Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Mac Pro Monitor - Eizo or NEC - What are you using?

Desmo1098 said:
For those that are using NEC, how have you found their technical support to be. When and if you have had a problem has it been easy to work with them? How about sending the equipment in for repair. As far as I know they are in Indiana which is soothing to know I can work with someone in this country. Any feedback?
Click to expand...

I have an NEC 2490 as well, and absolutely love it.

When I first purchased it (2 years ago?) there was a very noticeable spot of dust behind the screen - not acceptable for a relatively expensive monitor that I wanted to use for photography work. NEC sent me a replacement monitor, and gave me 30 days to send the bad one back and they payed the shipping costs. Very good service.
 
DoFoT9 said:
prices increased yet quality didnt? all too similar story of late :( that Nanao's sounds very familiar to your name btw :p
Click to expand...
Eizo Nanao's products are of excellent quality (one of, if not the best out there for professional monitors), and have always been pricey.

But I don't need color accuracy (don't do photo/video work), just something that's a decent monitor (switched over to professional monitors for personal use on medical advice). So I don't see the need to go for Eizo anymore (more expensive than I'm willing to pay, given what I use it for). Just need a screen that won't make my eyes feel like they're being burned out of their sockets when sitting in front of it all day. :eek: :p
 
I had my Eizo S2231 for two years now, great monitor!!

Ergonomics and quality on the Eizos are so much better than most other brands. Tilting, swiveling and height adjustment and it's rock solid!
 
cluthz said:
Ergonomics and quality on the Eizos are so much better than most other brands. Tilting, swiveling and height adjustment and it's rock solid!
Click to expand...
They are, but when I bought last year, I went with NEC instead, as it offered a better price/performance ratio for a 24" IPS based unit (LCD2490WUXi).

I've extremely happy with it.

Either one is going to be a good brand. As per which may be the better fit, that's up to the user to decide. ;)
 
nanofrog said:
Eizo Nanao's products are of excellent quality (one of, if not the best out there for professional monitors), and have always been pricey.

But I don't need color accuracy (don't do photo/video work), just something that's a decent monitor (switched over to professional monitors for personal use on medical advice). So I don't see the need to go for Eizo anymore (more expensive than I'm willing to pay, given what I use it for). Just need a screen that won't make my eyes feel like they're being burned out of their sockets when sitting in front of it all day. :eek: :p
Click to expand...

i know exactly how you feel. the LCD screens at my work (1280x1024 IBM cheap things :eek: ) start to make my eyes water after 5 minutes of looking at them.

i don't have the same problem with my iMac/MBP - how would you compare these two monitors to the higher end Nanao's/NECs? miles infront no doubt?
 
DoFoT9 said:
i know exactly how you feel. the LCD screens at my work (1280x1024 IBM cheap things :eek: ) start to make my eyes water after 5 minutes of looking at them.

i don't have the same problem with my iMac/MBP - how would you compare these two monitors to the higher end Nanao's/NECs? miles infront no doubt?
Click to expand...

I haven't used the new iMac, but I've heard great things.

The MBP display is clearly inferior to my Eizo,, no gradients banding on the Eizo, but the MBP clearly have bonding.
The MBP display is as comfortable to look at, and as clear, but banding issues are the problem. Just look at this gradient, on the MBP it's not "fluid" but you can see small bonds inside it. NEC and Eizo (and other high end stuff) has atleast 10bit color tables, vs the 6bit on MBP.

Look at this image on your MBP and then test it on a high end screen
 

Attachments

  • gradissue.png
    gradissue.png
    6.7 KB · Views: 193
cluthz said:
I haven't used the new iMac, but I've heard great things.

The MBP display is clearly inferior to my Eizo,, no gradients banding on the Eizo, but the MBP clearly have bonding.
The MBP display is as comfortable to look at, and as clear, but banding issues are the problem. Just look at this gradient, on the MBP it's not "fluid" but you can see small bonds inside it. NEC and Eizo (and other high end stuff) has atleast 10bit color tables, vs the 6bit on MBP.

Look at this image on your MBP and then test it on a high end screen
Click to expand...

looking at that on my iMac 27" screen i can see said "banding" - so thats a way to tell the quality of a monitor?
 
DoFoT9 said:
looking at that on my iMac 27" screen i can see said "banding" - so thats a way to tell the quality of a monitor?
Click to expand...

I thought the 27 inch iMac had a real 8 bit panel, on a 6 bit panel like a MBP the banding will occur, but on a 8 bit panel you should not be able to see it.
 
cluthz said:
I thought the 27 inch iMac had a real 8 bit panel, on a 6 bit panel like a MBP the banding will occur, but on a 8 bit panel you should not be able to see it.
Click to expand...

excuse the less then reasonable pictures, i cant exactly screen shot :rolleyes:
 

Attachments

  • P1040758.jpg
    P1040758.jpg
    266.1 KB · Views: 148
  • P1040759.jpg
    P1040759.jpg
    301.5 KB · Views: 181
I'm at holiday atm, so I can't really judge those pix on my MBP, since it has a 6 bit panel, but perhaps someone with a better screen available can check the pix and my gradient
 
DoFoT9 said:
get off the computer and go holiday then! jeez :rolleyes: thanks for your input.
Click to expand...

Hehe :)

Take a look here:
http://www.prad.de/download/eizo-monitortest-mac.zip
It's the Eizo monitor test, can be run on any screen.
Go to step 17 of 21 (just click fast thru it) and test all different colors.
A 8 bit display should display all 256 levels of the gradient without banding, where as my 6bit MBP would have to dither colors and thus get banding.
 
cluthz said:
Hehe :)

Take a look here:
http://www.prad.de/download/eizo-monitortest-mac.zip
It's the Eizo monitor test, can be run on any screen.
Go to step 17 of 21 (just click fast thru it) and test all different colors.
A 8 bit display should display all 256 levels of the gradient without banding, where as my 6bit MBP would have to dither colors and thus get banding.
Click to expand...

ahh got it. the iMac still displays banding at 256 levels on blacks, greens, and blues - its a bit harder on yellows, etc to see but its certainly there. guess its not a pro monitor - just high end consumer?

wow.. REALLY high end!
 
DoFoT9 said:
i know exactly how you feel. the LCD screens at my work (1280x1024 IBM cheap things :eek: ) start to make my eyes water after 5 minutes of looking at them.

i don't have the same problem with my iMac/MBP - how would you compare these two monitors to the higher end Nanao's/NECs? miles infront no doubt?
Click to expand...
Eizo's and NEC's professional monitors will be better than what comes in the iMacs and laptop systems.

Even if it's using the same exact panel. :eek: The reason is, there's more to a monitor than just the panel and backlight. The electronics matter too, and that's why those Eizo's and NEC's can get the results they do out of the panels. From LUTs, to drivers, to PSU. It matters.

Cheap monitors cut corners in the circuits, and Apple has to contend with budgets like anyone else. Eizo and NEC just make those budgets larger, so they can go for additional parts (when necessary, such as additional/more extensive feedback control systems) and better quality parts everywhere (makes a difference if a capacitor actually holds the necessary value at working temp for example, all the way up to better semiconductors; aka results in tighter electrical tolerances). And it's reflected in the MSRP too. :D :p
 
nanofrog said:
Eizo's and NEC's professional monitors will be better than what comes in the iMacs and laptop systems.

Even if it's using the same exact panel. :eek: The reason is, there's more to a monitor than just the panel and backlight. The electronics matter too, and that's why those Eizo's and NEC's can get the results they do out of the panels. From LUTs, to drivers, to PSU. It matters.

Cheap monitors cut corners in the circuits, and Apple has to contend with budgets like anyone else. Eizo and NEC just make those budgets larger, so they can go for additional parts (when necessary, such as additional/more extensive feedback control systems) and better quality parts everywhere (makes a difference if a capacitor actually holds the necessary value at working temp for example, all the way up to better semiconductors; aka results in tighter electrical tolerances). And it's reflected in the MSRP too. :D :p
Click to expand...

yeh i have no doubt that the professional monitors will be many times higher quality then the pro-sumer iMacs.

i feel almost stupid asking this - but do you think the panels in the iMacs and NEC/Eizo might be similar?
 
DoFoT9 said:
i feel almost stupid asking this - but do you think the panels in the iMacs and NEC/Eizo might be similar?
Click to expand...
If they're 8 bit IPS based panels, it's possible (not as many available as other panel technologies, such as TN, as it's expensive).

But some of NEC and Eizo's products are PVA based, and there's also 10 bit panels (IPS) available as well (quite new actually, so there's just a few units using them; NEC has 2x, and the montitor model numbers start with PA...). I've not looked into Eizo's, so I don't know which models do/don't have the 10 bit panels.
 
I use a NEC MultiSync LCD2690WUXi 26" monitor and it has excellent color and comes with a hardware calibrator. I work with Photoshop, and need a monitor with consistent calibration. You mention that you don't need a "pro" grade monitor, so the NEC MultiSync LCD2690WUXi may be overkill for your needs. If you could see a few higher end monitors next to an Apple Cinema Display, you'd likely notice the difference.

Desmo1098 said:
I want to invest in some other monitors other than Apple's Cinema Displays for reasons that do not need to be discussed. So with that being said I am looking for:

- at least 24"
- thin bezel
- resolution 1900 x 1200

What are you guys using with your Mac Pro? I was specifically looking at NEC and Eizo. Are there any users out there of Eizo and NEC who can recommend something?

I do not need "professional" grade monitors. However, I do not mind spending additional money for quality. I do some light work in Adobe Illustrator for business cards and website design, I do some light photoshop work as well. Again, I do not use these monitors to make money, but I spend a lot of time in front of them, so I want quality and consistency.

I do not want to hear from Dell, HP, or any other users regardless of specifications of price or quality. I only want Eizo and NEC users.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
 
nanofrog said:
If they're 8 bit IPS based panels, it's possible (not as many available as other panel technologies, such as TN, as it's expensive).

But some of NEC and Eizo's products are PVA based, and there's also 10 bit panels (IPS) available as well (quite new actually, so there's just a few units using them; NEC has 2x, and the montitor model numbers start with PA...). I've not looked into Eizo's, so I don't know which models do/don't have the 10 bit panels.
Click to expand...

i believe them to be 6-bit AFAIK. is there anyway to tell?

the iMacs are apparently IPS panels - their quality/manufacture im not sure of.
 
I've got 3 NEC 2490wuxi hooked up to my Mac Pro and will highly recommend them. The only issue is that the bezels aren't that thin. If you're using it for pro use or have a few of them, look into NEC's spectraview software. It will calibrate the computer and the monitor itself and works pretty well. I hear it's not cheap though
 
Another NEC 2690WUXi2 owner here.

Love: Hardware calibration, picture/color quality, it's matte and wide gamut for design and photography is amazing.

Don't Love: Noisy at times. Depending on the settings I get a high pitched whine that can drive me up a wall and I'm stuck using Firefox until other browsers allow forcing sRGB tagging for everything on the web. Safari, Chrome etc all look horrendous while surfing the web.
 
DoFoT9 said:
i believe them to be 6-bit AFAIK. is there anyway to tell?

the iMacs are apparently IPS panels - their quality/manufacture im not sure of.
Click to expand...
You could take a look here, and see if they offer any details (seem to recall they do, but haven't dug around to verify).
 
How about the NEC MultiSync 3090WQXi 30"?

Anyone have any experience with the NEC MultiSync 3090WQXi 30"? I'm considering this vs the yet to be released Dell U3011 (Sorry OP) but I'm concerned about the latter's AG coating.

What calibrators have people here used? I was considering the Spyder3Pro.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back