Nixeus VUE 30: 30" 2560x1600 IPS Monitor Review
by Chris Heinonen on August 20, 2013 6:00 AM EST
Over the past 18 months, we’ve all been happy to watch as the price of 27” 1440p monitors has steadily fallen. With cheaper import panels becoming available, the cost of moving up to a high resolution panel has fallen considerably. I reviewed the Nixeus VUE 27 last year as it was the cheapest way at the time to get a 1440p panel while still getting a US warranty. Now Nixeus is back with a 30” monitor, the Nixeus VUE 30. With the 16:10 aspect ratio that commenters continually ask for and an IPS panel, will this mark the shift of a downward trend for 30” monitor prices as well?
The design of the VUE 30 is similar to the VUE 27 that I previously reviewed. The controls for the display remain in the lower-right and it has the same OSD interface of its predecessor. Since the OSD was one of my faults with the VUE 27 I was hoping to see this improve but it did not. A welcome change, which I also saw on the ASUS PQ321Q, is locating the inputs on the left side of the display and not the bottom. This makes them far more accessible for quickly hooking up a device like a laptop. As the VUE 30 is so large due to the screen size, it has plenty of space to connect cables without them sticking out the sides of the display.
The connections options consist of DisplayPort, DSub, DVI, and HDMI, along with an audio output for headphones. The HDMI port is listed as 1.4a but it does not support 2560x1600 resolutions; if you want the full 2560x1600 resolution you will need to use a DVI-DL or DisplayPort connection. The back of the display is very solid and metal, but the front is a glossy plastic bezel that I would prefer be matte.
As with the VUE 27 the stand for the monitor screws together with some small screws and not with captive screws or a tool-free mechanism. Compared to the VUE 27 the packaging has greatly improved. Parts are well laid out in the package, and there are no cheap boxes or labels that look like it was transferred straight from a foreign assembly line. The initial feeling of opening the VUE 27 was one of my complaints, as it felt cheap and rushed. Nixeus has learned from that and the packing and presentation of the VUE 30 is much improved.
The stand is also improved from the VUE 27 model. It allows for an easier swivel but lacks any height adjustment and is not as solid as a Dell or ASUS stand would be. The VESA mounting holes are a less common 200mm x 100mm pattern, so aftermarket stands might require an additional adapter to be used. The external power brick and its custom connector have been replaced with a standard IEC port, reducing desk clutter.
One key difference with the VUE 30 from other affordable displays is the use of a wide gamut CCFL backlight. This allows for a gamut that goes well beyond the AdobeRGB gamut, as the testing will show later, and is not common to find except in displays aimed at graphics professionals. The displays that target graphics professionals also tend to have sRGB modes to reign in that gamut but the Nixeus does not. We will see in our testing the behavior that this causes.
| Nixeus VUE30 | |
| Video Inputs | DisplayPort 1.2, DVI-D DL, HDMI 1.4a, Dsub |
| Panel Type | IPS |
| Pixel Pitch | 0.25mm |
| Colors | 1.07 Billion |
| Brightness | 350 cd/m2 |
| Contrast Ratio | 1000:1 |
| Response Time | 7ms GTG |
| Viewable Size | 30" |
| Resolution | 2560x1600 |
| Viewing Angle (H/V) | 178/178 |
| Backlight | CCFL |
| Power Consumption (operation) | 130W minimum |
| Power Consumption (standby) | None Specified |
| Screen Treatment | Anti-Glare |
| Height-Adjustable | No |
| Tilt | No |
| Pivot | No |
| Swivel | Yes |
| VESA Wall Mounting | Yes, 100mm x 200mm |
| Dimensions w/ Base (WxHxD) | 27.5" x 22" x 3" |
| Weight | 22 lbs. |
| Additional Features | 3.5mm Output, stereo speakers |
| Limited Warranty | 1 Year |
| Accessories | DVI-DL Cable, Power Cable |
| Price | $730 |
With an IPS panel, the viewing angles on the VUE 30 are what you expect. Unless you try to sit perpendicular to the display you should be just fine. There is a bit of contrast wash-out at the extreme angles, but nothing you will see in daily use.
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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.