[Agent69]

In the opinion of this forum, which would be better for a new PowerMac: dual CRTs or a single, larger CRT?

(Note: I dislike LCD screens, so they are ruled out.)

Thanks!

[Mr. Blur]

what size(s) are you thinking for each scenario? i use 2 crt's at the moment...17" and 19" and prefer that to one larger crt.

[OreoCookie]

You get addicted to two screens. Browsing and working with two screens is soooo cool. I am doing it for about four weeks now (after hacking my iBook) and can't live without it.

19" monitors are not quite as expensive. E. g. I have a Formac 19/500 which is a really good CRT (last version before flat screen CRT). Two identical 19" would be perfect. In case you don't have that type of money, Get one 19", save a little, buy a second one later.

A good monitor is really worth it (lives longer than the usual Mac).

[Agent69]

I was thinking about two 17" monitors or a single 20" or 21" model. I think having two monitors would be really cool but I am a little concerned that there would be magnetic interference with two monitors sitting so close to one another.

(OreoCookie: Glad to see the iBook hack is working out for you. IMHO, Dual monitor support should be inclued in every Mac, regardless of where it sits in the product line.)

[Kami]

I have my 19 inch Sony and 20(?) inch Apple Two Page Display (monochrome) sitting side by side - no more than a half inch apart at the bezels and there is no problem with "magnetic interference" between the 2 displays. The TPD is 1990 vintage and that thing is probably kicking out a ton of radiation out the side and back.

I agree with OreoCookie - get the best quality monitors you can afford and the 19 inch monitors seems to be the sweet spot for CRTs

[tooki]

I agree... 19" CRTs are great values. I, as always, recommend to you buying a Mitsubishi Diamond Pro line monitor. My Diamond Pro 900u (the first 19" flat diamondtron) is now almost 4 years old and still looks like new, that is, absolutely gorgeous.

Monitors don't interfere with each other, normally. The few times I've seen it, one of the monitors was an old, non-low-radiation model, back-to-back with another. I've never seen monitors side-by-side cause interference.

(I can tell you for absolute fact that even five Mitsubishis immediately next to each other will not cause interference, because that's what one client has.)

tooki

[Mac Zealot]

I have CRTs all over the place and am thinking about taking one of my PCs and just gutting it so I can use dual monitors on another.

*shrug* dual monitors rock. And if anything I reccomend trinitron/trinitron FD monitors as those seem to be of the best quality

(I had a trinitron fall on the floor off a table once and it works just fine to this day)

[OreoCookie]

Originally posted by Agent69:
I was thinking about two 17" monitors or a single 20" or 21" model. I think having two monitors would be really cool but I am a little concerned that there would be magnetic interference with two monitors sitting so close to one another.

(OreoCookie: Glad to see the iBook hack is working out for you. IMHO, Dual monitor support should be inclued in every Mac, regardless of where it sits in the product line.)

Don't buy 21"/22", get 19" (preferably two). And as I said, in case you can't afford it, buy one high-quality 19", save for the second one, and buy it when you can.

It was the mistake I have made with my first (and last) PC after my Amiga -- I have put in a great graphics card for that time but sticked to a crappy monitor.

My parents have a slow-as-dog K6-2 400 running Win2k from our favorite company, but they have that great Formac 19/500 (Sony Trinitron) that beats my brother's brand-new LG in terms of quality.
A good monitor should last 4-5 years, so about two PCs.

Definitely go for Flatscreen CRTs. I would recommend Samsung (uses the Nec-Mitsubishi CRT Tooki mentioned), Iiyama (two i's, iiyama), and if you really have money, go Eizo. Nothing beats them, but they are a bit more expensive. The first two hit the sweet spot.

[raferx]

I am running 2 19" Sony G420S' at the moment, and I LOVE THEM! Get two 19" monitors if you can afford it, if not get one 21" Sony now, and save to get another 21" later. I will be getting larger CRT's by the end of next year. I paln on getting 2 of the Sony 24" 16:10 aspect ratio CRTs... I beleive it is the W900.
here is a link;

http://www.sonyfastrac.ca/webapp/com...&cgrfnbr=16360

Whatever size you get, I would recommend Sony above all others.

[Jansar]

Although I have a large LCD monitor, I also use a smaller CRT as an extended desktop. Unlike using a single monitor, dual monitors redefines the way one multitasks and/or uses the computer. For instance, I keep iTunes, AIM, and Entourage open in my second monitor for convenience so I can work normally on my second monitor.

[passmaster16]

I have Sony G420 and G520...19 and 21 inch respectively. I love the dual display setup. It helps especially when you multitask. You can have a webpage up on one screen and word processor up on another. I like the graphics quality of Sony. Plus mine have dual inputs so I can switch over to dual displays on my PC just by hitting one button on each monitor. If you can afford it, go for it.

-Josh

[Agent69]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies. I'll look into the 19" monitors.


Thanks again,

[G4ME]

no matter the size, i have to say that is the single best sig i have ever seen, keep it.

And you guys have convinced me i am picking up another CRT, Tomshardware had a great review of a viewsonic, 19 inch don't remember the modle number but it was only 238 shiped from Buy.com.

Now the hunt begins for my new CRT.

[Mac Zealot]

If you are looking at that 24" sony, dude, be they're *OK* but they still aren't as great as a cinema/cinema HD.

I got a good chance to play with one in the store, they just aren't as sharp.

I wouldn't mind having one, though, but my furniture won't support a 92lb monitor.

[RealMac]

I had two displays hooked up to my old sawtooth g4 machine <. I guess the main problem for me was not having a desk large enough and not being able to get the two displays to match up side by side.

fyi, I had an Apple 17" studio display next to a viewsonic e790 (from 2000). I spent more time looking at once display vs the other. You might have a better experience. I was just doing it for sh**s and giggles pretty much. Not working in an industry whereit would really benefit me. I'm rethinking it again, with another e790 display.

I hope you have enough space on your desk too. My already small bedroom also happens to be my workspace, so things can be a bit cramped at times.

Heat is another issue too. You don't realize it until the summertime and the displays seem to just radiate it. Then again you might have a great cooling system in your environment and won't have to worry about it. Just some food for thought.

[tooki]

FWIW, I actually think that the Mitsubishi Diamondtron CRTs are better than Trinitrons. And when you then consider that they're cheaper, too!

I have never liked Sony's 24" wide CRTs, just because the distortion towards the left and right sides is much too annoying.

tooki

[OreoCookie]

Originally posted by tooki:
FWIW, I actually think that the Mitsubishi Diamondtron CRTs are better than Trinitrons. And when you then consider that they're cheaper, too!

I have never liked Sony's 24" wide CRTs, just because the distortion towards the left and right sides is much too annoying.

tooki

Plus the 24" CRTs are far too expensive. And they cause problems with some configurations on the Mac (resolutions that are not available).

[raferx]

Originally posted by OreoCookie:
Plus the 24" CRTs are far too expensive. And they cause problems with some configurations on the Mac (resolutions that are not available).

Thanks for input as well, as I have not had a chance to work on them (W900 24"), only seen them online or in the catalogue. Good food for thought when buying time comes around.

[jaisun]

I completely agree with the dual monitor solution...I've been running a dual setup (in a number of different configs) for nearly 6 years and there is NO WAY I could go back to a single screen. I went so far as to purchase a 17" CRT and V3 to use as a pallete screen at work. However, it still doesn't compare to my 21" Studio Display/17" AppleVision setup at home. They certainly require a lot of desk space :|

As a brand comparison:

The 21" Hitachi SuperScan CRT I use at work sux.

The Trinitron tubes in both the AppleVision and Dell 17" screens I use are a tad blurry, but otherwise decent.

The Diamondtron tube in the 21" Studio Display is quite nice...one of the best CRTs I've seen (easily compares to the upper-end Sony and LaCie screens I've used).

Dual 19"s would be tight...plenty of screen real estate without the huge footprint/mass factor. Hard to go wrong with that

Good luck!

[firefly]

When I tried a dual 17" monitor setup (one Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 740SB and one Applevision 1710) I actually did get interference between the two. Each would display scan lines going in the opposite directions (one monitor up, the other down). I think if they used different refresh rates it didnt occur.

Odd that.

I did not feel comfortable using this setup. I think it is important to keep the monitors the same.

[iChristopher]

Whoa! How did you hack the iBook and can it be done with a FP iMac? Any problems with this setup?

Originally posted by Agent69:
I was thinking about two 17" monitors or a single 20" or 21" model. I think having two monitors would be really cool but I am a little concerned that there would be magnetic interference with two monitors sitting so close to one another.

(OreoCookie: Glad to see the iBook hack is working out for you. IMHO, Dual monitor support should be inclued in every Mac, regardless of where it sits in the product line.)

[Mac Zealot]

Click here to see 17" crt + cinema display screenshot

I'm having a lot of fun with it

[Mac Zealot]

Originally posted by iChristopher:
Whoa! How did you hack the iBook and can it be done with a FP iMac? Any problems with this setup?

No unfortunately it doesn't work on the 15"