Advice On Purchasing Old 30" Cinema Display?

[Penlocky]

Is there any places that still sells a brand new out of the box 30" Cinema Display (Aluminium)? Or any know how to get these displays in mint or very good condition?

And do I have to be concerned about the "used" displays having degraded LCD burn in and short life? As well as if a reseller or original owner taps in to the display chips and monitors my usage behaviour? =D

Thank you!

 

[Fishrrman]

Unless money is an issue, buy a new 3rd party display.

Newer tech and there's still warranty support if something goes wrong...

 

[Naimfan]

Unless money is an issue, buy a new 3rd party display.

Newer tech and there's still warranty support if something goes wrong...

I'd go a step further - don't bother with a 30" - save your money and get a new 27" Dell or equivalent.

 

[racoop]

I had one of these for several years. I absolutely loved it. However, these required a very specific graphics card to drive them, which I had in my G5 PowerMac at the time. I'm not even sure what you connect them to now, unless you are using a seriously legacy set-up or can figure out how to connect it. You can probably find one on eBay or Craigslist.

You can do a lot better now and not have to deal with the crazy connections either.

 

[mBox]

I had one of these for several years. I absolutely loved it. However, these required a very specific graphics card to drive them...

I am running three dual sets of these (work and home) on nMPs and cMP.
They do need to be plugged in to the USB port from the main adapter to run.
Im using Quadro 5600 on the cMP and D500/D700 on the nMPs.
You would have to pry these from my dead cold hands

 

[Medic]

I snatch them off eBay in the UK when they come available for my office as I still find them better than new glossy monitors. The screen estate for the pixel density is also I find optimal and my colleagues agree. I have 4 and they all are working fine. You just need a DVI adaptor and also plug the USB. They are brilliant!

 

[mBox]

I work mostly in 4K (RED) and they are perfect for my workflow.
They will get tired and eventually blemish but so far so good.

 

[MacDann]

While I'm not sure if it applies to the 30", I have had success finding some very nice 23" models with bad power supplies. It's far easier to purchase a separate switching power supply off eBay or elsewhere for under $30 and power the displays from these than buying a replacement Apple power supply, which will fail at some point anyway.

MacDann

 

[killr_b]

A brand-new 30" probably isn't going to happen. I think I saw one on eBay once for many thousands.

Your best bet is to look for a 30 that wasn't used very much, which you can definitely tell by how yellow the tint of the screen is since the UV from the backlight will tint the plastic LCD yellow over time. Or find a good screen in a messed up aluminum case and replace yours by removing the screen and replacing, or just a good screen that is not in a case at all. The aluminum case is easy to open and replace the screen, just remember to put a towel over the edges so you don't scratch the screen.

I'll tell you a little story; in California we have a 7 year repair law that companies have to carry the parts to repair your electronic device for 7 years. Only we and Turkey have this law. Just before the 7 years was up one of my 30's went bad. I took it to Apple and told them to repair it. Of course they just wanted to give me the stupid glossy Thunderbolt display. I vehemently rejected their offer. After many, many phone calls with lots of high-ups to whom I explained over and over that I wanted my display repaired and that it was the law etc. they eventually got me a brand-new 30" in a box and sent me on my way. They said it was absolutely the last one and that if I had other repairs they would have to give me Thunderbolt displays. That was just a couple months before the 7 years was up so I took my new 30" and rejoiced and didn't bug them again lol.