New 20" display - okay for 2009 Mac Pro?

[Monocle]

Thanks to all on the forum whose advice helped me plump for a Quad Pro 2.93, Radeon 4870, 6GB Memory.

The one thing I hesitated on was the display. I can't run to the 30" (I find it too big anyway) and I'm not totally convinced about the 24" as I'm not certain the supplied cord is long enough for my needs. I could work around that at a push so I won't rule it out totally but there might be another option...

I've found a local reseller who has two new 20" cinema display screens in the stockroom. Matte I believe - which I'm used to with my old G4 iMac - and they're selling them for £391 each ($642) as compared to £635 ($1042) for the new 24" displays.

Bearing in mind my severe technical limitations - and please don't underestimate my failings - my question is, would you go for one of them? Would the 20" work perfectly with my new set up and graphics card? I think I'll have to move on this pretty quickly so answers would be appreciated as swiftly as possible. Thanks chaps.

PS They also have an ex-display 20" but I don't think I've got a strong enough nerve to take the risk and ask the price. I wonder what they'd take though?

 

[seadragon]

Hi Monocle,

First, congrats on your purchase! I'm currently waiting for my Mac Pro order to be shipped. The wait is killing me.

Anyway, I think you mentioned in another thread that the main use of your Mac Pro will be for Logic Studio. This is the main use for mine as well.

I think a 20 inch screen would be a bit small for working with Logic. A 22 or 24 would be much better. I picked up the HP LP2475W 24 inch monitor for my Mac Pro. The monitor is great! I'm going to really enjoy working with Logic on this thing.

I currently work with Logic on my 20 inch iMac and I've always wanted a bit of a bigger display ideally.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[UltraNEO*]

Thanks to all on the forum whose advice helped me plump for a Quad Pro 2.93, Radeon 4870, 6GB Memory.

The one thing I hesitated on was the display. I can't run to the 30" (I find it too big anyway) and I'm not totally convinced about the 24" as I'm not certain the supplied cord is long enough for my needs. I could work around that at a push so I won't rule it out totally but there might be another option...

I've found a local reseller who has two new 20" cinema display screens in the stockroom. Matte I believe - which I'm used to with my old G4 iMac - and they're selling them for £391 each ($642) as compared to £635 ($1042) for the new 24" displays.

Bearing in mind my severe technical limitations - and please don't underestimate my failings - my question is, would you go for one of them? Would the 20" work perfectly with my new set up and graphics card? I think I'll have to move on this pretty quickly so answers would be appreciated as swiftly as possible. Thanks chaps.

PS They also have an ex-display 20" but I don't think I've got a strong enough nerve to take the risk and ask the price. I wonder what they'd take though?

Hmm.. I know one display will work fine as your graphics card has a DVI socket, however without more details I can't say will the second unit work. I'm pretty sure newer MacPro's have a miniDisplayPort and a standard DVI, though I could be wrong.

As for the display, those 20" ACD are pretty good and for the asking price you've been offered, it's superb value!! Especially if it's new! If you do have dual DVI's on your card, having them wouldn't be a bad thing at all!!

 

[Monocle]

Hmm.. I know one display will work fine as your graphics card has a DVI socket, however without more details I can't say will the second unit work. I'm pretty sure newer MacPro's have a miniDisplayPort and a standard DVI, though I could be wrong.

As for the display, those 20" ACD are pretty good and for the asking price you've been offered, it's superb value!! Especially if it's new! If you do have dual DVI's on your card, having them wouldn't be a bad thing at all!!

Thanks thus far chaps! I probably confused you there UltraNEO*. I just want the single monitor, not two in tandem. Can't say I'd know how to make them work or what on earth I'd do with 'em?!

Seadragon - Yes I did look at other monitors but couldn't quite get over using an expensive Mac Pro underneath the table and a non-Apple monitor on display. Far too aesthetically precious I know but my PC loving friends would have a field day! After the iMac G4 I'm going to miss the ultra moveable screen...

 

[TK2K]

Thanks thus far chaps! I probably confused you there UltraNEO*. I just want the single monitor, not two in tandem. Can't say I'd know how to make them work or what on earth I'd do with 'em?!

Seadragon - Yes I did look at other monitors but couldn't quite get over using an expensive Mac Pro underneath the table and a non-Apple monitor on display. Far too aesthetically precious I know but my PC loving friends would have a field day! After the iMac G4 I'm going to miss the ultra moveable screen...

Here's what I'd say, you're spending at on on this computer, might as well make it the most useable thing you can, right? a 20" isn't enough at all. I run at 24" and a 19" side by side and find that's just about right, and I could never drop down to a 20" alone, especially for apple's pro apps where you really do need to be able to keep track of 4 menus at the same time.

 

[UltraNEO*]

Here's what I'd say, you're spending at on on this computer, might as well make it the most useable thing you can, right? a 20" isn't enough at all. I run at 24" and a 19" side by side and find that's just about right, and I could never drop down to a 20" alone, especially for apple's pro apps where you really do need to be able to keep track of 4 menus at the same time.

Dude, paying almost 45% extra for roughly 23% more desktop real estate doesn't really make sense, besides, those 20" are nicer especially if you end up racking them in a case and as the OP pointed out they're Matte finished.

 

[Infrared]

In terms of physical presence the 20" is almost perfect.

Sure, it's true that a larger display will be good for some
programs, but then there are some disadvantages, too.
E.g., mousing around a larger display requires more effort.

 

[surflordca]

The one thing I hesitated on was the display. I can't run to the 30" (I find it too big anyway) and I'm not totally convinced about the 24" as I'm not certain the supplied cord is long enough for my needs. I could work around that at a push so I won't rule it out totally but there might be another option...

I've found a local reseller who has two new 20" cinema display screens in the stockroom. Matte I believe - which I'm used to with my old G4 iMac - and they're selling them for £391 each ($642) as compared to £635 ($1042) for the new 24" displays.

The 20" would work but it sure wouldn't take long to adjust to a bigger one if you could. I have a 24" and after using it for a while now, I don't know how I got along with my small 19"
It's like RAM. The bigger the better...

 

[Monocle]

Well if I went for the 20" it would leave me £244 ($404) to put towards the purchase of the new improved Apple display for 2010! Hmm, in that case it might be worth making an offer for the ex-display screen after all? Assuming of course you can get some Applecare with it?

 

[Infrared]

The 20" would work but it sure wouldn't take long to adjust to a bigger one if you could. I have a 24" and after using it for a while now, I don't know how I got along with my small 19"
It's like RAM. The bigger the better...

Ok... 60 mile wide monitor, anyone?

 

[Cynicalone]

I believe you'll need a FW400 to 800 adapter since the 09 Pro doesn't have FW400 ports. If you want to use the FW400 ports on the display.

 

[TK2K]

Dude, paying almost 45% extra for roughly 23% more desktop real estate doesn't really make sense, besides, those 20" are nicer especially if you end up racking them in a case and as the OP pointed out they're Matte finished.

Sorry, i'm not running ACD. Honestly, they look fantastic but they use exactly the same panels (before the new 24" anyway) as the dell monitors which cost a boatload less. I have a 92% gammut 24" LCD i got for $349

 

[Dr.Pants]

See! Somebody else recommended the HP!

Considering how Logic is going to be the main item on your MacPro, the 20" Cinema would work pretty well. Personally, I am a power user (no pun intended ), and require a big display as I am either running Final Cut or have a whole boatload of webpages/documents open. Personally, if you can find the 23" for a good deal, take that.... But if not, don't worry about it. As long as the used displays have no dead pixels/blatant irregularities, it should work just peachy. Just love no moving parts

And yes, it should work perfectly; the graphics card you have has a DVI port, which I am 99.99% sure the 20" ACD has without looking it up. My G5 has a picture of connectivity to an ACD, and it has dual DVI ports, so methinks you are set.

Of course, I assume these 20"ers look like they are part of the same product line as the 30"? I know there was an ACD line that looked like a pictureframe you put on your desk....

 

[Monocle]

I think a 20 inch screen would be a bit small for working with Logic. A 22 or 24 would be much better. I picked up the HP LP2475W 24 inch monitor for my Mac Pro. The monitor is great! I'm going to really enjoy working with Logic on this thing. I currently work with Logic on my 20 inch iMac and I've always wanted a bit of a bigger display ideally. Just my 2 cents...

Well having studied my son using Logic on his grandad's 2008 24" iMac, I do take your point seadragon. I think 20" would be rather mean of me considering the number of tracks and windows he's playing with. Alas there's no old style matte 23" around and I'm not brave enough to follow the Ebay route. So this leaves me with the 24" Apple display - which apart from the higher contrast ratio is, I assume, exactly what I'll get when I'm peering at my dad's glossy iMac screen? The final alternative, and here I must bow to the good Doctor and indeed others is...

See! Somebody else recommended the HP!

...the HP LP2475W. Now, as I have an old whiplash neck injury, the ergonomic ultra-moveable design obviously has it's attractions. I assume it's okay with my chosen Radeon 4870 graphics card. It is undoubtedly jolly popular but if you chaps who have it can rattle off answers to these questions that also pop up with a degree of repetition I'd be grateful.

I ended up returning these two HP monitors and getting two Dell 2408s. There is a lot to like about the HP LP2475w, but ultimately trying to read text on it gave me eye strain. I can't really explain why but, as other reviewers have said, my eyes just couldn't focus on text. If you will use this only for graphics, it is great. If you are doing any work with text (email, programming, etc.), think twice before getting this one.

I don't think there are Mac drivers at HP for this display.

I've just bought the HP LP2475w and noticed the fragmented screen after rebooting, too. However I assumed that this is a Mac issue. Furthermore there is also the dreaded green-to-pink-tint issue, which is very noticeable and disturbing. So I called HP support and asked them to replace the monitor. On the next day, the replacement has already been delivered. Kudos to the HP support! The green-to-pink-issue is almost innoticeable now. And at the same time, the fragmented issue is also gone. So if you still have warranty for your HP, just ask them for a replacement. My replacement screen does have a newer firmware (068 vs. 034 of the old one.) The hardware number is also higher : 143 vs. 111.

Other moans seem to crop up about overly bright factory settings and vivid colours but I assume it's easy to calibrate by novices through basic twiddling?

Right, that's it. If I don't order a display tomorrow I'll have a whizzo Mac Pro and no monitor on my doorstep!

 

[Dr.Pants]

Yep, The DVI port on the LP2475W will work just peachy with your MacPro! Furthermore, should you decide that you need/want to tack something on that displays a picture, it has more connections then I can really shake a finger at (a lot).

Now, let me address these....

I ended up returning these two HP monitors and getting two Dell 2408s. There is a lot to like about the HP LP2475w, but ultimately trying to read text on it gave me eye strain. I can't really explain why but, as other reviewers have said, my eyes just couldn't focus on text...

Well, the first thing that I have to say is that this may be the case - some monitors are better then others for displaying text. However, most LCDs are pretty good about it, and my general response was that the person may not have known about OSX's text-smoothing feature.

I don't think there are Mac drivers at HP for this display.

Drivers don't do ****, except power the built-in USB hub. Nice, but nothing to miss out on.

I've just bought the HP LP2475w and noticed the fragmented screen after rebooting, too. However I assumed that this is a Mac issue. Furthermore there is also the dreaded green-to-pink-tint issue, which is very noticeable and disturbing. So I called HP support and asked them to replace the monitor. On the next day, the replacement has already been delivered. Kudos to the HP support! The green-to-pink-issue is almost innoticeable now. And at the same time, the fragmented issue is also gone. So if you still have warranty for your HP, just ask them for a replacement. My replacement screen does have a newer firmware (068 vs. 034 of the old one.) The hardware number is also higher : 143 vs. 111.

You inadvertently brought up something that I had been looking for! An earlier run of the model had firmware that didn't play well with the MacPro, but the next revisions fixed the problem.

Other moans seem to crop up about overly bright factory settings and vivid colours but I assume it's easy to calibrate by novices through basic twiddling?

... Kinda. Its about the increased colour gamut of the monitor. Working with colour-aware programs will, well, remove the saturation issue - its inherent as the monitor is wide-gamut and the standard for PC is sRGB (wish I could explain it better). If you have a colour-calibrator, you can generate your own colour profile - if not you can download one off the web - if you cannot, then there's a built-in by-eye calibration system in OSX that works to get your monitor in a good range of values for brightness and contrast.

The LCD Thread at Anandtech has some recommendations for office work, the LP2475W among them. I don't know with the hard-to-read text, but I would say that if its recommended there, it'd be fine.

 

[chiefroastbeef]

I had the LP2475 for a while, I bought it for $550 on ebay, and paid the fine because it was an earlier revision with the pink and green tint issue. I couldn't return it for a replacement because it was shipped to Hong Kong. The pink and green tint is very, very annoying, and no part of the screen is in actual color. The green tint covers most of the left side, and the pink tint covers all right side, my spyder pro 3 calibrator could only do so much.

I gave the screen to my father, and bought myself the 30" ACD. I would buy the 30" again in a heart beat, the screen real estate is just absolutely amazing, but most of all it is just a beautiful monitor to look at everyday.

For the price, you can't go wrong with the LP2475, providing that you buy the later revisions. I'd suggesting buying it straight from H, or looking around the net, a lot of forums talk about the LP2475, including tips on where to buy them for the latest firmware installed.

 

[Monocle]

Right chaps! Problem solved!!

Not sure why I didn't mention this previously but I suffer from an intriguing but annoying type of photosensitivity that makes me react badly to certain types/frequencies of artificial light. Thankfully I found myself with a spare half hour to have a thorough gaze at a few monitors earlier this week. For some reason I couldn't cope with the new 24" Apple too well although I did find it easier to cope with than a nearby Eizo display. No idea why but there you are!

However, as luck would have it the old Apple 20" matte was first rate for me. The shop plugged an ex-display model into their Mac Pro and even popped Logic Pro up on the screen for me. I did think about the excellent HP suggestion but as I couldn't find one to gaze at I decided to take the safer bet and go for the one that I knew worked for me. So after having a quick chat with No. 2 son and laying his Logic fears to rest I walked away with a boxed and unopened new 20" matte screen. Delighted! Sad to say that the ex-display model was only £50 cheaper at £340, so hardly tempting as a second monitor. But who knows how much it might drop in the weeks to come!

 

[EMKarelia]

I use a 23" screen and its very big. Works and lok s great so i don't think that it will be a problem.