What's the best 30" monitor out there?

[phexac]

I am considering moving to a 30" monitor from the 24" that I have right now for more desktop space to work with.

Besides recommending a monitor for me, I would also like to know how big a deal is it in terms of video cards in gaming. 30" screen takes a lot more video card horsepower to run than 24-26. I am dead-set against any sort of multi-GPU solutions. Right now I have a GTX260, and that is typically the range of video cards that I use. Will I be fine for most games with that level of GPU, or will I need to start spending a lot more money to maintain quality playable framerates on at 2560x1600? Looking for what you guys have found if you have tried a 30" monitor. Basically, can I get away without having to dish out $500+ on graphics cards every new generation?

 

[MrK6]

Right now I'm using a GTX 295 to drive mine, and it performs incredibly well in any game I throw at it. If you're dead set on a single GPU, I guess you'd have to go with a GTX 285, although in more demanding games you'll probably have to turn down graphical settings to maintain playable framerates. If you don't mind sacrificing eye candy, 30" on a single card is do-able. Also, overclocking the GTX 285 will help a lot .

 

[mmnno]

There isn't any single-GPU card that costs $500 anyway, so you're in the clear there. As for performance, either turn down the settings or turn down the resolution, or deal with bad framerates. You certainly aren't going to see any graphical improvement moving to 2560x1600 if you refuse to buy the cards to run it.

As for the best monitor, the first piece of information you always need to provide is your budget.
Absolute best would be the NEC 3090WQXi, downside of that one is the price and the moderate input lag.
Best value would be the refurb Dell 3007WFP-HC if they're still available (don't let the refurb scare you, with Dell's warranty and return policy it's virtually equal to a new monitor), the downside of that is its single input and lack of monitor scaling (no 360 or PS3 on that monitor.)

All the 30-inchers have issues. The issues aren't much bigger than in other classes, but they become far more prominent when you consider the price of most of these. If you can live without the scaler, the Dell comes most recommended solely on the basis of price.

 

[phexac]

My budget is $1000-$1400 or so. Since I will be using this screen for gaming, I do want to make sure that there is no input LAG. I am used to TN panels and I don't want to buy a 30" and then end up with noticeable input lag.

What about this LG? Looks good on paper and has positive reviews.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824005115

 

[adairusmc]

I am running a Samsung 305T for gaming and it runs great. I cannot tell that there is any input lag or anything. Great gaming monitor.

 

[Viper GTS]

The Dell refurbs are a great way into a 30", & the 3007WFP-HC is well known to have essentially no lag (since it has no internal processing).

I paid $650 for mine two months ago, & it's flawless. That $600 would go a long ways towards a graphics setup to do it justice (and indeed mine did, a GTX 295).

Viper GTS

 

[uclaLabrat]

Originally posted by: adairusmc
I am running a Samsung 305T for gaming and it runs great. I cannot tell that there is any input lag or anything. Great gaming monitor.

I run mine with a 4870X2. Most of the time I'm running 60+ FPS with full eye candy on COD4 and WaW. (Actually, it's usually pegged at 91 FPS, sometimes dipping into the 50's). It's sexy as hell.

 

[phexac]

What about that LG I linked? It also has the advantage of no internal processor (I have a big TV to do TV things, so I don't care about or want all those inputs and graphics processing inside my monitor).

Money is really not that much of an issue. I am opposed to multi-GPU solutions for non-monetary reasons.

Reason I dislike refurbs is that the most common reason monitors are refurbed is dead pixels, and since in most cases the number of dead pixels does not exceed the factory specification, those monitors go straight out the refurb door.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: phexac
What about that LG I linked? It also has the advantage of no internal processor (I have a big TV to do TV things, so I don't care about or want all those inputs and graphics processing inside my monitor).

Money is really not that much of an issue. I am opposed to multi-GPU solutions for non-monetary reasons.

Reason I dislike refurbs is that the most common reason monitors are refurbed is dead pixels, and since in most cases the number of dead pixels does not exceed the factory specification, those monitors go straight out the refurb door.

You really need multi-GPU to truly enjoy these monitors. Unless you want to play all your games on low/medium settings with no AA/AF. There simply is no single GPU that can max out modern games at 2560x1600.

Dell's refurbs come with the normal dell exchange period - You can exchange them for any reason. My first one was perfect (no dead pixels or sub-pixels), so I didn't need to. Obviously if money really is not an issue then you might as well get the new one, but 50% savings with the exact same exchange and warranty support was quite compelling for me.

Viper GTS

 

[ArizonaSteve]

I have the LG 30-incher and I definiely recommend it to others.

 

[mmnno]

You can't return that monitor to Newegg if it has less than 8 dead pixels, so you're actually taking a bigger risk there. You can return to dell for any reason for a refund within 21 days, and warranty exchange service for 3 years.

The LG is the same as the Dell 3007WFP-HC: no lag, wide gamut, same panel, etc. Identical display.

 

[adairusmc]

Originally posted by: uclaLabrat

Originally posted by: adairusmc
I am running a Samsung 305T for gaming and it runs great. I cannot tell that there is any input lag or anything. Great gaming monitor.

I run mine with a 4870X2. Most of the time I'm running 60+ FPS with full eye candy on COD4 and WaW. (Actually, it's usually pegged at 91 FPS, sometimes dipping into the 50's). It's sexy as hell.

I opted to go 4870 Tri-Fire with my setup, but yes it sure is beautiful.

 

[Redox]

Originally posted by: adairusmc

Originally posted by: uclaLabrat

Originally posted by: adairusmc
I am running a Samsung 305T for gaming and it runs great. I cannot tell that there is any input lag or anything. Great gaming monitor.

I run mine with a 4870X2. Most of the time I'm running 60+ FPS with full eye candy on COD4 and WaW. (Actually, it's usually pegged at 91 FPS, sometimes dipping into the 50's). It's sexy as hell.

I opted to go 4870 Tri-Fire with my setup, but yes it sure is beautiful.

I'm also using the Samsung 305t and am running it with an C2D E8400 and GTX280 SLI configuration. Most everything runs extremely well with the exception of Stalker Clear Sky and Crysis at 25x16 which are both still a bit choppy.

You will likely not be happy with a single GPU solution ...