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Monitor Advice

M

Mustard Chops

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 15, 2007
118
0
Hey, I'm going to be ordering a Mac Pro at the end of the month but I am having trouble deciding whether or not to get a 23" cinema display or a monitor from another manufacturer.

I've been holding out on my purchase with the hope of a cinema display refresh at wwdc, that didn't happen so I'm more inclined to look at another manufacturer and save some cash.

I was looking at the samsung sm 245bw which I can get for 387 quid in the UK. Has anyone had any experience with this display?

If you guys had any suggestions I would appreciate it, I'm looking for something around the 23" / 24" mark at 1900 x 1200.

Cheers

Mustard
 
Dude your gettin a DELL! Or at least you should. $600 for a 24" with many ports and a media card reader. Can't go wrong. I got 2 and love them.
 
I am in the same boat as you but I am actually forced to wait due to being away from home for a few months so no reason to get my Mac Pro yet. I was planning to get one prior to my departure, and my final synopsis was that if Apple didn't put the isight on the display by the time I was ready to buy, then I would get a monitor from somewhere else. Apple monitors are sweet, but I price checked some dell monitors (which are pretty decent may I add) and you could potentially afford 2 monitors if I go that route.
 
macenforcer said:
Dude your gettin a DELL! Or at least you should. $600 for a 24" with many ports and a media card reader. Can't go wrong. I got 2 and love them.
Click to expand...

Is that the Dell Ultrasharp 2407WFP 24"? It's 589 excluding VAT & Shipping! I'd get the 23" cinema display if I was to spend that much chief!:D
 
I picked up a 23" ACD a few weeks ago for my Macbook Pro and haven't regretted it since. I know that if I went the cheaper route and gotten a less expensive monitor, I'd be constantly regretting it and wondering what the ACD is like. To me, the ACD is a piece of art - and even though it was more expensive, it's worth it when I see it sitting on my desk. If you can afford it, do it, because it's just that nice.
 
Please, American friends, Dell monitors cost almost the same in Europe as the Apple Cinema Displays so they don't really figure... In fact the Dells are effectively twice the price over here compared to The USA, go figure that...

I can only say that my 23" ACD is incredible, I'm deeply satisfied with the picture quality and of course in terms of design the opposition doesn't even get close.
 
JHacker said:
I picked up a 23" ACD a few weeks ago for my Macbook Pro and haven't regretted it since. I know that if I went the cheaper route and gotten a less expensive monitor, I'd be constantly regretting it and wondering what the ACD is like. To me, the ACD is a piece of art - and even though it was more expensive, it's worth it when I see it sitting on my desk. If you can afford it, do it, because it's just that nice.
Click to expand...
You are correct my friend ...... it is that nice :)

FJ
 
Father Jack said:
You are correct my friend ...... it is that nice :)

FJ
Click to expand...

+1

Anyway, how come other manufacturers can't make a sleek monitor like the ACD's? Let's face it, most computer hardware looks like cheap plastic junk, surely a little more effort at the design stage could make quite a difference without hiking up the manufacturing costs??
 
I sure like the ACD's I just can't wait any longer for a refresh on the line! If I was to spend around 600 quid on a display I'd HAVE to go for an ACD.

I just think why not look at an alternative that costs a little less (money saved = more RAM:p ) and upgrade to an ACD when they are FINALLY refreshed.

I'm soooo confused! :confused:
 
Mustard Chops said:
I sure like the ACD's I just can't wait any longer for a refresh on the line! If I was to spend around 600 quid on a display I'd HAVE to go for an ACD.

I just think why not look at an alternative that costs a little less (money saved = more RAM:p ) and upgrade to an ACD when they are FINALLY refreshed.

I'm soooo confused! :confused:
Click to expand...
Either wait .. or .. buy the ACD :) :)

Don't buy something inferior.

FJ
 
I bought the Dell 2407wfp and returned it a week later, went down the to the Apple store and bought the 23", fantastic, it cost more but to me it is clearly the right decision, the colour is much better on the Apple and no banding issues.
 
I bought the 30" ACD. I basically had to decide between Dell, Samsung, LG, and Apple Cinema Display. The Dell is cheap in price, I have heard of a few people returning them and alot of people saying they're great, the Samsung is only a little lower in price then the Apple Cinema Display, and I think I couldn't find the LG in Canada. So, since I had a company discount on the 30" ACD (and I don't care for Dell) I went with it and have been happy with it.
 
macenforcer said:
You would spend more for 1" less monitor? You make bad decision running bear.
Click to expand...

Not really. Same pixel dimensions. The 1" difference isn't exactly huge. If they were the same price, I'd choose the ACD over the Dell as well. Even now I'm in the market for one of the two and having trouble deciding between a refurb/student priced ACD and the Dell (which has sold for around $570 recently on special).
 
Well i'm still no closer to a decision. Understandably many are saying get an ACD, i'd hate to get one to see a refresh in 2 months time.

The Dells? forget about them. In the UK they cost more than the ACD's. Given the choice over the 2, I'd get an ACD.

Has anyone got any recommendations of other displays?
 
The 23" Cinema display at the same resolution as the 24" Dell will have a higher pixel density, and therefor be sharper. It's the same for the 24" iMac. The 23" Cinema display is sharper.
 
Mustard Chops said:
Has anyone got any recommendations of other displays?
Click to expand...

Well, if it were my money, I would do this.
I have one Samsung 215TW, 21-inch LCD, which is currently £309 at Komplett.co.uk - I really wanted an ADC, but something told me I only had this want because it was made by Apple. My 215TW is superb in every respect, so I am buying a second one. My two 21-inch displays will give me more workspace and something more flexible too.

From what I have read, it seems you want larger than 21-inch. So if this is really necessary, then why not look at the Samsung SM244T. 24-inch display which may be found at a cheaper price. Other than that, then yes, the 23-inch ADC is superb.
 
If what you say about the Dell monitors been more expensive than their Apple counterpart, by all means go for the Apple Cinema Display - it looks like a beautiful display.
 
Blogger said:
The 23" Cinema display at the same resolution as the 24" Dell will have a higher pixel density, and therefor be sharper. It's the same for the 24" iMac. The 23" Cinema display is sharper.
Click to expand...

This is very true. I was at my friends who bought a Dell 2407 and the same image and text that looks really razor sharp on my ACD 23 at home was slight of an fuzzy
 
I was in a similar position over a year ago and although I agree the ACD are beautiful, I went for the 24" Dell which I am still extremely pleased with and would recommend without reservation.

I got mine from a well established seller on eBay. Great price and service and you still get the 3 year Dell warranty.

I am considering getting a second one and currently they are available for £379 plus £20 for delivery. I don't know the forum rules on posting links in this situation so if you're interested PM and I'll send you the link.
 
heterodoxos said:
I was in a similar position over a year ago and although I agree the ACD are beautiful, I went for the 24" Dell which I am still extremely pleased with and would recommend without reservation.

I got mine from a well established seller on eBay. Great price and service and you still get the 3 year Dell warranty.

I am considering getting a second one and currently they are available for £379 plus £20 for delivery. I don't know the forum rules on posting links in this situation so if you're interested PM and I'll send you the link.
Click to expand...

that sounds cool, i'll check it out.

Thanks!
 
I'm a big fan of Dell UltraSharp LCDs. The 24" seems to be a sweet spot in terms of size. The 30" seems a little too big and most stuff smaller feels too small.

I use 3 of the Dell UltraSharp 2407WFP LCDs on my Mac Pro and love them. I've checked out the ACDs in the Apple Store, and I can't tell a difference in image quality compared to my Dells. If anything, the default color profile for the ACD makes the color red appear more saturated than it should be.

If for nothing else, the Dell LCDs have a 3-year warranty by default (Apple only has 1-year that can be upgraded to 3). The Dells can be upgraded to 5 years for like $50
 
elbirth said:
If for nothing else, the Dell LCDs have a 3-year warranty by default (Apple only has 1-year that can be upgraded to 3). The Dells can be upgraded to 5 years for like $50
Click to expand...

Worth noting, if you buy your MacPro and ADC at the same time and protect your MacPro with AppleCare, the AppleCare also covers the ADC at no additional cost.
 
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