Is this a good deal for an Apple Cinema Display 30"? http://www.kijiji.ca/v-monitors/ottawa/30-inch-apple-cinema-display/1211394590
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30" Apple Cinema Display. Good deal?
- Thread starter bigpoppamac31
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thekev
macrumors 604
I wouldn't touch one of those at this point, given that they may be more than 10 years old, and I don't know how many hours are on the thing. LCDs lose brightness and shift in color over time, but out of the early Apple Cinema displays, the 30" was probably the best one. As mentioned I have no idea how many hours are on this thing. I wouldn't touch any display with over 10k hours, especially not one from that era.
Hmm okay. The seller did claim he's had no issues with the monitor. I've just always loved the look of those ACD the best and always wanted one. What monitor would you recommend? I'd like to go higher than 1080p if possible for crispness and clarity. I've heard plenty of times that Dell makes great monitors.
thekev
macrumors 604
I don't know when he bought it. The thing debuted in 2004. It was discontinued in 2010. He didn't experience any problems within that interval. Your results may vary, because you would be taking possession of something that is 6 to 12 years old at the time of purchase. If you keep it for 3 years, it will be a minimum of 9 years old and likely older. I wouldn't anticipate either the high or low there. I would probably ask when he bought it and how he used it if you're really interested. If he calibrates it and has a colorimeter, he could tell you what maximum brightness is measured now. You could then roughly compute how many half lives that was with respect to factory brightness spec. It's quite a rough measure though.
In terms of image quality, I like NEC and Eizo. I have used both of those brands, and I greatly prefer them over Apple's displays. As I mentioned, the 30" was really the only one I ever liked. The 24" had issues. The 20 and 23" ones were complete garbage (terrible uniformity in color and brightness, bad color temperature, too bright when turned up and too low in contrast when turned down).
Their consumer focused ones aren't as expensive as their graphics monitors. If I wanted to go cheap, I would check reviews on monoprice or look at Benq. Obviously the fit and finish won't look as nice as Apple.
I dont think I would buy the Apple Cinema Display 30" today. Maybe 5 or so years ago... but now its a much lower resolution than what you get with new displays, plus its old and could die at any moment. I guess if it was $100 or $200 it could be considered a throwaway purchase (not sure what price it is since the link isnt working).
LiveM
macrumors 65816
I still use a couple of 20" models and the colour accuracy is excellent and the resolution still holds up to non-retina iMacs, plusmthe design is,far superior and its matte screen makes it highly sought-after. With the dual-link DVI adaptor included this to me is excellent value. I would definitely get it.
pastrychef
macrumors 601
macpro2000
macrumors 65816
How much is it? I have a couple extra I’d be willing to sell. ACDs are dated tech but still look and work great. I have 5 connected to my Mac Pro. 🙂