Buying an Apple Cinema display in 2018

[superiska123]

I am looking to buy an external monitor for use with my 2015 MacBook Air, and I was wondering whether any of the Apple Cinema displays were still a good investment. Note that I would use the monitor mainly for programming and media consumption.

Where I live, the 23" Apple Cinema HD display (the aluminum one) and the 24"/27" Apple Cinema display LED can be found at very reasonable prices so I was wondering which one of those would you guys recommend buying.

I tried looking at new monitors, but I found that the used Apple ones are almost always cheaper if you compare the specs...

Thanks in advance!

P.S. Would buying an old 27" iMac and using it in target display mode be a good/better idea, perhaps?

 

[chrfr]

I am looking to buy an external monitor for use with my 2015 MacBook Air, and I was wondering whether any of the Apple Cinema displays were still a good investment. Note that I would use the monitor mainly for programming and media consumption.

Where I live, the 23" Apple Cinema HD display (the aluminum one) and the 24"/27" Apple Cinema display LED can be found at very reasonable prices so I was wondering which one of those would you guys recommend buying.

I tried looking at new monitors, but I found that the used Apple ones are almost always cheaper if you compare the specs...

Thanks in advance!

P.S. Would buying an old 27" iMac and using it in target display mode be a good/better idea, perhaps?

The Apple displays are, at a minimum, 5 years old, and likely older. The 23" display is at least 10 years old. They're all obsolete. In particular, the older "HD" displays don't even use LED backlighting so you can expect poor color and brightness. Buying a 27" iMac is no better an idea.
You can run a 4k display on your 2015 Air. If I were you I'd look at that option.

 

[SuperKerem]

I am looking to buy an external monitor for use with my 2015 MacBook Air, and I was wondering whether any of the Apple Cinema displays were still a good investment. Note that I would use the monitor mainly for programming and media consumption.

Where I live, the 23" Apple Cinema HD display (the aluminum one) and the 24"/27" Apple Cinema display LED can be found at very reasonable prices so I was wondering which one of those would you guys recommend buying.

I tried looking at new monitors, but I found that the used Apple ones are almost always cheaper if you compare the specs...

Thanks in advance!

P.S. Would buying an old 27" iMac and using it in target display mode be a good/better idea, perhaps?

The Apple displays are, at a minimum, 5 years old, and likely older. The 23" display is at least 10 years old. They're all obsolete. In particular, the older "HD" displays don't even use LED backlighting so you can expect poor color and brightness. Buying a 27" iMac is no better an idea.
You can run a 4k display on your 2015 Air. If I were you I'd look at that option.

I disagree. Sure, the displays are a couple of years old. But that’s why you’re buying them for $100 and not $3499.

Most faulty electronics break within the first few years. If it’s lasted 5-10 years already, it would be no surprise to see it last another 5-10 years, if not more.

“Poor color and brightness” is nonsense. It depends how you define “poor”. Sure, it’s not as colourful and bright as a thousand dollar 2019 4K workstation display. But it would be perfect for this particular use case. These were designed and calibrated for A/V production, after all.

An LED Cinema Display would be a perfect choice if your budget allows. Otherwise, the 23” Aluminium Cinema Display would also be a great choice considering the price they sell for today.

 

[superiska123]

Thank you both for the advice! In the end, I got a pretty good deal on a brand new Dell U2715H monitor, so I went with that. I am very happy with it so far

 

[subroutines]

I happen to see an Apple Display 30" being sold on craigslist myself. I am wondering if I should buy it.