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What Display To Buy To Go With Macbook Pro (Graphic Designer)

M

Mr. Funsocks

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 31, 2007
207
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Hi everyone, I'm a graphic designer and am looking to expand my screen real estate from my macbook pro's 15". I want a display that's minimum 20" and max 24"ish. I want as good of color accuracy as I can get. It can't be a TN display or have any color shifting. My budget is about $600. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
 
For your budget you are probably going to be looking at an Apple Cinema Display. NEC and Eizo displays start above that and while you can get IPS panels in Dell and HP displays for your budget you can't guarantee the panel type unless you are buying used.
 
Aren't the ACDs kind of outdated though? They haven't been updated in a few years. From what I've read they're not worth the money you pay for them.
 
Eizo have some nice s-vpa panels that aren't too expensive, the flexscan w2231 and w2431.
 
Mr. Funsocks said:
Aren't the ACDs kind of outdated though? They haven't been updated in a few years. From what I've read they're not worth the money you pay for them.
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They aren't outdated in the sense that some people regard them. They fill a gap between displays aimed at consumers (Dell, Samsung) and those aimed at professionals where colour accuracy is important (NEC, Eizo).
 
The ACD's are cheaper and pretty good at color accuracy. The thing is with ACD's, it's not "outdated" in the usual sense. It's outdated in specs, like slow response times (compared to even my display). BUT, the tft panel is one of excellent quality, just don't use it for FPS gaming. Casual gaming is fine, but anything with many frames per second, like FPS games will run a little slow as its response time is on the slow side.
 
This is a great question

I think this is a great question. I am also looking for a similar screen, somewhere in the 400-600 dollar range. Getting a larger screen is probably one of the best improvements you can make on your computer...
 
Mac4Obama said:
I think this is a great question. I am also looking for a similar screen, somewhere in the 400-600 dollar range. Getting a larger screen is probably one of the best improvements you can make on your computer...
Click to expand...

How would the ACD I linked to compare to a Samsung SyncMaster 226bw?
 
S-IPS ideally, PVA at the minimum. Do not get TN under any circumstances. You can find out the panel type of the monitor youre looking at by just typing the name of the monitor in google and adding S-IPS, the first results are usually from forums with people asking if that monitor is S-IPS. If the viewing angle is 178 degrees then it is likely an S-IPS but some manufacturers lie, if it is not 178 then it is not an S-IPS.
 
Well I'm pretty sure that the ACDs are going to be updated soon so it'd be a shame to buy one and then have them updated. Is there any display I can get that's the same quality as an ACD but cheaper? Also if I got an ACD I could only get a 20" but I'd like to get a 24"...
 
Mr. Funsocks said:
Well I'm pretty sure that the ACDs are going to be updated soon so it'd be a shame to buy one and then have them updated. Is there any display I can get that's the same quality as an ACD but cheaper? Also if I got an ACD I could only get a 20" but I'd like to get a 24"...
Click to expand...

You could get something like a Dell 24" and a decent calibation device and see how it goes. Colour accurate / professional displays are more expensive than Apple's offerings, below Apple's offerings you are looking at consumer orientated displays.
 
Mr. Funsocks said:
Also if I got an ACD I could only get a 20" but I'd like to get a 24"...
Click to expand...
well i'm no technophile when it comes to displays but i can tell you that working on a 23" ACD at home versus a 20" ACD at work is completely different and you'll be much more productive on a larger display. don't settle for a 20" and aim for the 24". it's totally worth it. keep an eye on dealmac for good deals on displays. many are well below your $600 budget.

don't settle for 20"!!!
 
A good panel is a good panel. I don't understand the comments that the ACD's are 'outdated'.

Sure, they've been out for awhile but what more do you want from them? They look good (both design and display) and they work. I don't need mine to have speakers or a coffee maker or any new gadgets :)

Whoops. I did just think of one update that would make sense. Change the backlight to led.
 
Thanks for all the help by the way. I'll look into all these links. So for sure get I-IPS panel?
 
get an apple cinema display. do not even look at other brands. you're a graphic designer, get the true color apple brand. i would highly recommend the 23" for the resolution. but if you're on a budget or if you think you'll be satisfied with the 20" resolution then go for it. you can check local classifieds for deals or buy refurb from apple. sometimes amazon.com has refurb/open box cinema displays for cheap. OR, education discount should save you some dough.
 
You can get one of the 2005 Dell Ultrasharps on ebay for practically nothing. They are a bit better than the ACD's.
 
yea i always hear good things about dell ultrasharps or some samsungs. ACD look nice to me as well... but as you've mentioned they're a bit outdated, who knows if they'll ever refresh them haha
 
A 15" macbook pro can drive a 23" cinema display correct? Like if I wanted to run it in extended desktop mode.
 
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