[2009059]

I'm going to be buying a big lcd soon (like 2 months) and I want to know your opinions for this:

Should I spend the big bucks with Edu discount on the beautiful 30" Apple display or go for the ugly 24" and by meself some more RAM/Hard drives?

OR:

Should I wait 'till Apple can get their act together and give us portrait and memory card readers

Thanks a lot

[exca1ibur]

You can get 3 24"s for the price of a 30" and the new video card you HAVE to have though (X800 or 6800). My take... I'd go dual 24" and have change for RAM/Hard Drives.

[sworthy]

You should be comparing the dell 24" to apple's 23" because they have the same resolutions.

[Lee33]

Go with the 30". Contrary to popular belief, size DOES matter.

[Rev-O]

If you buy the 24" you'll struggle with feelings of inadequacy, and suffer from display envy. I have the 30" display, and have no such issues.

[OreoCookie]

So, maybe you compare the wrong displays here.

A 23" cinema display is a really beautiful and high-quality investment.

[AssassyN]

Don't be an Apple fanboy. Get the 24" (or 2) and save yourself some cash and get a BEAUTIFUL display. Contrary to beliefs, those displays AREN'T really ugly. They're simple, but not gaudy.

[italiano]

Just got the Samsung Widescreen 24" in at our CompUSA - whatta beauty! My bud works tomorrow night - I wanna see it hooked to a G5 - awesome looking monitor - and sharp as a tack too (hooked to a PC)

[OreoCookie]

I have recently read a test in c't (Germany's #1 computer mag) and the Apple Cinema Display (20") was cheaper than average and was among the best in terms of image quality.

No need to be a fanboy to buy an Apple Display now.

[chrisutley]

The Apple 20" is still overpiced in the States, by at least $200. If it was actually $200 better than competing products fine, but it isn't. Hell, I can get TWO Dell 20" displays for the price of one Apple. The Dell's even come with DVI and Analog inputs, and can do PIP. Plus you have your choice of wide aspect or not.

If you have money to burn, I envy you. Go buy Apple displays that match your tower or PowerBook, but if money is an issue - you'd be a fool to buy Apple flats right now.

Originally posted by OreoCookie:
I have recently read a test in c't (Germany's #1 computer mag) and the Apple Cinema Display (20") was cheaper than average and was among the best in terms of image quality.

No need to be a fanboy to buy an Apple Display now.

[osxisfun]

i feel so dirty.

i just ordered a dell 2005 to go with my 2 apple LCDs...


$506 ($546 with tax and shipping)

[Too Artificial]

Originally posted by osxisfun:
i feel so dirty.

i just ordered a dell 2005 to go with my 2 apple LCDs...


$506 ($546 with tax and shipping)

I bought the same monitor last week and set it up this week. I love it, especially for $400 less than the Apple.

[Wiskedjak]

If you can afford a 30" Cinema Display, I would go with dual 24" Dells. Size does matter and 2x24" kicks the crap outta 1x30". And, I would hardly consider the Dell to be "ugly"

[osxisfun]

Originally posted by Too Artificial:
I bought the same monitor last week and set it up this week. I love it, especially for $400 less than the Apple.

awesome. the price can not be beat and its as good or better than my current ones so i think i will just put apple stickers on the dell logo...

[Dog Like Nature]

Originally posted by osxisfun:
i feel so dirty.

Does the Dell logo come off easily?

[Cadaver]

Originally posted by Dog Like Nature:
Does the Dell logo come off easily?

I wish...

[osxisfun]

Oh. Its Coming off....excuse while i walk to garage and look for my belt sander


(actually i won't be removing it unless it comes off super easy)

[Mafia]

i just got the dell 2005fpw and its really nice. plus i got it for 550 dollars. i would have loved to get the apple but i could not turn down that price. plus the vga+dvi hookups come in such handy. i love switching between counterstrike source and my powermac with a click of a button.

[osxisfun]

Originally posted by Mafia:
i just got the dell 2005fpw and its really nice. plus i got it for 550 dollars. i would have loved to get the apple but i could not turn down that price. plus the vga+dvi hookups come in such handy. i love switching between counterstrike source and my powermac with a click of a button.

You can hook up the PC to the vga and the mac to the dvi and switch between them using the front buttons on the LCD?

too cool. i have a KVM but this sounds even easier unless i am misunderstanding you..

thx.

[iREZ]

I'd get two Dell 24" LCD's. Way more bang for the buck...and just because they're black all of a sudden the whole Apple community thinks they're ugly. No question the Apple cinemas are gorgeous, but the Dell isn't too bad to look at either, especially if you got the mx700 mouse and matching keyboard. Just look at this picture of a mini setup with an Apple and Dell display and you tell me how much more uglier the Dell is Picture. Hands down my next display is either the 20" or 24" Dell display, unless Apple drops the prices again....which they wont.

[Mafia]

Originally posted by osxisfun:
You can hook up the PC to the vga and the mac to the dvi and switch between them using the front buttons on the LCD?

too cool. i have a KVM but this sounds even easier unless i am misunderstanding you..

thx.

yes you can its awesome. you can also hook up an svideo and composite. the display has 4 inputs in total. you can also do picture in picture(corner or side by side) but you can't do it with vga and dvi only dvi/vga and svideo or composite. very cool.

[osxisfun]

wow. cool. i can't wait till next tues or weds when it gets delivered.

thx.

[Gorloth]

Look at the HP 2335 display. in lieu of the Apple. Forget the Dell. In 3 years time the 30" Apple will be worth less than $1200 and Organic LED displays will blow any LCD regardless of manufacturer out of the water.

[Alexei]

Running a 20.1'' Dell LCD with my G4. The fact is, the picture is great and I don't even see the frame or logo any such stuff, it's still a Mac. $500 difference for a cool case is too much.
But I would not trade my Mac for anything, I need my OS X.
peace.

[haveblue]

The dell 2005fpw has the same LCD panel as the apple display. It is literally the same unit (LG philips). Having said that, the quality control for Dell displays is NOWHERE near that of the Apple units (dell is less picky about color, dead pixels etc). If you search the pc forums you will find MANY people with extensive problems (dead pixels, broken backlights, 'screen door' effect, etc). This is because while the LCD panel is the same, the backlights, interface board etc, are all cheaper quality.
Don't get me wrong, the dell displays are great quality for the price.
Apple displays are top of the line and will have fewer problems down the line. You simply pay more for the quality of the parts, construction, styling and quality control.
Choose accordingly.

[khaos34]

Originally posted by haveblue:
[B]The dell 2005fpw has the same LCD panel as the apple display. It is literally the same unit (LG philips).

Aren't the displays completely different? If you look at the specs for the Dell monitor, it's much better than the Apple monitor (contrast, brightness, and refresh rate). I have heard of the problems people were having with the backlight, but that's supposed to have been fixed with the new revisions.
In any case, I'd go with the 2 24" Dells... have you seen the specs on those things? 12ms pixel refresh rate, 600 cd/m2 brightness, and 1000:1 contrast ratio. Woo hoo! Not to mention the price and sales... If Dell's regular 25% off sale continues, along with their current $55 off, then you could potentially get this monitor for only around $855 or so - how nice is that!?

Edit: Oh yeah, not to mention the built-in S-Video, composite video, and component video inputs that can also be used with PIP mode. Along with the memory card reader and the 4 USB ports, this is a total must-buy for me

[Wiskedjak]

Originally posted by haveblue:
The dell 2005fpw has the same LCD panel as the apple display. It is literally the same unit (LG philips). Having said that, the quality control for Dell displays is NOWHERE near that of the Apple units (dell is less picky about color, dead pixels etc). If you search the pc forums you will find MANY people with extensive problems (dead pixels, broken backlights, 'screen door' effect, etc).

As opposed to all the people having problems with the Cinema Displays?
http://discussions.info.apple.com/[email protected]

If the quality controls for Dells were worse than for Apple, I wouldn't expect the Dell to even turn on

[mdejongd]

Without a doubt, the monitor I am choosing is the new HP 23". It can be set a landscape or portrait mode. It has a multitude of connections for your computer/DVD player/game console. It got the highest rating in Macworld. Honestly, does Dell need anymore money, they are the walmart of computers. HP is great at laser printers, now for once they have a great monitor. I was leaning towards Apple's 20", but this HP 23" is the best monitor at it's price! If you had the cash, then Apple's 30 is the winner, but I would like Apple to put more inputs on that monitor.

[rotuts]

Well, here is what Ive just done:

I just got the Samsung 24", its $100 less than the 23" apple, and has a $100 rebate. it goes into portrait display. its fanstastic. I watch HDTV on it with my DIVCO card. I got this now although Im waiting for the next rendition of the G5 for that ( running a dual 1gz G4) because FRYS in Ca allows no question 30 day retuns.

Id die to spent that kind of money and have dead pixels and then argue with apple.

but beware: apple OEM cards probably do not support rotaion of the screen. ive asked this in this forum and a moderator with so many stars says they don't. ATI and NVIDIA out of their box supposedly does.

went to apple palo alto and asked the genius and they really didn't know but they promissed to 'escalet' the q and get back to me by email.

they did not as of yet.

so do not count on rotation unless you want to pay &350 for another video card.

I hope to get either a second suamsung 23" or maybe just a 20 for a second monitor.

BYW the samnung 24" has the same resolution at the apple 23" and that one is also made by samsung.

helpfull?

rotut

[osxisfun]

sounds cool. price?

(I only picked up a 3rd lcd since they were so cheap and it turns out a ati 9200 pci can drive it...otherwise i would have waited...)

[Waragainstsleep]

Dual 24"s must be tempting, but I bet the quality is poor compared to any Apple display. Apple gets the pick of LCD panels (and has done for some time), Dell are more interested in price than in quality across the full range of stuff they sell.
When I started selling Macs, I expected people to complain about the fact that a 12" iBook was �700, and a �450 Dell came with a 15", but people actually come in and say "Wow, I can still see the screen from all sorts of angles, my Wintel laptop is completely illegible if I move my head a couple of inches in any direction." I bet the Dell 24"s suck in comparison. But unless you're doing high end graphics work, you have to prioritise accordingly.

The 30" is a really special piece of kit. People come into our shop just to drool over it. Even people who come just to buy an iPod skin or get their Powermac 8600 repaired have to stop and look at it for a while.
Everything about it is beautiful. Having said that, I think the ADC 23" looks prettier, but of course its not as big.

[popstand]

Anybody seen the new Dell 24". This is my next monitor. Check out all the input options! It has component inputs so it can be used with high definition cable boxes/HD satellite/and HD game consoles. Also has PIP. Mount it on a VESA arm, lose the ugly base, and it wouldn't look too bad either...

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000773032197/

It's $500.00 less than the apple cinema HD.

[Wiskedjak]

Originally posted by Waragainstsleep:
Dual 24"s must be tempting, but I bet the quality is poor compared to any Apple display. Apple gets the pick of LCD panels (and has done for some time),

Do you have any evidence to back up that claim? I haven't seen any evidence to suggest that Apple's product quality reflects the "pick of the crop" and the number of complaints about the current Cinema Displays may actually suggest otherwise.

[mac freak]

Eh...the 24" won't match your G5

[MrGoo]

Originally posted by Waragainstsleep:
Dual 24"s must be tempting, but I bet the quality is poor compared to any Apple display. Apple gets the pick of LCD panels (and has done for some time), Dell are more interested in price than in quality across the full range of stuff they sell. I bet the Dell 24"s suck in comparison. But unless you're doing high end graphics work, you have to prioritise accordingly.

Spoken like a true Mac zealot... Please provide data to prove this claim of yours. Evidence in the Apple forums would suggest otherwise.

[///Milien]

Get the 30" ACD. I did not only for the size, but the overall beauty of the display.

[hedgehogfrenzy]

I sold out and bought 2 Dell 2005fpw monitors today. I got them both for $550.00 new from Dell, which is just plain cheap.

The thing no one has talked about here yet is the pixel responce. The Dell wide screen monitors are rated at 12ms, while the Apples are reated at 16ms. That difference means cleaner video, which is what I'm looking for.

Also, there have been tons of complaints about the pink hue of blacks in the current Apple LCDs.

So I got twice the screen real estate for $100 more and increased pixel responce. Same resolution. Same geometry. My Eye-One calibrator will clean the color difference.

That dosen't even include the enhanced connectivity on the Dell.

I love the Apple displays, but, you can't justify the cost difference. The quality right now is in the (I can't believe I'm saying this) Dell corner.

- David

[Wiskedjak]

Originally posted by mac freak:
Eh...the 24" won't match your G5

Yes, because it's worth $500 to ensure that your monitor matches that computer you have on the floor under your desk.

[marcosc]

Who said the PowerMac has to go under your desk?

[paully dub]

You know, they DO call them desktops...

[osxisfun]

Originally posted by marcosc:
Who said the PowerMac has to go under your desk?

fan noise! but i'd have to say the g5s are getting quieting except when you tax the procs...

[haveblue]

Originally posted by hedgehogfrenzy:
I sold out and bought 2 Dell 2005fpw monitors today. I got them both for $550.00 new from Dell, which is just plain cheap.

The thing no one has talked about here yet is the pixel responce. The Dell wide screen monitors are rated at 12ms, while the Apples are reated at 16ms. That difference means cleaner video, which is what I'm looking for.

Also, there have been tons of complaints about the pink hue of blacks in the current Apple LCDs.

So I got twice the screen real estate for $100 more and increased pixel responce. Same resolution. Same geometry. My Eye-One calibrator will clean the color difference.

That dosen't even include the enhanced connectivity on the Dell.

I love the Apple displays, but, you can't justify the cost difference. The quality right now is in the (I can't believe I'm saying this) Dell corner.

- David

Have you seen both side by side? If not, I would reserve judgment. Take your new Dell Display to an apple store and plug it in beside an Apple flat panel, then run some tests on them.

The speed rating in ms means very little since there is no standard way to measure it (white to black, white to black to white, gray to white to gray, average etc) so you can toss that right out as a measurement. same with contrast ratio and brightness. You have to see and test these things in person or at least read reputable reviews. Shopping on specs for LCDs is worthless.

There have been tons of complaints about both apple displays and the Dell's (see my post above). So without seeing any failure statistics from either company its hard to compare quality (although Dell displays seem to have more severe problems like dead backlights rather than just stuff like a pink tinge to them).
I would vote for Apple displays for quality and longevity and dell for connectivity and price. Its a trade off.
This is my opinion based on experience with Apple flat panels on a regular basis and seeing the Dell and the Apple side by side as well as reading about problems with dell and apple displays on the forums.

[ScotHamedia]

Originally posted by haveblue:
The dell 2005fpw has the same LCD panel as the apple display. It is literally the same unit (LG philips). Having said that, the quality control for Dell displays is NOWHERE near that of the Apple units (dell is less picky about color, dead pixels etc). If you search the pc forums you will find MANY people with extensive problems (dead pixels, broken backlights, 'screen door' effect, etc). This is because while the LCD panel is the same, the backlights, interface board etc, are all cheaper quality.
Don't get me wrong, the dell displays are great quality for the price.
Apple displays are top of the line and will have fewer problems down the line. You simply pay more for the quality of the parts, construction, styling and quality control.
Choose accordingly.

I don't think this is the case at all, look at the specs:
Apple 170� horizontal;170� vertical

Dell
Image Max H-View Angle: �88�
Image Max V-View Angle: �88�

Thats a huge difference, If I get color shifts from nodding my head, that would be a bummer. I need to get to a store and see these in person.

[chrisutley]

Originally posted by Waragainstsleep:
Apple gets the pick of LCD panels (and has done for some time)...

I am still waiting for somebody to prove this.

[osxisfun]

i may be totally wrong. But i think this may have been the case way way back when big letterbox screens where new. Remember apple invested 150 million in samsung...but they have since sold that stake and i would assume they have to wait in line like everyone else.

i could be wrong as i used to drink a lot...wait.... strike that..

[hedgehogfrenzy]

The viewing angle is a decent point, but, who works at 170 degrees from their workstation. Even if I have someone editing video with me, they are still within 88.

I have seen the Dell and the Apple, but not side by side.

Based on my experence, I don't think that there was any major discernable difference other than the brightness. I feel like the Apple display seems slightly brighter.

But, you are right, I have never put them side by side.

- David

[ScotHamedia]

Originally posted by hedgehogfrenzy:
The viewing angle is a decent point, but, who works at 170 degrees from their workstation. Even if I have someone editing video with me, they are still within 88.

I have seen the Dell and the Apple, but not side by side.

Based on my experence, I don't think that there was any major discernable difference other than the brightness. I feel like the Apple display seems slightly brighter.

But, you are right, I have never put them side by side.

- David

I agree, the viewing angle is not a huge deal, though I can say, on the ibooks, it is pretty bad, at least the older ones. They may have gotten better. I was mainly calling BS to the post that claimed Apple and Dell use the same LCD inside, there is just no way they are the same. At least, spec wise they are not the same, so how can they be the same. I have access to opened Apple LCD's, not to Dell, so i can not say much more, other than spec wise, it seems a false claim.

I am gonna try to go to Best Buy today and take a look just for fun.

[just a poster]

It's all in the dot pitch. Given that the resolution and size are identical, Apple 20" cinema display's slightly large pitch rating suggest the LEDs are slightly larger than the DELL's. This is the reason there is no "screen door" effect on the Apple 20" display, while the DELL monitor does suffer from a lot of complaints about this same issue.

Both monitors are fine for day-to-day use, but Apple's offerings are without a doubt a more luxurious offering. The casing is probably the least important of any decision, but Apple's design has DELL's beat by a huge margin.

Personally, I'd go with a cheaper computer before I settled on a cheaper monitor. My eyes are important to me.

[MrGoo]

Originally posted by just a poster:
Both monitors are fine for day-to-day use, but Apple's offerings are without a doubt a more luxurious offering. The casing is probably the least important of any decision, but Apple's design has DELL's beat by a huge margin.

Personally, I'd go with a cheaper computer before I settled on a cheaper monitor. My eyes are important to me.

"without a doubt a more luxurious offering"... How true that is. For about 40% more I get a little half-eaten fruit logo and fewer connections. I've seen both the Apple has better form, but not worth the premium..

[Link]

How can the apple 20" have a higher DPI/lower dot pitch rating when it's the same size as the dell?