Pretty darn good review.

Please though... Test this monitor against a CRT for input lag. There's the thought that the addition of the 3008 scaler chip could add input lag to the monitor. Upwards of 60ms. It is crucial to know how this scaler chip acts. It could be "on" even at native resolutions. Simply hook the 3008 and a CRT up to the same gpu, clone the monitors, use a timer ( http://tft.vanity.dk/ ) and take some photos at 1/2000 shutter speed. The difference between the CRT and the 3008 is the input lag... any more questions just PM me.

 Also....

Just how hard was it to calibrate by hand, and afterwards were their some colors that "just didnt look right?"

What are the qualities of the screen coating? This is the first large monitor with True Bright type technology. So subjectively... is it Glossy? Is it Matte? Is it in between? 

Good scoop! Top it off with an addendum though please... You'd be surprised at how many people have been waiting for this one.
 

 Hi All,

Great review Dave!

A couple of questions. The RV 620 Graphics card used in testing the Dell UltraSharp 3008WFP, is that a midrange Graphics card? Also, was there any Backlight bleeding or Banding?

Last year I was considering the HP LP3065 but the lack of Monitor adjustments as well as the price led me to purchase the Sharp LC-32GP1U LCD TV instead. I'm considering building another System built around the Asus Maximus Formula X38 mainly because it'll support the new Quad core Penryn Processors without the need to use DDR3 Memory. The Dell 3008WFP looked like it would be a great monitor, however the $2000.00 price tag is a lot more than I'm willing to spend on a monitor. Unless the price drops & I mean by a considerable amount I will go with another LCD TV, as they seem to offer the most bang for the buck at present. 

$2,000  LOL.  You can get a 40" 120hz 1080p LCD TV for that.. . You have to be a HARDCORE graphics Fein to actually NEED this monitor.. .

If gaming and doing simple stuff I've found a great Alternate Option!   

Panasonic and Sony now have 32" 720P/1080i, 120hz LCD TVs now.. . For $800-900 you can get your hands on the Panasonic version at Best Buy.  I'm highly considering this.  It comes with 2 HDMI inputs to.  The Sony has way more inputs but the picture difference is neglegable for the Extra $500 Sony wants for their unit.  It can actually read 1080P signals as well through HDMI. 

inputs :

6 A/V inputs, including:

• 3 composite video (2 rear, 1 side)
• 2 S-video
• 1 component video (accepts signals up to 1080i)  DVD Player/Xbox/PS3
• 2 HDMI (accepts signals up to 1080p)  Computer here for sure.  A 3rd would be real nice!  The Sony comes with a 3rd!

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-HXY6zGih5q4/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?i=13332LX700

 I just checked this TV out at Best Buy Last night and WOW!  GREAT picture!  I'd really like to see what it can do for Gaming though!  I guess I'll have to buy to find out!

You can't compare a 1080p tv set to a computer monitor. Computer monitors have MUCH higher resolutions, also, almost all HDTV sets use PVA/MVA panels. They aren't as color accurate as IPS panels, and PVA/MVA also sport the annoying black crush (details in dark areas merge to giant black blobs).

There's a reason why there has been a MASSIVE flood of TN panels to the market. People see a cheap monitor or HDTV and go "WOW! SO CHEAP!" They end up picking it up without realizing the difference behind TFT technology, and because of that...IPS, the best LCD technology there is in terms of color accuracy and detail, has become extremely expensive.

The 30" dell sports a 30" S-IPS panel. Also, it has display port, I bet most of you don't realize, but DVI doesn't have enough bandwidth to actually support Wide gamut displays, Display port does. Yes this monitor might be extremely expensive, but it uses a superior panel compared to these large TV's, offers a higher resolution at a smaller size, which means very sharp picture. If you went the LCD tv route, you'd have to make sure it's a decent distance away due to the MUCH larger pixels, which is a HUGe turn off to MANY computer users.  

 There are many other factors I can point out too, but hopefully you get the idea =P.

 Thanks man for the post, I did learn something today.

 HI All,

While you are correct about 30" monitors having higher resolution, you are wrong about the panels that LCD TVs employ. Panasonic, JVC & SONY ALL employ Panels that are S- IPS as well as 10 bit for superior color display. In addition , the pixel size is not a factor. I'm using a 32" 1080P Sharp as a monitor 7 i've noticed no "Screen door" effect. I think a lot of folk parrot what they've heard or read somewhere without any first hand knowledge. 

 They may employ S-IPS in some tv's, but tell me, how much are those compared to the entry level HDTV sets? In there high end sets probably, but not their low end solutions which is what most people pick up. Such as the entry 1080p sets from vizio, westinghouse, etc.

The 32" monitor might be good for you, but that doesn't not mean everyone would like it. The dot pitch is MUCH larger on that 32" display, and for those who like to keep their monitor up close, it's not the best solution. The higher the dot pitch/pixel count, the higher the clarity...Which is why people pick up these 30 inch monitors at almost double the price of 1080p sets. There are far more people picking up computer display based monitor for a reason then there are hdtv sets. Although I do agree that 1080p hdtv sets are not bad as a computer based monitor. But they need to be a decent distance away to be enjoyable. Have them on a desk with 2-3 foot of distance and the pixels are damn massive.

Uh oh, I feel a heated debate coming on! Haha, you guys are above and beyond what I know for displays so the more you post about 'em the better -- makes me smarter after all. Go on....keep posting....

C'mon....post!

Hi All

Like everything else, it's a matter of personel prefrence. If you prefer to go with a dedicated Monitor that's your business. However there are plenty of folk who have gone the LCD TV route & they are very satisfied with it. Again if you haven't used a large screen TV as a monitor you don't know what you're talking about.

I have used both my 32" viewsonic lcd TV and a Mac 30" cinema display, and I have to say I hands down prefer my display to my tv.  For watching movies the TV does an okay job, but playing from my Blu-Ray drive there is definitely a noticeable difference between the two.  I just wish OLED TV's would come down in price, they're the real winner if you've seen 'em.

Hi All

Is the LCD TV 1080P?

My TV is a Viewsonic N3235w.  I'm not sure if it is 1080p or not...

Hi All

 http://www.viewsonic.com/products/desktopdisplays/lcdtv/n3235w/#specs

Your TV isn't 1080P. Here's a link with your TV's specs 

1nteljunki3:

My TV is a Viewsonic N3235w.  I'm not sure if it is 1080p or not...