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Who's got a Formac display?

mus0r

mus0r

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 27, 2005
229
0
The time has come... I really don't use my 12" Powerbook anymore, so I've decided to sell it to finance a new LCD. I want a 20" widescreen, and I'm trying to decide between the Formac 2010 and the Apple Cinema Display.

I've read the specs, and the Formac sounds better...but sounds better and *is* better can be two different things. Anyone care to comment on their Formac (or ACD) to give me some suggestions?

I'm sick of using 2 x 15" that only do 1024 :mad:
 
MacTruck said:
The Dell 2405FPW is the best by far. Check it out.
Click to expand...


I won't have *anything* Dell in my home. I don't care what the specs are :rolleyes:
 
Sure, the Dell is a nice screen, but it lacks style. It looks like any other LCD display on the market, black, plain, bleh.

Formac (so I have heard) has excellent quality screens, and they have style also. I would go with Formac over Apple, you can get a 20" Formac for around $650!
 
MacAztec said:
Formac (so I have heard) has excellent quality screens, and they have style also. I would go with Formac over Apple, you can get a 20" Formac for around $650!
Click to expand...
Their support also apparently suck big time.
 
I used to have an Formac Studio TVR, the technical support suck a lot there. There product are good. I would say go for it, they also offer for a little money the zero dead pixel garantie for your screen, wich is totaly cool. For the same price as an Apple one, you get a nice display with a zero dead pixel garantie.

For the Dell, I would hesitate too, are all the signal digital in those thing? or they are using analogue component to bring the price down? I would bet it have analogue stuff in it, but I'm not sure at it.
 
Well, my objection to Dell (outside of being a tech and knowing their products are crap) is their price. The only way you become the *largest anything* is by making the *cheapest product* (or a better product at the same price, depending on competition).

Dell is huge because they sell cheap crap...just like Wal-mart. As a matter of fact, I'd be willing to bet most of the people who shop at Wal-mart own a Dell. I don't buy cheap crap...even if it means waiting a few months longer or selling something else to buy it.
 
mus0r said:
Well, my objection to Dell (outside of being a tech and knowing their products are crap) is their price. The only way you become the *largest anything* is by making the *cheapest product* (or a better product at the same price, depending on competition).

Dell is huge because they sell cheap crap...just like Wal-mart. As a matter of fact, I'd be willing to bet most of the people who shop at Wal-mart own a Dell. I don't buy cheap crap...even if it means waiting a few months longer or selling something else to buy it.
Click to expand...

Dells LCDs are consitantly rated as being of excellent quality. During a recent system roll-out that I was a tech/trainer for I installed approx. 175 Dell LCDs, both the 15" and 17" standard analog version. In all of those I can't remember seeing a single dead pixel, an unevenly lit screen, or any other defect what-so-ever. And that is on the low cost 'budget' LCDs. Furthermore, the image on those displays was excellent dispite coming from an analog VGA source.

Dell did not get to where there are selling crap. They got to where there are selling a *decent* product at a good price. They cut corners on tech support and some of the other ansillary services, but the machines are generally pretty solid. They can sell their displays so cheaply becuase they buy the LCD panels at insane volumes. The 2005fwp uses the same Samsung panel the 20" ACD uses, but Dell probably buys 5 or more times as many as Apple does, so they can get a terrific price. Of course they also save money on the casing, as it is a cheaper plastic one as opposed to the brushed aluminum.

Apple most likely also makes a larger profit on each display than Dell does, due to both volume and also Mac users known willingness to pay for brand and form, as you have so clearly demonstrated. Since you are dead set on not getting a Dell, I would go for the Apple 20". If you are patient you can snag a refurb for about $650 from Apple, if I recall.

I don't think I've ever heard a bad thing abotu Dell's 2005fwp, or really any of the Dell LCDs for that matter. But, I'm sure you will be happy with the ACD, just hard to believe you will be as happy as $200 savings would make me happy.
 
Well if you got money............ADC

if not but still want a good screen Dell.........but if not that either :p Formac ;)
 
Well, in terms of QC, I know that 2005fpw, while using the same panel as the ACD 20", has backlighting issues up the wazoo.

The panel obviously has nothing to do with it--it is Dell's part (putting it together, backlight) that is causing that problem. However, this is all moot if we are discussing the 2405 b/c that panel is wholly different than the 2005fpw and in fact is NOT the same as the 23" ACD.

I'm still chuckling at the Apple store employees who tried to "calibrate" the pink 23" ACD's. "Something's wrong with your eye."

-Um, no I don't think so. Painting for several years let's you develop a keen sense of color, so their attempt to persuade me otherwise was pretty hilarious, albeit desperate -_-. Ah well, anecdote finished.
 
A big part why the apple displays are more expensive is their look. The silver alu display just looks way better standing around than the black plastic one. The question is, is this important to you? If you are working with your computer 8 - 10 hours a day, and/or enjoy playing games you'll end up looking at your display for a very long time over the years. I think in this case spending the extra bucks on a more beautiful display is worth it.
 
mus0r said:
Well, my objection to Dell (outside of being a tech and knowing their products are crap) is their price. The only way you become the *largest anything* is by making the *cheapest product* (or a better product at the same price, depending on competition).

Dell is huge because they sell cheap crap...just like Wal-mart. As a matter of fact, I'd be willing to bet most of the people who shop at Wal-mart own a Dell. I don't buy cheap crap...even if it means waiting a few months longer or selling something else to buy it.
Click to expand...

http://www.anandtech.com/displays/showdoc.aspx?i=2400
As unique as Apple's Cinema display might be in the world of 19" to 21" flat panel displays, it shares the same LG.Philips panel as the Dell UltraSharp 2005FPW.
 
andrebsd said:
http://www.anandtech.com/displays/showdoc.aspx?i=2400
As unique as Apple's Cinema display might be in the world of 19" to 21" flat panel displays, it shares the same LG.Philips panel as the Dell UltraSharp 2005FPW.
Click to expand...

Right, but the signal processing "guts" are entirely different, and in turn helps differentiate them. For example, Apple has only one input/digital. From reviews I have seen, this limits your connection options but gives the most stable image.
 
You know, as I looked through that Anandtech article... I couldn't help but to wonder if there was something wrong with their methods. For example, when measuring brightness, did they account for the fact that the Dell didn't have as deep a black level as the ACD?
 
I owned a Formac 17" LCD and just recently sold it. It's compatible to the older Apple LCD. The new Apple 20" display and the Dell 20" WP displays use the same backlight. I now own an older Apple 17" LCD and a Dell 20" LCD WP. The Dell is pretty sweet ... i would never had said that a year ago. :rolleyes:

2 would rock!

If the price drops well get dual 24" Dell WP at work!!! :D

If i could afford it i would buy the Apple displays, but i can't ... they Dell works quite well and has the ability to turn on it's side. The new Formacs are not that competitive anymore. bad service and old design; thier pixels keep getting bigger too.

One thing about the Dell is that it's really bright ... it's lowest brightness setting is comparible to the highest brightness setting on my 17" Apple LCD.


peace | neut
 
mus0r said:
Well, my objection to Dell (outside of being a tech and knowing their products are crap) is their price. The only way you become the *largest anything* is by making the *cheapest product* (or a better product at the same price, depending on competition).

Dell is huge because they sell cheap crap...just like Wal-mart. As a matter of fact, I'd be willing to bet most of the people who shop at Wal-mart own a Dell. I don't buy cheap crap...even if it means waiting a few months longer or selling something else to buy it.
Click to expand...


Now now, don't get into this Walmart business. Yes, I shop at walmart, and my parents/sister have a DELL. What does Walmart have to do with anything. Guess how many stores like Walmart there are around here? NONE! Just Walmart. Walmart is a grocery store as well as a regular department store. What does being cheap have to do with shopping at walmart? OMG I'm cheap so I get eggs for $2.15 instead of $2.35!1!11!!!!
 
ITASOR said:
Now now, don't get into this Walmart business. Yes, I shop at walmart, and my parents/sister have a DELL. What does Walmart have to do with anything. Guess how many stores like Walmart there are around here? NONE! Just Walmart. Walmart is a grocery store as well as a regular department store. What does being cheap have to do with shopping at walmart? OMG I'm cheap so I get eggs for $2.15 instead of $2.35!1!11!!!!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I see this kind of "accepted" racism or stereotyping of people who have different socioeconomic conditions quite frequently now on forums all over the place.

And to make it worse, it is almost accepted on those kinds of forums--and I read predominantly computer hardware forums.
 
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