Samsung SyncMaster 305T 30-inch LCD

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Samsung SyncMaster 305T 30-inch LCD

If a 22" or 24" LCD monitor doesn't provide enough screen real estate for you or you just want to go all out and find the best monitor without having a real budget, you'll more than likely end up looking at the 30" monitors that are available. There aren't many but Apple has a 30" Cinema Display and Dell also have a very popular 30" monitor, but there are also some from other manufacturers. In fact, today we are looking at the Samsung SyncMaster 305T, which is a 30" monitor with a native resolution of 2560 x 1600 and has a price tag of over $1200 USD.

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=12828

[corpdecker]

Just wanted to note that I have 2 of these at work side by side, they are beautiful to look at, just be sure you get a nice vid card to push it. I have an nvidia 8500 and 8600 pushing each monitor, no problem for 2D but for 3D gaming at 2560x1600 you'll certainly want something with more umf.

[hubick]

Yeah, I've been using the Dell 30" for several years now (I paid well over double the current price when they first came out) and I absolutely adore it.

I have one piece of advise for anyone considering this.. shelling out to buy the monitor is one thing, but buying the video cards to drive it is something else! I have been using a 7800GTX I got with the monitor up until two weeks ago when I got a shiny new 4870X2. The 8800's never supported DHCP over dual link DVI, which meant no Blu-Ray, which meant I was keeping my upgrade money. There really hasn't been many options until now, and even now, performance is not always stellar even with a top of the line card (ie, Crysis). I still mostly play Battlefield, which is *smooooth* on the 4870X2

[b15hop]

Ironic because I would say a 7800 would be enough only for a 19 inch LCD. I would recommend that 30" demands an equal expenditure in video.

[voltaic]

I would like to offer some criticism on the review of this monitor. I don't mean to be antagonizing, but I find the review lacking in technical (quantitative) details, and rich in general impressions (qualitative). I do understand that Phoronix deals with Linux and Solaris hardware, but I do wonder if there is room for improvement in the amount of information included in the reviews. After all, I can go to Samsung's website and read about what is included in the box.

In my opinion there were some very basic pieces of information missing from the article. For instance, it would have been nice to know that 305T uses an S-IPS panel, which is the reason why the product is so expensive. This type of panel is quite different than cheaper TN panels found in more general-purpose LCDs. Another important thing to mention is that the S-IPS panel is particularly designed for accurate color reproduction, more so than for response time. This sort of monitor is really marketed to professional artists and designers. If you are a gamer, perhaps it is not that important to have a monitor that produces 95% of the sRGB color space.

Maybe I'm just not getting the point; I will entertain that possibility. When I see a review on the front page, am I not supposed to expect an in-depth review of the product? If not, then it may be a good idea to say that the product works well with Linux, under so and so drivers, and then direct the reader to a website with a more technical review. For instance, here's a review of the same product on a website I have not heard of before: http://www.behardware.com/articles/6...d-samsung.html.

[Michael]

Maybe I'm just not getting the point; I will entertain that possibility. When I see a review on the front page, am I not supposed to expect an in-depth review of the product? If not, then it may be a good idea to say that the product works well with Linux, under so and so drivers, and then direct the reader to a website with a more technical review.

It all depends upon the product and many other factors. I always try to make the reviews fairly technical, but I don't have the time to write down every single piece of information I know about the monitor. I am doing most of the work at Phoronix and at any time I can have a backlog of up to a dozen or more products waiting to be tested, which equates to being several weeks. I also try to keep the reviews relevant to the widest audience and while you or I may like to know the type of panel being used, to others they just don't care but would like to just know whether or not this is a good product to consider. However, thank you for your feedback and I will try to include more technical information in future monitor reviews.

[voltaic]

I am doing most of the work at Phoronix and at any time I can have a backlog of up to a dozen or more products waiting to be tested, which equates to being several weeks.

I didn't know you were the only person responsible for all this work. That being the case, I want to express my appreciation for the work you do Micheal; I truly enjoy reading Phoronix.