NEC PA302W 30-inch 16:10 Professional Monitor Review
For users lamenting the scarcity of 16:10 screens, NEC is supporting the format with its excellent new 30-inch PA302W. This premium display has a gorgeous wide-gamut IPS panel and a factory-certified calibration for both Adobe RGB and sRGB gamuts.
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Conclusion
At an MSRP of $1999, the PA302W is not likely to appeal to the masses, but we still think it’s worth every penny. Our comments on NEC’s build quality may be starting to sound like a broken record, but in a sea of mass-produced products that often look like they’ll need replacement in just a few years, these monitors really stand out. Every NEC display we’ve reviewed, regardless of price or model line placement, has come wrapped in a rugged chassis with shielded internal components and an excellent stand. If you’re looking for something built to last, you need look no further.
Of course all that toughness would mean little if there weren’t performance to match. Our experience with every PA-series monitor has been overwhelmingly positive. These professional-grade displays are individually calibrated and ready to deliver accurate color, grayscale and gamma right out of the box. Even so, NEC provides multiple calibration options, in both the OSD menus and with SpectraView software, to ensure that the monitor stays tuned or can be set up for a custom preset that’s not part of typical standards.
One thing that really stands out about the PA302W is its uniformity compensation feature. Every other display we’ve reviewed with this option did little to improve uniformity and only served to reduce contrast by negatively affecting peak white and minimum black levels. Although we measured a contrast drop on this screen, it was a scant 16 percent in the sequential test and only 10 percent with the ANSI pattern. This is astounding by itself, but we also found it improved color uniformity to such a degree that it challenged our meter’s tolerance levels.
Our particular sample looked and measured well without compensation, but to see the effect on a white field was quite impressive. Visually, the difference is small, but when your work requires the precision only a color meter can provide, these are substantial gains in performance.
In other areas, the PA302W impressed us with perfect Adobe RGB and sRGB presets. They are ready to use without adjustment, but we managed small improvements anyway. The OSD and Advanced Setting menus provide more than enough flexibility for the user to achieve any desired colorspace, white point or gamma level.
So after a final mention of the PA302W’s superb build quality, we’ll say that because of its excellent performance in every conceivable test, truly usable uniformity compensation feature, and that it makes the most of an uncommon aspect ratio, we’re giving it the Tom’s Editor’s Choice Award.
MORE: Best Computer MonitorsMORE:How To Choose A Monitor
MORE: Display Calibration 101
MORE: The Science Behind Tuning Your Monitor
MORE: All Monitor Content
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Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.
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Nuckles_56 That is a very impressive monitor, especially with the colour uniformity numbers, they are crazyReply -
beetlejuicegr 30 inch and 2560x1600, couldn't it be 2160p? The resolution seems low for 30 inch monitor.Reply -
fordry06 I think to do what this monitor does, making it a 4k monitor would be incredibly expensive.Reply -
Tom Griffin I wish my 27" 16:10 ASUS monitor was still alive. This monitor not only being cost prohibitive along with the previous NEC monitor review for consumers. But TBH, once you have used a NEC monitor for awhile you never EVER want to go back.Reply -
beshonk Where are all the 1440p 144hz IPS gaming monitors? there's only two on the market with horrible quality issues >.<Reply -
kittle Reply
Actually you can probably game on this monitor just fine.18154240 said:Where are all the 1440p 144hz IPS gaming monitors? there's only two on the market with horrible quality issues >.<
I have the 27" version of this one (PA270W). I play a lot of games and watch quite a bit of netflix with no issues. The color accuracy makes the games and movies look great -- exactly the way the designers and filmmakers intended them to look.
The only issue is it puts out a LOT of heat. Im guessing the 30" one will produce a bit more. -
bit_user Reply
60 Hz != 144 Hz.18170301 said:
Actually you can probably game on this monitor just fine.18154240 said:Where are all the 1440p 144hz IPS gaming monitors? -
kittle Reply
True there. my NEC only runs at 60hz. but gaming and movies work just fine18171250 said:
60 Hz != 144 Hz.18170301 said:
Actually you can probably game on this monitor just fine.18154240 said:Where are all the 1440p 144hz IPS gaming monitors?