The tests

Design, ergonomics, color rendering measured with a colorimeter, reaction time in games and movies…There are many criteria.

Of course, ideally the product excels in all domains. This is rarely the case, and the buyer will have to make a compromise based on their needs; prioritize colors if we want to edit images, or first and foremost reactivity if we are into gaming.

As big as they are, these screens "only" measure 69 cm in length and 20 cm in width.  For comparison, a 24’’ measures roughly 55 cm and is only 20%  shorter.  The gain in pixels is much more significant with the Samsung 305T, Dell 3007WFP HC and Apple Cinema Display 30’’ displaying almost 80% more points than a 24''.  (For those interested in seeing a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, take a look at this screen shot).   For graphic design, large spreadsheets, 2D and 3D conception, development, or even playing movies it’s amazing.  Graphic artists will appreciate being able to easily see all of their tool palettes, in the office you no longer need to scroll in documents, and gamers (as happy as they can be here) will benefit from an extraordinary panorama. World of Warcraft, Toca Racer Driver 3, Lock On, Far Cry and Civilization, just to name a few, are particularly impressive.  Just save your eyes and step back a little.  For work, the distance is slightly less than a meter and for play we suggest at least 1.5 meters.

We change screens, but this isn’t all

However, rare will be those who will be able to simply replace their current screen with one these 30’’s because their use requires a recent high end graphic card equipped with the latest DVI port, Dual Link.  And then to play comfortably, given that the number of pixels to process is more than double that on already big 24’’s, it’s strongly recommended to use a double graphic card SLI (NVIDIA) or CrossFire (ATI).  Also, in terms of gaming you will need one of the latest motherboards capable of managing these solutions.   Another almost essential requirement is a colorimeter to calibrate the screen.  We use the LaCie Blue Eye Pro.