30" monitor advice

[smogsy]

Im not sure if this is allowed here so please move/delete if neccesary

Im looking to buy a 30" display for my photography editing & games

i thought as some of you are proffesionals you maybe have used larger screens in the past or present. thanks.

it will be hooked up to a Mac Pro.

I currently selected a short list
Samsung 305T+ (now had HDCP Support!)
LG-3000H
NEC 30"
HP LP 3065

im looking for feedback,advice from you on which to select or give me extra monitors to look into main uses will be photography editing/gaming.:mrgreen:

 

[skieur]

Samsung and NEC have the best reputations among computer magazines and users in that list.

skieur

 

[Garbz]

NEC 30" do you mean toe NEC 3090W? That is the only one on the list with an S-IPS panel on it which also makes it by a long shot the best suited for photography as IPS panels are the only ones where the colour stays consistent across viewing angles.

This is doubly important for you with a 30" screen. It's bad enough with a 26" screen but at a comfortable viewing angle the edge of my screen is probably at about 20degrees compared to the middle viewed dead on. On a TN panel and to a slightly lesser extent a S-PVA panel like the Samsung 305T+, this may result in uneven colour display unless you sit quite a distance from the screen.

A few more things to note. The NEC screen on that list is a wide gamut screen, which can cause quite some headaches if you're not prepared to deal with them. Have a look at http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/digital-discussion-q/168696-nec-monitor-question.html for a post about halfway down where I describe what this means to a user.

These 30" screens have a huge resolution, I hope you have a very decent videocard. 2D performance is not something any old video card can manage at the 1080p and higher resolutions which these screens feature. Lightroom was borderline unusable on my computer when I upgraded my screen on a Geforce 7600GTS (not cheap card, but about 2.5 years old), so how old is the Mac Pro?

Get a calibrator (not a Spyder 2 if you're getting a wide gammut screen)!

Get some sunscreen. A 30" screen generates quite a bit of heat

I recommend the NEC 3090W having a NEC 2690WUXi myself. Combined with a calibrator like the eyeOne Display 2, the screen is perfect for photo editing.
However I do NOT recommend the NEC or any other S-IPS panel if gaming is really important to you (i.e. you're a competitive player not a casual). S-IPS screens have by far the best colour reproduction but the worst refresh rates. I get motion sick for many games on my screen due to the blurring and ghosting caused by the panel. The Samsung may be more suited as a compromise between photography and gaming. However TN panels which are the best for games, movies, and fast refresh rates also lack even the ability to display 8 bit colour, let alone display it accurately across the entire panel.

 

[smogsy]

this is the nec,
NEC MultiSync LCD3090WQXi 30-Inch LCD Monitor: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

i currently have 24" hp which have a wide colour gamut & are H-ips panels with up to 54ms input lag and find it suitable for gaming.
HP LP2475W 24 inch TFT Widescreen Monitor 1000:1 400cd: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

i currently have 2x280gtx graphics cards so video power will be fine.

i will be buying a new mac pro which most probably have the GTX285 (1204mb)

 

[Garbz]

Then I need say no more. The NEC fits the bill perfectly. I don't suggest getting an S-PVA panel as that would be a notable step backwards just for a few inches extra realestate.