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Dell 2709W with Macbook Pro

U

ULEE

macrumors member
Original poster
Hello guys,

I have the latest version of the Macbook Pro with the 2.5 ghz processor and the 256 mb ram graphic card as well as 3 gb ram. Now I was thinking about buying the new 27 inch TFT monitor from Dell (its the Dell 2709W). I only play games occasionally still my mbp seems to be steaming at times even during "normal acitivties" such as surfing on the web and using Photoshop/Illustrator (with temperatures of the gpu diode going up to 70° celsius which is about 155 in fahrenheit).

So my question now is if the mbp will be able to carry the weight of supplying the 27 inch screen with images or if its likely to overheat/burn/explode and whatnot?

I have signed up for apple care still I dont want to set my loved mbp on fire so please let me know what you think of this / what your experiences with large monitors in combination with a mpb are. Also what are you experiences witht the Dell 2709W overall (I have only seen reviews saying its very good and very reasonable priced, espacilly in europe/germany).

Thanks and cheers from Tokyo.

- Julian
 
It should work. Apple advertises that the MBP can power a 30 inch Cinema display, so it shouldn't have any problems with a 27 incher. 😉
 
Well I used to believe what they advertised...ever until they started advertising the iPhone 3G as twice as fast for half the price 🙁. Thanks anyways. Any real world experiences?
 
This is my personal experience. I run a macbook pro 2.5 penryn with a 30" display. Look at my sig for more details.

Before getting the display i wondered the same thing as you..can the MBP really run the 30"? And it will be a smooth, fast experience with no choppiness or slow downs?

My experience says yes. The MBP honestly runs the 30" beautifully. very smooth, very fast. so your 27" Dell would be no problem.

FYI, all macbook pros are hot, at least the ones i've owned anyways. i don't think it'll burst in flames spontaneously unless something was wrong with it. But like i said..i am running my MBP with a 30" display and it hasn't caught fire yet 😛

your temps seem normal as well. If you are concerned about heat, put your macbook pro on a stand..i have mine on a rain design m stand which helps with the air flow underneath the MBP and functions as a heatsink.

hope that helps.
 
Thank you. I just ordered the screen. I am still waiting to get back to states to buy a stand since the mstand is WAY overpriced in germany (the best deal I could find was still 90 USD) and very hard to find in Japan as well (even though its supposed to be cheap I could only find it on amazon and only god knows how to order on amazon.jp 😛).
 
The Dell 27" has a 1920x1200 resolution, which is the same as the 23" ACD and most 24" displays, so it won't be pushing any more pixels. I have a Dell 2408FPW 24" connected to my 2.4GHz MacBook Pro and it's fine at 1920x1200.
 
zer0tails said:
This is my personal experience. I run a macbook pro 2.5 penryn with a 30" display. Look at my sig for more details.

Before getting the display i wondered the same thing as you..can the MBP really run the 30"? And it will be a smooth, fast experience with no choppiness or slow downs?

My experience says yes. The MBP honestly runs the 30" beautifully. very smooth, very fast. so your 27" Dell would be no problem.

FYI, all macbook pros are hot, at least the ones i've owned anyways. i don't think it'll burst in flames spontaneously unless something was wrong with it. But like i said..i am running my MBP with a 30" display and it hasn't caught fire yet 😛

your temps seem normal as well. If you are concerned about heat, put your macbook pro on a stand..i have mine on a rain design m stand which helps with the air flow underneath the MBP and functions as a heatsink.

hope that helps.
Click to expand...

😉
That's good news.

Off topic, but oh I dream that it could be possible for the MBP to have two DVI ports. That would equal 55" of screen for me with dual 20" Dells.
 
Yeah the 27" Dell is a con. Its the same pixels as a 23" Apple display yet costs more money, and uses a poorer quality TN panel.

Never mind, for games and other general work and whatnot I'm sure it will be fine.
 
uiop. said:
Off topic, but oh I dream that it could be possible for the MBP to have two DVI ports. That would equal 55" of screen for me with dual 20" Dells.
Click to expand...

Even those 3-inch thick Alienwares don't have 2 DVI port, so it will be a dream. You can get a DVI splitter box that allows you drive to 2 DVI'd monitors.
 
alphaod said:
Even those 3-inch thick Alienwares don't have 2 DVI port, so it will be a dream. You can get a DVI splitter box that allows you drive to 2 DVI'd monitors.
Click to expand...

Good grief. I'm aware.
I was making a simple point, thank you.
 
nick9191 said:
Yeah the 27" Dell is a con. Its the same pixels as a 23" Apple display yet costs more money, and uses a poorer quality TN panel.

Never mind, for games and other general work and whatnot I'm sure it will be fine.
Click to expand...

I own the Dell 2709 and purchased a MBP late last week. Though I haven't had the chance to hook the two up, as I've been on vacation, the MBP easily drives a 24" display, and the 27" with the same resolution should be no different.

But calling it a con? That's a bit quick to the draw. I ask: Have you even used one for an extended period of time before forming your judgment? Having put over 40 hours on the monitor thus far, I can definitively say:

1) The Dell 2709 does not use a TN panel. It is a Samsung S-PVA, and generally pretty good for what it is. It's not IPS, but it does its job and doesn't carry TN panels' problems.

2) Yes, it has the same number of pixels as most 23"/24" displays, but for some that's a blessing, especially for programs where you can't adjust the menu font sizes (i.e. all of them) and have either poor vision or a desire to have the display a distance from your face while still maintaining easy legibility. In my case, my vision is deteriorating and I wanted to be able to have the screen further back than my previous two 19" CRTs, so I opted for the 27" 1920x1200 over the smaller screens with the same resolution. It's true that, up close, the picture looks grainier than its smaller-pixeled counterparts, but if you set the monitor back it really smooths out. Unlike before, I'm now able to sit back in my chair for a work session, rather than have my nose up to the screens to make things clear. It's part of the reason I opted against the hi-res MBP 17" screen - I like to be able to easily read my menus from a distance, so the smaller resolution, despite offering more functional screen space and being a "better deal," doesn't really suit me.

It's all about personal usage patterns, here, and is not a simple equation of smaller pixels = better. If that were the case, everyone would be using 20" medical grade displays with some absurdly high resolution.
 
Plus I dont think the MBP can display a higher resolution than 1920x1200 or can it?
 
Is it possible to use the card reader/usb ports on mac os x? I couldnt get them to work nor could I find any drivers online.
 
If you want more monitors, there are several options avalible to you.

http://www.villagetronic.com/vidock/techspecs.html

This, is a 500 dollar external video card that hooks up through the express card port. Claims to be able to run two 30" Displays. Add a third through the video out on the MBP, and you've got 90" of external display goodness!

If you're on a budget, look at this.

http://www.evga.com/products/prodlist.asp?switch=10

60-80 dollars. Runs up to a 1440x900 or 1680x1050 monitor. ($80 model only)

drivers can be downloaded here

www.displaylink.com

up to 4 can be added to a mac.

I am currently using one of these to run a 19" monitor next to my 27" screen. It's pretty cool.

Hope that helps.

-ST-
 
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