Gateway XHD3000 30-Inch Extreme HD LCD

On this site, we have been focusing mostly on HD capable televisions. Well, televisions are not the only ones who can handle HD content. Nowadays, so does computer monitors. Gateway’s XHD3000 30-inch Extreme HD LCD delivers excellent image quality along with lots of screen adjustments and graphics-card compatibility that most 30-inch monitors lack. But of course, along with high performance, comes the high price tag.

As expected, the Gateway XHD3000’s overall display quality surpassed the more popular brands and models in the market. It’s rendering of real-life office and photo screens is brilliant and no doubt one of its stronger points. Having said that, the only complain you’ll have with this monitor is its overpowering brightness, which is for me, not that much of a problem.

The XHD3000 is a 2560 x 1600 resolution display, with a plethora of inputs including HDMI, VGA, DVI, Composite, S-Video, and Component Video. The display has a response time of 6ms and a 1000:1 contrast ratio.

You can view the XHD3000 from nearly any angle, thanks to the 176 degree viewing angle. The XHD3000 is also pretty heavy at a little over 27 lbs. and floats above the aluminum stand with swivel and tilt adjustment.

Furthermore, the Gateway offers a full compliment of controls, among them gamma, black level, and saturation. The included EzTune software makes changing the basics simple, but for the more unusual controls, you need to access the elegantly hidden on-screen display. When you press the menu button, menu items appear on screen, and flat, touch-sensitive buttons light up under the glossy black bezel. These blue-lit buttons–which remain invisible until you summon them–change with each of the many menus; only the ones that are needed appear.

Like all the 30-inch displays on the market, the XHD3000 requires a dual-link DVI port to get the maximum resolution. If you use a single-link DVI connector, you’ll be limited to a resolution of 1920 x 1280. The XHD3000 also has a built in Silicon Optix’s Realta HQV video processor, which increases video quality and clarity.

The sound quality from the speaker bar was also very impressive, delivering great bass and full-sounding mids and highs - compared to some other smaller-scale speakers which sound tinny and low in bass.

With solid image quality and features that is pretty admirable, the Gateway XHD3000 30-Inch Extreme HD LCD is definitely something. But if you’re a bit hesitant to spend money on devices such as this, then maybe you can look elsewhere. But nevertheless, the XHD3000 is a fine piece of equipment that is great for your entertainment needs.

Sources:
http://www.audioholics.com
http://www.extremetech.com
http://www.pcmag.com