I have always used a 3-monitor setup with Macs for over 30 years. I used to have three 24" NEC's and eventually upgraded to three 27" (2K) NEC's. At the end of 2023 I replaced my middle NEC with an ASD. My biggest challenge was the 5K scaling difference in apps like Photoshop (if I opened an image on the left or right monitor it was 4x the physical size vs if it opened on the ASD). Depending on what monitor an image opened on, that physical size (if measured with a ruler on screen) would stay the same size even if dragging between the 2K and 5K monitors (hard to get used to).
So a couple weeks ago I decided to swap out my left monitor with an ASD as well (since I primarily work on photos with my left and center monitors and my right monitor is filled with app pallets). After spending the past two weeks with the two ASDs, I got spoiled with the clarity and finally took the plunge and ordered my third ASD to replace my remaining ASD on the right.
Now that I have Monitor Control linking my ASD's brightness (thanks XrayDoc!), this should be a big improvement for my workflow.
My feeling on the ASD in general so far:
- Camera is a slap in the face, but I have only made two video conference calls in my life, so no loss for me, just feel insulted at this price point.
- Really wish it had full Adobe RGB gamut coverage (as that is the Color Profile working space I use for commercial print work). P3 gives me more warm spectrum coverage, but clips some cooler blues/greens. My NEC's had more Adobe RGB coverage.
- 60Hz not an issue for me.
- Built-in power cord not an issue for me, never unplugged a monitor from the back and don't have creatures wandering through the office.
- Standard stand not an issue. Once I have my three monitor risers matched, I never touch them for years at a time.
- Being able to adjust brightness (synced) between ASDs from the keyboard has proven WAY more useful than I would have ever imagined! I find myself adjusting them several times a day depending on project.
- Instant-On is a big plus, the remaining NEC I have takes about 20 seconds to catch up. 20 seconds is not much, but several times a day adds up to some frustration.
- I wish the Mac OS would allow me to easily direct sound to two (or even three) ASDs at once.
As a plus to anyone reading this, now that I have purchased my third and final ASD, Apple should be announcing their price drop and mini-LED panels next week!