Tried and returned a Dell U3011 monitor

My older NEC 3090wqxi display is developing some "water stain" gray patches along the upper left of the display. I got looking into replacement options and after reading a number of mostly positive reviews, I picked up a Dell U3011 for just under $1K. As soon as I turned the new Dell display on and looked at a black and white image, I saw a distinct green tint over the left third of the Dell's display area. Warming up the display and switching between profiles didn't help the inconsistent color. And aside from the poor color consistency, I could see a mottled pattern of luminance variations on a plain screen. My old NEC is still much better overall than the new Dell, despite the gray patches that got me looking at new displays to begin with.

So the U3011 went back on the UPS truck today. While the unit I got may have been worse than usual, the Dell's just not a product designed for professional/critical use.

I'm putting the same money into the smaller NEC PA271w display. That will give me a chance to see if my old monitor may be fixed by cleaning between display layers. But even if the PA271w becomes my primary display, I'd rather give up some display area for consistent color and tonal rendition compared to the larger U3011. I got a PA271w for barely over $1K via Newegg and look forward to seeing the difference in a couple of days.

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BJ Nicholls
SLC, UT