which external screen best value for money for MBA (not Thunderbolt display)

[MacPat333]

Hey guys,

Even though I was not plannign on getting an external screen for the Air, I somehow read in a few postings that there are screen with sizes between 21"-24" for like US $ 200.00 (or smiliar range) that seem to work well with the Air.

Could you guys recommend me some screens (LG, Samsung, Toshiba, etc.) which you guys can recommend and work well togetehr with the MBA?

Thanks a lot!

[colshine]

Have a look at the Dell range - I have a U2311H hooked up to a Mini. It's a great screen and with lots of connectivity options in a budget price. I think the 2311 has been replaced with the a newer model which still maintains a budget price.

[MacPat333]

How do you connect it to the MBA? Adapter, how much is it?

Is it this one here:
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-UltraShar...ds=dell+u2311H

And can you actually connect 2 of them together powered by the MBA? What adapters do you need for that?

I have never worked with 2 screens, but I can imagine it must be awesome, having two screens. How do you use them, two parallel extending the screen to one big one or two seperate showing two different things like to desktops?

How do you move between the two of them?

Very interesting!

[MacPat333]

Can this be done with the Dell screen?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMGKP...eature=related

Thanks!

[colshine]

Originally Posted by MacPat333

How do you connect it to the MBA? Adapter, how much is it?

Is it this one here:
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-UltraShar...ds=dell+u2311H

That's the one, if your MBA has a thunderbolt port then you can connect to the monitor with a mini display port to display port cable. I think I paid about £10 for mine last year.

And can you actually connect 2 of them together powered by the MBA? What adapters do you need for that?

I have never worked with 2 screens, but I can imagine it must be awesome, having two screens. How do you use them, two parallel extending the screen to one big one or two seperate showing two different things like to desktops?

How do you move between the two of them?

Very interesting!

I join them as one extended screen - just move your mouse to the edge of one screen and it carries onto the next. It should work as you posted in that youtube.

EDIT: This should answer your questions:

http://maccrazy.com/can-macbook-air-...ternal-display

[MacPat333]

Thanks first of all, I understand that you connect 1 screen via the Thunderbolt port, but how can you connect a 2nd screen to the MBA?

It only has 1 TB port, so how to I get a 2nd screen connected without losing quality. I have seen VGA via an adapter through USB, but this will reduce the quality of the 2nd screen.

Is there a way to connect 2 external screens without the loss of quality in either of them?

[colshine]

If you didn't want to use USB then the only other option is to use something like the Matrox DualHead2Go DP edition.

[Acorn]

Originally Posted by MacPat333

Thanks first of all, I understand that you connect 1 screen via the Thunderbolt port, but how can you connect a 2nd screen to the MBA?

It only has 1 TB port, so how to I get a 2nd screen connected without losing quality. I have seen VGA via an adapter through USB, but this will reduce the quality of the 2nd screen.

Is there a way to connect 2 external screens without the loss of quality in either of them?

i have heard of great things about this monitor.

http://www.amazon.com/Dell-UltraShar...ords=dell+2412

this adapter uses a great chipset of this type of adapter and is one of the best usb to dvi adapter of its kind.

http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-UGA-2...onitor+adapter

I wont say its great for everything. because that would be a lie. However if your not going to game on it the adapter is quite nice.