OK, now that it has been determined that my 30" Apple Cinima display is aging I'm in search of a new monitor. Actually I first got my Mac Pro because of the Cinima display as I wanted a matte screen non glare monitor. It has been a great monitor. In searching, I'm finding fewer and fewer matte finish high resolution monitors available. I have need focusing on NEC and Ezio. From a "form" standpoint I like the alum clean look that Apple has presented but their current Cinima display has a glossy (i.e. not non glare ) screen and is at least four year old technology so I am at a standstill and open to suggestions. The question than is "What monitor are you using with your Mac Pro?" and more specifically with your 2012 (last of the towers) This is important as I'm looking for compatibility with the 5870 graphics card. Thanks
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Monitors for 2012 Mac Pro
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Do you have a particular resolution you want? Do you want to stay at 2560x1440, or would 4K be something you'd use?
Do you have a "size" in mind? Do you want 30" and larger, or could you work with a 27" or a 28" monitor?
What about your budget?
Do you need full 100% Adobe RGB color?
Do you care if the monitor is TN, or do you want IPS ?
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I can't say enough about my ViewSonic VP2770-LED screens in any thread like this.
They're awesome, in my opinion they beat the Dells because there's no risk of weird hatching. I believe they use a Samsung panel. They're easy on the eyes with low brightness and can easily grab 100% of sRGB. I use a Spyder calibrator tool with them.
They're 27" screens with 2560x1440 resolution with DisplayPort, HDMI & DVI inputs.
They're awesome, in my opinion they beat the Dells because there's no risk of weird hatching. I believe they use a Samsung panel. They're easy on the eyes with low brightness and can easily grab 100% of sRGB. I use a Spyder calibrator tool with them.
They're 27" screens with 2560x1440 resolution with DisplayPort, HDMI & DVI inputs.
Thanks for the response . Would like 27" or bigger . Yes as high a resolution as the 5870 graphics card will support, I have heard iOS is better . I understand Adobe rgb color is the standard. As for budget, we are all looking for a bargain but you get what you pay for and that's why I had the 30" apple cinema display.
OK, from what I can tell, that 5870 card is limited to 2560x1600, so 4K is out.
How does $400 for a 30-inch 2560x1600 monitor sound? Check this puppy:
http://smile.amazon.com/Perfect-Pix...=1425493490&sr=1-3&keywords=2560x1600+monitor
Hi Check 6. For matte finish monitor, you may reconsider getting another used 30" Apple Cinema Display. There are some 30" Apple displays for sale at around $550 to $700 at eBay. I know your 30" display went south and I still think this is one of the best monitors Apple made. I am still using a 7 year old 30" Apple display and still bright and clear. A Mac tech guy told me to just set the brightness controls halfway and not all the way to maximum. This helps prolong the LCD bulb. I also prefer matte finish with my graphic and video work. The NEC and Eizo are also good monitors from what I heard in terms of color accuracy and good for graphic work.
Thanks, mine has not died yet but is getting there. I was running the brightness at about half but over the last several months I have had to increase it. The monitor is about 5 years old and was rebuilt by Apple about two years ago. Still trying to make a decision on a monitor or going with an iMac and selling the mac pro. The big holdback is with my eye issue I think there would be issues with a non matte screen. The 5k screen does look good though.
I have also been reading about the GTX 980 graphics card which would allow me to get a higher resolution matte screen monitor say from Dell. As to the graphics card since my Macro is still under Applecare I am somewhat hesitant to go to a non Apple approved card. Half the fun is the research.
Welcome. I had a chance to use the glossy Apple LED display but I prefer Matte screen for graphic design and video work. I also used to own 2 iMacs. They tend to have smudges and dirt stuck on the screen.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/861355/
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3303787?start=45&tstart=0
From there I decided to stick with the classic Mac Pro and I can choose the desired monitor. Also, with the Apple LED display and the iMac, you need to set the brightness control at almost maximum for the proper brightness. For graphic cards, I've used a Nvidia 285gtx Mac edition, Radeon 5770 and 5870HD Mac edition, Nvidia Quadro 4000 Mac version and a flashed 770gtx and 680gtx Mac edition.
and which one is the current graphics card in your MacPro? Bottom line I don't dislike the HD5870 card, but the resolution is limited and has but 1 gig of RAM
The Nvidia 770 GTX flashed is in my main Mac Pro. In my second Mac Pro the 5870HD is installed as it's using Snow Leopard. In the third Mac Pro I have the Nvidia 680gtx Mac edition. My main Mac Pro still has AppleCare using a flashed GPU but I still kept the OEM 5770HD just in case.
Hi Check 6. In certain tasks, the Nvidia 680 GTX Mac edition was faster than the Radeon 5870HD. For Lightroom and Photoshop high resolution image edits, saving high res files there is just minimal difference. Both GPUs provided smooth scrolling on multiple layered PSD files. I think it also because some tasks are more CPU bound than GPU and we need to take note of this. In viewing large raw images in large numbers, the 680 GTX is snappier in showing the thumbnails. In video rendering using After Effects and Premiere Pro, the Nvidia 680 GTX was faster. I did not encounter any kind of "tearing" or unwanted artifacts from both the 680 GTX and 5870 HD when playing videos.
Another note, the 680 GTX ran slightly cooler than the 5870HD after long hours of heavy usage. I habitually would physically touch the back part of the Mac Pro at the ports of the back of the GPUs. Would also hand touch the body of the GPU. My favourite is the Nvidia 770 GTX with the ACX cooler. This card was the coolest even after long hours of usage. Upon touching the card, it was only lukewarm, hardly getting hot. The 5870 HD was hot to almost not being comfortable by the touch of my hand. Though I know the 5870 HD can endure the heat as this was designed to do so. I also have a PNY Nvidia Quadro 4000 at 2gb single slot Mac version. This 142 watts Quadro 4000 ran hotter than the 680 GTX or 770 GTX 4 gb cards. I know to other users the heat is just fine.
Generally, the 680 GTX Mac edition was quiet and it's a good card. I could not comment on usage with FCPro and Aperture as I don't use those apps. Hope this helps with your decision on the GPUs. Have a good weekend.
Here is the ACX cooling technology.
