Nixeus VUE 30: 30" 2560x1600 IPS Monitor Review
by Chris Heinonen on August 20, 2013 6:00 AM ESTWith the Nixeus VUE 30, I was looking for something that can drive down the prices of 30” LCD monitors while providing a display that is high quality for a general user. After using it and testing it, I feel like it has split the middle on this and made a choice that I don’t really agree with.
Having a 30” display is very nice. Even the slight increase over a 27” 1440p display is noticeable, and I just can’t get enough desktop space for getting work done. The prior 30” to come by here, the Dell U3014, was very nice but also aimed to a more discriminating user group that is willing to pay the extra money for its features. The Nixeus aims for a more general user, and the price reflects that.
What doesn’t reflect that is the use of a wide-gamut CCFL backlight. Most people don’t use AdobeRGB aware programs or content and don’t have a need for this. If the Nixeus VUE 30 had an sRGB mode that reduced the gamut I wouldn’t care, but it lacks that. Because of that it is using a feature that is aimed at a higher-end market but in a product targeting a more general user group. If there isn’t going to be that sRGB mode, I’d rather see a standard gamut CCFL or LED backlight that lets more people see their images and games without over-saturated colors.
That makes the target of the Nixeus, and a recommendation for it, less clear. If you are someone that uses the AdobeRGB gamut and wants a 30” display, then I think the Nixeus is probably a great choice. The overall bench tests are very good, and in AdobeRGB mode the gamut is also pretty accurate. Finding a comparable AdobeRGB 30” monitor is also quite expensive. Searching at Newegg finds nothing below $1,000 and the Nixeus is currently $730 at Amazon as I write this. That 30% savings is quite large and makes the Nixeus a very good buy there.
If you don’t use AdobeRGB then it’s trickier. If you want a really accurate image and use the sRGB gamut, you have to look elsewhere. If you’re planning to use the Nixeus for general office work and productivity, and some gaming, then you will probably be OK with it. The grayscale can come out very accurate in the end, and that matters more for general work than an accurate color gamut does. If you just don’t care about image quality and care about having more screen area, then the Nixeus will be fine as well.
At $730 the Nixeus is much cheaper than prior 30” panels but still carries a significant premium over a 27” display. The VUE 27 is $475 at Amazon, so those extra 160 vertical pixels, 3" diagonal, and the larger gamut are costing you over 50% more than a 27” display. Is that extra price worth it? That’s more for you to decide. I really hope the VUE 30 is the start of a downward trend in 30” displays that will mirror the one we have seen with 27” displays. I also hope we will see some that either have standard gamut backlights or an sRGB mode, to fix the one major complaint I have with the VUE 30.
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1Angelreloaded - Thursday, August 22, 2013 - link
uhm how can I break this down for you Photography and Filmography are used professionally on these monitors so MS plays a huge roll in ghosting during the film, so yes it does matter considerably, and this day in age people hybrid their workstations so they can game and do pro work on them, hence Nvidia released the Titan to fill that market, 1k for a hybrid workstation/gaming card is amazing.purerice - Wednesday, August 21, 2013 - link
To rephrase what Sancus said, there are two types of customers for >27", >1440p monitors: those who need high refresh rates and those who need high color accuracy. The intended market for the VUE 30 is the high color accuracy market.Asmodian - Tuesday, August 20, 2013 - link
The now discontinued LG W3000H had low input lag due to the lack of OSD and only one input (DVI-DL). It also has a wide gamut and mine has an uncalibrated white point of around 9000K (due to extra green instead of blue). Odd how no one seems to care about input lag on 16:10 displays anymore. Only 16:9 for gaming I guess. :(rtho782 - Tuesday, August 20, 2013 - link
My Dell WFP3007-HC has almost no input lag. The advantage of having a 30" from the days before there were any image processing chips available for 2560x1600 :PSodaAnt - Tuesday, August 20, 2013 - link
I used a dell u3011 for quite a while, which I believe has similar input lag, and I never noticed a thing in gaming. I think its just another tiny lag, keep in mind it isn't even two frames at 60 fps, and if you're running at 30 fps its not even a single frame of lag, so I doubt most people would notice it in gaming.oobble - Wednesday, August 21, 2013 - link
That is completely untrue. Most 2560x1440 27" monitors have an input lag of around 7ms.blackoctagon - Thursday, August 22, 2013 - link
Was that a reply to me? If so then what you state is incorrect, or you otherwise are referring to input lag in a different form to me. What matters is TOTAL monitor latency (a product of 'input lag' as well as pixel response time and processing time). Total latency on most IPSs is not appropriate for fast motion shooters, even though there are a select few IPSs that have low input lag, or have high refresh rates. In any case, this Nixeus is not one of these select few and is appropriate for graphics/photo design work rather than gaming.AnnonymousCoward - Thursday, August 22, 2013 - link
I think the latest Dell 30" has a game mode with sub-16ms lag. This is critical to me for ALL computer usage.Soldier1969 - Friday, August 23, 2013 - link
Uhm spoken by someone that clearly can't afford one or never used one. Only read about them I guess. Ive been gaming on a HP ZR30 for 3 years now very happy with the clarity and shooting motion but thanks nice try.ZeDestructor - Tuesday, August 20, 2013 - link
Same range as on every top-end "professional-use" wide-gamut panel. My U2410s have similar, and my 2408 is far worse at 64ms overall. All of those are eminently good for gaming. If anything, I prefer them over any fast TN because of the nicer colours. Really helps immersion :D. Sucks a bit for online p,lay though, but until eDP-based panels become a major thing, we'll still have input lag from scalers and whatnot, and in any case, you can't go below the panel response.