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mac pro with dell 2408 monitor
- Thread starter ma1123
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Personally I prefer the 23" ACD (dont get the 20") the panel seems way different as the brightness.
I had the dell 24" monitor but sold it afterwards because I just love the 23" ACD more. I put them together and just tested them out and I can say that the ACD is superior in colors and accuracy not to mention it matches the mac pro alot better as well.
Others will disagree but the ACD uses an S-IPS monitor as dell's are a mixed bag if you get lucky you can get a S-IPS on certain serial numbered dell monitors but others are the inferior S-PVA panels.
The dell 24" I had was a S-PVA but the backlighting and circuitry on the ACD is that much better but the dell was a bit brighter at full brightness compared to the 23" ACD (which I think was too bright at even 50% anyway) but does have superior even backlighting and colors.
But if your not too picky as I am dell 24" should do you well enough especially for its price.
I had the dell 24" monitor but sold it afterwards because I just love the 23" ACD more. I put them together and just tested them out and I can say that the ACD is superior in colors and accuracy not to mention it matches the mac pro alot better as well.
Others will disagree but the ACD uses an S-IPS monitor as dell's are a mixed bag if you get lucky you can get a S-IPS on certain serial numbered dell monitors but others are the inferior S-PVA panels.
The dell 24" I had was a S-PVA but the backlighting and circuitry on the ACD is that much better but the dell was a bit brighter at full brightness compared to the 23" ACD (which I think was too bright at even 50% anyway) but does have superior even backlighting and colors.
But if your not too picky as I am dell 24" should do you well enough especially for its price.
There's always a rumor since the past 4 years, IMHO there wont be another monitor upgrade until maybe 2 more years. I think apple is waiting for the 30" to get led as well, and if it does come out pretty soon the prices wont be too pretty. I mean a samsung xl20 20" led monitor is $1799 at the cheapest I've found on ebay.
Imagine a 30" led, $4999?
Depends on what you're gonna use the monitor for.... For genereal use and watching DVD's the dell is good. But for photo editing, the most accurate panels are IPS or variations of it like H-IPS, S-IPS. Search for the thread:
"Best 23-24" S-IPS Displays". You will find a lot of good information.
"Best 23-24" S-IPS Displays". You will find a lot of good information.
@jjahshik32: I think you are talking about the wrong monitor. Dell makes 2 24" monitors at the moment and the new 2408 is the one he is talking about. You may have been thinking of the 2407 or the lesser 24". You were definitely not talking about the 2408. The 2408 has a 6ms refresh rate compared to Apple's pathetic 14ms and a 3000:1 contrast ratio compared to Apple's 700:1. Finally to drive the stake through Apple's heart, Dell's display has a 110% color gamut. And to sweeten the deal they threw in HDMI and component ports and others, then they stuck a memory card reader in it.
Please ignore the above. I am ignorant and did not know the difference between panel types
Please ignore the above. I am ignorant and did not know the difference between panel types
I havent got the 2408 display but ive got 2 of the older Dell 2407 displays, they are sweet, calibrated with a spyder kit, they are a lot better than the 23"ACD i had for all of 3 weeks, my other displays a Samsung, and once calibrated thats not bad either, i'd say get the 2408 if your after a good display, not to hefty on the pocket either, yeah s-ips is better but for photo editing it's not that bigger issue 
I have the 30" Apple Cinema and 2 of the new Dell 2408 monitors, which I use on a PC. I've been close to sending the Dells back a few times - the image quality isn't as good as the Cinema and they need quite a lot of taming to bring the brightness and color vividness down to natural levels.
In use, I find I can work comfortably all day and night on the Apple monitor, but the Dells do my eyes in after an hour or so and I have to go and do something else for a few minutes.
The image remains bright at all viewing angles, but there is a slight color shift off axis.
As for the response time, the Dell monitors may be quicker on paper, but many people on gaming forums have reported pretty serious image lag of around 40ms, which kind of negates the 10ms advantage over the Apple. Check out this thread for feedback from owners.
One good point - they have pretty much every type of connection there is - 2x DVI ports, HDMI, Display Port, component etc plus 4 USB ports. They do not however have any firewire ports.
In use, I find I can work comfortably all day and night on the Apple monitor, but the Dells do my eyes in after an hour or so and I have to go and do something else for a few minutes.
The image remains bright at all viewing angles, but there is a slight color shift off axis.
As for the response time, the Dell monitors may be quicker on paper, but many people on gaming forums have reported pretty serious image lag of around 40ms, which kind of negates the 10ms advantage over the Apple. Check out this thread for feedback from owners.
One good point - they have pretty much every type of connection there is - 2x DVI ports, HDMI, Display Port, component etc plus 4 USB ports. They do not however have any firewire ports.
I have the 2407 and it's a great monitor. I use it for gaming and the refresh rate is excellent.
Alan
Alan
I have a Dell 2408 and it only has one issue for me, the reds are WAY over saturated. An example would be if you scroll over threads on this forum they show up as neon orange as the mouse hits them, the "e" in eBay is bright pink, ect. Dell has sent 2 replacements and both have the same issue but they have had their engineering department contact me and seem sincerely interested in correcting what I am seeing.
I literally just ordered the 23" ACD, and was seriously thinking about the dell 2408. In the end though, the dell cost £570, while the ACD cost £530, so i went for the apple.
The price of dell displays is truly ridiculous in the UK
The price of dell displays is truly ridiculous in the UK
This is after the built in calibration, and this is trying the monitor on two other computers (Dell computers actually) however I just purchased a Xrite Eye 1 Display2 hardware calibration kit today and am going to make an attempt with that before giving up and asking for a refund.
No-one in the thread has yet asked the guy what he does with his rig - the answer to his question will depend on that.
If it's photography he wants colour rendition about all other assets - if it's gaming you can take some poor colour as long as the refresh rate is blazing fast.
OP needs to tell us what he's going to do with the system before a real recommendation can be made.
I will say the ACD's offer poor value for money at this time - although they are good displays you can get better for your money.
I literally just ordered the 23" ACD, and was seriously thinking about the dell 2408. In the end though, the dell cost £570, while the ACD cost £530, so i went for the apple.
The price of dell displays is truly ridiculous in the UK
You made the right choice my friend, you will NOT regret the ACD!
I noticed Dell's specs on sheet always is a bit better than against the ACDs but once you see it side by side its a different story with the ACDs with much better color rendition and no problems in gaming with fast refresh rate, I played half life 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Bioshock, Call of duty 2, F.E.A.R., Crysis on the ACD and it looks gorgeous and no problems with the refresh rate it looks awesome and fast as hell.
ACD uk price
If you dont mind me asking where did you get 23" ACD for £530 in the UK
I literally just ordered the 23" ACD, and was seriously thinking about the dell 2408. In the end though, the dell cost £570, while the ACD cost £530, so i went for the apple.
The price of dell displays is truly ridiculous in the UK
If you dont mind me asking where did you get 23" ACD for £530 in the UK
Hi you can buy it for 550 quid at www.play.com
It's a good deal, but the fact that play are now selling ACDs at such low prices makes me think that there might be an update soon.
I just bought a 23" ACD here in Norway for a lot more, but I'm very satisfied with it. It really is comfortable on the eyes as well as been a terrific display.
Does it have hdmi 1.3?
Support for 1080p24 (23.976 Hz)?
Support for xvYCC color gamut?
Any displayPort graphics cards still out yet?
Support for 1080p24 (23.976 Hz)?
Support for xvYCC color gamut?
Any displayPort graphics cards still out yet?
I bought it from the HE apple store, which is only accessible if you are either an educational institution or a university student. hope that helps!
I am reporting back after using the Xrite eye-one display2 calibration system.
First I will confirm this is a great way to make the monitor look better. The monitor looks much less saturated on the reds. I played with some photos in Photoshop and then printed them to see how they look. I can say they are much closer now to what prints out on my Canon printer. I still believe there is a bit more saturation then someone with a critical eye would like and I am on the fence about the monitor being acceptable. I am going to ask Dell if they would be willing to exchange the monitor when they do a revision upgrade and if they agree then I will keep it.
First I will confirm this is a great way to make the monitor look better. The monitor looks much less saturated on the reds. I played with some photos in Photoshop and then printed them to see how they look. I can say they are much closer now to what prints out on my Canon printer. I still believe there is a bit more saturation then someone with a critical eye would like and I am on the fence about the monitor being acceptable. I am going to ask Dell if they would be willing to exchange the monitor when they do a revision upgrade and if they agree then I will keep it.
No matter what monitor you buy, you should calibrate it with something like this.
http://spyder.datacolor.com/index_us.php
Here is a cheaper version.
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...=0&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1
http://spyder.datacolor.com/index_us.php
Here is a cheaper version.
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...=0&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1
Dell's S-IPS panels are the same LG-Philips panels used in the ACD. The only thing that looks better is the design of the ACD. And that's exactly what you pay for.
--Erwin
--Erwin