[Paco Loco]

I am planning to buy a flat panel monitor to use in conjunction with my MBP when I am at my desk, to give me more screen space to work with.

What I am concerned about is the monitor screen matching the MBP screen as closely as possible in terms of image quality and colour.
I know the best solution is probably to get an Apple cinema display but that is out of my budget and anyway I am only thinking of getting a 17 inch.

Can anyone recommend a monitor which is a good match?
Currently I am considering a Dell UltraSharp 1707FP but i have yet to see one in the flesh...

[beadman]

Go down to your local CostCo, BestBuy, etc., and check out their HDTV sets. We just picked up a 19 inch HDTV from QVC and it has both VGA and DVI plugs. I connected a VGA cable from my MBP to the HDTV, turned it on and had instant second monitor screen. Color was great, sharpness was fantastic, and the MBP was able to use the expanded desktop with no problems. Resolution on the HDTV was 1440 by 900 or so, and very good.

beadman

[Paco Loco]

Thanks, that is good to know....

I'm not currently planning on buying a HDTV though, and the monitor I am looking at is only £160 (around $320) - I assume that an HDTV would be considerably more expensive.

Anyone else got any thoughts on this?

[onlyone-jc]

The Dell 1707FP only has resolution support of up to 1280x1024, so it wouldn't be a very good match at all.

I'm guessing you've got a 17" MacBook Pro, so if you want the best work-flow, you're best looking for screens that support 1680x1050. I'm not sure if many third-party 17" LCD displays support that, so you may have to go down the 19" or 20" route.

Good luck,
onlyone-jc.

[Paco Loco]

Thanks for the advice, I had not thought of that.

Actually I have the 15" MBP - would 1680x1050 screens still be best in your opinion?

[onlyone-jc]

If you have the 15", displays with a resolution of 1440x900 would be best suited. This would give you identical work-space on each display.

[mduell]

I don't think you're going to find any desktop display that is a close match to the MBP's screen. The MBP's LCD is only 6-bit, while most desktop displays are 8-bit and much brighter with more even backlight.

That said, how much is the Dell E207WFP on your side of the pond? It's under $260 here.

[onlyone-jc]

Originally Posted by mduell 

how much is the Dell E207WFP on your side of the pond?

£194.99 is the cheapest I can find it for.

[Thraxes]

I use my 15" MBP with a 20" Dell widescreen with the laptop on an iCurve Stand right next to it. works just fine for me. I use the larger Display as my primary workspace and have less important stuff such as mail-app, Adium, iTunes, IRC Chats etc running on the laptop display. When I unplug the laptop it all just moves over onto the laptop display, when I plug in the Dell the dock and menubar gor right over to the big screen... easy as pie.
The difference in resolution dosn't bug me at all as it is not that big.

[Paco Loco]

Originally Posted by mduell 

That said, how much is the Dell E207WFP on your side of the pond? It's under $260 here.

Is this the Dell model to go for then in most peoples opinions?

Originally Posted by onlyone-jc 

£194.99 is the cheapest I can find it for.

Where did you find that? Cheapest I could find was £213...

[onlyone-jc]

Originally Posted by Paco Loco 

Is this the Dell model to go for then in most peoples opinions?

If you don't mind a 20" display, and the larger resolution of 1680x1050, then yeah, this seems to be a good display. Some people say it uses the same LCD panel as the 20" ACD.

If you want to closely match your MacBook Pro display as much as possible in terms of dimensions, then you're going to want a 15" that supports 1440x900.

I'd personally go with the bigger display, and use it as my main display (with the Finder on, etc) with an external mouse and keyboard (my choice would be Apple's Bluetooth keyboard, and Bluetooth Mighty Mouse). Then, I'd have my MacBook Pro sitting to the side, running as a dual-display.

Where did you find that? Cheapest I could find was £213...

Ahh, the joys of eBay. It's £194.99, plus £15 delivery. So, a total of £210. It doesn't work out that much cheaper than the one you found.

But, as you can see, this is slowly, but surely, rising above your budget. So, take a step back for a moment, and absorb some wisdom as to what you should do.

Good luck,
onlyone-jc.

[Paco Loco]

Thanks for the advice.
I'll sleep on it...

[romeosc]

Tigerdirect.com has a 20" for $189.

TigerDirect.com Best Deals - Computer Parts, PC Components, Desktop Computers, Laptops, Notebooks

• 1680 x 1050 Resolution
• 1000:1 Contrast Ratio
• 5ms Response Time
• DVI Digital Input / VGA
• Integrated Speakers
• 1 Year Limited Warranty