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Nice to see another cheaper alternative to the ACDs. I have the 2005FPW 20" display and I am loving it. I decided on this one over the 20" ACD because the Dell has both a VGA AND a DVI input as well as a composite and S-Video as well. The picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture is a nice feature as well. Now I can have my Windoze box, my 12" PB, my Gamecube and my PS2 all hooked in at once and just change inputs without having to unplug and replug things all the time. That was the big selling point for me. :D Having better specs than the ACD isn't bad either.... ;)
 
there have been dual-dvi PC cards long before the mac 6800 was released... if you look around the net, there are pictures of PC's driving 30" ACD's. the problem is getting a dual-dvi card out of the workstation category and into a home computer... that and getting your average person to shell out so much money...

nVidia Quadro FX Comparison: here's a workstation grade card with 2 dual-dvi connectors...

reality
 
Probably a nice monitor, although I really don't like the styling on Dell's LCDs; the bases are unattractive and the wrong shape to set anything on top of, unlike Apple's flat piece of aluminum (even ViewSonic tends to try and make the foot as small as possible or flat enough to put something on). They're also butt-ugly in the back, but then that's not what you're looking at in most cases (though I'd rather see the tail-end of an Apple LCD on a receptionist's desk--it'd be worth the extra cash for the presentation value).

I set up a 2005FPW for a client just last night, and it uses exactly the same hoop-foot arm as this new 24" and Dell's 17" non-wide LCDs. I like the height adjustment (though I'd never actually use it), and I might use the ability to rotate the screen for some old MAME arcade games, but is it just me or does it seem too lightweight to properly support the 20" widescreen? Seemed off balance, so I sort of wonder about this 24". Odd, because the foot on the Apple 20" (which is what I use at home) is smaller, but the monitor feels more stable.

...oh, wait, I know why. It's because Dell puts the power converter inside the monitor instead of in a brick like Apple. Gets something off the floor, but the screen is a full inch or so thicker and runs a lot hotter as a result, and of course it's heavier.
 
The card you linked to does not have dual link DVI and is not capable of powering an Apple 30" display. Yes it has two DVI ports but that is not what is needed. You need dual-link DVI, it is one port that can suply many more pixels than DVI can. Look at the max res on the cards. The 30" needs at least 2560 x 1600, DVI (and the card you linked to) is only capable of 2048X153, dual link (link2) can do 3840 x 2400.

$700? I couldn't find cheaper than $800 on Newegg for a card with dual link DVI.
 
it was a guess.

the only one i found was the mac x800xt, i suppose a pc user could flash one :cool:
 
Dang that screen looks huge! Apple better drop the price on their 23" (and the 20" to boot - $799, and $699 with educational discount maybe? Nahhh, in my dreams).
 
FelixDerKater said:
For the price, Dell sells the best LCD monitors around.

For the price, Samsung does!!

Do a google search for the SyncMaster 910t - I got it for a little over 500...

it has DVI and VGA, and pivots!
 
Evidence?

The picture looks a lot like the 20".....do we have any solid proof that this model is going to happen?
 
I've been thinking of getting the Dell 2005FPW; maybe you guys could answer some questions I have:

- Is this DVI only; Would I not be able to connect it to an iBook (I'm thinking of getting an Apple laptop as well and connecting it to the dispplay when at home, in addition to using the display permanently for my PC)
- Apart from being a little less sexy (and the lack of ports on the display), is this any different from the Apple display?
- Where is the best place to get this in the UK? How's eBay?

Many thanks
 
realityisterror said:
there have been dual-dvi PC cards long before the mac 6800 was released... if you look around the net, there are pictures of PC's driving 30" ACD's. the problem is getting a dual-dvi card out of the workstation category and into a home computer... that and getting your average person to shell out so much money...

nVidia Quadro FX Comparison: here's a workstation grade card with 2 dual-dvi connectors...

reality

Dell has that card on their Precision laptops.
 
robe said:
I've been thinking of getting the Dell 2005FPW; maybe you guys could answer some questions I have:

- Is this DVI only; Would I not be able to connect it to an iBook (I'm thinking of getting an Apple laptop as well and connecting it to the dispplay when at home, in addition to using the display permanently for my PC)
- Apart from being a little less sexy (and the lack of ports on the display), is this any different from the Apple display?
- Where is the best place to get this in the UK? How's eBay?

Many thanks

As I wrote earlier, the Dell monitor comes with DVI as well as VGA ports and composite and S-Video outputs. You can have your PC and your iBook plugged in at the same time and all you would need to do is press a button on the front to switch inputs.

It is a lot less sexy than the Apple displays, but it does not have a lack of ports. It comes with two USB 2.0 ports in the back of the monitor, and two more on the side. The specs are as good or better than the ACD as well.

The best place to get it would probably be from the Dell site. I don't think they sell them through third parties. You would actually probably get a better deal from the Dell site over eBay because if you find the right coupon codes (they have them almost all the time) you can get one for much cheaper than a new one on eBay.
 
I love my Sammy 191T. absolutely wonderful. Its open DVI cable is awaiting my 15" PB and my PC was demotted to VGA.
 
maya said:
Though an HD resolution on a 17" PB would be sweeeeeeet. :D
Both the 17" and 15" PowerBook already have HD resolution. The 15" has perfectly native HD resolution because it's 1280x854, which is perfect to display 1280x720 content. The 17" is less ideal than that at 1440x900 because it has to scale the picture up.

720p is better temporal resolution at the expense of spatial resolution.
1080i is better spatial resolution at the expense of temporal resolution.

Both are HD. 1080p24 may or may not come around as a standard (there are less than a handful of TVs that can handle it, and they're very expensive), so for now it's fair to just talk about 720p and 1080i.

maya said:
YES, it has DVI-A/D :)
IOW, DVI-I.

I'm glad this 24" Dell is coming out. I like bigger pixels because it allows me to comfortably sit further from my monitor. I'd almost take this 24" Dell over my current 23" ADC ACD.
 
2A Batterie said:
I'm confused. Apple has a 20" display, but the 23" and 30" are called HD Cinema displays with the 20" only being a cinema display. What's the diff?

The difference is marketing.
 
just so you guys know, Dell doesn't make LCD's.

Samsung makes LCD's with slightly different cases, and badge them with Dell names. Yeah, the Dell's are great, but sometimes you can get it cheaper if you get the Samsung version.

i've got 2 Dell 1901FP's, and 1 Samsung 192N. they're the same thing. the older dell's (about a year or two ago) actually had the same casing as the samsungs.
 
2A Batterie said:
I'm confused. Apple has a 20" display, but the 23" and 30" are called HD Cinema displays with the 20" only being a cinema display. What's the diff?
As was previously mentioned, they can display 1080i content natively (or scaled up). 1080i content is 1920 x 1080. Only the 23" and 30" have a screen width of 1920 or more. However, any display that's 1280 pixels wide or more can display 720p content natively (since the standard resolutions for those displays are 1280 x 1024 or 1280 x 960, or 1280 x 854 on Apple's 15" PowerBooks).
 
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