Why not an Apple Cinema Display?

[Mac4EverDrummer]

Waiting for June to see what's on the docket for the Mac Studio. In meantime pouring over threads and youtube vid on monitors. The 30" Cinema displays are super cheap. I'm not a video editor, just using for drum recording with logicPro, some software development, some 3d modeling, etc.

Granted the resolution is low, compared to today's monitors studio display, and all the others in the $600+ range. Nive that this had a vesa mount... and today NO.

I have been very interested in this Dell:
https://geni.us/2723QE

Senseless idea?👍👎🤷‍♂️🤔

 

[i486dx2-66]

I have a 28" 4K monitor, and am unhappy with the PPI for macOS usage. Sample size of one, of course, but if you're doing software development where text clarity matters, the scaling is something to keep in mind.

How cheap are the 30" Cinema displays in your area?

 

[Mac4EverDrummer]

I have a 28" 4K monitor, and am unhappy with the PPI for macOS usage. Sample size of one, of course, but if you're doing software development where text clarity matters, the scaling is something to keep in mind.

How cheap are the 30" Cinema displays in your area?

$100-200 30”

 

[kitsunesoba]

The 30" Cinema Display despite its age isn't too bad from a resolution perspective… it's basically the 27" 2560x1440 monitors that are popular today with some added vertical pixels (2560x1600). Color reproduction isn't going to hold a candle to what newer displays can do but that doesn't matter to everybody. Even its brightness is respectable relative to modern displays at 400 nits. The only spec I see that isn't so great is its 700:1 contrast (even entry level IPS displays do 1000:1 now).

The main issue with that model, as far as I know, is that the CCFL backlighting it uses can both yellow and dim with age and while it's possible to replace that backlighting with modern LED backlighting, it's potentially dangerous since the CCFL tubes contain mercury which is bad news if you break them accidentally, plus there can be odd quirks like the on/off state of the backlight being reversed after replacement (so e.g. in order to max its brightness, you'd turn its brightness to minimum on you mac). I've also heard that DVI → DisplayPort/HDMI/Thunderbolt adapters can be fussy and troublesome but I have no personal experience with this.

That said the dimming/yellowing might correlate with usage (I don't know if that's true), in which case if you can find a deal on a barely used unit you might have several years of like-new usage out of it.

 

[i486dx2-66]

it's basically the 27" 2560x1440 monitors that are popular today

The usability of 27" 2560x1440 monitors took a drastic nose-dive when Apple removed OS-level anti-aliasing... They used to be a great display for Macs... but not anymore.

 

[xraydoc]

The usability of 27" 2560x1440 monitors took a drastic nose-dive when Apple removed OS-level anti-aliasing... They used to be a great display for Macs... but not anymore.

I have to agree with this statement. While usable, text doesn't look great on anything that macOS doesn't consider "HiDPI".

 

[Basic75]

The usability of 27" 2560x1440 monitors took a drastic nose-dive when Apple removed OS-level anti-aliasing... They used to be a great display for Macs... but not anymore.

Personally I'm still happy with them, especially when like EUR/USD 250,- gets you an otherwise decent IPS display.

 

[gugy]

I still to this day have two 30" ACDs. I love them. Yes, they are old and the newer Mac display are way better but for me the Studio Display at 27" is too small and expensive and the XDR is prefect but I can't justify, even as a pro to pay more than $7k (nano/stand options).
I'm still hoping Apple can come up with a larger than 30" display at half of the price of the XDR. Better yet, cut half the price on the current XDR when they release the new XDR 2.0.

 

[sunapple]

I would only get an older monitor at a very low price. When something breaks it's over as far as repairs go. I have had quite a few monitors replaced in the past, no personal experience with the 30" ACD though.

 

[Mac4EverDrummer]

I still to this day have two 30" ACDs. I love them. Yes, they are old and the newer Mac display are way better but for me the Studio Display at 27" is too small and expensive and the XDR is prefect but I can't justify, even as a pro to pay more than $7k (nano/stand options).
I'm still hoping Apple can come up with a larger than 30" display at half of the price of the XDR. Better yet, cut half the price on the current XDR when they release the new XDR 2.0.

What do you think the resolution would be with a mac studio?

 

[Zest28]

It depends on what your criteria is.

I wanted a display that looks as good as the display on my 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro. And the only 2 displays that did that are the Apple Studio Display and the Pro XDR.

But for $100, the 30" Apple Cinema Display is not a bad buy I guess.

 

[i486dx2-66]

I would only get an older monitor at a very low price. When something breaks it's over as far as repairs go.

Generally agreed, but it's worth noting that any working 30" out there today is already a "survivor" that has made it past any assembly, QC, or other early life reliability concerns. Nobody outside of Apple (and possibly not even Apple) knows where these are at on the "Bathtub Curve"... but it could be just as close to "Flight Proven" status as it is to "just about ready to fail"...

 

[gugy]

What do you think the resolution would be with a mac studio?

The ACD will be the native resolution. I have it with my MBP Max. You will only need a dongle to connect the ACD.
This is the one I have.

Club3D CAC-1510-A USB Type C to Dual Link DVI-D Cable Adapter Support 3840x2160@30hz, 2560x1600@60Hz HDCP Off for Apple Cinema Displays M/F

USB C to DVI-D Dualink adapter without HDCP Support for certain Apple Cinema monitors without HDCP The USB Type C to Dual Link DVI or Single Link DVI Adapter is the easiest solution for connecting your USB Type C source device featuring DisplayPort Alternate Mode to a DVI enabled Monitor or Proje...

www.amazon.com

 

[Dutch60]

The usability of 27" 2560x1440 monitors took a drastic nose-dive when Apple removed OS-level anti-aliasing... They used to be a great display for Macs... but not anymore.

Depends on usage I guess. I have a dual monitor setup. My 2560x1440p monitor is set as main screen/ iMac as extended screen. For my usage that 2560x1440p serves me much better.