HP ZR30w 30-inch LCD Review
PrintFit for a Dream Machine
You might recall seeing three of HP’s ZR30w 30-inch displays gracing the cover of our September “Dream Machine” issue. Considering our theme for that build was raw, wanton power, picking the ZR30w was an easy decision.
We haven’t been this wowed by a display since we laid eyes on NEC’s LCD3090 WQXi, which we reviewed in our March 2010 issue. But that 30-incher costs nearly twice as much as this one. Both monitors are based on S-IPS panels, as all the best LCD monitors are, and both deliver native resolution of 2560x1600 (a 16:10 aspect ratio). But the ZR30w’s real claim to fame is color resolution of 10 bits per color per pixel (HP defines this as 30 bits per pixel), which enables it to produce 1.07 billion displayable colors. That’s 100 percent of the sRGB color gamut and 99 percent of the Adobe RGB color gamut.
HP's ZR30w is a spectacular value in the 30-inch display category, even if it is missing HDMI and portrait mode.
The ZR30w’s video inputs are limited to a single dual-link DVI port and a single DisplayPort. There’s HDCP support on both of these, but we would have appreciated the inclusion of an HDMI port, too. It’s not that we want to send audio to the display—this one doesn’t have built-in speakers, and we imagine they’d sound terrible if it did—it’s just that having HDMI would be convenient. In fact, we wished this monitor was equipped with at least one more DVI or DisplayPort port, too, since we find ourselves using two computers at once (one for testing, one for writing) on a fairly regular basis. A four-port USB hub rounds out the connectivity features (two ports on the left-hand side of the bezel and two on the bottom, behind the panel).
There are four buttons on the lower right-hand size of the bezel, but they don’t serve the function you might expect; that is, they don’t call up an onscreen display for the purpose of making color adjustments. That’s because the ZR30w doesn’t have an onscreen display. The plus/minus buttons control brightness, while the power and source buttons do just what you’d expect.
The monitor moves with smooth precision on its stand, which has an open base that’s handy for trapping pens and other small objects, but it’s limited to height, tilt, and swivel; you can’t pivot it into portrait mode unless you buy an articulated arm or some other VESA mount. The power supply is integrated into the monitor, so you don’t need to worry about stashing a power brick under or on top of your desk.
One of the first things we noticed when we began evaluating the display using DisplayMate Multimedia with Test Photos Edition (www.displaymate.com) was absolutely no backlight leakage anywhere around the perimeter of the screen. The glass itself has a matte finish, so we didn’t encounter any issues with glare or distracting specular reflections. The ZR30w delivered excellent color uniformity in our DisplayMate tests. And the monitor was perfectly capable of delivering Just Cause 2 action without any signs of motion blur. The ZR30w’s $1,300 price tag doesn’t put it in impulse-buy territory, but it does render it a spectacular value.
HP ZR30w 30-inch LCD
Big Bad Mama
S-IPS panel; great performance with both games and professional applications.
Grizzly Mama
No HDMI; no media card reader; doesn't pivot to portrait mode.
9
Specifications
| Viewable Area | 30 inches diagonal |
| Panel Type | S-IPS |
| Native Resolution | 2560x1600 at 60Hz |
| Video Inputs | DisplayPort, DVI-D (HDCP on both) |
| I/O Ports | Four-port USB hub |
More like this
Honest Abe
January 06, 2011 at 10:21am
I must say that I enjoyed the article about display myths:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/display_myths_shattered?page=2%2C4
;however, I must say this review sort tends to make now think that such an article is only included on your site to essentially reinforce your so called reviews of monitors so people will then trust your monitor reviews. These trusting people will then provide you with income through one of your monitor reseller links. You do earn a comission on those links do you not - that's why maxiumpc is included in the link - its the referer?
I am curious as to where the in depth testing of the monitor is - that is, you examine the factory settings and calibrated settings of various color profiles with one or more devices that test the monitor's color output. Simply saying that it looks good is not enough as thats a lot of money to flush down the toilet when you find that its srgb emulation can't cut it -- I've read in-depth reviews of $2,000 NEC monitors only to find that its srgb output is not up to par with standard gambit monitors, thus makiing them useless for srgb work.
Mvidarus
September 18, 2010 at 6:34pm
I consider the lack of portrait mode a significant drawback. I don't need it at all to work with Word (with bigger monitors, a fraction of the screen is enough for it), but mostly to see hi-res photos which have a vertical orientation, and to read comics in CBR format. My 24" inch monitor in portrait mode still has more vertical resolution (1920 pixels) than a 30" inch monitor in landscape mode (1600). But even if the vertical resolution was higher, I would still like to be able to rotate the screen ocasionally, even if this gets more difficult with bigger and heavier monitors.
thetechchild
August 25, 2010 at 6:24pm
Whether or not you think they are worth mentioning, the negatives are there. This monitor is indeed compared to various monitors of a similar price range, and the review is supposed to be unbiased. As you can see, various users have already commented as to the convenience such additional features could provide, and even if their ideas are not so good, they would, I'm sure, at least appreciate the option to try. No matter how minor they may seem, they must be put in.
FunkySquirrel
August 25, 2010 at 5:21pm
Yeah, I might recall seeing them on the cover of the "Dream Machine" issue.
If MaximumPC had bothered to send me the September issue, that is.
I guess for MaxPC, when somebody's subscription ends in December, it actually means "End in August".
Ya know what, guys? Might as well end it now, if you can't even follow a calendar.
1968Panther
August 25, 2010 at 6:17pm
Sometimes mistakes do happen, and issues don't get shipped out to a group of people, based on, for example, a grouping on account numbeers. Do you ever try calling them, asking what happened, and if they could send/resend the issue? Anytime I've had a missing issue from any magazine I've subscribed to, not one has ever said, "sorry." They have always gotten a replacement issue sent to me as quickly as possible.
monkeykid753
August 25, 2010 at 11:55am
My current 32-inch Aquos (SHARP) TV is used as a TV as well as my monitor. I know this monitor can have multiple inputs, but does it support those old Red/Yellow/White (don't know the name, they were dying by the time I wanted to know the names of cables) cables? I need something that can use those because of my Dish Network DVR... And then I'd need some new speakers too-- a set that uses Digital Audio (box shaped female part)
sniggler
August 25, 2010 at 12:19pm
Lol, composite connection on this monitor would be so fuzzy and distorted it wouldn't even be viewable.
You sir, are hilarious.
But to be serious for a moment, no it does not. You need to have a monitor with a built-in TV tuner to accomplish (such a ridiculous) task.
XD
monkeykid753
August 25, 2010 at 12:23pm
Sorry for the apparently dumb question. Don't know too much about monitors because my dad just buys them for me (I'm a teen with a monitor from years ago).
1968Panther
August 25, 2010 at 1:46pm
To me, in all but a few cases, there's no such thing as a dumb question, as long as the question one is asking has honest thought behind it, and is actually attempting to obtain useful information...at least useful to the person asking the question.
1968Panther
August 25, 2010 at 11:28am
One of the reasons I prefer to read maximumPC, over other PC mags, is that they tend, in almost all cases, to give completely open, and unbiased, reviews. The same goes for the positives & negatives, at the end of said reviews. Unfortunately, in the case of the HP ZR30w, I not only have to disagree with their chosen negatives, I have to question where they came up with them, and what they were smoking.
Who cares if the monitor doesn’t have (an) HDMI port(s)? Since there’s no built-in speakers, it’s not needed. Besides, built-in speakers always sound bad anyway. Who cares if there’s no media card reader? They should be built into the computer, not the monitor. Built into a monitor would be pointless, as well as mostly-useless. And does it really matter that there’s no portrait-landscape pivot? This monitor is, after all, primarily designed for graphics designers (think Adobe CS5 products), not desktop publishing, and Microsoft Word.
It seems to me that there are only items in the negative category just so they could have something to put there. Why not just be completely honest, and say there are no negatives for anything that actually matters? Is that such a difficult thing to do/say? Let’s get real. If a reviewed product has no negatives worth mentioning, or needing to be mentioned, just state that, plain and simple.
flo21
December 17, 2010 at 8:19pm
I use the media card reader on my dell 24" lcd all the time. It's convenient (instead of having to bend down to my tower on the floor), it doesn't waste a usb port, and it's also out of sight and attractive unlike those super ugly peripherals they sell for $10 on ebay or newegg that fit in a drive bay.
Plus it probably doesn't add more than $30 to the cost of a monitor so why not? Especially since a high end monitor like this with a huge screen and lots of colors will be used by pro photographers who are swapping cards all the time.
So yea, it is a slight negative.
sniggler
August 25, 2010 at 12:15pm
Actually, not having HDMI on a 30 inch monitor is a dealbreaker for me. I would very much like to be able to hook my xbox up to something that I spent this much $$$ on, thank you.
animalflynn
February 09, 2011 at 7:43pm
1) Only HDMI 1.4 will support 2500x1600 resolution. Any version of HDMI before that would have been incapable of working with this monitor at it's full resolution. In that light, it was a wise decision from a manufacturing standpoint. Note: Only newer video cards support HDMI 1.4.
2) Anybody TRUELY in the market for a 30" monitor could give a hoot about a card reader. I should know. I have personally had three different 30" Apple monitors since 2006 + a variety of card readers. They all serve different purposes, but I have never once thought "Gee. That darn card reader on my computer that is 36" away from me is just too darned far!"
3) You gamers need to give it a rest with your nintendos. I'm pretty sure a gamer never lost out on rent money or a car payment because of a crappy monitor. This monitor is for people that use their computers for WORK not PLAY. No one cares if the blood in your game is color accurate. The people paying big $$$ by the hour however care very much about color accuracy.
4) If you really had that kind of dough to spend for your gaming why not buy a 1080p projector or 55" LCD TV? Loads of connections + speakers + a TV tuner. Oh yeah that's right. It wouldn't make sense.
5) You can display a vertical photo at a higher resolution than you would have been able to with any 1080p monitor, in portrait mode or not. Not to mention you can actually see what the photo REALLY looks like because of the higher color gamut and resolution.
I love maxPC but this article is seriously lame, not to mention some of these comments. Those are far from real drawbacks for anybody searching for a 30" color accurate monitor.
Should be enough angry ranting for today...
1968Panther
August 25, 2010 at 1:15pm
I can't see any reason why anyone would want to attach a PS3, or any gaming console, for that matter, to this monitor. Again, this monitor is designed for graphics designers, not video games. Its resolution of 2560x1600 far exceeds the 1920x1080 maximum resolution offered by any console game. Furthermore, it 16:10 ration doesn't match up against the 16:9 ration of HDTVs & video games, for which the consoles are designed. On top of that, video games not only don't, but never could, support the full color spectrum offered by this monitor. You can purchase a larger HDTV for less money. buying this monitor for video games is not only a complete waste of money, it is, quite frankly, idiotic. I'm not refering to you as an idoit...only the idea...just to clear anything that might accidently get misinterpreted,
Nimrod
August 26, 2010 at 3:08am
If you honestly DONT think that PS3 or 360 games would look far better on this than on any HDTV then you are out of your mind. Everything you said about the aspect ratio and resolution just means that it would have black bars on the top and botton, it doesnt mean it wouldnt work. And yes, this monitor would be great for PC gaming if youve got the cash. Unless of course you think that no back light bleed is a BAD thing.
I play games and do a little bit of light photo, video and graphic work. And you bet your ass that if i had a lot of cash i would but something like this. Even if it was mostly used for games.
Bratan
December 02, 2010 at 7:47am
It makes sense to use this monitor for multiple purposes (photo editing, gaming, etc.), but I wouldn't necessary call lack of HDMI a deal breaker. How much does a DVI to HDMI converter costs? $15? C'mon buy one on ebay and hook-up your PS3/XBOX360 without any issues :)
tornato7
August 25, 2010 at 1:25pm
Can HDMI even support those kinds of resolutions and color depths?
1968Panther
August 25, 2010 at 1:52pm
Yes, HDMI can support resolutions above 1080p, such as the 2560x1600 of the HP. The maximum resolutions supported by HDMI are3840x2160 @ 25Hz, & 30Hz, and up to 4096x2160 (aka 4K x 2K) @ 24Hz. 2560x1600 is supported at 60Hz, as well as 75Hz.
Julyjules
August 25, 2010 at 12:10pm
I guess the lack of HDMI, media card reader and portrait-landscape pivot are negatives for this monitor is when we compare it to other monitors in this price range. Of course, when compared to a simple $200 21" monitor, this HP beast kills the thing and can be seen as the perfect monitor. However, Max PC is comparing it to other products of similar price range, and these are probably features found in other products.
1968Panther
August 25, 2010 at 1:43pm
While portrait-landscape might (and, then again, might not) come in handy, considering the manufacturers intended use of the monitor, I'd say it leans far closer to the "not handy". In regards to comparing it to other monitors "of similar price range", the NEC mentioned in the article may have pivot, but it doesn't have USB, speakers, or HDMI (it doesn't even have Display Port...only DVI). The Apple Cinema HD Display (30") Has 2 USB ports, but no pivot of Display Port (only DVI). Additionally, none of these monitors have built-in speakers, from what I've been able to see, based on tech specs. Finally, the Dell UltraSharp 3008WFP may have everything, except for the built-in speakers (which no one really wants/likes anyway), but it does cost $300 more than the HP, giving the HP a price advantage. Of course, at the same time, whereas the HP provides 100% of the sRGB color gamut, the Dell provides 117%. Between any of these, I'd put my money on the HP.
bpotts
August 25, 2010 at 11:32am
There's no such thing as a product with "no negatives". No matter how small the negative if you have a product that is very close to being perfect then naturally the negatives are going to be minor. A review rating of 9 is quite impressive so naturally the "negatives" are going to be minor...
1968Panther
August 25, 2010 at 1:27pm
First, I never said anything about this monitor, or any product having nothing negative about it. What I said was, if there are any negatives, at least make them real negatives worth mentioning. What they referred to as negatives for the ZR30w really aren't true "negatives". Second, as for there being no such thing as a product with no negatives, whatsoever, your assumption is (almost guarenteed to be) untrue. I have seen, more than once, a "10" rating given, and under the 'negatives' section, there have been, at times, comments to the effect of "nothing I have been able to find."
M-ManLA
August 25, 2010 at 11:01am
I'm actually happy that there is more displayport displays coming out. I wish they will trickle down to the consumer monitors and graphics cards.
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