Great LCD Display for Digital Design?

[iindigo]

Hey!

If things go as planned, I'll be upgrading to a Mac Pro in the near future, so lately I've been on the hunt for a great display to go with it. I considered the cinema displays, but they don't seem like a likely option for me, as I've read that one can purchase a considerably better display of a different brand for the same amount of money.

My main mode of design is that of purely digital mediums; things such as websites and software interfaces, so while I don't need super color accuracy, I would prefer if the display were decently accurate (i.e. not horribly over or under saturated).

As for size, I'm currently looking at a 20"-22" display since that's what I'm used to (currently work on a 20" iMac G5) and that's what fits my desk, but I might be willing to buy a larger size if it means a significant upgrade in quality.

Oh yes, one other thing - I do occasionally game, so it'd also be nice if this display's response time isn't horrible. Bad viewing angles could also be troublesome.

Any recommendations?

 

[nanofrog]

Have you searched for this?
I ask because there are a number of recent, and ongoing threads that cover this topic.

Try:
20", 22", 24", 26", 27", 30" minitor/display
Dell 2408WFP
Cinema Display
NEC
s-pva/spva
s-ips/sips
h-ips/hips
etc.

 

[TheStrudel]

I would add that you would be advised to steer away from 22" LCDs. Except for recently announced 1080p 22"ers, they offer no advantage over 20" displays. They're universally TN panels, with generally crappy viewing angles. I prefer higher pixel density, anyway, and those 22" screens have the same resolution as 20" screens.

 

[adjuster]

For the life of me, I cannot figure out why anyone is saying that the Apple monitors are overpriced. They may not be comparing apples with apples (pun intended). The Apple monitors us an s-ips screen, the best and most expensive panel made today for photo work. Others, such as Samsung, use s-pva which is reported as not being he same quality.

I have a 24" NEC LCD 2490 which cost about $1,030. Bought as a result of an article in Luminous Landscape which said it was the best deal for the money. It is a fantastic monitor. I have it along side an Apple 23" monitor and it appears to be better. Had not had time to calibrate both of them yet, however.

Other monitors, such as Dell, have a wider gamut which can cause problems with a Mac system because it seems to be difficult to calibrate. Other monitors with a wider gamut work better. However, a wider gamut has other issues that are the subject for another day.

There is a tremendous amount of misinformation out there. For example, people make comparisons on old style Apple monitors with new monitors from other vendors. Good luck.

UPDATE: I calibrated both monitors. Hard to see any difference in quality. NEC's ability to pivot may be helpful down the road, however and height is adjustable, unlike Apple.

 

[iindigo]

For the life of me, I cannot figure out why anyone is saying that the Apple monitors are overpriced. They may not be comparing apples with apples (pun intended). The Apple monitors us an s-ips screen, the best and most expensive panel made today for photo work. Others, such as Samsung, use s-pva which is reported as not being he same quality.

I have a 24" NEC LCD 2490 which cost about $1,030. Bought as a result of an article in Luminous Landscape which said it was the best deal for the money. It is a fantastic monitor. I have it along side an Apple 23" monitor and it appears to be better. Had not had time to calibrate both of them yet, however.

Other monitors, such as Dell, have a wider gamut which can cause problems with a Mac system because it seems to be difficult to calibrate. Other monitors with a wider gamut work better. However, a wider gamut has other issues that are the subject for another day.

There is a tremendous amount of misinformation out there. Good luck.

Yeah, after doing some research on the matter, it's become clear to me that ACDs are actually among some of the most affordable S-IPS displays out there. Not having to fight with calibration as much sounds good to me too, so chances are that I'll go with a 20" or 23" ACD.

One thing has me slightly worried, though... from what I've read around the web, the 23" model is more likely to have problems than the 20". Can anybody here attest to that?

 

[DocPierce]

I am also in the market for a very nice display for the Mac Pro. The one thing that irritates me about the ACD monitors is the lack of alternative/additional inputs .... I might want to work with a window up and have a smaller PIP with TVor a DVD floating around somewhere. I never see this mentioned in the threads ... am I the only one who sees this as a problem, or are there other work arounds that I am not aware of?

 

[TheStrudel]

Apple's target market - graphics and video professionals - have no real need for a second input on the monitor, so while it might bother people who work from home or independent types, the majority of people bothering don't care, and thus, neither does apple. Not impossible for this to change for the next revision, but given apple's current design philosophy vis-a-vis the displays, this is unlikely. If you want an IPS display on the cheap and don't mind a 26" screen size, I highly recommend Doublesight's DS-263N. I know it sounds like a no-name brand, but it uses the same panel as the NEC 2690, and I've found it to be a solid performer. Has a second DVI input in addition to a VGA input (I swear, that standard needs to be put to death, fast. It's such a waste and manufacturers need to stop including it), 4 USB ports, 1:1 pixel mapping, and excellent performance for the price. ($800 new)

http://www.doublesight.com/shop/product.asp?idx=7

It's out of stock in some places right now, and not necessarily easy to find, but doublesight's selling refurbs as cheaply as $600 now, which is something of an insane price for an H-IPS 1920x1200 display.