MaximumPC 2008 06

IN THE LAB^

REVIEWS OF THE LATEST HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

Dell Ultrasharp 3008WFP

This 30-inch display falls a bit short of its target

+ -

VERDICT

$2,000, http://www.dell.com

7

Crystal-clear whites;

acceptable overall

picture quality.

Compressed gray-

scale; presets lead to

color oversaturation.

LANCER

DELL ULTRASHARP 3008WFP

PRUNER

D

ell’s latest jumbo Ultrasharp LCD,
the 3008WFP (with a native res of
2560x1600), performs exactly as the
company’s marketing materials promise. This
monitor truly “produces darker blacks.” In fact,
we think Dell’s underselling the device—the
3008WFP takes the dark spectrum and covers
it with the equivalent of a dark sheet. Even at
the monitor’s maximum brightness we found
ourselves unable to see distinctions at the low
end of DisplayMate’s grayscales.
The situation isn’t much better on the light
end of the spectrum: The 3008WFP suff ers from
a compressed color range. While the 3008WFP’s
white is bright and dramatic, it spills over into
the light grays, blowing out image detail in our
artifi cial and real-world tests. If we lower the
brightness, the dark end of the grayscale wors-
ens. And that’s when we’re using the monitor’s
sRGB preset. Other modes, such as the Desktop
preset, distort the monitor’s clarity and add color
to grayscale gradients.
That said, the monitor’s Multimedia preset

did accomplish wonders in our HD DVD test—

details in the dark bits of the movie matched

what our current favorite 30-inch monitor, Gate-

way’s XHD3000, produced. However, the setting

also made colors appear overly saturated.

Our other real-world tests, including high-

quality picture viewing and romps through

BioShock, produced similar results. But there

was one instance in which the 300WFP’s gray-

scale issues couldn’t be resolved by any presets.

A high-res digital image with shadows that

produce a sweeping black-to-white gradient was

clearly marred by banding and other artifacts. A

very specifi c example, yes, but something seri-

ous photogs and designers should note.

In gaming, the 3008WFP is equal to other

high-performance LCDs we’ve tested. We also

like the 3008WFP’s adjustable stand, its fi ve

built-in USB ports, and its built-in media

reader. The 3008WFP is also the fi rst DisplayPort

monitor we’ve ever tested. Too bad our high-end

videocards don’t yet support the Dual Link DVI–

destroying technology. – D A V I D M U R P H Y

If your videocard doesn’t support the 3008WFP’s

DisplayPort connector, VGA, DVI-D, and HDMI

inputs are also options.