YAMAKASI 300 SPARTA S-IPS 30inch 2560x1600 Built-in Speaker Tempered Glass $522.90 monitor

I got the Dell 30" for 850$ at BestBuy and even that was painful. I hear this is a good monitor, but as mentioned above, there is the risk as it is an A- panel. If perfection isn't a must for you, this will do the job, and you may just end up with a perfect screen too!

Quote from thinklinux : I am very interested in this squaretrade warranty thing on this 30 inch monitor. How does it work? May you bring up more detail? thanks

Squaretrade will gladly take your money now, however when you eventually make your claim they will point you to the fine print where they said they not cover products not sold in US, and then they refund the original warranty cost to you. And of course you don't have recourse. To everybody else that didn't have to make a claim squaretrade made a nice profit.

I got the U3011 for 1044 and I LIKE IT. A glass panel would be nice, prefer the glass to the matte finish.

I did a ton of research on all of the 30" Korean monitor options. Keep in mind that they all use LG panels that were rejected from Dell/HP for dead pixels or other reasons. Though a few dead pixels on a resolution this fine will likely be unnoticeable unless you are specifically looking for them.

Anyway, the Sparta is the cheapest because it has a no frills stand with very little adjustability. If you care about features like that, I would go with the Crossover 30Q5 which is in the same price range with a much nicer stand that includes tilt, height and pivot adjustments. The other downside to the Sparta is the tempered glass. They advertise that like it's a feature but from everything I've read, it's a downside. It may look nice aesthetically but it's not like it has a better picture and there's a higher chance of dust being trapped inside, behind the glass. I couldn't care less about HDMI and speakers in a monitor like this; obviously you'll be using Dual Link DVI for the high res, and most of us will have a nice external speaker setup, so I'd prefer to save money eliminating pointless features like that.

I don't think the Sparta is a bad buy but if you are gonna go with one of the Korean monitors in this range, I'd up your budget a tiny bit and go with the Crossover 30Q5 (it's only like $20 more and some sellers have a best offer option which could possibly make it cheaper.) Personally, I ended up just going with a used HP ZR30W. They can be found on eBay for ~$650.

Quote from bluesky123 : I've got 27" Catleap version with the same resolution for $220 off eBay. Got lucky--no dead pixels. The monitor is gorgeous, best money ever spent on a computer part! 30" version must be even more awesome!

The 27 inchers are not the same resolution. It's close but they are 16:9 format, 2560x1440 while this is 16:10, 2560x1600.

Actually keep in mind not ALL non-HP/Dell/Apple brand IPS hi-res monitors are "rejects." The big boys do not purchase 100% of all A/A+ displays, so that would be a silly assumption. In fact, there are a couple of Korean mainland makes/models that are not sold on eBay that offer the same EXACT A/A+ displays as the big boys, and their prices are between these and the big boys, making total sense. Those are the ones that the higher end users in Korea get, and these are the ones that most of the internet cafes and public access places get. I was about to have someone send me one of those, but with the shipping etc., not worth it.

Instead, I got the QX2700LED a few months ago for $340 shipped (in 4 days from Korea on eBay!!!), not one dead px, uniform color, and has served me well so far from all gaming to graphics design, videos, whatever... maybe I got lucky, but I also tend to think that as opposed to about 4-5 years ago, even the A- today is not the same reliability as the A- of 5 years ago, its getting better... of course warranties will help your mind more at ease, but it is what it is for the price.

Not sure in my space if I could use a 30" honestly... I always think bigger is better for displays, but when space is limited, I'll literally get a headache from having to move my head around constantly if gaming for even an hour. If I could place the display at least 4 feet or so away, 30" would be great.

Has anyone buy these 30 in monitor from seller who guaranteed no dead pixel? How did that turn out? Any dead pixel or is the monitor arrived as described?

Quote from manerac : Correct - this needs a 120VAC to 220VAC converter to work in the US of A.

WRONG. Hairdryers and such need converters, but basically all other "smart" electronics never need this. You are needlessly contributing to this myth. You really should read more to improve your knowledge.

Dos this have a built in scaler?

Quote from jpalmerlee : I got the Dell 30" for 850$ at BestBuy and even that was painful. I hear this is a good monitor, but as mentioned above, there is the risk as it is an A- panel. If perfection isn't a must for you, this will do the job, and you may just end up with a perfect screen too!

I agree,$850 for the 30" Dell is not bad. I would probably bite on that price but Its been sometime now since they released that, It's due for a refresh imo. This Yamakasi is tempting, for the money you cant beat it for that kind of resolution and size.

Quote from toromac : WRONG. Hairdryers and such need converters, but basically all other "smart" electronics never need this. You are needlessly contributing to this myth. You really should read more to improve your knowledge.

Wrong. Traveled to Korea many times and currently working at Korea right now.
You need to have 110v~220v dual voltage in order to work at both places. Like my TV I bought in korea has only one voltage(220v) didnt work in states. I had to get converter/transformer to get it work.

Also where did you get 27inch version for $220 shipped?
Its $220 here in korea without shipping fee to states.

This monitor cost 379000 won in korea. About $355. If you have friend stationed/work here, you can get it for about $450 max ship.

Quote from Slimwallet : Wrong. Traveled to Korea many times and currently working at Korea right now. You need to have 110v~220v dual voltage in order to work at both places. Like my TV I bought in korea has only one voltage(220v) didnt work in states. I had to get converter to get it work. Most products out right now has 110/220v but this monitor has only 220v. Also where did you get 27inch version for $220 shipped? Its $220 here in korea without shipping fee to states.

The adapter that came with my Yamakasi 27" said only 220v on the label but there was a white sticker on it with "110v Ok". Not sure if it was the ebay seller who stuck on the label or the manufacturer. But anyways, it works fine.

I haven't heard of any 27" S-IPS Korean monitor needing a voltage converter for use...just a plug converter or using your own 3-pin computer cable for which most computer users have spares. It would be surprising if a voltage converter is needed for the 30". Despite the added expense, voltage converters never seem to work that well (i.e. dirty power).

Quote from Slimwallet : Wrong. Traveled to Korea many times and currently working at Korea right now. You need to have 110v~220v dual voltage in order to work at both places. Like my TV I bought in korea has only one voltage(220v) didnt work in states. I had to get converter/transformer to get it work. Also where did you get 27inch version for $220 shipped? Its $220 here in korea without shipping fee to states.

You are WRONG buddy. These monitors can work with either voltage. All you need is the appropriate cable to plug into the power brick. Alternatively you can use a 2 dollar adapter that makes the plugs compatible. This is 2013. Only dumb electronics like hair dryers require a converter. I am using a korean monitor as I type this. I simply plugged in a US power cable intot the power brick instead of the korean cable.

Quote from poohbie : The adapter that came with my Yamakasi 27" said only 220v on the label but there was a white sticker on it with "110v Ok". Not sure if it was the ebay seller who stuck on the label or the manufacturer. But anyways, it works fine. I haven't heard of any 27" S-IPS Korean monitor needing a voltage converter for use...just a plug converter or using your own 3-pin computer cable for which most computer users have spares. It would be surprising if a voltage converter is needed for the 30". Despite the added expense, voltage converters never seem to work that well (i.e. dirty power).

This guy understands. However, if you want to buy a converter and waste money, that is your prerogative.

Quote from toromac : You are WRONG buddy. These monitors can work with either voltage. All you need is the appropriate cable to plug into the power brick. Alternatively you can use a 2 dollar adapter that makes the plugs compatible. This is 2013. Only dumb electronics like hair dryers require a converter. I am using a korean monitor as I type this. I simply plugged in a US power cable intot the power brick instead of the korean cable.

Monitor could be labeled wrong. So why is my tv and refrigerator I bought in korea needs converter to work in states?