Hardware :: Comparison Review 27" IMac - ZR30W - U2711

So my new ZR30W showed up today.

I had bought a Dell U2711 last week and my wife has a 27" Late 2009 iMac so figured this is a good comparison.

Her iMac has the yellow tint issue, Apple shipped out a new i5 last night so we'll get it next week. Still for the color issue the iMac monitor was fantastic to look at.

I bought the Dell for my MB Pro because of the yellow tint issue. Really the new 27" CD is a great deal because not only is it cheaper but the integrated charger for the laptop is a big deal since they are $80 by themselves.

This is all just my opinion, no real measurement but I do have a Huey Pro and I let it do all the work on each monitor.

Off the top the Dell is the worst of the 3. Considering its close pricing I would not even consider it after seeing the other 2. The anti-glare coating was very difficult to look at. It was either too bright or two dark. My eyes hurt after looking at it for a while.

Color quality I can't really comment on because I have nothing to measure with but uniformity was great, I can say that. It did not have the POP the iMac monitor has.

The ZR30 out of the box was much better. The Dell you could really tell it had antiglare on it, the HP its a much finer finish. Text is clear and the color is great.

Now the bad...it buzzes/hums...bad...I'm sure I just got a bad unit...and it has the yellow tint, right hand side...its not bad.

If I chose Apple RGB for color correction I can't see it at all. But doing the tint test it is perceivable. Its way better than my wife's iMac though.

I got 5 years of on site HP service so I'll just call HP and they will come out to look at the buzz/tint issue. The tint is SO faint but I can see it, and can only see it when I have something full screen.

If I put 2 windows up side by side its very hard to tell but 1 window you can see the gradient change.

So given that the HP and iMac, and I assume 27" CD will have the same issue I'd say get the CD unless you need the extra res.

I plan on keeping the HP for a few reasons. One is I need the extra res, doesn't sound like much but I don't do photo's or video. I spend all day in RDP sessions for customers so every last bit of screen real estate is important to me.

If I didn't need the extra pixels then I would have waited for the 27" CD. The Dell IMO is not even worth looking at. It has its own little quirks and holy crap did it get HOT.

So a first for Apple, they make not only the best monitor for its class/usage but also the cheapest

One other bad thing about the HP, and this isn't HP's fault, my brand new 2010 MB Pro 13 inch struggles to keep up with the higher res.

At 2560x1440 it was a little sluggish opening/closing windows as far as draw speed. At 2560x1600 its bad...windows opening from the dock is very sluggish.

I'll have to try in clamshell mode and see if its better.

BTW I'm using a mini-DP to DP converter right now but will be ordering a 6' mini-dp to dp cable. I ordered a 3' thinking I could get away with it but it doesn't reach. $8.00 at Monoprice and it works perfect.