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Difference in screen quality?

C

clin86

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 15, 2008
127
0
i was thinkin of getting an imac this weekend and was wondering if theres a difference in screen quality other than the size between the 20inch and the 24 inch?
i checked the tech specs and it seems the 24inch ones are alot brighter. so i cant seem to decide.
the 24inch ones seem super big.
thanks
 
yes, the 24" has a "better screen" ... i forget the type of panel but it is the good one.

and the 20" uses the more standard thiner TN panel... however the 24"ers are plagued with uneven lighting

either way you look at them the iMacs are kinda crappy right now, you might want to wait for next revision, or maybe pick up a mini with a 23" ACD
 
actually i do have a 20inch cinema display now with my macbook pro, so i was thinking of upgrading to a imac.
so theres definitely a noticeably difference between the cinema displays and the imacs then?
 
shoulin333 said:
either way you look at them the iMacs are kinda crappy right now, you might want to wait for next revision, or maybe pick up a mini with a 23" ACD
Click to expand...
Well, I wouldn't say "crappy". They work well and do the job. I have edited several HD video projects on my 20" iMac and it did fine.
 
You won't notice unless you look for problems. Let's just put it that way. The "gradient" can only be seen on a black screen and has more to do with the glass diffusing light than much of anything else. For a vast majority of things the 20" is fine. I probably should have gone for the 24" because I would have wanted a little bit larger screen, but other than that I don't think it makes much of a difference. (I did save $300)
 
Leon Kowalski said:
Huh?

http://picasaweb.google.com/TheLooby/20IMacScreenPhotos

http://picasaweb.google.com/TheLooby/24IMacScreenPhotos

http://picasaweb.google.com/TheLooby/White20IMacScreenPhotos

LK
Click to expand...

Earlier today was the first time I noticed the yellowing, but that says something since I've had it since August. I had noticed the vertical brightness change when I move my head above the screen but it's not that huge a deal for me. Seems to me that they both have the issue.
 
brop52 said:
You won't notice unless you look for problems. Let's just put it that way. The "gradient" can only be seen on a black screen and has more to do with the glass diffusing light than much of anything else. For a vast majority of things the 20" is fine. I probably should have gone for the 24" because I would have wanted a little bit larger screen, but other than that I don't think it makes much of a difference. (I did save $300)
Click to expand...

This isn't exactly true! It's seen on a white screen (I've got a 24"). Regardless, I'm still convinced that the 24" is better than the 20 even with the uneven lighting.
 
brop52 said:
You won't notice unless you look for problems. Let's just put it that way. The "gradient" can only be seen on a black screen and has more to do with the glass diffusing light than much of anything else. For a vast majority of things the 20" is fine. I probably should have gone for the 24" because I would have wanted a little bit larger screen, but other than that I don't think it makes much of a difference. (I did save $300)
Click to expand...

Actually it's a bit of a lottery out there when it comes to 24" iMac screens. Some seem to be fine, some have slight gradients which aren't really an issue and with a bit of calibration will work fine, but others have very clear gradients and should be avoided at all costs. Many also have very bad backlight bleeding problems which are very noticeable when watching DVDs.

Since the iMac is due for an upgrade within the next month or two then I would wait until the new models are released.
 
You know what?

After reading all the threads about screen display quality and such I have come to the following conclusion.

NEVER make an opinion about a screen display using solely information provided by others. Use YOUR eyes, go look at what you are considering purchasing. Make your decision based on your own observations.

Some will tell you the 20" is great. ( they probably own 20" units )
Some will tell you the 20" bad. ( they probably own 24" units )

Go out and test drive a 20" iMac, look at it from all angles you might expect to use it from. If you are gonna use it standing on your head, with your feet hanging out the window ... test it like that.

Don't " refuse to buy it " because someone says .... " the ____ sized screen looked bad when standing on my head with my feet hanging out the window " if that is not how you plan on using it.

Personally I own a 24" iMac. When I went to buy it I looked at the 20" units though I knew I wouldn't buy one. My reason for not buying? I just sold a Power Mac and 22" LCD display, I did not want a smaller screen so the 24" was for me.
 
I purchased a 24" 2.8 in December and then went back in February and purchased a 24"2.4 for my son. When we purchased the 2.4 we were looking at the cheaper 20" but could tell a huge difference in the store between the two displays. I asked the sales person at the Apple Store if there were different displays in the two and he didn't have a clue nor did the senior sales person. I asked why the one looked dimmer than the other and was told that one had a different lighting above it. So I could tell real fast that they were too stupid to lend any help so we asked if we could move the 20" next to the 24" and then you could see how great the 24' screen was. The sales person just acted dumb founded.
 
harcosparky said:
You know what?

After reading all the threads about screen display quality and such I have come to the following conclusion.

NEVER make an opinion about a screen display using solely information provided by others. Use YOUR eyes, go look at what you are considering purchasing. Make your decision based on your own observations.

Some will tell you the 20" is great. ( they probably own 20" units )
Some will tell you the 20" bad. ( they probably own 24" units )

Go out and test drive a 20" iMac, look at it from all angles you might expect to use it from. If you are gonna use it standing on your head, with your feet hanging out the window ... test it like that.

Don't " refuse to buy it " because someone says .... " the ____ sized screen looked bad when standing on my head with my feet hanging out the window " if that is not how you plan on using it.

Personally I own a 24" iMac. When I went to buy it I looked at the 20" units though I knew I wouldn't buy one. My reason for not buying? I just sold a Power Mac and 22" LCD display, I did not want a smaller screen so the 24" was for me.
Click to expand...

This is great advice. I agree. Bad to one person is fine to someone else. That said, the 20" screens are crap. :D
 
jvette said:
I purchased a 24" 2.8 in December and then went back in February and purchased a 24"2.4 for my son. When we purchased the 2.4 we were looking at the cheaper 20" but could tell a huge difference in the store between the two displays. I asked the sales person at the Apple Store if there were different displays in the two and he didn't have a clue nor did the senior sales person. I asked why the one looked dimmer than the other and was told that one had a different lighting above it. So I could tell real fast that they were too stupid to lend any help so we asked if we could move the 20" next to the 24" and then you could see how great the 24' screen was. The sales person just acted dumb founded.
Click to expand...


Well if the salesperson was a smart salesman he would have recommended the 24 inch anyway, even if the screens had the same specs/quality.
 
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