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ACD or NEC 23" IPS monitor for my Macbook Pro?

L

lapino

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 6, 2009
238
11
I'm deciding between this NEC monitor (link or the 24" Apple Cinema Display. How would these compare?

NEC:
+ price
+ DVI+VGA+Displayport
+ great ergonomic features (swivel, portrait etc)
- design
- 1920x1080 vs 1920x1200 on the ACD

ACD:
+ 24" with 1920x1200 vs 1920x1080 for the NEC
+ design
+ safemag+usb hub
- no option to change screen with the base
-/+ glossy screen (not sure if I'd like this, doesn't bother me on the MBP)


I'm mainly wondering if the price premium for the ACD is definitely worth it, and by that I mean is the ACD substantially better with colours, brightness etc?
 
The chief advantage of that NEC is price. It's one of the best LCDs you can get at that price. The ACD will likely be brighter and more color-accurate, but the NEC is actually bright and color-accurate enough for 99% of people.

There have been reports of less than great color uniformity on those NECs, but that's largely due to LG-Philips's troubling quality control issues which can only be avoided by buying monitors in the $800+ range, such as an ACD or more expensive NEC.

They're both recent IPS panels, and therefore better than most monitors people are accustomed to.

I can better answer your question if you tell me exactly what you're looking for in your monitor.

Alternatively, [H]ardforum maintains excellent threads on that monitor that I visit from time to time.
 
I'm mainly looking for higher resolution, since that 1440x900 on my MBP just isn't enough. Of course, as a Mac enthusiast, I like the design of the ACD and it sure fits great with my MBP, but on the other hand, the NEC is a LOT cheaper for about the same image quality. I don't think I would mind the colours being 99% right instead of 100%, it's not that I'm a professional. I am sure though I do not want a TN panel due to bad viewing angles.

The NEC seems a great deals since it's also a USB hub, which makes it almost as handy as the ACD with the main difference that I will still need my seperate power supply to load my MBP where the ACD allows me to do that from the included cable.

To be honest, the main reason I would choose the ACD over anything else is design and the added vertical resolution. Still, I can buy the NEC, an Apple wireless keyboard and magic mouse and still save over 400 euro in the process.
 
I REALLY wanted to get an ACD recently, but I just couldn't shell out the $800 for it (I'm an educator). Just too expensive for what it is.
 
One more vote for the NEC for the following reasons:
a) The ACD is glossy (though if the glass on your MBP doesn't bother you and the lighting in your room won't be too bright, then this won't apply)
b) Much cheaper
c) More inputs if you get another computer and wish to share the monitor.

Image quality on the NEC is supposed to be great, so it wouldn't be a huge step down from the ACD. Some would say that the NEC's panel actually uses an improved version of the H-IPS technology the ACD has... e-IPS is pretty much H-IPS that requires a less powerful backlight to achieve the same brightness.

And QC issues exist even on expensive monitors...
Not that I would turn down an ACD if it were given to me for free :D

On the other hand, for a tad more $$ than an ACD, I ended up getting a 30" Dell. Insane amount of screen real estate, even compared to my old 24".
 
I think a better comparison would be between the NEC 2490 and the ACD. The NEC under discussion has a different resolution, and for me that makes a big difference.
 
jwt said:
I think a better comparison would be between the NEC 2490 and the ACD. The NEC under discussion has a different resolution, and for me that makes a big difference.
Click to expand...
I'm quite happy with my NEC 2490, and it is a better comparison to me as well. 16:9 is great for watching video, but work, 16:10 is better, as you can see a whole page. No scrolling required, unless it's been zoomed/magnified.
 
Picked up the second hand ACD this morning, amazed by its quality and what a difference it makes compared to working on my MBP's screen. Feel like I'm having best of both worlds now: great desktop computer when I'm at my desk, and a very performant laptop on the road :)
 
mattwolfmatt said:
I REALLY wanted to get an ACD recently, but I just couldn't shell out the $800 for it (I'm an educator). Just too expensive for what it is.
Click to expand...

I got the refurbished one a couple of weeks ago. The monitor is absolutely spotless! I love it. At $599 it is really not too bad of a deal.
 
When you look at other 24' monitors of the same quality level the ACD looks pretty good.
 
After a few weeks use, I'm still extremely happy with my ACD. Picture quality is amazing and it allows me to use my MBP like it's a desktop computer (coupled with a Mac wireless keyboard and magic mouse) while still keeping my portability.
 
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