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Monitor Advice

T

Tremaine

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 13, 2004
54
0
I'm placing my order for a new 2.0Dual G5, however the monitors announced today (which I have been waiting for) are just too much money for what you get. I rather get something from Samsung, Sony, ViewSonic, etc. I plan to upgrade my G5 with a 9600 vid card too.

Do you have a recommendation for a 18-20" model with decent response times?
 
I have the same question

I have the same question. Those ADC are a bit much for me. Any recommendations?
How about the Samsung 193P?
Thanks!
 
Any recommendations out there for LCD displays?
I wish I could afford the ACD. But I don't have that kind of $.
I hear conflicting reports on the Samsung 193P. Some people swear by it and others tell me it's not MAC compatible.
If not the 193P then what other displays are good options?
I do a bit of graphic design work.
I have a G4 Quicksilver 867.
And yes I am a newbie!!
Thanks!
 
Webster said:
Any recommendations out there for LCD displays?
I wish I could afford the ACD. But I don't have that kind of $.
I hear conflicting reports on the Samsung 193P. Some people swear by it and others tell me it's not MAC compatible.
If not the 193P then what other displays are good options?
I do a bit of graphic design work.
I have a G4 Quicksilver 867.
And yes I am a newbie!!
Thanks!
Click to expand...

If it's got a DVI connection, it's probably Mac compatible. Go to Newegg.com for some reviews and pretty good prices.
 
I have been researching and reading reviews all day and the 193p is Mac compatible. I have not found a good reason to buy the Apple displays other than "coolness" factor. From everything I have read, the Samsung 193p is the best of the 19" LCDs. At about $725-750, it is far better than the Apple 17" and just a hair less than the 20" for 1/2 the price...

[edit for typo]
 
Webster said:
...Those ADC are a bit much for me. ...
Click to expand...

As you probably know, the new monitors are DVI, not ADC, and come bundled with USB 2.0 and Firewire connectors, as well as a single cable from the monitor to the computer.

Apple displays are expensive; however, comparing resolution, video specs, features, and case (aluminum vs plastic), they aren't a bad deal.

However, I've heard good things about the Samsung 193P as well - I'm not sure what the 193T is, or how it differs.
 
All in all, are Samsung quality LCD monitors (specifically 17-19 inch versions)? I have heard some mixed messages about them, but they seem reasonably priced and definitely have an Apple-esque coolness factor. One more thing, is there a quality difference between VGA and DVI?
 
Thanks Tremaine!
Are you sure about the compatibility?
I saw this review that says the software for 193P is for windows only.
And because of that you can't control the brightness of the display.
I'm being overly cautious because I don't want to be in a position where i need to send it back.
What have you found in regards to the compatibility issue?

Here's the link to the review:
http://pcworld.pricegrabber.com/rating_getprodrev.php/product_id=1539958/id_type=M
 
I've heard that I know that Samsung built the LCD monitors for Dell a few years back, and that they were always favorably reviewed. I had one and I agree that they were good monitors for the money. I've also heard that Samsung builds the LCD monitors for Apple, but I don't know if this is still the case.

Dell has a 19" (1901FP? or something) that CNET reviewed very favorably a while back. It has a DVI input and is also rotatable between landscape/portrait. Not sure if it is 100% Mac compatible. Might be worth a look.
 
That Samsung has 1280x1024 resolution. That's the same as on most 17" LCDs, including apple's. The Samsung does have some great other specs, but the bottom line is that it's no more viewing area than a 17" screen. So when you say it only costs a little more than Apple's 17" display, I hope you realize that there's a reason why.

I'm not saying this is a bad screen, but it should really be compared to the 17" apple display, not the 20". And when you look at it that way, it's not such a good buy at all.

JSW is right - apple's monitors are expensive, but you're paying for quality, and quality is what you get. When a "similar" product costs a fraction as much... there's usually a reason why.
 
Whigga Spitta said:
All in all, are Samsung quality LCD monitors (specifically 17-19 inch versions)? I have heard some mixed messages about them, but they seem reasonably priced and definitely have an Apple-esque coolness factor. One more thing, is there a quality difference between VGA and DVI?
Click to expand...

After going through the whole Samsung compatibility issue with numerous dealers, I went out and bought a Samsung 172X (the Samsung website says it's not mac compatible, even though it is).

I haven't placed it right beside a 17" studio display to do a comparison, but I can't spot any difference in brightness and picture quality - if anything I'd lean towards the Samsung for form factor and the 12ms response time (the specs are near identical anyway).

Samsung make great LCD's - in fact weren't they manufacturing the mac studio display LCD's at one point?
 
Forgot to add - Samsung includes a 3 year warranty on their LCD's (i.e. free apple care type product) and the 172X sells here in Australia for around $500 less than a 17" studio display..... I'm no apple hater, but buying a monitor for my new G5 really was an easy decision.
 
Agreed, Ben. I'm no Apple hater either and in fact just ordered my Dual 2.0 to replace my 800 iMac, but after that I don't see the value in purchasing the 20". Perhaps someone will pipe up with other alternatives before I make a purchase...

Comparing the 193p to the Apple 17". First, the 17" monitor doesn't ROTATE or is it wall mountable. Second, the contrast ratio is 800:1 on the Samsung to Apple's 350:1. Third, brightness for the Samsung is 250cd/m2 and the Apple is only 200cd/m2. The Apple has the "old" look, but 2 USB connex, which the Samsung doesn't.
 
Monitor Problems

I have a Dual 2.0 Ghz G5 with a 21" samsung crt and a 17 dell crt (both vga) I have them plugged into each of the plugs in the back of the mac using the appropriate adapters. Everything worked fine for about two months, now I'm noticing that sometimes when I turn the computer on from sleep mode, the 21" is very bright, and the fonts are washed out (not an ATM problem, just that the screen is so bright that it washes out the text) I have been able to figure out that if I unplug my second monitor, run detect displays the screen comes back to normal. Then, just plug it back in and run detect again. I've tried changing out the second monitor (17") thinking that that might be the problem, but it still continues. Is my monitor card going out already? or maybe I need more ram? (if so, can I add ram to an existing card, or just have to buy a whole new one?) Thanks for any input you have!
 
I emailed the folks who handle MagicTune (Samsung's 193P display software). Here's what they had to say:

Thank you for the inquiry. The 193P will auto adjust if you hold in the
power button for three seconds. Since the MagicTune software does not
support Macintosh operating systems you might try using any adjustments
for your display that are supplied with your graphic card driver software.

Please send any other questions about your 193P directly to Samsung's
technical support department.

Regards,

Technical Support Team
Portrait Displays, Inc.
www.portrait.com

I also spoke with Samsung and they said the same thing.
 
I used a Samsung 19" LCD for the past 18 months and it is the most incredible monitor I've ever owned. You can get one for about $600. DVI and VGA connectors - and beautiful images.
 
I checked out the 193p, and it looks nice, but its not the Wide aspect like the apple 20'' right? Any displays out there that are Wide aspect at a good price other than the Cinema displays.
 
Wide-Aspect = False Economy

Samsung make a wide aspect monitor, the 172W. (I think they're the numbers, the letter is the important bit :) ). Thing is, the horizontal resolution is the same as a standard 17" screen, just with the top and bottom lopped off! So what you save is dead screen space when watching widescreen DVDs in full-screen, and what you lose is vertical space when doing anything else. :eek: I foolishly, had to have this pointed out to me. I'm such a loser sometimes. :rolleyes:

Take a look at widescreen monitors, but look at them by horizontal resolution and price bracket.

Personally, I think I'll buy two 17" Samsungs. I think the 19" mentioned higher actually has the same resolution as Samsung's 17" models, everything is just *bigger*. I know plenty of people who would pay for that, but I don't think I will. Moving my eyes lots gets a bit achy after a while, as well the extra money piling up when you want dual screens.

Cheers
Chris
 
Samsung 193P

Here's more info on the 193P.
Samsung emailed me this response today:

Thank you for contacting us. The SyncMaster 193P features a buttonless design, and can be adjusted only through the included MagicTune software. This software is compatible only with Windows, so the brightness, contrast, and other settings of the monitor cannot be adjusted by a Mac. As such, the SyncMaster 193P is not recommended for use with non-Windows operating systems.


I hope this is helpful.
 
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