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23'' Cinema Display or Dell 2407WFP (24'') LCD

F

frick

macrumors member
Original poster
May 16, 2006
63
0
I'm looking to buy a good widescreen LCD for my mac mini... anyone have a preference for either the Dell or the Apple Cinema Display? Should I wait 'til WWDC and see if Apple updates the ACD's?

(by the way, I can get educational pricing on the ACD, so the price gap between it and the Dell isn't as huge as it might otherwise be)
 
You can't beat the look of the 23" ACD I've had two of them no problems (no pink tinting etc) whatsoever. The Dell may be a few dollars cheaper but I would still go with the Apple display anyday.
 
Obviously the ACD is a much nicer piece of hardware vs. the plastic-enclosed Dell, but the Dell panel really has superior specs (1000:1 vs 400:1, 6ms gtg vs 14ms gtg, Dell supports HDCP and Apple does not, etc). Do these sorts of differences really matter much in terms of real-world usage? The ACD seems to be bright enough as-is...
 
I've got an ACD and I've got a Dell 20".

I say buy the Dell. Far better inputs, better display. Yes, it's less attractive, but it's not ugly, and, in the long run, it'll be a lot more useful.
 
Dell ... depends.

for what I do I had to ditch a 20 inch and a 24 inch dell, as I couldn't make the colour profiles consistent. I went to dual Apple 23's

My printing comes out awesome everytime.

My printers even send me colour profiles for their presses..

if you want to use word and game the dells are superior.
 
Any chance the cinema displays will be updated at WWDC? I don't mind waiting another month.
 
I would say Dell but only because of the price. If money was no object, I would get the ACD. I prefer not only the overall look of the ACD but also the cable management is far superior to the Dell.
 
frick said:
Any chance the cinema displays will be updated at WWDC? I don't mind waiting another month.
Click to expand...

You never know, the displays are about ready for an update. Good chance they'll be updated with the power macs.
 
I'll say it, get the ACD, its drop dead sexy! Goes with a Mac Mini perfectly!!

Yes its a few more dollars but if you have the cash i think its worth it(and it have 2 USB 2.0 and 2 FW 400 ports, not sure if dell has them)


But i'd wait for WWDC to see if we get an thing like

iSight built it
Price drop
Or if Jobs really loves use 2 FW 800 ports
 
Like a few others have said, it depends on what you want to do. I am using a Dell 2405 and have not yet been satisfied with the color reproduction. I'm not a graphic designer or a photographer, but I do like my screen to look good! I've had this for about 3 weeks and am still messing around with the calibration. The 2405 is just too bright. I've heard that the ACD's require much less fooling around with.

If it's a matter of quality, go with the ACD. If it's money (which it is for me), go with the Dell. Having the space is fantastic either way!


yt
 
How much of a price difference are we talking about? Looks are great and all, but loot is loot and I wouldn't blow a few extra hundred to have a silver monitor versus a black one. (although the cinema displays are drop-dead gorgeous!)
 
Current price for a 20-inch ACD = $800
Current price for a 20.1-inch Dell 2007WFP = $369

Current Price for a 23-inch ACD = $1200
Current Price for a 24-inch Dell 2407WFP = $800
 
I think that my next large purchase might be a Dell 20". I'd absolutely love to get an ACD, but they're just too pricey.

And the Dell prices gloss posted are with a 15% or so discount that ends today.
 
I have the Dell 2007FPW, best purchase ever, got it for $330 shipped, with ebay coupons and codes. It is beautiful, pure bliss. It even looks good. I dont know about you guys, but some apple people have some $$$. HELLO, dell $350, apple $800. this shouldnt even be a question to ask.
 
Well, I had 2 ACD 23s" and had problems. The first one gained a pink cast over the first year of ownership (luckily it was when they stil came with a year warranty) I had that one repaired, and while it was out, purchased another one (I wanted dual 23s") and it exhibited the poor color consistency issues (itunes blue bar test) so I returned it and purchased 2 20s, which are consistent with each other, and have served me well for a year.

I sold the repaired 23" to a friend (it exhibited no issues; he uses it just for web and word and wasnt that concerned about color and such)

Dual 20s" is a nice setup, something to consider. That being said, I would love to have the real estate of the 23s, but it seems like the quality is hit-or-miss (people still have complaints on the apple support forums, so the problem still exists) Its a real shame too, they are by far the best aesthetically designed displays out there.
 
frick said:
I'm looking to buy a good widescreen LCD for my mac mini... anyone have a preference for either the Dell or the Apple Cinema Display? Should I wait 'til WWDC and see if Apple updates the ACD's?

(by the way, I can get educational pricing on the ACD, so the price gap between it and the Dell isn't as huge as it might otherwise be)
Click to expand...

You might to try seveal online stores:

http://www.macofalltrades.com/

or Apple Refurbished Products or

http://www.amazon.com/

Yeah, the education might be worth it but you might want ADC membership for deeper discount. :)

EDIT: ADC, not ACD! developer.apple.com > hardware purchase > and so on...
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
It really depends on what you want!

The Apple and Dell displays are different beasts for different people. The Dell has a bunch of inputs and the Apple has cool design. If you plan on hooking devices up to the monitor, the choice is clear, but if you don't then the choice becomes more difficult.

Most reviews I've read reallly diss the ACD. Mostly due to its price, which is way to high. There is a review between the 20'' versions of the two on anandtech that you might want to look at.

People complain about 'color accuracy' but the truth is that most consumers do not want accurate color. My 50'' plasma doesn't have accurate color and I would never want it to! I wan the crisp vivid goodness of HDTV. The only people that really want accurate color are photographers. Besides, you can always calibrate your monitor or adjust the color to your liking.

If I were to pick, I'd probably go for the dell, since you can hook up lotsa stuff to it (the 2407 is HDCP compatible too!). I never really look at the bezel so I don't really care if it looks sexy or not.
 
Go with Dell.

Price: Half of Apple's
Features: Lacks Firewire, but adds card reader, tons of inputs, PIP, DHCP
Calibration: I've had the same or worse issues with current Apple LCDs
Style: Not as pretty as Apple, but an improvement over the 2405.
Politics: You're sending a message to Apple that they can't keep charging such a huge premium on such a mediochre-specced screen that's limited to DVI.

:cool:
 
Bastich said:
Go with Dell.

Price: Half of Apple's
Features: Lacks Firewire, but adds card reader, tons of inputs, PIP, DHCP
Calibration: I've had the same or worse issues with current Apple LCDs
Style: Not as pretty as Apple, but an improvement over the 2405.
Politics: You're sending a message to Apple that they can't keep charging such a huge premium on such a mediochre-specced screen that's limited to DVI.

:cool:
Click to expand...

Exactly. I've got a 2005FPW and love it. I've had no problems whatsoever with it. The colors look great to me, although I'm not a graphics professional. I was able to get my Dell with a 4-year warranty for less than half the cost of the 20 inch Apple Cinema Display.
 
Just finished setting up my 2007WFP on my PC...looks gorgeous. Much more solid than I'd anticipated. Good finish. Nice picture.

There's a slight reddish tint, but I'm going to go about calibrating it now.

So much more svelte than my old 20 inch CRT!
 
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