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How are your 20 and 23 inch Cinema displays holding up after 3 years of use?

FuNGi

FuNGi

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 26, 2010
1,122
33
California
I'm asking because I'm interested in buying one for my girlfriend off our local Craigslist here and I'm wondering if the :apple: screen holds up well after 3 years. She will be using it for pdf reading, word documents, and allot of ArcGIS mapping as well via Windows 7 in bootcamp.

Anyone out there care to chime in yay or nay on the purchase. So far we've got: 20" for $250 and a 23" for 400. Cheers,
 
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Have you also taken a look at MRoogle, since that question may have been asked several times?
 
Had my 23" since September 2006, screen used everday, hasn't missed a beat at all and still looks as good as it did new....especially if you prefer non glossy :D
 
After 3 years they probably lost a considerable amount of brightness.
That's the big problem with CCFL backlit displays.

I recently got a replacement for an almost 3 year old 30" ACD and I never noticed the old one to be that dim after placing it directly besides the brand new one.

Considering the loss in brightness and the fact that you don't have any more warranty on a 3 year old display, I wouldn't buy them.
 
macmx5 said:
Had my 23" since September 2006, screen used everday, hasn't missed a beat at all and still looks as good as it did new....especially if you prefer non glossy :D
Click to expand...

Thanks, the non glossy is a nice option. Having used it every day do you think it is as bright now? Is your office/workspace typically low-light?

Transporteur said:
After 3 years they probably lost a considerable amount of brightness.
That's the big problem with CCFL backlit displays.

I recently got a replacement for an almost 3 year old 30" ACD and I never noticed the old one to be that dim after placing it directly besides the brand new one.

Considering the loss in brightness and the fact that you don't have any more warranty on a 3 year old display, I wouldn't buy them.
Click to expand...

I guess when buying a used one it would be preferred to find one that was used very lightly (pun intended) then. Perhaps for the occasional prosumer but not one that has been on for 40 hours of the week. Thanks.
 
I was think of doing the same. But they we going for $350 to $400. So I grabed a HP that uses the same screen. It was cheep and I got what I paid for. Dim and pink on the edges. So for $499 I went with a new Dell U2410. I will never buy a used monitor again.
 
dimme said:
I was think of doing the same. But they we going for $350 to $400. So I grabed a HP that uses the same screen. It was cheep and I got what I paid for. Dim and pink on the edges. So for $499 I went with a new Dell U2410. I will never buy a used monitor again.
Click to expand...

Read: "HP". Where do you find out the parts manufacturers of the ACD's? Pink edges sound nice :cool:
 
I ahve a 20 and 23/4. My 20 is doing just fine, on all the time. My 24 died a few months back. Screen started going in and out. At first I thought it was bulb or inverter board. Afte rmuch rtroubleshooting I was told it was the LCD itself.

Apple wanted $699 to repair.

Third party repair was over $500.

So it just sits there. It works about 30 minutes a week when I notice it on. The comoputer sees it and the monitor is just off, and will suddenly come on and look wonderful until it dies again.
 
Well - I went with a used 23"ACD that was apparently used for only 2-3 hours per week. I believed it by the looks of the guys house and the fact that he had 3 independent computer systems. He, of course, had upgraded to the 30" :rolleyes:
I can't be happier. The screen is bright with nice contrast and for the price, will be well worth it if my girlfriend gets 2 years out of it.
 
I have mine next to a 21.5 iMac as they the same height, while I prefer the led screen of the iMac I have no issues with the function and brightness of the 23 Acd
 
I have had my 23" Apple Cinema HD Display for 6 years now. It still works flawlessly and is going strong. The backlight is still incredibly bright and everything. I am finally getting ready to sell it though, looking to get the new 27" LED Cinema Display when it finally comes out. I don't even want to think about how much I paid for the 23" though, but it was well worth it back then.

So yeah, I would totally recommend one to anyone who is looking for a really nice 23" IPS panel. This one will probably go another 6 years before the backlight even begins to fade.
 
ovrlrd said:
I have had my 23" Apple Cinema HD Display for 6 years now. It still works flawlessly and is going strong. The backlight is still incredibly bright and everything. I am finally getting ready to sell it though, looking to get the new 27" LED Cinema Display when it finally comes out. I don't even want to think about how much I paid for the 23" though, but it was well worth it back then.

So yeah, I would totally recommend one to anyone who is looking for a really nice 23" IPS panel. This one will probably go another 6 years before the backlight even begins to fade.
Click to expand...

Nice to hear. Just wondering how much you used it over the 6 years. Was it used daily throughout the week or just when you needed the extra screen real estate etc.? By the way, as long as you have control over the lighting in your workspace the LED's are just great. A real iMac-esque experience with the camera, speakers, etc.
 
FuNGi said:
Nice to hear. Just wondering how much you used it over the 6 years. Was it used daily throughout the week or just when you needed the extra screen real estate etc.? By the way, as long as you have control over the lighting in your workspace the LED's are just great. A real iMac-esque experience with the camera, speakers, etc.
Click to expand...

I use it every day for about 8-9 hours, sometimes more. It is turned off when I am not using it. I keep the brightness setting at the lowest because it's in a very dimly lit room, which I would imagine it has helped the lifetime of the CCFL as well. I noticed that at brighter settings the top of the display heats up and gets pretty hot to the touch as well. It's a pretty solid workhorse, and I think they are incredibly well built. I think the average lifespan is probably 10 years at least even under heavy use if you keep it turned off when not using it.
 
ovrlrd said:
Those were both there from day one. They are both symptoms of IPS panels of that era unfortunately.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, it's been great till now. It has definitely gotten dimmer since 2004, and only this past year has it "ghosted", and it's become noticeably pink next to my 24" LED LCD and my 24" EIZO LCD. Sucks especially as I paid $1700 when they first came out (but hey, almost 7 years of 10-12 hour work days have paid off tremendously).
 
Just bought a ~ 3 to 4 years old ACD 20 aluminium from eBay. Was previously used in office environment so probably usage around 8 hours a day or probably more if they have left it on overnight. Screen and color still looks fantastic! I have just made a reading with both Colormunki and Spyder 3 calibrator and maximum backlight is still 270 cdm. Overall happy with the purchase, no dead pixel and backlights are uniform.

When i first got it white was abit pinkish thou, but was fix easily by calibrating to the right color temp.

For anyone planning to buy a used monitor, i would recommend to have a test on the monitor first before buying. You can use the free software "Pixel Check" for checking bad pixel and backlight uniform.
 
I have one 20" aluminum. Is it possible to use it with new Mac Pro 2010?
If so which adapter to use?
 
linck said:
I have one 20" aluminum. Is it possible to use it with new Mac Pro 2010?
If so which adapter to use?
Click to expand...

Don't need an adapter, all of the video cards supported come with at least one DVI output.

Only need an adapter if you have another DVI display.
 
Very cool feedback team.

Seems the ACD's really do have a quality build. Given that many other screen manufacturers use the same screens as :apple: (search on the link provided above - thanks BTW), I wonder what makes there quality stand out (if it in fact does). I'm not talking outward design here but component assembly. :apple: is a company of engineers (Right Stevie :rolleyes:). Presumably they are assembling great compatable components in there ACD's, such as: power supplies, fans, temp. sensors, light sources, that out-shine there competitors.
 
FuNGi said:
Very cool feedback team.

Seems the ACD's really do have a quality build. Given that many other screen manufacturers use the same screens as :apple: (search on the link provided above - thanks BTW), I wonder what makes there quality stand out (if it in fact does). I'm not talking outward design here but component assembly. :apple: is a company of engineers (Right Stevie :rolleyes:). Presumably they are assembling great compatable components in there ACD's, such as: power supplies, fans, temp. sensors, light sources, that out-shine there competitors.
Click to expand...

I think what helps a lot is that the ACD has a sealed enclosure, so dust does not get into any of the components over time. On the other hand it makes it more prone to overheating but I doubt anyone really uses it under conditions where that would occur.
 
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