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Mac monitors vs "non" Apple

F

fjs08

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 25, 2003
1,252
0
Curious as to the consensus on whether using an Apple Cinema monitor is better than using Brand X non Apple?????

I use an older (5 yrs) Apple Cinema monitor at home and love it. I want to buy an monitor for my office. I use my Mac Book Pro off the screen now. I didn't want to have to shell out the $$ for the Apple, but want it to be "decent."

My wife uses a View Sonic for her Thinkpad and it's real nice and a friend has an LG for his HP.

I'm open for suggestions.
BTW, office work would be basic e-mail, spread sheet, stuff.

Thanks.

Frank
 
I will say this..

All the Mac LCD monitors that I have used look great in multiple resolutions. All the "PC" look like crap except at their "native" (read: largest) resolution.. particularly on my Macs.

Why?

I have no idea, I don't pretend to understand that stuff. I just know that my Windows boxes/Macs look great on my Apple LCDs in whatever resolution I push.
 
Photographers and video editors will argue the colour accuracy of Apple panels is better than others, but really, in general terms for general uses you'll never see much of a difference.

Unless you have the money to spend and really want that metal look, just get something else. Dell are a hot favourite for LCD displays, even with the Apple faithful.
 
>>I just know that my Windows boxes/Macs look great on my Apple LCDs in whatever resolution I push.<<

I even thought about getting a TV to use at home and bring my Apple Cinema monitor to the office, but I don't watch that much TV and I doubt they'd look that great anyway.

I could always get a "larger" Apple Cinema monitor for home and bring my old, beat up one <g> to the office!!!

Frank
 
If you have to ask dell is the one for you. Besides you can get dell's with the same color accuracy as apple because they both have similar panels S-IPS I believe, the 20007WFP can have an S-IPS Check out that one highly recommended by Me and lots of other macrumors members
 
Full disclosure..

At home I have an HP2007 LCD and I am happy with it on my PC and my Mac, provided I run the Mac at the largest resolution.
 
When i get my new mac pro I will be deciding on new screens. I do love the look of the apple displays but they are so pricey for example the 23" will cost me £500+ and I can get a dell 24" for £278???

To be honest dell's are the only ones i like the look of as they have real thin bezels.
 
All current ACD have S-IPS panels. All the cheaper off-brand displays have TN panels. This accounts for the price differences. S-IPS is 8-bit and TN is usually 6-bit. S-IPS gives better viewing angles so that the edges have similar brightness as the center.

If you do critical photo or graphic work, then an S-IPS is a good way to go. There are other, better technologies, but they are substantially more expensive than S-IPS.
 
There's a great thread over at Anandtech about monitors, and it breaks down current monitors into different groups including graphics/photography work:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=2049206&enterthread=y

They have a lot of good links to other sites who review monitors and tell you what panel type they have (TN, S-IPS, MVA/PVA).

I'm personally waiting out for the new Dell 2408WFP whenever it is released, it'll have a lot of inputs, have a brushed metal exterior, and will should have a pretty good panel. You can google "3008WFP" and see what the style of the new Dell's are.
 
i have a dell 2407wfp which looks great, actually better than my mbp screen. the major advantage with the dell monitors IMO is the plethora of inputs. I have my mbp, xbox, xbox360 all hooked up now.
 
>>dell 2407wfp<<

Is it plug and play with a Mac Book Pro, or do you need adaptors??
I know nothing about this stuff.

Thanks.

Frank
 
I'm on a 24" Westinghouse that I got for 349 from bestbuy, 1920x1200, hdmi, component, vga, no usb ports or anything like that but beautiful as far as a display goes, and amazing for the price.
 
Unless you have money out your ear, buying a monitor made by Apple is a mistake. Dell makes a monitor just as good at a fraction of the price (usually 2/3).
 
I got a dell for my birthday last year!

A 24" 1920x1200 Model!

Worth every penny!
 
Cave Man said:
Not really. If you compare Dell and Apple displays that have the same type of panel, then they are usually about the same price. You get what you pay for.
Click to expand...

Apple 30" ACD: $1799
Dell 3007WFP: $1189

Same panel. Apple does nothing special with their displays like say NEC does, NEC uses 12-bit LUTs and other features for Pro users. The Apple 30" would be exactly the same as the Dell. The Dell also has a 3yr warranty standard.

Apples panels are a little dated at this point. If you are looking to get an ACD, I would hold out. If they update soon, expect the 23" to be replaced by 24" (if they update specs of course).

As far as viewing angles go. Modern PVA/MVA panels are right on par with IPS panels. It is TN you want to watch out for.

In general use, a modern PVA will be just fine. If you want superior color and all around better display, an IPS is what you want. However there are more modern IPS displays than the current ACDs, such as ones from NEC. Unless you want Apple styling there are better displays to be had on the market.
 
Cave Man said:
Not really. If you compare Dell and Apple displays that have the same type of panel, then they are usually about the same price. You get what you pay for.
Click to expand...

I'll take you up on that.
Dell 20" $230
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-5123

Apple 20" $599
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APP...p_mac/mac_accessories/displays&nplm=M9177LL/A

Dell 24" $699
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-5647

Apple 23" $899
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=F9731674
&fnode=home/shop_mac/mac_accessories/displays&nplm=M9178LL/A

Now not to say the Apple monitors are not good, but are they such much better than their Dell counterparts?
 
Cave Man said:
The Dells are TN (20") and S-PVA (24"). The ACDs are all S-IPS. The 24" is closer, but not up to par with S-IPS.
Click to expand...

For most people S-IPS doesn't matter. The argument only has weight if someone needs an IPS, in which I don't imagine they would even be looking at the Dells. And like I said, the IPS panels in the Apple are a bit behind. A modern 24" PVA will look just as good as the 23" Apple.

The 30" panel is now behind as well, LG has two newer panels. One of which is used in the Dell 3008WFP, which is a stellar IPS panel I might add.

There is also a newer 20" AS-IPS panel from LG, which is used in the NEC LCD20WGX2.

Cave Man said:
Well, that's quite a price. I didn't know Dell had become so competitive with their displays.
Click to expand...

They always have been. Why do you think so many people get Dell displays over the Apple displays?
 
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