new 20" vs old 20"

[budaapple]

I need a new monitor and the 20" is my choice. Other than the firewire plugins on the back of the new display what difference is there in the pixel count between the two and is it that noticeable. Has anyone bought the new replacing the old for a good comparison. This will be used for PS and a small amount of basic video editing and I use a dual 1.25 G-4. Please Help!
Thanks

 

[Converted2Truth]

Pretty sure that the only difference is the VESA standard that the new montors conform to. They can now be used with Windows PC's etc...

They can also be hung on a wall, and do not have such a large frame bordering it.

I see buying the old style much wiser. They're alot cheaper now, and yet the same thing. Plus it will match your G4!

 

[Laslo Panaflex]

Pretty sure that the only difference is the VESA standard that the new montors conform to. They can now be used with Windows PC's etc...

They can also be hung on a wall, and do not have such a large frame bordering it.

I see buying the old style much wiser. They're alot cheaper now, and yet the same thing. Plus it will match your G4!

NO. They are by far NOT the same thing. The new ones use a different LCD panel that high better specs all around. It has higher contrast ratio, faster pixel response, and is much brighter. I suggest going to an Apple store and comparing the two models side by side, if you can, then one will see the difference is quite apparent.

Looking at the old 23" and the new 23" side by side convinced me to sell trade in my only 2 month old 23" for the new one. Trust, me, the new displays are more different than just connectors, and VESA mountable.

 

[jsw]

NO. They are by far NOT the same thing. The new ones use a different LCD panel that high better specs all around. It has higher contrast ratio, faster pixel response, and is much brighter. I suggest going to an Apple store and comparing the two models side by side, if you can, then one will see the difference is quite apparent.

Looking at the old 23" and the new 23" side by side convinced me to sell trade in my only 2 month old 23" for the new one. Trust, me, the new displays are more different than just connectors, and VESA mountable.

The old 23" vs. the new 23" is very apparent. However, I didn't see as big a difference on the old vs new 20". However, the styling of the new monitors is quite appealing. But... the 'old' 20" is a very, very nice monitor ITO color fidelity, etc. Works well for video editing as well. Not to say that the new one isn't better, but the old one is really quite good enough if you can get it an enough of a discount.

Edit: as far as brightness: I keep my "old" one turned almost all the way down, and it is plenty bright. The 23"'s were a bit dim. The "old" 20" is quite bright.

 

[Laslo Panaflex]

The old 23" vs. the new 23" is very apparent. However, I didn't see as big a difference on the old vs new 20". However, the styling of the new monitors is quite appealing. But... the 'old' 20" is a very, very nice monitor ITO color fidelity, etc. Works well for video editing as well. Not to say that the new one isn't better, but the old one is really quite good enough if you can get it an enough of a discount.

Edit: as far as brightness: I keep my "old" one turned almost all the way down, and it is plenty bright. The 23"'s were a bit dim. The "old" 20" is quite bright.

Yes, you are correct, the difference isn't as appearent on the 20" as it is on the 23", but to me there is still a difference. Plus, they new Alu enclosures are much cleaner and smaller, way smaller, and adjustable.

Plus, although the old one does match his G4, I would make a bet and say that this display purchase will outrun his current G4, so why not get the current model display, that will match new revisions of apple hardware.

But, if money is an issue, then I guess the old 20" will be fine, becuase as JSW said, the difference is not as appearent in the 20" as it is in the 23".

 

[emw]

The old 23" vs. the new 23" is very apparent. However, I didn't see as big a difference on the old vs new 20". However, the styling of the new monitors is quite appealing. But... the 'old' 20" is a very, very nice monitor ITO color fidelity, etc. Works well for video editing as well. Not to say that the new one isn't better, but the old one is really quite good enough if you can get it an enough of a discount.

Edit: as far as brightness: I keep my "old" one turned almost all the way down, and it is plenty bright. The 23"'s were a bit dim. The "old" 20" is quite bright.

The previous 20" display used different (much improved) technology than the previous 23" display. The new 20-23-30 displays use technology that is more similar, which means that the gap between new 23 and old 23 is much greater than between the new 20 and the old 20. In fact, I would say that the differences in the 20s are almost purely aesthetic (well, that and the firewire and DVI ports).

As for brightness, the old and new 20" displays are 250 Candelas/square meter, where the new 23 and 30 are 270 Cd/m2 (the old 23 was, I believe, 200 cd/m2 - a significant change).

So, if buying a 20" ACD, there is little technological reason (baring the need for DVI and firewire on your display) to choose the new model.

Aesthetic considerations, however, are up to you.

 

[jsw]

Yes, you are correct, the difference isn't as appearent on the 20" as it is on the 23", but to me there is still a difference. Plus, they new Alu enclosures are much cleaner and smaller, way smaller, and adjustable.

Plus, although the old one does match his G4, I would make a bet and say that this display purchase will outrun his current G4, so why not get the current model display, that will match new revisions of apple hardware.

But, if money is an issue, then I guess the old 20" will be fine, becuase as JSW said, the difference is not as appearent in the 20" as it is in the 23".

To me, it'd be worth ~$100-$200 to get the new 20" based on looks alone. They are dead sexy.

However, if someone is fine with the way the old one looks - really, it's not bad, just not as nice compared to the new one - then they could save some money buying one. I don't think - unless they're gamers - that they'd ever notice any difference.

Edit: I've heard rumors that the brightness buttons on the new displays don't work with older systems - something to look into.

 

[BigEvan23]

Everything works fine

Edit: I've heard rumors that the brightness buttons on the new displays don't work with older systems - something to look into.

Actually...they do now. The update in 10.3.5 fixed all controls and made the options field in the displays setup work properly.

Evan

 

[jsw]

Actually...they do now. The update in 10.3.5 fixed all controls and made the options field in the displays setup work properly.

Evan

Darn you! I was starting to feel better about owning one of the old 20"-ers.



Now, I think you'd need to save $200 to make an older one worthwhile. Perhaps I should sell my year-old, AppleCare'd 20"?

 

[macidiot]

new 20"

imo, the new 20" is greatly improved compared to the old one. Its the first flat panel I felt was worth buying(I have a new 20"). For one, the old one was, to me, ugly. And completely space inefficient. That fat border around the screen and the easel design was a waste of space. Don't get me wrong, the old panel was a nice bit of technology when it was current. But its fairly old now, and about 2 generations behind lcd technology. The new monitor has greatly improved response time. And the easy access firewire ports are a nice touch, especially if your not using a G5.

Also, it seems that ADC is eol. So there's a decent chance that the next computer you buy won't have an adc port. If thats the case, a good chunk of the money you saved will just go to an adc-dvi converter.

You can buy the old one and save some money, but I'd say go for the new one if you can afford it. Always go for the latest tech if you can afford it. It'll last longer