[laseca]

I'll be picking up a 17" Powerbook soon and wondering if I should get a 20" Cinema Display with it. Currently I'm using a G4 PowerMac Dual 500 with a Sony G500 21" monitor. The 17" Powerbook will replace my desktop system. I use Photoshop a lot as well as Dreamweaver MX and other web development tools. I'm thinking the 17" display may be adequate but the thought of an additional display keeps looming in my mind. The 23" is too pricey and just a tad too big for me so I ruled that one out but the 20" looks perfect in size should I decide to get one. I never worked with multiple displays before but have a feeling that once I try it, I won't want to go back.

[AssassyN]

I say, if you have the cash, GO FOR IT! It's the greatest way to spend $1,200 for your computer, hands down. Once you go dual-displays, you'll wonder how you ever did without. I have the 17" PB and a 23" HD Display and it's SO nice having such massive screen real estate at my fingertips. Homework is so much easier now, as I can have Word open and 4 internet windows in which I can easily swap between to compile information and put it all into a Word document. Browsing it so much better as it doesn't clutter up anything, and you can run 3-5 applications all at once and easily keep them all in perspective.

If you have the money, don't think twice about it. It'll improve your productivity by a great deal. The only other thing I recommend is getting a Griffin iCurve to sit your 17" PB on top of while using both displays (and an external keyboard/mouse of course) b/c the iCurve places the 17" PBs screen at a perfect level w/ the Cinema Display's screen and helps make it appear as one huge screen. Plus, the 17" PB handles screen-spanning like a dream. Good luck!

[chrisutley]

The 20" ACD is the best looking flat panel Apple has ever produced, and I use mine attached to a 667 DVI - great combo. I also use the iCurve, which for me anyway turns my setup into a true dual display workstation.

[yellow no.5]

I had always thought, "Bah...who needs two screens? Who needs one as big as as 20" let alone a 23?" But I was at the Apple store the other day really checking them out, and now my drool-factor is about 20 gallons a day. I was playing around with the 20", and it's SO baaaaad. I feel as though I must save up and get one now. I'd say go for it if funds are available. I'm certainly game for one once I can get it.

Even with two, I'll feel like Tank from The Matrix and always answer my phone, "Operator."

Yes, two screens...yes.

-yno.5

[katorga]

The icurve is one of the most useful things I have got. Its perfect for powerbooks and really results in a nice solution for using a notebook as a desktop replacement. I use mine with my TiBook and PC Laptop.

I'd get a 20" or 23" apple display in a heartbeat. In fact the 23" may be my "new computer" for 2003. I have yet to see an LCD from another vendor that matches them for color, clarity and response time. They are very impressive. In particular the 23" is simply amazing.

[seanyepez]

Originally posted by katorga:
I'd get a 20" or 23" apple display in a heartbeat. In fact the 23" may be my "new computer" for 2003. I have yet to see an LCD from another vendor that matches them for color, clarity and response time. They are very impressive. In particular the 23" is simply amazing.

If you haven't seen LCD panels that are clearer, faster, and more vivid than the 23-inch Cinema Display, you should stop using Apple retailers as your one-stop shops for your computing needs.

First of all, the 23-inch Cinema Display isn't as bright as its 20-inch cousin. It might be the most desireable LCD panel on the market, but it's definitely neither the fastest nor the clearest. Iiyama, Hitachi, Samsung, and Viewsonic all produce panels with far superior response time. Apple chooses not to list the pixel latency of the Cinema Display, and I don't blame them. It's not even close to the 16- and 20-millisecond response times of modern panels. Try dragging a window across a Cinema Display. The text and icons will blur. This test is demonstrative of the Cinema Display's inability to keep up with the action in first-person shooter games. Granted, games are still playable, but they're definitely not as fluid on a Cinema Display as they are on newer panels.

I suspect the response time of the Cinema Display is closer to 40 milliseconds than 30 milliseconds, but it's definitely up there. I bought a 20-inch Cinema Display thinking the response time would be better, but I was unpleasantly surprised. The 20-inch Cinema Display uses the same technology the 23-inch Cinema Display uses except for its brighter backlight.

Also, Apple has one of the worst pixel defect policies in the business. In fact, they have no policy other than to work with customers on a case-by-case basis. Because they're not technically a "PC" manufacturer, they claim that they do not have to adhere to the standards that regulate other display manufacturers.

http://www.tomshardware.com/display/...pixels-02.html

The 23-inch Cinema Display is a great display, but there are other panels that are far better than it in the areas you mentioned. I purchase Apple displays solely for their aesthetic appeal. They match my Power Macs and PowerBooks.

[laseca]

Thanks for all your great responses. You guys definitely convinced me to get a Cinema Display. I haven't taken a real good look at the displays yet but will check them out on my next visit to the Apple Store. I'll get a 20" Cinema Display (and an iCurve) when I buy my 17" Powerbook.

[katorga]

Actually I don't one stop shop at Apple stores. I primarily use PCs. I have two Samsung 19" panels on my Linux box. They have 25ms response time, but the ghosting makes them useless for DVD or gaming. I have tested the same DVDs and game on a 23" at my Apple store and don't notice any ghosting, and certainly nothing near as bad as my Samsungs. No one has 16ms Hitachi LCDs locally for me to test and the 22ms Sony's at bestbuy are all too small for me (but nice performance).

FWIW, all 23" displays made after Feb 2003 use a 25ms Phillips screen, prior to that they were 40ms. Both the 23" and 20" are bright enough for me.

Compared to the actual panals that I can go to a store a hands on examine or test, the Apple screens are the best available in my area. Good enough that I would like to get one to use on my PC to replace my two Samsungs. They are also considerably less expensive than options like the Samsung 240T 24" unit.