Why buy an ACD?

[Curren~Sea]

What does buying an Apple Cinema Display give me that I couldn't get from a less expensive LCD?

I am thinking of turfing my iMac 24 (er, selling it), and getting a 23" ACD to hook up with my MBP 15 instead. No need for two computers, really. And the MBP can do everything that my iMac can. Plus, the wife can hook up her laptop to the ACD if she needs to.

Any thoughts on the relative advantages/disadvantages of the ACD?

Thanks.

 

[heehee]

I would get a Dell 20" or 22" instead. I believe they are on sale for $299 & $359 CDN

 

[fortetfn]

ACD looks better... buying a big monitor is like buying a piece of furniture. You have to see it every day and every day when you use it... why don't you treat yourself something that is visually pleasing as well as giving you good display ability. The colour looks better on ACD than a Dell plastic monitor. Once you go Mac, you never go back...

 

[erkanasu]

ACD looks better... buying a big monitor is like buying a piece of furniture. You have to see it every day and every day when you use it... why don't you treat yourself something that is visually pleasing as well as giving you good display ability. The colour looks better on ACD than a Dell plastic monitor. Once you go Mac, you never go back...

i have no evidence to back up this claim, but ive heard many people say the parts in the apples and dell displays are the same a lot of the time

 

[iRhyknow]

The furniture analogy is perfect. I agree 100%. I think most people would spend more to have something that is better looking. I think 99% of people would say tha the ACD is the most gorgeous monitor on the market today. How much more dollar wise may be the debate. I am going to pay a bit more for mine also due to it matching my MBP.

 

[miniConvert]

ACD's look stunning, to most people at least - myself included. I wouldn't dream of getting anything else for my Mac's. If the design is lost on you then, by all means, save some money and buy something else.

 

[21stcenturykid]

i have no evidence to back up this claim, but ive heard many people say the parts in the apples and dell displays are the same a lot of the time

Apple use different LCD's i do believe which leads to better picture quality...it was in a previous thread but cant be bothered looking to be honest!

 

[animenick65]

I believe Apple uses I-IPS panels in their displays which are better for whatever reasons. I know the viewing angels are much better with those types of panels.

 

[pianoman]

why buy an ACD?

style.

 

[Cadence]

I would get a Dell 20" or 22" instead. I believe they are on sale for $299 & $359 CDN

The 20 & 22" Dell LCDs are in a lower bracket of quality...primarily, less resolution. The 24" Dell is a better comparison to the 23" ACD. Both are similar in image quality, Dell with more input options, ACD the better looker.

 

[dejo]

Don't forget ACDs come with two FireWire 400 ports. Dell's don't.

 

[bearbo]

The 20 & 22" Dell LCDs are in a lower bracket of quality...primarily, less resolution. The 24" Dell is a better comparison to the 23" ACD. Both are similar in image quality, Dell with more input options, ACD the better looker.

Apple use different LCD's i do believe which leads to better picture quality...it was in a previous thread but cant be bothered looking to be honest!

the 20" and 30" dell LCDs use the identical LCD panel as ACD's 20 and 30, but dell 24 uses lower grade LDC than apple's 23.

 

[hayduke]

the 20" and 30" dell LCDs use the identical LCD panel as ACD's 20 and 30, but dell 24 uses lower grade LDC than apple's 23.

That is interesting. I had heard that yet.

I'm thinking of getting a ~24" screen, but realized that I don't know if you can connect two computers to a single ADC. I have a laptop and desktop and I'd like to connect both to the external monitor. Is there an easy way to to this? I'm pretty certain there is only one input cable on the ADCs.

 

[SMM]

That is interesting. I had heard that yet.

I'm thinking of getting a ~24" screen, but realized that I don't know if you can connect two computers to a single ADC. I have a laptop and desktop and I'd like to connect both to the external monitor. Is there an easy way to to this? I'm pretty certain there is only one input cable on the ADCs.

You can get a 2-way DVI switch. But you may want to get a 2-Way which has a USB, FW400 and Audio as part of the switching ports.

 

[zap2]

I got one...I don't regret it at all...yes its was a few 100 more, but its looks SO nice and has firewire. I kind of wish it had the port the Dell does for Vidoe game consoles, Composite,but the picture on Component is better so I'd still use my TV.


I love the way it works in my set up...Silver Display, Silver Mac Mini, Silver Speakers..its by far the best looking set up I've ever owned

 

[FleurDuMal]

The ACD is a thing of sheer beauty. Like someone said below, you wouldn't buy crappy looking furniture.

Coming from someone who owns a Dell 24", I am looking to sell it and replace it with a the Apple display when they upgrade it and when I get a Mac Pro in the summer. The Dell is a remarkable piece of equipment - in terms of function there is nothing I can find to complain about. A huge array of inputs, adjustable base, very bright, good colours. However, if you don't exploit the aesthetics side of Apple products, I don't feel you're making the most of what you've just shelled out lots of money for.

 

[redmeister]

in my eyes there are only two things to pick from in terms of display

pay more for sleek looks and good performance

pay less for not so great looks and good performance

1st is acd, 2nd is dell

just depends on your personal preference/needs/budget. i personally can do fine with the less expensive but capable dell and its prob what i will go with

 

[Sesshi]

Like most other comparisons of this type, the Apple equivalent looks nice and is not as practical.

The Dell 2007WFP has more features, comes with a 3-year warranty and has proper adjustment facilities. The latter is the most important to me - the Apple has tilt and that's it. All of my sub-30" Apple monitors are sitting on stands of one sort or another and what's the point of better looks if you can't adjust the monitor the way you want? And the smaller the monitor gets, the more critical the range of adjustment it provides gets.

Not sure about the panel on the 20" though, and that's one thing the Dell could fall down on. I've put in an order for a few 2007WFP's along with the PC's to go with them so I can let you know how they fare against the 23" ACD's.

I just briefly googled some relative reviews of the 20" and it's highly amusing the stuff that Apple fanboys (who apparently don't even own both monitors) write. One even had comparisons listing the higher-power PSU of the Apple as a superior point. Hahahaha!

 

[iW00t]

The ACD has a S-IPS panel = more saturated colours.

However it has no contrast controls, making it a ****** monitor in my book.

 

[Sesshi]

As a matter of interest, how do you tell the panel on an Apple monitor?

 

[iW00t]

As a matter of interest, how do you tell the panel on an Apple monitor?

I think Astra32 on boot camp is pretty much the only way to go.

 

[hollerz]

if your not a graphics pro, your not gonna tell the difference between a dell and an apple. but if design means a lot to you, get the apple. thats the only reason i bought an ACD over the dell

 

[shikimo]

I think this thread is very revealing: It shows that there are many, many Mac people who are willing to pay a LOT of money for something that looks great, both on its own and with other Mac products, even though there are alternatives that are similar in quality. I respect that...but I'm not one of them.

The ACDs look fantastic...but why twice the price? Resources spent on their tremendous design have been more than recouped; now I just feel like they're taking advantage of loyal customers (who, incidentally, account for many of the people who buy ACDs). It's always bugged me; I've had Macs since the Apple II, and have at times happily paid a bit more than I would have for a non-Mac cognate partially out of respect for style, but the gap in LCD prices is absurd.

And we ought to broaden the comparison beyond Dell, as they are far from the most aesthetically pleasing LCDs. Most are pretty ugly, sure, but there are, for example, 19-20" 16:9/10 models from Belinea, Acer, Iiyama, Philips and Samsung that look pretty nice and are at or below the 50%-of-20" ACD pricepoint. To address two already-mentioned ACD shortcomings, Samsungs are consistently the most adjustable (most have great height adjustability in addition to good pivoting), and virtually all of them have better contrast control...that is to say, they have contrast control .

 

[dante@sisna.com]

Colorsync

Apple displays are calibrated before they leave the factory and the 20, 23 and 30 inch displays are therefore SWOP certified for color matching using colorsync profiles.

If you understand this, then you understand that the cost is worth it for high end design work.

You can calibrate a dell with both colorsync and a calibrator (about $300) but there is not substitute from having that original default calibration profile for sure.

For me, this alone justifies the cost difference. Far more important than any other variable.

DJO

 

[z00y0rk]

Acd without a doubt.

I've compared ACD's to Dell displays in the past. Yes, the dell has a lesser price but if it's price that madders, go with the dell. But if you want the quality and the better picture go with an ACD.

Good luck with your choice.