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Which 30" LCD Monitor

S

smogsy

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 8, 2008
592
2
I will be Purchasing a Mac Pro Next Year once The Next Gen Is Here (saving up)

i want complement the Mac Pro with 2x30" Monitors i'm thinking of buying these monitors before i get my Mac Pro As i Could Use Them at a lower Resolution on my MacBook

So Which 30" Monitors Would You Recommend?

I Will Not Be using the Mac Pro for Colour crucial work but will be doing the following:
Dreamweaver CS3 (for my website)
Photoshop CS3 (to design my website updates and other graphics)
Xcode (i will creating free OSX applications for the mac community
Iphone SDK (Creating Apps for Free Download in App Store)
Net Searching
Music
MSN




This is Possible i will Purchase From
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=703&catid=17&subid=1121

Hope You can Suggest a Mointor
Budget For Each : £1200
 
i was thinking of the 3008wfp tbh it would match my desk perfectly,

as my desk is gloosy black :D ill have noise at xbit
 
Lord Zedd said:
Anything other than Apple's current outdated, overpriced and featureless monitor.
Click to expand...

But it looks so good!!! Back when I bought mine it was equal in spec to the Dell and nothing else was out. Don't know how it compares vs the Dell one now though. I wouldn't say its that overpriced though, £1199 vs Dell's £979.30. Since I can get the Higher Education discount, I can get the Apple one for £1031.14. I'd rather pay the extra £50 for an Apple metal one. I don't care for all the different connectivity options, the one thing I *would* like though is HDCP compatibility through the DVI cable. An extra USB port wouldn't go amiss either.

BTW to the OP, you can only use one external monitor with your MacBook and the only really viable resolution you could use is 1280x800 otherwise everything will be blurry and will be a pain on your eyes. I really would advise waiting until you buy your Mac Pro. For all we know, new ACDs will be out by then and you might prefer a matching display. If you buy an ACD with a Mac Pro and get Applecare all through the same purchase then the ACD is covered by the same 3 year extended warranty.
 
The Dell 3008FPW and the NEC LCD3090 are probably the two best 30" consumer displays on the market now in terms of features and value.
 
i think i will go for the 3008wfp, but the only thing that worries me is they have had bleeding problems? is this common? or some displays only?

btw spanky im using my macbook with my TV @ 1920x1080 and looks great :cool:

but depending on how gd dell can downscale it maybe blury
 
Lord Zedd said:
Anything other than Apple's current outdated, overpriced and featureless monitor.
Click to expand...
Please don't spout rubbish.

The picture quality is far superior to any junk ass Dell monitor I've ever seen, and comparable NEC display is around double that price.

Apple do many things, but one of them is not ripping off their professional customers.

Also because they are not outwardly saying so, or changing the design, they are not using the same technology in the display that they were 2 years ago. The panels change on a regular basis, and the current panel is the same as the 30" Dell, except with a superior backlight.

Just an FYI to the OP, you can't use more than 1 external display with a Macbook.

Get the Cinema Display, you will not regret it.
 
smogsy said:
btw spanky im using my macbook with my TV @ 1920x1080 and looks great :cool:
Click to expand...

You may already know this, but just in case you don't, all 30" monitors require dual-link dvi connections to run at full resolution. My 30" ACD supports a max resolution of only 1280 x 800 when connected to a non-dual-link source (like your macbook) which I just confirmed by plugging in my powerbook.

From what I've read online the Dell 30" supports a max resolution of 1920 x 1080 when connected to a non-dual-link source. If you're planning on using one of the 30's with your macbook for an extended amount of time before you purchase the Mac Pro the ability for the Dell 30" to run at higher resolution when connected to the macbook might be the determining factor when choosing one over the other. 1920 x 1080 is still going to look blurry since it's not the native screen's resolution (unlike on your tv where 1920 x 1080 was most likely the native resolution). I'm also kind of confused as to why it would support only 1080 vertical pixels instead of 1200 since 1920 x 1080 doesn't fit the aspect ratio of the screen. Perhaps the forums where I read that the dell supports that resolution are wrong. Dell's site doesn't mention anything about it. I'd make sure to confirm with dell before you buy it.

That said, I'd strongly recommend waiting until you purchase the mac pro before doing anything. Dual 30's is a lot of screen real-estate for what you're doing. I'd purchase a single 30" to begin with. You might be surprised at just how big a 30" screen is... I know I was.
 
Even if the Dell display and the Cinema Display were identical (which they pretty much are except for the better backlight on the Cinema Display), Apple actually includes optimized drivers for the Cinema Displays in OS X, not available for a third party display.

Actually heres a great idea, buy one Apple Cinema Display and one Dell display (there about the same price in the UK), and see which one you like more. I know which I'm putting my money on.
 
thanks panoz

although i want the DualScreen Experience more than anything when i used my 22inch dell +macbook screen i was getting so much more done

same now when im using a macbook+TV

specially with what im planning to do coding/graphics/msn/net at same time.

i was going to get 2x24inch but i know after a few months i will want to get te 30inchs and waste money doing it that way
 
Since you know you'll eventually move to a machine that will drive the 30" ACD at it's native resolution I say go with the ACD. That is unless you find that spending $1500+ on a panel that is only going to be a panel. In other words, you can't plug your PS3, XBOX, etc etc into it. I know you can if you use some fancy work around, but generally speaking the ACD is a display, not a TV/game console.

Just think about whether or not you'll miss the lack of inputs. I don't personally, but I have a place where I can have a 30" ACD and a TV next to it.
Since color isn't critical to you I would say just think about the inputs or lack-thereof and go from there.
 
One other thing to consider, especially if you go with the dell screens which can easily be rotated, would be to go with one 30" and two 20".

A 20" display's horizontal resolution is the same as the 30" display's vertical resolution... so you could put a vertically rotated 20" on either side of a horizontal 30" and get almost as many pixels as two 30's but still have a central screen.
 
ill think about the ACD

Just to Give you a Idea this is my room, so as u seen ps3,Wii is connected to the Sammy TV
IMG_0394.JPG

IMG_0397.JPG



large
http://insnation.net/gallery/d/2305-1/IMG_0394.JPG
http://insnation.net/gallery/d/2315-1/IMG_0397.JPG
 
Well I'm placing my order for a 30" ACD, after living with the Dell 2407WFP-HC. After much callibration, the colours on the dell are still way oversaturated for my liking.

Oh and I get 35% off a brand new ACD :)
 
I had a budget of about $1200 for a monitor as well and I decided to buy a used ACD with Apple Care left for two years rather then the lower end 30 Dell. Best choice I have made in a long time.
 
If you aren't doing any color specific work any 30" will do, but they all pretty much use the same panel and will cost you roughly the same price. The Dell that is comparable to the ACD is $2000, while many others will be that same price with deals or bargains.

Just make sure you are getting an IPS panel if you want the best you can get. I would hate to spend anything over $1000 for a cheap TN or PVA panel at 30 inches.
 
well, i do like the ACD and there ok. in the Apple store last time i looked (2 weeks ago)

i dont think i want one Mainly Due to Lack of HDCP i know its not necessary for my work. but its always nice to have specially as its a nice future proofing.

But, The Dell 3008WFP i like, has bleeding issue, i can seem to find a article explaining if has been fixed in there new Revision or if its just some Units. but Like You Said Below it is a IPS
 
smogsy said:
well, i do like the ACD and there ok. in the Apple store last time i looked (2 weeks ago)

i dont think i want one Mainly Due to Lack of HDCP i know its not necessary for my work. but its always nice to have specially as its a nice future proofing.

But, The Dell 3008WFP i like, has bleeding issue, i can seem to find a article explaining if has been fixed in there new Revision or if its just some Units. but Like You Said Below it is a IPS
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's the Dell that is definitely on par with the HPs and ACDs and NECs on the market. I heard of that issue too, but there are other issues with other panels and connections on other monitors as well.

The best you can do is get them and keep a keen eye out for any issues that may arise. We all take chances when it comes to mass produced electronics.
 
thanks digital.

Key Question Buy Now Or Later?
Its in This Weeks Offer @ £985.83

Or Wait What Till Mac Pro + Snow Leopard + These
 
smogsy said:
thanks digital.

Key Question Buy Now Or Later?
Its in This Weeks Offer @ £985.83

Or Wait What Till Mac Pro + Snow Leopard + These
Click to expand...

Strickly personally....

I'd wait. But that's just me. I like unboxing all my toys at one time. Mac Pro, two 30" displays, etc.

But if you need one or two now then get them now. Or if there is ever some deal that you just can't pass up, go get em.
 
I'd like to clarify that I'm not saying the Dell is a bad monitor. If you want to save the few hundred quid, and are looking at HDCP at some point in the future then this is the way to go.

However I'm hoping Apple will update there range of displays at some point with the next Mac Pro, so why buy them now? For starters you can only use 1 of them with the Macbook, secondly it will look god awful at 1920 x 1200, and thirdly you'll be able to save some money.

So wait until you buy the Mac Pro until you buy the display, and you'll hopefully be able to buy an far, far superior quality Cinema Display, with the features like HDPC that you request.

Of course if they dont update them then by all means get the Dell, if anything to tell Apple they need to update them. Vote with your wallet.
 
It is important to remember that some Dell monitors, including the 20" and 30" widescreen units, do use the same technology panels as the Apple Cinema Displays do - In-Plane Switching (IPS). Their quality is right up their with the Apple, and they also offer a three-year warranty out of the box. The 3007FPW 30" costs a bit less then the ACD and has two DVI inputs instead of one. The 3008FPW costs a bit more then the ACD, but has two DVI inputs, HDMI, component, S-Video and digital media readers.

Yes, the 24" units use S-PVA panels which give up absolute color accuracy, but they still look very good for general use (I am very pleased with my 2408FPW).
 
hi ...
well i have a dell 30 inch and i ordered my mac pro + Apple 30 inch two days ago ,

with my personal experience and playing around with my mates apple 30 inch , im going for an apple 30 inch , as i have had the dell for almost an year ... now selling it to my friend and getting the new setup .

im my personal ( strictly) i like the Apple monitor rather the dell monitors, so yer for me Apple monitor is Far far better.

just to let u know , will post more when i get my monitor next week :) lol
 
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