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MAC 24" Display versus Dell's 24 inch?

N

nutsnbolts

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Ok, I'm going to throw this out there just to see whether one over the other is better. I'm hearing that the Dell has better peformance and less expensive. I would be using this for Photography and Video editing so I may buy two of them for dual monitor.

I just want to know whether the Mac 24" Display holds it's own in comparison to Dell.

I will be using these monitors with my newly purchased 17" Macbook Pro.

We'll see from there.
 
Can't speak to the monitors' quality (The Apple display seems overpriced to me), but how are you going to drive two displays from a laptop? You planning on getting an expresscard display adapter? (is there such a thing?)
 
Heb1228 said:
Can't speak to the monitors' quality (The Apple display seems overpriced to me), but how are you going to drive two displays from a laptop? You planning on getting an expresscard display adapter? (is there such a thing?)
Click to expand...

You know that is a good point. I didn't think that far ahead. Anyone have this similar setup?
 
You can buy external graphics cards that run from USB, but they would be very slow/laggy (ie, only good for text display and "office work" - no videos/games) and may not even support a resolution as high as 1920*1200. So two external monitors is a no-go.

If your Macbook Pro is the latest generation with mini displayport, the maximum screen real estate practical for you would be if you bought a 30-inch screen (you will need the mini D.P. to dual-link DVI adapter).

But using a 17-inch Macbook Pro and a 30-inch display in dual display mode seems ridiculous and impractical in itself, the difference in screen size, DPI, and resolution is just too much to be useful in most situations. I prefer just using my 22" display by itself rather than with my Macbook in dual display mode.

My advice? You probably don't need more than one screen. I find that juggling windows between screens is just as much of a nuisance as switching between them on one screen, let alone the desk space multiple monitors takes up. If you want a bigger screen or more pixels than your Macbook Pro has at the moment, my advice is just get a single 24 or 30 inch display. For 24 inchers, the Dell U2410 is a good bet because it is anti-glare. All the 30-inch ones are pretty much the same in terms of image quality, so it would depend on whether you wanted good looks with the Apple display or more features/ports with a Dell or HP.

So, in short, grab the Dell U2410 or splurge on a 30-incher if you're really serious and can afford such a ridiculous screen.

Sorry for the lecture 😛. Hope it helps.
 
RE:
"Can't speak to the monitors' quality (The Apple display seems overpriced to me), but how are you going to drive two displays from a laptop?"

UM..... what's the external display port for?

It can't support a second display?
 
You definitely can't, or won't want to hook up two monitors to a mbp. You can do it on a Mac Pro will the better graphics cards, or by getting two lower end graphics card, but not so on the mbp.

If I were you, I'd also consider getting a 30"! HP or dell's 30" ain't badly priced, I'd get another 30" ACD in a heart beat, it is the best thing ever if you do any photo, design, video editing work. For photography, the ability to see EVERY single detail on full 30" screen is jaw dropping, I love it! 🙂
 
Moriarty said:
You can buy external graphics cards that run from USB, but they would be very slow/laggy (ie, only good for text display and "office work" - no videos/games) and may not even support a resolution as high as 1920*1200. So two external monitors is a no-go.

If your Macbook Pro is the latest generation with mini displayport, the maximum screen real estate practical for you would be if you bought a 30-inch screen (you will need the mini D.P. to dual-link DVI adapter).

But using a 17-inch Macbook Pro and a 30-inch display in dual display mode seems ridiculous and impractical in itself, the difference in screen size, DPI, and resolution is just too much to be useful in most situations. I prefer just using my 22" display by itself rather than with my Macbook in dual display mode.

My advice? You probably don't need more than one screen. I find that juggling windows between screens is just as much of a nuisance as switching between them on one screen, let alone the desk space multiple monitors takes up. If you want a bigger screen or more pixels than your Macbook Pro has at the moment, my advice is just get a single 24 or 30 inch display. For 24 inchers, the Dell U2410 is a good bet because it is anti-glare. All the 30-inch ones are pretty much the same in terms of image quality, so it would depend on whether you wanted good looks with the Apple display or more features/ports with a Dell or HP.

So, in short, grab the Dell U2410 or splurge on a 30-incher if you're really serious and can afford such a ridiculous screen.

Sorry for the lecture 😛. Hope it helps.
Click to expand...

Your input is exactly what I'm looking for...

The fact of the matter is, this is the first time I'm not going to be upgrading or building a powerhouse PC. Instead, I'm going to purchase a MBP 17" and use that as a desktop replacement and I'm thinking of actually taking my current 24" Dell monitor, their very first 24" (which is crap btw) and using that as the second monitor for "other purposes".

Then again, per everyone's response, it seems like dual monitor is technically not possible so if I can't...then I can't. However, I do need a replacement 24+" monitor. My current one has ghosting on it and video editing and photography processing is difficult because I have to move photoshop around the ghosting affected areas on the screen.

So, here I am one step wiser (dual monitor not a go) and now have to decide what monitor I should get.

An Apple 24" is around $800 and a high end 24" Dell would be around $600.
An Apple 30" is around $1700 which is comparable to a Dell 30" pricing of $1700. However, there is a 30" one (UltraSharp 3007WFP-HC 30-inch WideScreen Flat Panel Monitor) for $1079.

Now, I don't know how good the 3007WFP-HC Dell 30" is so the savings of almost 700 dollars in comparison to the higher end 30" or Apple 30" I don't know what's worth it.

I don't care about all the inputs that I can get out of a Dell Monitor, I just want to be able to have a quality, or best bang for the buck that I can get based on my needs of photography and video editing. Of course, I don't want to also get a cheap monitor where color and contrast is a problem etc.

Last but not least, as a reminder, this monitor is going to be connected directly to my 17" Mac Book Pro.

So...based on that, any more inputs?
 
chiefroastbeef said:
You definitely can't, or won't want to hook up two monitors to a mbp. You can do it on a Mac Pro will the better graphics cards, or by getting two lower end graphics card, but not so on the mbp.

If I were you, I'd also consider getting a 30"! HP or dell's 30" ain't badly priced, I'd get another 30" ACD in a heart beat, it is the best thing ever if you do any photo, design, video editing work. For photography, the ability to see EVERY single detail on full 30" screen is jaw dropping, I love it! 🙂
Click to expand...


What is the 30" ACD??
 
30" ACD = 30" Apple Cinema Display.

And AFAIK the Dell 30" model for $1079 is just last years model. The actual LCD panel technology in the 30-inchers hasn't evolved much in the past few years so I would definitely go for that if I was getting a 30 inch display. $1000 is already a LOT to spend on a screen.

For 24 inchers, the Dell U2410 is the pick of the bunch. Simply because I hate glossy, and the Dell is a matte finish. But if you have a glossy Macbook Pro and are fine with the reflective screens, then Apple's 24 incher is an option.

Also bear in mind that the resolution of the 24 inch screens matches that of your Macbook Pro (both are 1920*1200). So if you are going to use dual display mode by running your Macbook Pro screen and the external at the same time, then a 24-inch screen would be much better for that rather than a 30-inch. Note that that is what I mean by dual display mode, I don't mean running two EXTERNAL monitors at the same time - that is not practical with a laptop with only one video output.

Basic summary:

24 Inch Pros:

- Cheaper (~$600)
- OK to use in dual display mode because the resolutions match (assuming you have a recent generation MBP with a 1920*1200 screen). Also the difference in physical size between the screens is manageable.
- If you use a 24-inch + your MBP in dual display mode, you will have more pixels overall than using a 30-inch screen with the computers lid shut.

24 Inch Cons

- Lower resolution vs. 30" screen.

30 Inch Pros:

- High resolution on a single screen

30 Inch Cons:

- Expensive (~$1080)
- Impractical to use in dual display mode because of resolution differences, not to mention it is almost twice as big.

I think just going for a 24-incher is the best bet. Do you REALLY need a 30-inch behemoth? I'm thinking that no, you don't. If you were a serious professional working with video editing apps and the like, you would probably have a Mac Pro at home, right?
 
Moriarty said:
24 Inch Cons

- Lower resolution vs. 30" screen.
Click to expand...

Thats just stating the obvious and I don't think that should count as a "con" either. In HD terms, 24" will satisfy anyone looking for 1080p content. And at this point, I think its more subjective and based on user preference when deciding between 24" and 30".
 
Lots of misinformation in this thread... :/

First, it IS technically possible to run two external displays from your MBP. You'll need something like this, but it can be done.

Second, using two monitors with wildly different resolutions depends on what you use them for. I put my iTunes, Adium buddy list, etc. on my notebook screen. That lets me see them without having to shuffle windows. The resolution difference makes using both monitors actively difficult, but having a second monitor is still very handy.
 
Apple 24" all the way

I say go with the apple display. Yeah, it cost a considerable amount more but you won't be dissapointed. It was designed with the MacBooksn in mind. It has a single cord with three attachments at the end (MagSafe power adapter, USB, and mini display) so your desk won't be cluttered with wires. Not to mention the MacBook pros and the apple displays look extremely nice sitting next to each other.
 
The 3007WFP-HC uses the same IPS panel that the Apple 30" Cinema Display uses....both use a 2+ year old panel....

The U2410 is the best monitor to get right now for the money.
 
Moriarty said:
If your Macbook Pro is the latest generation with mini displayport, the maximum screen real estate practical for you would be if you bought a 30-inch screen (you will need the mini D.P. to dual-link DVI adapter).
Click to expand...

Just to expand on this ... If the 30" Monitor has DisplayPort Input (i.e Dell 3008wfp), you don't need a dual link adapter. The MBP's MDP supports 2560x1600. If your 30" monitor (i.e. Dell 3007wfp) only has DVI input you'll need the MDP > dual link DVI adapter
 
obey908 said:
i do a lot of photo editing with my macbook pro and have it running dual 22" monitors.

i use the evga uv plus 16 and like it a lot, and only 70bucks
http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=100-U2-UV16-A1&family=USB
Click to expand...

Lots of misinformation in this thread... :/

First, it IS technically possible to run two external displays from your MBP. You'll need something like this, but it can be done.

Second, using two monitors with wildly different resolutions depends on what you use them for. I put my iTunes, Adium buddy list, etc. on my notebook screen. That lets me see them without having to shuffle windows. The resolution difference makes using both monitors actively difficult, but having a second monitor is still very handy.
Click to expand...

Cool thanks for the heads up with this. Will now have to order one of these.
 
Moriarty said:
30" ACD = 30" Apple Cinema Display.

And AFAIK the Dell 30" model for $1079 is just last years model. The actual LCD panel technology in the 30-inchers hasn't evolved much in the past few years so I would definitely go for that if I was getting a 30 inch display. $1000 is already a LOT to spend on a screen.

For 24 inchers, the Dell U2410 is the pick of the bunch. Simply because I hate glossy, and the Dell is a matte finish. But if you have a glossy Macbook Pro and are fine with the reflective screens, then Apple's 24 incher is an option.

Also bear in mind that the resolution of the 24 inch screens matches that of your Macbook Pro (both are 1920*1200). So if you are going to use dual display mode by running your Macbook Pro screen and the external at the same time, then a 24-inch screen would be much better for that rather than a 30-inch. Note that that is what I mean by dual display mode, I don't mean running two EXTERNAL monitors at the same time - that is not practical with a laptop with only one video output.

Basic summary:

24 Inch Pros:

- Cheaper (~$600)
- OK to use in dual display mode because the resolutions match (assuming you have a recent generation MBP with a 1920*1200 screen). Also the difference in physical size between the screens is manageable.
- If you use a 24-inch + your MBP in dual display mode, you will have more pixels overall than using a 30-inch screen with the computers lid shut.

24 Inch Cons

- Lower resolution vs. 30" screen.

30 Inch Pros:

- High resolution on a single screen

30 Inch Cons:

- Expensive (~$1080)
- Impractical to use in dual display mode because of resolution differences, not to mention it is almost twice as big.

I think just going for a 24-incher is the best bet. Do you REALLY need a 30-inch behemoth? I'm thinking that no, you don't. If you were a serious professional working with video editing apps and the like, you would probably have a Mac Pro at home, right?
Click to expand...


Thanks for this, this makes a lot of sense. I'm planning on getting the 24". The 30 inch is just a bit too much at this time. Hmm...
 
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