HP LP3065 30 inch LCD Display Review

LCD monitor prices are dropping all the time leading to more manufacturers launching large screen models. A few months back if you wanted to game on a 30” display your options were Dell or Apple. Now HP has entered the fray with a massive 30” widescreen LCD display with some nice features.

Unlike Dell, HP isn’t really talking their 30” HP LP3065 flat panel monitor up for gaming. Instead HP aims their display at power users, content creators and designers. This is probably most likely due to the whopping $1699 price tag the HP LP3065 display carries. However, gamers looking to get into some serious high resolution gaming not scared off by the price tag will love this display. There is nothing better than playing a game like Oblivion at 2560 x 1600 screen resolution.

The 30” panel used by HP is an active matrix TFT unit with a 29.7 inch viewable area. The native resolution is 2560 x 1600 and the viewing angles are 178 degrees both horizontal and vertical. Typical brightness of the display is 300 nits with a typical contrast ratio of up to 1000:1 and the pixel pitch is 0.25mm. Front controls on the display allow you to easily choose the best input for your needs and change the display settings. The display stand is nice with easy height adjustment through a 5.1 inch range, swivel options and angle tilt. The only adjustment option the display lacks is portrait mode.

Lots of connectivity options are available on the back including three dual-link DVI-D inputs. That means that you can connect three different PCs to the HP LP3065 display and save space on your desktop. There is no VGA or other inputs available. A four port USB hub also resides on the back of the display.

To see how well the HP LP3065 display performs I played lots and lots of PC game son it, strictly for testing purposes mind you. I also just worked on the display for about a week to see how it fared in normal PC use. Gaming is a dream on the HP LP3065 display. Not one hint of streaking, smearing or tearing of the images. Not a touch of ghosting was noted no matter how much was happening on-screen. Black levels are good for video watching and the wide aspect ratio is perfect for movies.

For normal computer work like working on documents and surfing the web have 30 inches of screen space is hard to beat. With the windows sized correctly I was able to get eight windows opened and viewable on the screen at one time. This meant I could be writing an article and have source information and specifications open all while watching episodes of Lost stream from the web. Color reproduction is top notch with crisp and bright colors along with deep black’s bright whites. Skin tones looked very natural on images as well as on video.

All in all I found not one fault with the HP LP3065. The only thing I could say about it was I wish it was cheaper. I would love to add this beast permanently to my desktop. No matter if you are working or getting some slash time in on a game like Oblivion the HP LP3065 performs very well and works flawlessly.