Mac Pro and 24" Cinema Display: Good combo or not?

[miniConvert]

I'm looking to replace my old Dell (POS) workstation at home. I want a 24" screen because I think it'll be better at home than the 30" I use at work, but the iMac spec is just too restrictive and I love my 2006 Mac Pro so I think it's time for another.

How well do the Mac Pro (with BTO ATI card) and 24" Cinema Display go together? I've heard stories of the cables being too short to connect up to the Mac Pro under a desk... and about the built-in speaker in the display, does that work well with the Mac Pro?

Most people don't seem to think there are updates imminent on either the Mac Pro or the 24" Cinema Display, so now seems like quite a good time to buy. I was rather hoping the Mac Pro price would have fallen some by now, but it looks like it's still going to cost me an arm and a leg.

If anyone has any comments or suggestions then they'd be more than welcome.

 

[geoffreak]

Cables are never too short.

 

[Hecklerdanny]

Great question. I'm very curious about the exact same thing. This fall I'm planning on buying a new Mac Pro and the 24" LED Cinema Display to go with it, but i'd love to hear from people who have had any experience with the similar setup.

 

[miniConvert]

Cables are never too short.

Thanks for the link. I'm in the UK FWIW. I'd rather not use additional cables unless absolutely necessary - it'd be great to hear from anyone who uses the Mac Pro + 24" ACD combo about their experiences.

 

[andrei.barbuta]

On somewhat the same subject.

Is there anyway to connect a 24" Apple Led Cinema Display to a Mac Pro with GeForce 285?

 

[Cynicalone]

The cable is 44 inches long.

You can sit one on a desk and have the Pro on the floor but you are limited about how far away you can move it.

 

[miniConvert]

Is there anyway to connect a 24" Apple Led Cinema Display to a Mac Pro with GeForce 285?

Not AFAIK, hence why I'm planning on sticking with the BTO ATI card. Should be good enough for WoW to be of maximal awesomeness... Would like the nVidia, though.

 

[Zerozal]

The combo works great for me. The video cable is a bit short, but I am able to have the display in the middle of my desk with the tower below and to the very right underneath the desk. It may be a problem if need to keep the display on one side of a desk and the tower below on the other side, but it's not an issue for me.

I use the display primarily for photo editing (Lightroom), and it works nicely for that. It calibrates beautifully (I use an EyeOne Display 2) and the colors are accurate and the overall visual quality is great. Contrast is excellent, especially for printing to glossy (RC or baryta) paper, but might be a bit high for photographers printing primarily to mattte paper.

The only downside is if you are not able to control the display's location or the lighitng in front of it. Glare can be a problem, so just be aware that you might have to turn off lights that are shining on the screen. If you have windows opposite the panel, I'd advise getting at a matte screen instead.

My previous display (with my old PC) was a Dell 2007WFP--the 20" IPS-panel, which was a great screen for the time, but IMHO the LED Cinema Display blows it away (noting the glare issues above).

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'll do my best to tell you what I know.

 

[Zerozal]

Not AFAIK, hence why I'm planning on sticking with the BTO ATI card. Should be good enough for WoW to be of maximal awesomeness... Would like the nVidia, though.

Yeah, the 4870 will be great for WoW. I just installed Left 4 Dead last night on my Bootcamp partition, and it rocks! 1920x1200 with all settings at high--that's a lot of zombie killing fun!

Oh--forgot to mention about the speaker. I simply have the monitor speakers disabled and route the sound to the Mac Pro's "Line Out", to which i have a simple 2.1 speaker setup connected. Sounds much better than the monitor's internal speakers.

 

[VirtualRain]

I have this combo and they work great. The cable on the monitor is short, but it's long enough for the tower to sit on the floor directly below the monitor. If you want to move it laterally, you will need an extension. I'm fortunate that in my situation, my desk is in the middle of the room so the Mac Pro sits under the monitor outside the desk area (not under it interfering with my feet).

The audio works great although the speakers are weak and lack bass. You can control the volume using the keyboard volume/mute controls. The audio solution is certainly elegantly minimal but not great sounding.

The display itself is stunning. Anything else pales in comparison.

I say go for it!

 

[MovieCutter]

I have 2 24" LEDs attached to my Mac Pro and it works great. Cables are too short to stretch 2 monitors from the tower in my setup so I got 3ft extensions for them. Works great because I can put my MBP on an M-Stand next to the displays and use the magsafe power from the display to charge the MBP. Check it out.

 

[miniConvert]

Thanks for the messages!

Hmph might need an extension cable then I suppose. Glad to hear the quality of the display itself is good

 

[Loa]

WoW to be of maximal awesomeness...

I have a 2.66 Quad with 24in LED display and the 120GT basic card.

WoW = all settings maxed out no problem.

Loa

 

[andrei.barbuta]

I have 2 24" LEDs attached to my Mac Pro and it works great. Cables are too short to stretch 2 monitors from the tower in my setup so I got 3ft extensions for them. Works great because I can put my MBP on an M-Stand next to the displays and use the magsafe power from the display to charge the MBP. Check it out.

I'm guessing you have 2 GeForce 120 cards right?

 

[jjahshik32]

Buy the 24" LED ACD, HANDS DOWN THE BEST DISPLAY I'VE EVER OWNED.

I'm contemplating on buying a 2.26GHz Mac Pro very soon to go with my 24" LED Display.

 

[pooryou]

The 24" LED is glossy. Not good.

 

[Zerozal]

The 24" LED is glossy. Not good.

It's only "not good" if you have a light or window shining directly on the display AND you are not able to control said light (turn it off, close the blinds, reposition the monitor). Taking the glare issue off the table, the monitor panel quality is excellent.

 

[jjahshik32]

The 24" LED is glossy. Not good.

I'm a Matte lover but 99.9999% of the time, I forget that the 24" LED ACD is glossy. And my display is right infront of 2 windows too.

Either way the 24" LED ACD is so bright that it doesnt matter if the display has a glossy or matte finish.

Colors makes my eyes salivate and is very very juicy indeed.

And this is someone that came from a 23" and 30" ACD just a couple of years ago.

Instant brightness on the 24" LED ACD is a God send. I remember on the 23" and 30" ACD the display looked blurry for a good 3-5 minutes before the CCFL backlighting warmed up. Not anymore! Instant full clear brightness on the 24" LED ACD! Oh and after the first 6 months to a year the 23" and 30" ACDs had to be turned up brighter because the backlighting dimmed over time. Not with the 24" LED ACD!

I bought this 24" LED ACD in December and its exactly the same brightness as the first day I turned it on.

For example the 23" ACD when I first bought it and turned the monitor on, I used it on 1 notches because it was very bright since it was new. 6 months later I had to turn it up to 3 notches to match the original 1 notch brightness. Another 6 months I was using it on 5 notches up to get the same level.

Now most of the time with my 24" LED ACD I just leave it on full brightness without any worry and the screen becoming dimmer months or even years later. Oh and at night time its blindingly bright so I just adjust it to somewhere in the middle.

 

[MovieCutter]

I'm guessing you have 2 GeForce 120 cards right?

1xGT120, 1x4870

 

[choiboyogg]

23/24" are nice but the 30" is so much worth it... besides the better real estate, the resolution is much higher on the 30"

i am using the samsung 305t 30" and its great

 

[jjahshik32]

23/24" are nice but the 30" is so much worth it... besides the better real estate, the resolution is much higher on the 30"

i am using the samsung 305t 30" and its great

30" is nice because its just 1 big monitor infront of you but I thought it was overrated.

I'd take 24"x2 over 1x 30" any day. So much more productive.

 

[WilliamG]

30" is nice because its just 1 big monitor infront of you but I thought it was overrated.

I'd take 24"x2 over 1x 30" any day. So much more productive.

Agreed 100%. 30" is just too big for one screen, and nowhere near as useful. Nothing like playing World of Warcraft on one screen, and working on the other

 

[Dr.Pants]

Agreed 100%. 30" is just too big for one screen, and nowhere near as useful. Nothing like playing World of Warcraft on one screen, and working on the other

Yeah. Working on the other

Personally I'm avoiding the Apple monitor right now as I disagree with MiniDisplayPort, in addition to the fact that it would throw off my perfectly good 26" monitor.

 

[pooryou]

It's only "not good" if you have a light or window shining directly on the display AND you are not able to control said light (turn it off, close the blinds, reposition the monitor). Taking the glare issue off the table, the monitor panel quality is excellent.

Well I'm glad you like it. I will never own a glossy computer monitor of any kind.

 

[jjahshik32]

Well I'm glad you like it. I will never own a glossy computer monitor of any kind.

I dont know what it is but in my own conclusion I dont categorize the 24" LED ACD in the Glossy category. When the screen is off sure it has alot of reflection but when its on I feel like its just shining throw a window/glass or something.

At first I was disappointed that it was glossy before it went on sale, but once I got it at home and turn it on my opinion changed. I really love that glass in the front.