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KeilwerthSX90R · Sep 28, 2002, 02:05 PM

I'm getting a new Powermac in the next week and I was wondering what LCD I should get? I'm looking in the 17"-19" range most likely. Are the Apple Displays the best available? Is Apple going to release new displays soon after the promotion expires?

Thanks

KBerg · Sep 28, 2002, 02:39 PM

http://www.epinions.com/Viewsonic_VX...nitors_VX900_1

We have one of these where I work, and it's really nice. Very bright with great contrast and is fairly cheap for its size; has DVI so it's still a digital interface.

I dislike the menu system on it, and it is SLOW to change resolutions, but aside from that I would buy one of these without hesitation had I the money

saltines17 · Sep 28, 2002, 03:22 PM

Originally posted by KBerg:
http://www.epinions.com/Viewsonic_VX...nitors_VX900_1

We have one of these where I work, and it's really nice. Very bright with great contrast and is fairly cheap for its size; has DVI so it's still a digital interface.

I dislike the menu system on it, and it is SLOW to change resolutions, but aside from that I would buy one of these without hesitation had I the money

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I don't know if it's just my specific model, but my VX900 ghosts SOOOOO much that I'm going to return it...

el lindo · Sep 28, 2002, 05:19 PM

I've heard really good things about the Formac Studio displays, though I've never seen them in person.

Peabo · Sep 29, 2002, 01:22 PM

Every Formac product I have purchased has broken within a year (not to mention a few DOA's). This includes their monitors.

Avon · Oct 1, 2002, 09:02 AM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by KeilwerthSX90R:
[B]I'm getting a new Powermac in the next week and I was wondering what LCD I should get?

If you are getting a new mac you will have an ADC and should simply get the apple 17". Its quite expensive, considering you can get a 17" LCD with a DVI input from tigerdirect or similar places for 500 bucks. Use pricewatch and find one there, I have seen them go for $700.00

You will be paying a $200.00 premium for the monitor but you will have an ADC monitor and it is quite slick. All other products are nasty compared to apple monitors.

I have an Sawtooth g4 with video card that has an DVI output. I purchased a dell 17" monitor with a DVI input and a VGA input. It was 550 bucks and I, wouldnt hesitate to buy it again if I needed another.

Make sure you get the resolution you want.
Expect 1028X768 from a 15"
Expect 1280X1024 from a 17"
Expect 1600X1200 from a 20"

In my opionion an 18" or a 19" that only does 1280X1024 is a waste of money.

Hope this helps, in short Id go for the Apple display.

CheesePuff · Oct 1, 2002, 04:56 PM

I have the Formac Gallery 1740 for some time now and got it $200 cheaper then Apples display (brand new of course). It's awesome - and so much better then Apple's... much more bang for the buck. Wider viewing area, faster pixel response rate, brighter nit rating, higher contrast, and of course it has the 2 USB ports and has the ADC connector.

PeteWK · Oct 2, 2002, 02:09 AM

The Apple 17 inch finished in a far ahead first place two months ago in Consumer Reports magazine.

PeteWK

Peabo · Oct 2, 2002, 03:17 AM

Formac cut corners and make cheap stuff that seems appealing because of the low price tag. Don't count on it lasting anywhere near as long as an Apple product.

saltines17 · Oct 2, 2002, 07:03 AM

Originally posted by z0ne81:
Formac cut corners and make cheap stuff that seems appealing because of the low price tag. Don't count on it lasting anywhere near as long as an Apple product.

How's their new 20.1" LCD? Has anyone heard anything positive/negative?

KeilwerthSX90R · Oct 6, 2002, 12:33 AM

It would be weird sitting next to my powermac, but what about a sony or Dell LCD? The reason I ask is that for a litte more than the price of a single Apple 17" I could get two Dells.

Also, my LCD knowledge is not on par with other aspects of computers, what should I look for in my decision, what are the important LCD specs? What should I be looking for in terms of brightness, contrast, etc.?

Thanks

Mr. Blur · Oct 6, 2002, 12:55 AM

minor variances aside, you get what you pay for. i figure that if i spend a lot of time looking at the damn thing, i want a good one...don't skimp on the monitor you buy.

..and personally, there is no way i would give one lousy penny to michael dell. i could not look at that logo next to my powermac.

coolmac · Oct 7, 2002, 08:19 AM

I just got a beautiful 17" LCD display, it's called the Mermaid Ventura (mermaidtechnology.com).

Its made in Denmark and is just beautiful, both in asthetics and the display itself, its very "European" looking.

It has an antiglare glass panel which protects the LCD display.

They can be found at Bang & Olufson stores (as they look like B&O products), and the Dell Peripheral Store:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...0&refurbished=

CatOne · Oct 7, 2002, 01:20 PM

Originally posted by coolmac:
I just got a beautiful 17" LCD display, it's called the Mermaid Ventura (mermaidtechnology.com).

Its made in Denmark and is just beautiful, both in asthetics and the display itself, its very "European" looking.

It has an antiglare glass panel which protects the LCD display.

They can be found at Bang & Olufson stores (as they look like B&O products), and the Dell Peripheral Store:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...0&refurbished=

So, that's more expensive than a 17" Apple display. WTF?

jay999 · Oct 9, 2002, 12:08 PM

You should go out and look at the monitors before any purchase. Viewing angle is very important because you will not always be looking perfectly in line with the sweet spot of the monitor. The iMacs and now discontinued 15" apple lcd's have really bad viewing angles and are a piece of junk. The 17" apple lcd is OK but is too expensive. I would go for the formac because it is much cheaper , has a slighlty larger screen, and is more color accurate. Or if you can spend the money go and get the 22" cinema display... I look at one everyday and it is well worth the price.

j

Rhino99 · Oct 13, 2002, 01:50 PM

I have one of these on order from Seybold. I am a little wary, I see zOne81 hates their stuff, and I have heard they are always late shipping new products. So, I will try to remember to post impressions jere when I get it. S/B soon...

slider · Oct 13, 2002, 08:08 PM

Originally posted by Mr. Blur:

..and personally, there is no way i would give one lousy penny to michael dell. i could not look at that logo next to my powermac.

I hear ya

Boochie · Oct 20, 2002, 08:23 PM

I searched far and wide for an LCD monitor that was cheaper than the Apple 17" model but of comparable quality. I didn't find anything that was as pleasing to my eye. I just picked up the Apple monitor yesterday. It's fantastic. My only concern had been how well it would work in high-frame-rate games. I need not have worried. It looks just great.

Originally posted by KeilwerthSX90R:
I'm getting a new Powermac in the next week and I was wondering what LCD I should get? I'm looking in the 17"-19" range most likely. Are the Apple Displays the best available? Is Apple going to release new displays soon after the promotion expires?

Thanks

schalliol · Dec 2, 2002, 12:02 AM

Expensive, but try Formac (http://www.formac.com/), should be better at high frame rate.

Welnic · Dec 3, 2002, 01:03 AM

Originally posted by KeilwerthSX90R:
It would be weird sitting next to my powermac, but what about a sony or Dell LCD? The reason I ask is that for a litte more than the price of a single Apple 17" I could get two Dells.

Also, my LCD knowledge is not on par with other aspects of computers, what should I look for in my decision, what are the important LCD specs? What should I be looking for in terms of brightness, contrast, etc.?

Thanks

I have an Apple 17" LCD on my home computer and it is just great. I also think there is a rebate going on right now if you buy a computer and a monitor. If you get an Apple monitor then it plugs right in, with anything else you need an ADC to DVI adaptor.

That said, at work I have two Dell 1800FPs. It is an old G4 tower so the original card had a DVI output, and so did the card that I added. If you do want to run two monitors I would highly recommend two of these. The monitor is very crisp and extremely bright. The best part for running two monitors is the bezel is very thin so the screens end up very close to each other.

Rick Johnson · Dec 3, 2002, 01:07 AM

I just got my new Formac 2010 today. I had to run the calibration routine to adjust the color, but when I did, my color photos (CMYK in Photoshop) look just like the printed versions (offset press, magazine). I think the color is as good as my Apple 21" Studio Display (the big blue one) that died prematurely, and the clarity is better than any CRT I've used. I tried the 23" Cinema Display at work, but I think this has more even lighting and consistent color balance.

One nit, though. My Radeon 8500 card has the DVI and VGA ports so close that I can't connect two monitors at once. My second monitor has to use the PCI card--no Quartz Extreme there.