Should I buy two old 23" Apple Cinema Display?

[tfdusty]

I am currently needing 2 screens, and have been offered 2x 23" screens (1x 2006 and 1x 2008) for £400 for both.

I intend them to be run off my macbook pro 15" i7 16gb Ram (early 2011), which has the thunderbolt port. I was wondering if there is way to link the two screens together and to get the full resolution out of both?

I've done some research and found that I can get a Mini DisplayPort cable and a USB 2.0 graphics adapters for the other- but this would not give me full resolution.

is there any other way of doing this?

or if i buy all the additional cables, is it more worth me buying the new Apple 27" thunderbolt screen, than risking the old expiring? as I will be using the screens for work purposes, so need to be hardy, as they will be in use a lot.

 

[paulrbeers]

Matrox dual head display adapter.

 

[micrors4racer]

Have you seen the displays yourself in real life? The problem with those monitors is they use a CFL backlight which tends to dim over time depending on use. One of the monitors in question is 7 years old and it might be passed its prime in terms of backlight performance. I think a used or refurb thunderbolt display is in your alley and you can easily add another by daisy chaining. This is my setup on my MBA. Another problem is that those USB graphics cards have quite a noticeable lag.

 

[fhall1]

Another problem is that those USB graphics cards have quite a noticeable lag.

Quite a noticeable lag - IF - you can even get them to work right.

 

[tfdusty]

Thanks for all the of your responses. I decided to go against buying the old ones, and am now considering just buying a new one, to save the hassle. Really appreciate the advice though.