matte macbook pro? there is an actual anti-glare coating on it that generates this effect to some eyes?

can you compare any other displays? like, is at all like a 30" apple cinema display? or is that sparkle effect magnified on the dell U3011?

i had a 27" apple cinema display for a day and it gave me such a bad headache after 6 hours of usage. i also did not like that the stand did not swivel or adjust up or down. i also wish it had an HDMI port so i could connect a blu-ray player to it (i have my reasons..lol). also, the glare bothered me a lot, especially the glare from the shiny black bezel. i will admit, the display is vibrant, bright, sharp, well-built, and of course great looking.

if the "sparkle" effect is as you say it is, which i have a feeling i will react the same way as you, than i'm left with two choices, the NEC PA271W or 27" ACD. do you know anything about the PA271W in terms of an anti-glare coating? i'm wondering if that monitor will have that "sparkle" effect too.
 
Hi bluesteel,

Well the old 30" Apple Cinema Display was really, really bad in terms of "sparkle". I don't think the U3011 anti-glare coating is quite as strong, but it's still very aggressive. The U3011 and PA271W actually use the same IPS panels from LG, so the "sparkle" effect is going to be the same.

Your only real choice is to get a monitor with "sparkle" and HDMI/DVI or the Apple LED Cinema 27" with "glare" and miniDisplayPort only. Choose your poison. Anyhow, I ended up getting the ACD27" along with Atlona converters to convert DVI and HDMI to mDP, and have no regrets! :)
 
Hi Ashok0,

yeah, this is going to be a tough one. i'm tempted to order up the U3011 just to see if i can deal with it. i like that 16:10 ratio too. at the same time, if i roughed it with the 27" ACD, it's value will hold up well. anyhow, thanks for the chat. it was very helpful :)
 
The NEC and Dell have different panels, one 27" and one 30". Unless you compare to the Dell 27".

They all ( including the Apple ) have the same panel, LG I think. The difference is the backlighting and glass or matte coating which are different on all 3. From my experience with the Dell U2410 and what I have read abt their 27" and 30", it all depends on your intended use.

I do some photography and video, but also work in an office that I can easily control the light. If I could redo I would have bought a refurb apple 24" even for $120 more than my Dell. I don't know the effects on my eyes but the screen window muddy effect bothers me when I open photos.

Pixel density obviously is different from my previous screens but the matte is the same or worse than my 2003 PowerBook.

I'm not a fan of Apple Glassy but since I can control my lighting, the Apple is much better for photos.

That said, you have to think about the audience of your work.
For web work, who are your viewers? Corporate or consumer? The whole consumer PC industry went glossy years ago to sell shiney Vista PCs. All modern Macs are glossy too.

It couldn't hurt designing and developing on the same type screen that most of your viewers are going to use.

Sorry I can't answer your question but I am also considering an Apple 27" ACD or same size NEC. I am not considering the Dell from present experience for my uses.

For basic use, Excel, Work etc.. The Dell is fine, just not what is ultimately right for my needs.

Hope this helps
 
spacepower7 said:
The NEC and Dell have different panels, one 27" and one 30". Unless you compare to the Dell 27".

They all ( including the Apple ) have the same panel, LG I think. The difference is the backlighting and glass or matte coating which are different on all 3. From my experience with the Dell U2410 and what I have read abt their 27" and 30", it all depends on your intended use.

I do some photography and video, but also work in an office that I can easily control the light. If I could redo I would have bought a refurb apple 24" even for $120 more than my Dell. I don't know the effects on my eyes but the screen window muddy effect bothers me when I open photos.

Pixel density obviously is different from my previous screens but the matte is the same or worse than my 2003 PowerBook.

I'm not a fan of Apple Glassy but since I can control my lighting, the Apple is much better for photos.

That said, you have to think about the audience of your work.
For web work, who are your viewers? Corporate or consumer? The whole consumer PC industry went glossy years ago to sell shiney Vista PCs. All modern Macs are glossy too.

It couldn't hurt designing and developing on the same type screen that most of your viewers are going to use.

Sorry I can't answer your question but I am also considering an Apple 27" ACD or same size NEC. I am not considering the Dell from present experience for my uses.

For basic use, Excel, Work etc.. The Dell is fine, just not what is ultimately right for my needs.

Hope this helps
Click to expand...


you make many good points here, especially your mention of how a large portion of the "audience" of my work is probably using glossy displays too. something to definitely think about.
 
Resolution issue

Have you had any luck getting more than 1920 x 1200 out of the monitor. I have one on my desk that my IT department sent me along with a new macbook and I cannot find anywhere how to get the full 2560 x 1600 resolution?
 
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