Your thoughts on the Cinema Display?

[Buckeyes1995]

So my Gateway 30" XHD3000 just died. In lieu of trying to repair it (which I've heard Gateway will not even do, for money), I'm thinking about using this as an excuse to get a 27" Cinema Display. Never having used one, or an iMac, what are your opinions? Is it worth the $1k pricetag?

I've read the display is amazing, yet the glossy coating makes it very hard to read under certain conditions. Mine would be used exclusively in my home office which is pretty dark.

Would love to hear your opinions and experiences.

Thanks.

 

[miles01110]

Overpriced, in my opinion. But I guess it depends on what your priorities are; glossy flat-panel, Apple brand, screen size, etc.

 

[rumz]

So my Gateway 30" XHD3000 just died. In lieu of trying to repair it (which I've heard Gateway will not even do, for money), I'm thinking about using this as an excuse to get a 27" Cinema Display. Never having used one, or an iMac, what are your opinions? Is it worth the $1k pricetag?

I've read the display is amazing, yet the glossy coating makes it very hard to read under certain conditions. Mine would be used exclusively in my home office which is pretty dark.

Would love to hear your opinions and experiences.

Thanks.

I use a 24" Cinema Display at work full time for web design. The only time I see reflections on it are when the display is off-- the gloss doesn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would.

I used my brother-in-law's 27" iMac a bit last weekend, and I would love that screen real estate-- it's nice just to have it in one place rather than the 24" + 20" that I have at both the office and at home-- but I haven't really done any work on the 27" to see if that would be sufficient.

Generally speaking, I think the 27" display is priced on par with Dell's 27" IPS display (though you're more likely to get Dell's on sale for a bit of a discount from time to time).

Question is-- what machine (or graphics card) are you using? Use of the Cinema Display is limited by what connection your gfx card has. (For example, in replacing older monitors recently at the office, we could only replace monitors that were running on newer Mac Pros that have mini displayports.)

 

[jonnysods]

It's pricey (consider the refurb model perhaps), but its a solid monitor, looks great with your current hardware too. The colour accuracy is very good in my opinion.

And wow - they are awesome if you have a laptop.

 

[jonnysods]

Oh, and I have two of them. One at my home office, one at my work office.

 

[guitargoddsjm]

I upgraded from a 22" (1680x1050) HP monitor which I really liked, but I can't imagine using that after getting my 27" ACD.

Although you'll be losing about 400k pixels, pixel density will go up and you'll be getting a display that's designed to be tightly integrated with Macs, especially the Macbook/Pro/Air.

I use it without problems in my bedroom, which gets a lot of sunlight, and the brightness is usually only up 50-75%. Personally, I love glossy displays. I got the HP I used before this because it was glossy.

 

[dagamer34]

Overpriced, in my opinion. But I guess it depends on what your priorities are; glossy flat-panel, Apple brand, screen size, etc.

It's expensive, but not overprices. Other monitors in it's class cost more. Remember it's an IPS display with a greater than 1920x1080 resolution, so you are certainly paying for it, but I don't think anyone would recommend a 1920x1080 screen on a 27" display.

 

[guitargoddsjm]

It's expensive, but not overprices. Other monitors in it's class cost more. Remember it's an IPS display with a greater than 1920x1080 resolution, so you are certainly paying for it, but I don't think anyone would recommend a 1920x1080 screen on a 27" display.

The closest model to the 27" ACD is the Del U2711. I believe it has an almost identical IPS panel, but there are (more than) a few differences:

• More input options (HDMI, displayport, DVI, VGA, USB)
• Height adjustable stand (really nice feature IMO)
• 12-bit color processing, while the ACD has 8-bit
• antiglare vs the ACD gloss

Granted, these features come at a cost - the regular price is $1099. Also, if you have some sort of recent gen Macbook and other accessories (like an Apple keyboard), you'll have much tighter integration with the ACD. Again, like someone else said, it depends on your priorities.

 

[hexonxonx]

Back in 2008, I bough a 23" ACD. This was when they had the antiglare coating on them which was noticeable and looked like grains of sand or something. I sold it after a year.

I liked that it had USB and firewire ports on the back of it. I also liked that the brightness could be controlled by the keyboard.

Since then, I bought a Samsung 24" monitor that has an antiglare coating on i and it os not noticeable at all. It's clear and sharp just as the ACD was at 1/3 the cost.

If I did buy another ACD, it would be a used one for the reduced cost.

 

[genexrocket]

I really wanna get a 27" Cinema Display to go with my Macbook Pro, I need to stop myself from buying it, haha. I'm using a 23" Acer right now but $1,000 seems to much for a monitor, even though it has an IPS panel, in the end, it's still just a monitor.

 

[Matthew9559]

Overall: Too pricey.

I want one, mainly for aesthetic reasons though. You can get a comparable LCD at cheaper prices easily. I love the look of the Apple monitors though. I just graduated college though, a bit too much money when other cheaper alternatives are available readily.

 

[Ashok0]

I love my ACD27", it looks gorgeous and as far as aesthetics go, there really is no comparable PC monitor. That being said, if you want a 27" 2560x1440 display, all known displays with these specs use 1 of 3 types of panels:

1. LG.Display 3H panels: These are found in nearly ALL 27" 2650x1440 displays, such as the NEC PA271W and DELL U2711. They use a 3H hard coating which gives text a very grainy appearance. The screens have a very harsh "spakle" effect. I found this to be a total dealbreaker and would NOT recommend any of these. Unfortunately, this also knocks out nearly all 27" displays with one blow.

2. LG.Display Glossy panels: These glossy panels were custom designed at Apple's request. They lack the "grain" effect but will have glare issues in a well lit environment. Only 2 display series use these panels: The Apple LED Cinema Display 27", and the Hazro HZ27WA and HZ27WC. Hazro displays are only sold in Europe and their handling of warranties is questionable in North America. I have been VERY happy with my ACD27", text is crystal clear with no "sparkle" effect.

3. Samsung 2H panel: Future 27" 2560x1440 product which ships this summer. Uses a PLS panel (new technology) which should be slightly cheaper to manufacture than IPS panels. It also uses a grade 2H panel. Thanks to a very mild surface treatment, the SA850 is anti-reflective and also has no "grain" or "sparkle" effect. Text is crystal clear just like the ACD27", minus the reflections.

In summary OP, if you need a monitor now I would get an ACD27". There are NO other comparable monitors unless you purchase a 3H display i.e. the DELL U2711 which have an awful "sparkle" effect. If you can wait a month, however, skip the U2711 and ACD27" and buy the Samsung SA850. It looks to be THE display to beat.

 

[Sodner]

1. Beautiful
2. Apple quality
3. Expensive
4. Expensive
5. Expensive

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Just like any other computer, you can get better for less by not going with Apple. The difference is that when it comes to monitors, there's no user real experience that Apple can improve on.

Get the Dell version for less, or, if you're not into the whole IPS thing, get a cheaper 27" one for much less

 

[MattA]

If you want to save a couple of bucks, you might consider an Apple refurbished 27" monitor. They're currently running $850 at the Apple store online.

I picked up a 24" Refurbished Apple monitor, and when it arrived, I really could not tell that it was refurbished. It looked, operated, and smelled brand new. Pretty amazing. The only way you can tell is the box is brown instead of the full color one. That's it.

 

[frozntundra96]

I got the 27" ACD a few weeks ago. I don't regret it at all. The display is beautiful!! Unbox it and hook it up. It's plug and play. I use it with my MBP. I justify that the MBP plus the monitor are not much different in price than an iMac except I can take the MBP with me when I travel. Well worth the money imho.

 

[Washac]

Hi

My opinion of Apple displays is that they are over priced rubbish.

I have a 24 LED ACD and within 6 months it had to go back because of the dirt that got into the flat panel itself, not behind the protective screen but inside the panel. It went back, came back OK and within a few months the dirt/dust is back again and this time also a a big area of dead pixels at the top of the screen.

I will never ever buy another Apple display.....

 

[nutmac]

Overpriced, in my opinion. But I guess it depends on what your priorities are; glossy flat-panel, Apple brand, screen size, etc.

Overall: Too pricey.

My opinion of Apple displays is that they are over priced rubbish.

I would like these people to name a comparable (IPS 27") display that are significantly cheaper than Apple's. Being able to have a display with wide viewing angle and true 16+ million colors (instead of few hundred thousands on cheaper models) may not be a priority to some, especially gamers, but that is not the target segment for this display.

And let's not forget that Apple's Display has few niceties like iSight, ambient sensor, decent set of speakers (with tiny "subwoofer"), and MagSafe connection.

Granted, Apple can do better by offering matte option and update for Thunderbolt connection, but I find "overpriced" argument to be without basis of facts.

 

[Ashok0]

I find "overpriced" argument to be without basis of facts.

Agreed. Imho, Apple is already selling the ACD27" at a competitive price. Name one 2560x1440 @ 27" IPS monitor that is built out of aluminum and has a built in camera and speakers, and doesn't have LG's FUGLY anti-glare coating.

The only 27" PC monitor that truly has anything on the ACD27" is the Samsung SA850, but it isn't for sale yet.

 

[vincenz]

Hi

My opinion of Apple displays is that they are over priced rubbish.

I have a 24 LED ACD and within 6 months it had to go back because of the dirt that got into the flat panel itself, not behind the protective screen but inside the panel. It went back, came back OK and within a few months the dirt/dust is back again and this time also a a big area of dead pixels at the top of the screen.

I will never ever buy another Apple display.....

Do you live inside an HVAC unit or something?...

I've never heard of that problem with any of the ACDs. I've had mine for 10 months and nothing like that.

 

[ActionableMango]

The Apple display is reflective, does not rotate, does not swivel, and cannot be adjusted for height.

I prefer Dell Ultrasharps.

 

[skyline r34]

Dual 27-inch LED Cinema Displays

Can I ask you guys a question? I'm planning on buying a second 27-inch LED for my Mac Pro setup, When hooking up a other display can I use the second mini display-port or do i need a adaptor to the DVi port to hook up other display

 

[peskaa]

Can I ask you guys a question? I'm planning on buying a second 27-inch LED for my Mac Pro setup, When hooking up a other display can I use the second mini display-port or do i need a adaptor to the DVi port to hook up other display

I'm assuming you're running a 5770 or 5870 with dual MDP ports? If so then you can just plug the second display straight in to an MDP port, no need to touch DVI.

 

[skyline r34]

I'm assuming you're running a 5770 or 5870 with dual MDP ports? If so then you can just plug the second display straight in to an MDP port, no need to touch DVI.

Thank You, Now I just have to wait for the thunderbolt LED Cinema displays to come out

 

[peskaa]

Thank You, Now I just have to wait for the thunderbolt LED Cinema displays to come out

If Apple do update to Thunderbolt, a display that uses Thunderbolt for its connection won't work with your Mac Pro, as Thunderbolt needs its chips on both ends of the connection.

So basically, buy now.