Dell U3011 now or wait?

rob77 · 14 May 2012 at 17:19

Hi guys

I've been eyeing up the Dell U3011 for a few days now and am about to pull the trigger. I like the 16.10 aspect ratio as I have one at the moment but have not seen a 30" in person so have no idea if it would be too big for me or not. Would a 30" sitting on my desk with me about 3-4 foot away from it be too big especially for gaming? I mainly play driving games.

Just wanted peoples opinions on the 30" size and if it suited them or not. I could always go down one to 27"

Cheers

ThePengu1n · 14 May 2012 at 18:34

From what I've read, it's an outstanding monitor, but I would wait for a price drop, Overclockers has had them down to about £840 (I think)

shahpor · 14 May 2012 at 18:54

My U3011 sits about 2 feet away from me on my desk.

It is not too big by any means. It is fantastic to look at with anything from browsing to playing games.

The only thing I will say is that I had to lower mine a bit when I got it cause I didn't want to look up at it. So my eye line is roughly along the top 1/3 of the screen, and I look down on the rest.

Apart from that, it is a great monitor and I highly recommend it.

derv · 14 May 2012 at 19:34

30" isn't too big. I sit 2ft away from mine and I don't have to strain my neck looking up thanks to the excellent height adjustment. Mine sits 1.5" off the desk and my eye line is roughly in line with the top of the monitor as it should be.

I agree with Mr Penguins comment re the price. All suppliers seem to have increased their price by around £50 over the last couple of weeks. I was lucky and picked mine up for £816. It might be worth holding off for a little while unless your trigger finger has an itch you can't stop

One thing for certain, you will be extremely pleased with the U3011. It's a beast and a joy to use.

kirkster · 14 May 2012 at 20:19

I am likewise following the prices of this monitor. Was going to get a u27 but why not the u30, only live once right? But I have a feeling they are ready to shift stock due to a refresh....

IS u27 and U30 identical other than screen size?

rob77 · 14 May 2012 at 20:34

Thanks for the reply guys I think I will go for the 30

Where have you seen them at that price craarc?

craarc · 14 May 2012 at 20:36

kirkster said:
Did you register for the warranty craarc?

yes i did not the extra warranty register on dell for the standard 3 year no argument warranty

kirkster · 14 May 2012 at 20:45

craarc said:
yes i did not the extra warranty register on dell for the standard 3 year no argument warranty

That three year guarantee is a brilliant plus. Probably pay for it in the [high] purchase price but what a super monitor. I saw one today at mates house I havn't been round for a while. I like....

But now thinking, will I like a 30 even more? never seen a 30 before though and wonder if it'd be a tad overkill.... doh, decisions, decisions !

craarc · 14 May 2012 at 20:48

i would have gone for the 30 if id had the desk space ive had a lot of screens over the years and the dell is awesome some people dont like square frame matt finish etc i love that about it feel like its carved out of stone not plastic

yer warranty alone is worth the extra and you get so much with them all the card slots inputs outputs brilliant menu its just my purchase of the year tbh

Double07 · 14 May 2012 at 20:49

craarc said:
they are a brilliant monitor none of this dead pixel and lack of connections wobbly stand stuff thats what you pay for i guess..

haha I presume you are talking about my 'cheap as chips' Korean 27" luck of the drawn, who knows if it will be working in 3 months time but GOD it was cheap monitor? Or just Hazros?

kirkster · 14 May 2012 at 20:55

Another super thing about the high end Dell's is the number of inputs. I intend to drive my main PC (in sig), a Linux machine, Macbook and a mac mini into this display and possibly PS3 as well since missus keeps kicking me off the 50 Panny in the lounge to watch **** TV.....

I like the idea of high res since I have lots of terminal windows for software development open simultaneously. Yes, the Dell's look the biz. Maybe the 30 will be even more the biz !!!

Doh..... Gonna knock off and have a Sol and think about it me thinks...

Double07 · 14 May 2012 at 20:59

kirkster said:
I like the idea of high res since I have lots of terminal windows for software development open simultaneously. Yes, the Dell's look the biz. Maybe the 30 will be even more the biz !!! Doh..... Gonna knock off and have a Sol and think about it me thinks...

I went from a good Dell 24" 1080p to a 27" 2560*1440 and like yourself I have a lot of windows open and the increase in real estate is SUCH a big improvement it makes using the PC so much more enjoyable. Moving to the 30" screen with a res of 2560*1600 then you have a bit more of a jump and the increase in size at the higher res will keep the clarity. If you can afford it and will make use of it enough then I would think it is very much worth the money.

craarc · 14 May 2012 at 21:01

Double07 said:
haha I presume you are talking about my 'cheap as chips' Korean 27" luck of the drawn, who knows if it will be working in 3 months time but GOD it was cheap monitor? Or just Hazros?

yer im not knocking them for the proce but id rather not gamble i just dont like the plastic look and the innards are a bit dubious

i hope everyone who has bought one gets one that lasts time will tell if so what a deal i just didnt want that tho tbh ..

craarc · 14 May 2012 at 21:02

Double07 said:
I went from a good Dell 24" 1080p to a 27" 2560*1440 and like yourself I have a lot of windows open and the increase in real estate is SUCH a big improvement it makes using the PC so much more enjoyable. Moving to the 30" screen with a res of 2560*1600 then you have a bit more of a jump and the increase in size at the higher res will keep the clarity. If you can afford it and will make use of it enough then I would think it is very much worth the money.

+1

Double07 · 14 May 2012 at 21:06

craarc said:
yer im not knocking them for the proce but id rather not gamble i just dont like the plastic look and the innards are a bit dubious

i hope everyone who has bought one gets one that lasts time will tell if so what a deal i just didnt want that tho tbh ..

Mine actually feels pretty sturdy and looks half decent with no wobbly stand but the supplied DVI cable and PSU are utter pants and the innards are far from high quality

(edit. apart from the panel itself which is cracking)

craarc · 14 May 2012 at 21:17

Double07 said:
Mine actually feels pretty sturdy and looks half decent with no wobbly stand but the supplied DVI cable and PSU are utter pants and the innards are far from high quality (edit. apart from the panel itself which is cracking)

yer the panel is its main attraction vs price ofc cant knock it for that part have to add "so far" tho be nice if people get a couple years out of them i hope they dont all start to fail at like 6 mths

i have to keep asking myself why didnt OC get them in if they felt it was worth it.

rob77 · 14 May 2012 at 21:29

I was actually looking at one of them Korean ones before I saw this. I did post in the thread asking for advice on which model to get but no one replied and the thread was so big it was a bit overwhelming.

craarc · 14 May 2012 at 21:49

rob77 said:
I was actually looking at one of them Korean ones before I saw this. I did post in the thread asking for advice on which model to get but no one replied and the thread was so big it was a bit overwhelming.

lol yer the catleap thread is a forum unto its self..

Double07 · 14 May 2012 at 21:53

OCUK didn't get them in because they couldn't get any supplier to commit to an RMA policy. I followed the thread from start to finish (and bought one) and it was very clearly a case of price vs risk from the get go.

OKCUK were very generous in letting the thread stands as it clearly breaks the rules of the forum and they were actively posting as others were asking them to consider stocking them.

Fact is they couldn't get good enough answers on RMA so it wasn't worth their while taking the risk in terms of maybe wrecking their reputation as having pretty good customer service.

As for knowing which model to buy well that came down to several factors but what component doesn't? Essentially it came down to that fact that 2B Catleap models could be overclocked, to 120Hz in some cases and the other consideration was which bezel you thought least offensive

Early adopters were taking a huge risk but having followed it closely the customer service received by those who have had problems seems to have been very good to be honest. As an example Moogleys died after a week, he emailed and after a few back and forth emails was offered a refund which he was happy enough with. He then got a friend (LG tech as I recall) to have a look and he fixed the board, hazza working perfectly but the seller still gave him a $100 partial refund for the trouble.

I know it's never going to be the same level of service but they do seem to be making an effort to service problems, and why wouldn't they because they are selling them by the boatload! Time will tell though as who knows what will happen 6 months or a year down the line and that is exactly why the UK models, especially the Dell with it's wonderful warranty cost the extra. It's all down to personal choice. If I could have afforded the Dell I would have got it but I couldn't so took the chance and SO FAR it has paid off.

rob77 · 14 May 2012 at 22:03

Which model did you go for in the end then Double07? And how do you find it compared with other IPS displays that are much more money?