HP ZR30w 30-Inch S-IPS LCD Monitor Review


Subjective Analysis


Test patterns and color benchmarks are one thing, but monitors are one of the few components where a subjective analysis truly comes into play. This is especially true when you consider that the tech specs on most displays represent more of an arms race between monitor makers to one-up each other rather than to truly inform the consumer what a particular monitor is capable of. With this in mind, we spent considerable time conducting real-world tests on the ZR30w.

Subjective Tests
HD Movie Playback and Gaming


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To kick off our subjective analysis, we loaded up various HD content, including HD movie trailers and Blu-ray movies. While not necessarily reflected in our photos, movies looked absolutely gorgeous on the ZR30w. Colors popped, and both bright and dark scenes played back exceptionally well. It's a shame that HP didn't include an HDMI port, because even though the ZR30w is geared towards work instead of play, it excels at both.



Batman: Arkham Asylum

Where IPS panels have traditionally suffered is in gaming. TN panels typically sport better response times than IPS panels, putting the latter at a disadvantage in fast moving scenes. As S-IPS panels have improved, however, this has become less of an issue, and if there was any ghosting or blurring, it slipped past our testing undetected. Again, the ZR30w isn't intended for gaming, but it handles the 'job' just fine nonetheless.


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