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Is 30-inch Cinema Display still worth it?
- Thread starter ravipiero
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I wouldn't trust an 11 year old monitor to last much longer, even when considering the bonus quality you get from Apple. Newer displays will have much better color accuracy, refresh rate, brightness, etc. What advantage would you get from a Cinema display over any other display? The thunderbolt at least has some advantages if you're a Macbook user.
For $300 you can get a good quality brand new monitor (maybe not quite as big, though). Check out the Dell Ultrasharp series.
For $300 you can get a good quality brand new monitor (maybe not quite as big, though). Check out the Dell Ultrasharp series.
check Craigslist
I just picked up locally a 6-mo old Thunderbolt display for $500 on Craigslist with box, original receipt and the whole thing. I am typing on it right now. No way I would pay full price for one, but I felt like $500 was totally fair. Obviously insert appropriate safety, scammer and other concerns here regarding Craigslist - just saying that maybe with a little luck and $200 more you can have a much newer monitor. Also, have you looked at the HP Envy 32? You can buy it on Amazon for about $500. It is a 1440p monitor - very nice and has the "Beats Audio" thing (holdover prior to Apple's acquisition thereof). Anyway, I actually ordered one of those before finding the Thunderbolt. I'm sending it back, but tried it briefly and it is quite nice - near Apple build quality as far as I can tell... Just saying for not a whole lot more money you can have a much newer monitor with a warranty and all that good stuff...
I just picked up locally a 6-mo old Thunderbolt display for $500 on Craigslist with box, original receipt and the whole thing. I am typing on it right now. No way I would pay full price for one, but I felt like $500 was totally fair. Obviously insert appropriate safety, scammer and other concerns here regarding Craigslist - just saying that maybe with a little luck and $200 more you can have a much newer monitor. Also, have you looked at the HP Envy 32? You can buy it on Amazon for about $500. It is a 1440p monitor - very nice and has the "Beats Audio" thing (holdover prior to Apple's acquisition thereof). Anyway, I actually ordered one of those before finding the Thunderbolt. I'm sending it back, but tried it briefly and it is quite nice - near Apple build quality as far as I can tell... Just saying for not a whole lot more money you can have a much newer monitor with a warranty and all that good stuff...
Thanks for the response.
I think I'm gonna pass on this offer. But $300 including $100 miniDP to dual link DVI is a very cheap deal.
TB display is still very expensive here in Indonesia, around $1,100 for new one and $750 for used item.
My other option would be Dell U2715H for $600 or 4K TN Panel Samsung U28D590D for $550.
Which will not help connect a thunderbolt display since it does not have MDP nor DL DVI
I was not really having a conversation with the OP, I just found it funny when the other guy said that the Thunderbolt display has advantages for MACBOOK users. It would be horrible for for the user of a Brand new macbook get a thunderbolt display since it is incompatible.
But no one is talking about a 14 MB the OP has a rMBP and the other poster referred to it as a MB. I call the families MBPs Mac Books also tis a non issue.
Well no one was talking about it because there is such think as a 2014 MB.
If someone reads this as see "The thunderbolt at least has some advantages if you're a Macbook user" one might think that the new 2015 MB is compatible. Plus if the OP is being given advice to get a thunderbolt display, maybe it would be important to know that it could be obsolete very soon. If Apple gets rid of thunderbolt the 11 year old 30" ACD will be more relevant than thunderbolt.
The 2015 Macbook does not have a Mini display port output (to be more specific, apparently the USB port can output Displayport but there is no adapter at this point). In any case, we're way off the OP's topic.
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It does have mini displayort output and the OP should have all available information before he buys a display. Op may upgrade to a Non thunderbolt display in the future and knowing the limitation of recent MAC laptops might be pertinent.
Your right there is no such thing as a 14 MB there is a 15 but thats not what the OP is talking about.
Again the OP isnt talking about a 15 MB hes talking about his 12 rMBP..
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cmon people lets get serious.
If I found a 30" Cinema for $300, I would even be asking about it here-the money would have been out of my pocket already and I'd be bragging about it.
That's especially true when you consider that it includes the dual link adapter.
BTW, even though Apple introduced these displays in 2004, they were made until mid-2010, so there's no guarantee that the one in the OP is 11 years old as some are stating. The 30" Cinemas are fantastic displays even today, despite the fact that they are not LED backlit. The TB display does give you 2.5x the contrast ratio(an advantage to LED backlighting) and is brighter, but the viewing angles are pretty similar as is the response time.
The 30" Cinema can also be used with a lot more computers than the TB display.
As somewhat of an Apple collector, the 30" is enough of a "future classic" that I'm going to make an effort to get one in my collection one of these days.
That's especially true when you consider that it includes the dual link adapter.
BTW, even though Apple introduced these displays in 2004, they were made until mid-2010, so there's no guarantee that the one in the OP is 11 years old as some are stating. The 30" Cinemas are fantastic displays even today, despite the fact that they are not LED backlit. The TB display does give you 2.5x the contrast ratio(an advantage to LED backlighting) and is brighter, but the viewing angles are pretty similar as is the response time.
The 30" Cinema can also be used with a lot more computers than the TB display.
As somewhat of an Apple collector, the 30" is enough of a "future classic" that I'm going to make an effort to get one in my collection one of these days.