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

MBP: 30" Monitor- do they all work?

R

ranger0900

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 15, 2009
7
0
Hi again,

I have been looking around the forums and see most people who have 30" monitors end up getting the 30" ACD. So two questions:

1) Is the ACD 30" the 'best' (for photoshop work), 30" display I could plug my MBP into?

2) Will the other brands (Dell, HP) 30" models work? Noticed some people mention color calibration issues.

Thanks!
 
ranger0900 said:
Hi again,

I have been looking around the forums and see most people who have 30" monitors end up getting the 30" ACD. So two questions:

1) Is the ACD 30" the 'best' (for photoshop work), 30" display I could plug my MBP into?

2) Will the other brands (Dell, HP) 30" models work? Noticed some people mention color calibration issues.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

to me the 30" acd is the "cleanest" display. is it the best? there are certainly better ones out there if you want to spend lots of money. is it overpriced? probably a bit. but it is one of the best in my opinion. i have the new 24" Led ACD and comparing it to my dad's 30" ACD mine looks better, but just slightly. mine's a bit sharper but also newer so who knows. i cant wait until the 30" LED ACD comes out. i will be getting that the day it comes out.
 
I have Dell 3007WFP; very nice monitor; it does not have built-in processing, so it only has one input; I believe the Dell 3008WFP has a newer panel than the Apple ACD along with DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI-D, Component (you get the idea), and costs less.

Apple looks nice, but so does the Dell display.

If you have a late model (unibody) MacBook, MacBook Pro, or Mac mini, the adapter you have to buy for $99 is a POS; it breaks half the time, and there is really no fix for it.
 
One man's opinion...

I own a Feb 2008 17"MBP with 4gb of RAM and a 2008 30" ACD.

1. I had to replace the ACD once already due to it being faulty.
2. There continues to be a incompatibility problem with the ACD and the Nvidia card (8600) in the MBP so that only under very specific color syncing will it remove the wavy red lines that would otherwise dominate the screen. (This used to be called a 'refresh rate issue' in the PC/Windows world...and it sucks.). As a result, I have lost whiteness, brightness and the screen has a gray-ish hue to eliminate the little red wavy lines.

Good luck. I would definitely consider the Dell...and you probably will save a few bucks in the process.
 
Dell monitors are good quality for the price. Dont be sucked into the apple overpriced monitors. Idk about you, but i cant justify buying a monitor that expensive when for the same price you could buy another brand that is probably wayy better.
 
Been running the 30 inch cinema since day one. No issues now after I switched out the DVI adapter to a different one. I had blinking issues with the first adapter , returned to Apple store for a new one and been fine since. Not the best monitor on the market for that you need some serious cash for a Eizo. NEC has a new 30 inch out that is supposed to be very good, all this is related to Photoshop work and such.

What you really need is a calibration package like a Eye One Display with a puck and calibrate any monitor. BTW I am able to calibrate the laptop screen and the 30 inch with the Eye One . Simply move the dialog box to each screen and than calibrate
 
Best 30inch monitors are the Eizo and NEC units.

I have an 30inch Eizo which replaced a 30inch ACD and the Eizo is sharper, reproduces colour better and the backlight is even across the entire screen, both are calibrated with a probe (Eye One).

The warranty is much longer, stand is height adjustable, 2 DVI inputs with one having HDCP so it also works with Bluray etc.

Downsides more money than ACD.
 
hd1080ts said:
The warranty is much longer, stand is height adjustable, 2 DVI inputs with one having HDCP so it also works with Bluray etc.
Click to expand...

Just a heads-up with regard to HDCP, if you have an unibody MacBook Pro, the dual-link adapter is a hit-or-miss to whether or not it will work. At least that's how it's been in my experience.
 
Yea a little afraid to switch monitors right now because of this Mini-DVI Apple decided to use . Would love to hear of the 30 inch NEC actually is working okay with the Adapter
 
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