Is 30'' ACD still worth considering at this moment?

[sparklo]

I saw this post on my local Kijiji for a 30'' Aluminium ACD selling for 850. This monitor seems to be released long time ago and it's ccfl back-lit. Do you guys think it still worth the investment? Thanks.

 

[CWallace]

Personally, I'd take the Thunderbolt Display if your Macs support it, but if they do not, the 30" ACD is nice.

 

[Sharky II]

try to see if it's a rev 2. much better specs, plus it'll simply be newer. a 2004/2005 one is not so hot in 2012...

 

[wrinkster22]

The monitor is worth considering, just not at that price. Considering a brand new new TBD is $150 more.

Try to get it much lower then that.

 

[Lennyvalentin]

I saw this post on my local Kijiji for a 30'' Aluminium ACD selling for 850.

Wut, 850 dollars? What a ripoff. Someone's fishing for really gullible people, trying to sell such an old monitor for such a high price.

Besides, the 30 inch model used a much inferior TN LCD panel than today's IPS-based screens with far worse viewing angles and color reproduction. This can be quite bothersome when sitting close to such a large screen, as just a small shift of your head will make hues and/or contrast shift in a very distracting manner, especially at the far edges of the screen.

This monitor seems to be released long time ago and it's ccfl back-lit.

Not to be a nitpick or anything, but it's actually edge-lit, like almost all LCD screens these days. True backlighting didn't really take off for desktop displays. And, CCFL tubes age like any fluorescent tubes do, losing light intensity and color accuracy in the process, making an already rather bad monitor even worse. Also, they have a warmup period when they don't perform at full strength, something which also increases as they age.

Do you guys think it still worth the investment?

I'm sure you don't mean the word in its literal meaning, as buying any tech gadget is a terrible, terrible investment (value always deprecates).

And yes, it's an absolutely awful purchase at that price. Just...mindbogglingly bad.

 

[lamboman]

It'd be worth looking at the Dell 30 inch panels rather than the Apple model, it'll be a better display at a similar/lower price.

As for the 30 inch display being TN, the second generation one was definitely IPS. The first, I really don't know.

 

[Mojo1]

I don't consider any Apple display to be worth consideration. The "glassy" reflective display and the lack of ergonomic adjustments are deal-killers for me. And they are over-priced.

I recommend NEC displays. They have excellent ergonomic adjustments, anti-glare displays and are high-quality with a very good reputation for reliability and customer service (unlike Dell).

 

[lamboman]

I don't consider any Apple display to be worth consideration. The "glassy" reflective display and the lack of ergonomic adjustments are deal-killers for me. And they are over-priced.

I recommend NEC displays. They have excellent ergonomic adjustments, anti-glare displays and are high-quality with a very good reputation for reliability and customer service (unlike Dell).

Firstly, we're talking about the non-glossy, matte 30 inch. Irrelevant.

Secondly, people generally only speak when they have an issue. Dell will sell many, many times more monitors than NEC will. The Dells are fine for reliability.

Finally, NEC's monitors are mostly professional models that cost far more.

 

[CWallace]

Besides, the 30 inch model used a much inferior TN LCD panel than today's IPS-based screens with far worse viewing angles and color reproduction.

The 30" ACD uses an IPS panel.

 

[vohdoun]

try to see if it's a rev 2. much better specs, plus it'll simply be newer.

It wasn't that vastly improved. 700:1 contrast ratio over 400....

a 2004/2005 one is not so hot in 2012...

How so?

 

[Mojo1]

Finally, NEC's monitors are mostly professional models that cost far more.

Regarding Dell vs. NEC: you get what you pay for...

NEC currently has 30 CCFL backlit LCD displays starting at $300 MSRP. Models can regularly be purchased at a discount: in December I purchased a 24" NEC2490WUXi2 for $550. Its MSRP was $899.

Granted, the Apple display in question is an anti-glare panel. I was making a general statement about Apple displays. The Apple Cinema Display that the OP is considering lacks any ergonomic adjustments including tilt, an adjustment of arguably minimal value which is at least available on current Apple displays.

 

[minifridge1138]

I don't think $850 is that unreasonable.
They cost $1600 when discontinued and $3300 when launched.

In fact, when compared to the 27" ACD I see it like this: I get a physically larger screen, a higher resolution, a matte screen, AND I save $150.

full stats are here:
http://www.everymac.com/monitors/apple/studio_cinema/specs/apple_cinema_display_30.html

The only drawbacks are:
1) lack of magsafe (which doesn't matter if you're not using it with a MBP)
2) lack of speakers (which doesn't matter if you own your own).
3) lack of camera (yeah, that would be nice).
4) Age of the appliance (not of the design).