New Monitor and a Mac

binghott

due to my recent promotion at work, my budget for my new computer has leaped significantly. i intend to go mac for the first time, but i'm not too concerned about which model right now because i'm waiting for new product announcements next month. (the g5's intel replacement) however, i am definitely looking to get a new very high quality monitor. i would love to get an apple 23" hd lcd monitor, but i want to know what people think about it first. if you have any other monitor suggestions, my budget is between $700 and $1100. thanks!

spudjer

binghott wrote:

.....if you have any other monitor suggestions, my budget is between $700 and $1100. thanks!

Better upgrade your budget...23" LCD by Apple goes for about $1300.00 unless you have a company discount at your supplier. I have the 20" and absolutely love it! Remember G5 Intel requires different software than pre-Intel Macs.

I love spending company money.... have fun and enjoy your new Mac.

Congrats on promotion!

bwg

love the 23" ACD

love it love it love it. so bright and sharp. widescreen is really SO much better too.

Andy

bigwebguy wrote:

love the 23" ACD

love it love it love it. so bright and sharp. widescreen is really SO much better too.

+1

pathfinder

THe 23" Cinema display is just the right size. If it is not big enough, you can always add a second one.

The 30in is too big.

My 23" is over a year old, and looks as good as new. Calibration changes very little with time also.

Andy

pathfinder wrote:

THe 23" Cinema display is just the right size. If it is not big enough, you can always add a second one.

The 30in is too big.

My 23" is over a year old, and looks as good as new. Calibration changes very little with time also.

+1

binghott

spudjer wrote:

Better upgrade your budget...23" LCD by Apple goes for about $1300.00 unless you have a company discount at your supplier.

thanks. with my education discount, the 23" lcd comes to $1099.

so what a bunch of you are saying is: the 23" apple lcd is definitely the best choice for the money? is the extra 3" really necessary?

ps: would i be able to hook my 23" monitor up to my current laptop? if you don't know, how could i find out? it's an acer ferrari 4000.

spudjer

binghott wrote:

thanks. with my education discount, the 23" lcd comes to $1099.

Boy I miss the education discount, have to use my kids discount these days.

DavidTO

binghott wrote:

thanks. with my education discount, the 23" lcd comes to $1099.

so what a bunch of you are saying is: the 23" apple lcd is definitely the best choice for the money? is the extra 3" really necessary?

ps: would i be able to hook my 23" monitor up to my current laptop? if you don't know, how could i find out? it's an acer ferrari 4000.

23" monitor is fantastic.

I don't know about hooking it up to your laptop, but I'm pretty sure that the functions of the 23" display are limited in Windows, that the preference settings available on a Mac are just not there.

bwg

DavidTO wrote:

I don't know about hooking it up to your laptop, but I'm pretty sure that the functions of the 23" display are limited in Windows, that the preference settings available on a Mac are just not there.

boy, it HAS been a long time since you've used a pc eh?

there are no special "functions" for the 23" display that only a mac can unlock. The only difference is that mac has builtin software calibration and color tools while on a windows machine that functionality is provided by the video card manufacturer. I actually have more control over the display on my 23" from my PC than i do on my mac.

the thing is though, you wont need them. The display is just that beautiful out of the box.

thebigsky

I have a couple of these and absolutely love them, however you are paying extra for the design and badge, I've read a number of reviews of the Dell 24" and it seems it is as good if not better on IQ and is also considerably cheaper and a little larger.

DavidTO

bigwebguy wrote:

boy, it HAS been a long time since you've used a pc eh?

there are no special "functions" for the 23" display that only a mac can unlock. The only difference is that mac has builtin software calibration and color tools while on a windows machine that functionality is provided by the video card manufacturer. I actually have more control over the display on my 23" from my PC than i do on my mac.

the thing is though, you wont need them. The display is just that beautiful out of the box.

It was something that I read on one of the mac help sites, by a user who was having trouble make that combo work the way he wanted.

Of course, it could have been the older style, too, with the other type of connector.

And, for the record, I have never owned a windows machine.

binghott

thebigsky wrote:

I have a couple of these and absolutely love them, however you are paying extra for the design and badge, I've read a number of reviews of the Dell 24" and it seems it is as good if not better on IQ and is also considerably cheaper and a little larger.

now it looks like i'm gettin a dell screen

binghott

thebigsky wrote:

I have a couple of these and absolutely love them, however you are paying extra for the design and badge, I've read a number of reviews of the Dell 24" and it seems it is as good if not better on IQ and is also considerably cheaper and a little larger.

thanks for the tip! i looked into the dell 24", and it looks awesome. as much as i generally dislike dell, the monitor seems to be brighter, larger, and considerably cheaper than the apple screen. is anyone familiar with the dell screens?

DavidTO

binghott wrote:

thanks for the tip! i looked into the dell 24", and it looks awesome. as much as i generally dislike dell, the monitor seems to be brighter, larger, and considerably cheaper than the apple screen. is anyone familiar with the dell screens?

No, but you may want to read this and this.

binghott

DavidTO wrote:

No, but you may want to read this and this.

thanks david! theres some good pros and cons there. should i consider getting a crt instead of an lcd?

bwg

DavidTO wrote:

No, but you may want to read this and this.

those are for the previous version of the Dell 24" LCD (2405). The new version (2407) is getting rave reviews.

DavidTO

bigwebguy wrote:

those are for the previous version of the Dell 24" LCD. The new version is getting rave reviews.

Oh. :uhoh

binghott

bigwebguy wrote:

those are for the previous version of the Dell 24" LCD (2405). The new version (2407) is getting rave reviews.

ok cool, but what are the drawbacks to the dell over the apple? and are there any crt's i should look at?

bwg

binghott wrote:

ok cool, but what are the drawbacks to the dell over the apple? and are there any crt's i should look at?

I dunno, i dont have the dell nor have i seen it in person. I just read the same reviews you can find on the intarweb. as for CRT's....if the dell is as good as the apple, then i wouldnt even bother. unless you want to lose 50% of your desk space :

binghott

the dell 24" is $700 right now. if i don't absolutely need the screen now, but i really badly want it, is it worth waiting 30 more days before making the purchase? i feel like if i wait, they might sell out and it will be backordered for months, but if i don't wait, the price will probably drop another $100.

colourbox

You might want to keep an eye on dealmac.com (part of dealnews.com). I can't count how many times they list Dell LCD specials. One week it's a special Dell coupon you can apply, another week free shipping...there's a Dell 24" special on there now. But there will probably be a different special next week. Just get it when you're ready, and take the next special that comes along.

As far as the difference between the Dell and Apple LCD, from memory I think the Dell has more ports but the Apple is more closely calibrated to photography out of the box. In theory you should be able to erase that difference by running any decent hardware calibrator on the Dell, except that I have read here and there that the Dell is so bright out of the box (presumably because consumers think bright and shiny = better) that the blacks suffer and it can be harder to calibrate than the Apple - see this thread.

I don't own either monitor, just passing along what I've heard.

W.W. Webster

pathfinder wrote:

The 30in is too big.

binghott

i forgot to mention that this screen will be used in my dorm room at college. that being said, is the 24" a good idea, or could i just cut back to the 20". i've never had a monitor larger than 17" and i'm used to using my 15.4" widescreen laptop. i was just thinking that the 24" or 23" might be overwhelming.

bwg

binghott wrote:

i forgot to mention that this screen will be used in my dorm room at college. that being said, is the 24" a good idea, or could i just cut back to the 20". i've never had a monitor larger than 17" and i'm used to using my 15.4" widescreen laptop. i was just thinking that the 24" or 23" might be overwhelming.

i dont find my Apple 23" to be overwhelming at all. Actually less so than the 17" CRT that i upgraded from. I think you would be fine with either the apple or the dell.

StevenV

Samsung's got a real nice 21" widescreen search bestbuy.com or wherever for Model 215TW, in the $500 range. DVI input along with a bunch of others. Not quite as big as some of the others mentioned here, but I'm very happy with it.

DavidTO

The 23" Apple Cinema Display price dropped today, to $999, down from $1299.

wxwax

DavidTO wrote:

The 23" Apple Cinema Display price dropped today, to $999, down from $1299.

Very sexy.

DavidTO

wxwax wrote:

Very sexy.

And with the new Mac Pro, you could have 8 of them going at once!

wxwax

DavidTO wrote:

And with the new Mac Pro, you could have 8 of them going at once!

I was disappointed about the Macbook Pro silence. Maybe later this week?

DavidTO

wxwax wrote:

I was disappointed about the Macbook Pro silence. Maybe later this week?

They did say more announcements coming soon.

From macrumorslive.com: "10:24 am lots more announcements during the next week"