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"Exceptional Monitor! True Value!" on by sublo
Pros: Value!!! Massive, massive screen Real Estate, Excellent color correctness, Massive scale!, Did I mention VALUE???
Cons: Very dated bezel, dual-tone black/silver back cheesy, lack of options and inputs compared to other units, scary investment in vid card.
Summary: OMG!!! You have no idea the scale of this thing until you sit in front of it to work/play!. It's M-A-S-S-I-V-E. I got a STEAL and paid $1630 via my company. I'm a Network/Systems Admin - what a bargain. Yes, I've played with the Apple 30" in the store. But until you work with a screen this big on your desk, you have no idea. You can almost get whiplash watching your apps.
On a more serious note, the color correctness is very good - not as good as my previous Dell 2405FP widescreen, but good nonetheless. Brightness - excellent. You can monitor a myriad of applications simultaneously. I have good eyes and run at max resolution of 2560x1600. If you plan on running anything less, DON'T bother buying this monitor. It also has that fantastic feature my 2405FP had - the multimedia card reader built right into the left side - great idea. Very useful. It alslo functions as a USB hub with 2 slots.
Now for the bad. The only reason I didn't rate this thing a 10 is for (1)Complexity and cost of installation and (2) Lack of options and inputs compared to my previous 2001FP and 2405FP aslo from Dell.
If you don't buy this thing with a brand new Dell system tailored specifically for it, and have little experience with internal PC hardware, you're going to have a hell of a time getting this to work. You MUST have a PCI Express DVI video card that can do 2560x1600. It's a good idea to buy the reccomened cards from Dell's site listed underneath the monitor description. In my case, I bought a BFG Tech GeForce 7800 GT OC 256MB GDDR3 from CompUSA for $370. You will also NEED a 400W or better power supply. I picked up a new Antec 500 SmartPower 2.0 500W supply. I put both in an OptiPlex GX620 Mini-Tower chassis. My card requires direct power from the supply. You also MUST use the DVI cable and power cable that came with the monitor or you may wonder why nothing is working. In all, this is NOT "plug-n-play" for the uninitiated. But I did get it working and am very satisfied.
About those options. I've been using a gorgeous 2405FP for months. I'm used to having a VGA, DVI, S-Video and composite inputs to choose from. I'm used to occasionally using PIP from video sources. Those don't exist on this monitor. Not happy about that. Furthermore, the bezel and overall case colors on the other Dell FP's are much more modern and attractive.
Overall, I can't complain. This thing is one of the greatest bargains on the planet right now for the $$$ I ordered for. If you're not getting corporate rates, it may be a couple of hundred bucks more - not sure. Even still, compared with $2,500 for the Apple 30", it's still a steal. To boot, the 2405FP will probably come down in price too. Last I checked, it was about $899. Honestly, for home use, the 2405FP is a better option for most people IMHO. -
"Why the connections were Intentionaly left off...." on by btshep
Pros: size, quality, dell reputation
Cons: no cons, read below
Summary: I know a lot of people are upset that all the different connections were left of this moniter. Dell did not overlook this or forget to add them in the design process. It is a business decision. If they left the connections on this moniter it woulld chew into their LCD and Plasma TV product line sales. Many people would opt for this moniter instead of a Dell 30in LCD TV because of the extremely higher native resolution. It would be a bad business model for Dell to have a product that would directly cut into the sales for another product of the same size.
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"Reasonable priced, the connections limit is reasonable" on by Raymond Lui
Pros: Reasonable priced, high contrast
Cons: Not as beautiful as the Apple Cinema Display
Summary: It is a nice huge display, the contrast is high.
However, I would say the Apple Cinema Display's sleek design is even more great, which in CNET review's words, " In fact, hooking it (ACD) up to a comparatively hideous Intel-based PC feels like such a crime that we're beginning to suspect an ulterior motive on Apple's part."
I will not say what some other reviewers mentioned such as the need of using the supply cable is a Weakness of this screen. Obviously, VGA is unable to support this high rest, nor does a Single-Link DVIs.
Also, there is one mistake in CNET's review, that is you do not need a top-of-the-line graphic card in order to use this massive screen. Any ATI X1000 series card will make it, including the low-end X1300.
For Mac users, it is even more simple, a Readon 9650 a PowerMac or the Readon 9700 on PowerBooks will be enough already. -
"Poor Cutomer Service" on by traderscoach
Pros: Great when working
Cons: Poor cutomer service,
Summary: I have been a big DELL fan for 8 years now. My experience with this monitor has been a nightmare. When the dell 30-inch monitor arrived via UPS the box was crushed and had a big hole on the side of the box. The UPS guy even said to refuse it. I notified Dell’s customer service and they said as soon as they got the monitor back they would send a replacement. Two days later UPS tried to re-deliver the same damaged box and delivery was refused a second time. Again I notified Dell’s customer service who apologized and said they where sending another one immediately via Fed Ex. Two days later Fed Ex arrived, and tried to deliver the same damaged box as UPS tried to deliver. This time I was furious but took delivery anyway and had Fed Ex notify Dell it was damaged. When I opened the box the monitor did not appear to be damaged, but let me tell you the box looked like it was dropped off the truck! For three days the monitor worked great and it was a great monitor. However on the forth day I tried to power the monitor up and nothing happens, the Power switch now seems like it is malfunctioning. So my customer service issues start all over again which is terrible for the amount of money I paid for this monitor. So while the monitor when working was great, the customer service and shipping issues ruined this purchase for me.
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"Know what you are getting" on by ptgb
Pros: Sharp, Sharp, Sharp
Cons: Hidden costs to most...
Summary: Even at the smallest fonts and grpahics are crisp and readable! Is this monitor overkill for 90% of us... yes. Is it worth every penny... YES! I have never experienced computing like this and I try to stay near the cutting edge.
The only thing that ticked me off about this endeavour is that I had to go and buy a new video card for it. PS.. GeForce 7950 work great and are decently priced.
Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP user reviews
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