LP3065

PC World

  • Review
  • Specs
  • Images
  • User Reviews
  • Where to Buy (1)

The Hewlett-Packard LP3065 is a 30in, 16:10, widescreen LCD monitor with a native resolution of 2560x1600. Apart from the lure of being a massive monitor, it also can handle three dual-link DVI-D sources and has flawless image quality. However, it is not without its limitations. We found it had problems scaling to lower resolutions and due to the high native resolution, it will only work with specific supported video cards.

Pros

  • Huge 30in screen, exceptional image quality, three DVI-D ports, excellent colour.

Cons

  • Has trouble scaling to lower resolutions.

Bottom Line

If you are looking for exceptional image quality and a whole lot of desktop space, you can't go past the LP3065.

Would you buy this?

  • Where to buy

    Selling at 1 store

Special Offers

We connected the LP3065 to a PC and attempted to run the desktop at the native resolution of 2560x1600. Unfortunately the older nature of our ATI Radeon 9800XT graphics card was not supported. The best stable resolution we could get from it was 1024x768. We tried higher resolutions but the monitor was not able to scale properly to these without either being stretched or not showing the entire desktop at once. We switched to a newer test bed machine with an Nvidia GeForce 7600GT graphics card and the monitor had no problems displaying at 2560x1600. However, even using this card, the lower resolutions still had problems displaying properly.

HP provides two dual link DVI-D cables with the LP3065. These are essential for obtaining the bandwidth necessary for reaching the 2560x1600 resolution. This is the same with all 30in monitors. We ran DisplayMate Video Edition and found no image quality issues. The blacks were excellent and there was no evidence of any backlight bleeding. The greyscale tests revealed no discolourations or stepping with a subtle blend along the gray scale. The colours were particularly impressive, largely due to the reported 92% colour gamut. This allows for a more accurate, wider range of colours and is one of the selling points of this monitor over other units on the market.

We also played Unreal Tournament 2003 to check for ghosting; a tell-tale sign of a mediocre response rate. This ran smoothly with no ghosting whatsoever. Motion seemed natural and when coupled with the superb clarity and the sheer size of the monitor, we highly recommend this unit for gaming. That being said, it would also be suited for business use, particularly in the design arena.

The LP3065 comes ready to use out of the box so you won't have to spend any time attaching the base. The design is fairly simplistic, with a 21mm carbonite bezel around the display, and function buttons at the bottom. The bottom of the rear panel has three DVI-D ports and connectors for power and USB. The left side of the monitor also has four handy USB 2.0 compatible ports. To give you an idea of the impressive size of this monitor, the dimensions are 590mm height, 692mm width and 240 mm depth, so be sure to clear a lot of space on your desk.

Overall, the LP3065 is an exceptional product. It will easily work well with gaming, should the game support high resolutions, but would also suit business applications too. While the scaling issues are something to think about, most users will probably not want to drop below the native resolution anyway, so it is not a critical flaw. The only other point worth mentioning is the price. Compared to its nearest competitors, the HP is a little overpriced. However, the three dual link DVI-D ports and the impressive colour range, is almost enough to justify the difference. In the end, if you are looking for exceptional image quality and a whole lot of desktop space, you can't go past the LP3065.

Keep up with the latest tech news, reviews and previews by subscribing to the PC World newsletter.

Be the first to comment.

Post new comment

Users posting comments agree to the PC World comments policy.

Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.

Most Popular

What's the difference between an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7?
Laser vs. inkjet printers: which is better?
Samsung’s 2013 Smart TVs: everything you need to know
How do I connect my TV to the Internet?
Five reasons to avoid the Samsung Galaxy S4

Best Deals on PCWorld

MonitorsView all »
Desktop PCsView all »
NotebooksView all »
Home EntertainmentView all »
Digital VideoView all »