Display suggestions for a 2008 3,1

[designer22]

I have a 2008 3,1 Pro, currently using a pair of Apple 24" Cinema displays. I bought them used a few years ago, and they are looking less than great at this point - too much of the usable screen has areas like gray streakiness that interfere with my work.

I wanted to go to the Apple 27", but it's apparently not compatible according to Apple sales.

Any suggestions for an Apple solution, or another brand that will be high quality for my graphic/print/photo work?

Many thanks.

 

[thekev]

The thunderbolt displays definitely aren't compatible. The cinema displays probably work. Apple has a dvi to mini displayport adapter. I don't think it would run into any cable length restrictions, but I'm not a big fan of their dongles. Personally I'd look for a dvi to mini displayport cable if I wanted to go this route. There are other options. NEC makes some great displays with longer warranties. Dell comes in much cheaper and a lot of people seem to like them. DVI is slowly fading out in general, but some displays have multiple connection types. With NEC many of them support dvi, displayport, and vga out of the box, so you may save a few dollars on additional cables or adapters ($30 per adapter in Apple's case, and they don't always last according to reviews on their site).

Asus PA246Q
Dell U2711
PA271w
Eizo FS2332

Eizo also has the CG243W around $1700 now, but I figured that would be out of your price range. It's around $2600 for the 27". They are very nice. If you're debating the TB display, the PA271w can be purchased as low as $1100 new. Add in roughly $100 for spectraview if you already have a supported colorimeter. With any newer display, I'd suggest using a recent model colorimeter, either a Spyder 4 or an i1 display pro. The older ones have issues with some of the things found in newer displays such as Adobe RGB gamuts and sometimes LED backlighting. CCFL is still considered superior for what you're doing, so don't take LED as a feature on the Apple display. It's just something that is there.

 

[tamvly]

I have a NEC PA271W and an Apple 30". MUCH better color on the NEC. Plus I like the black bezel on the NEC over the aluminum of the Apple.

If I had it to do over again I'd go with twin NEC 30" displays. Downside - they are expensive.

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The thunderbolt displays definitely aren't compatible.

Not sure why the TB displays are incompatible as long as one has a video card with TB. Such as a 5770. No?

 

[thekev]

I have a NEC PA271W and an Apple 30". MUCH better color on the NEC. Plus I like the black bezel on the NEC over the aluminum of the Apple.

If I had it to do over again I'd go with twin NEC 30" displays. Downside - they are expensive.

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Not sure why the TB displays are incompatible as long as one has a video card with TB. Such as a 5770. No?

I don't like the newer Apple displays either. NEC isn't bad for what you pay. The 30" displays are a niche item either way. They've remained expensive. 27" have fallen to be pretty cheap. The 5770 has a mini displayport. They cannot use the thunderbolt display. They can use the 27" cinema display. The two ports look the same. One only carries a displayport signal. In both cases they don't meet the full displayport 1.2 standard regardless of Apple's claims. You have to do some digging, but they do hold back certain features. The visually identical port confuses many people. Beyond that you can use the cinema display on a computer with thunderbolt ports. You just can't use the thunderbolt display on computers that use mini displayport rather than the full thunderbolt specification. If you plug in a mini displayport display into a thunderbolt connection, you will kill the use of data on that port unless it's the last link in the chain.

Anyway note how the PA271W is $1100 from a couple retailers. Given that pricing, I see no reason to buy the thunderbolt display unless you really want its docking features. NEC has improved considerably over the 90s series.

 

[tamvly]

Ah, of course, the old MiniDisplay Port. Thanks for pointing this out.

 

[designer22]

opinions on Dell DellTM UltraSharp U2410 Monitor?

I think I'm looking for a pair of 24" rather than one 30" or a 27" at this time. Also, $1000 per monitor is a bit out of range...this Dell U2410 os around $550, but older reviews speak of trouble with a pink cast. Anyone have one of these, or know if that issue of pinkness has been fixed in current models?

Thanks for all of your replies!

 

[thehimay]

Unfortunately, I cannot comment directly on the Dell model you're interested in, but I can contribute that the pair of 24" Dell 2408WFP monitors I have had for the past 3 years have been wonderful to me, especially once I color-calibrated them. On rare occasion (maybe once or twice a month, over the last year), my secondary display will give up and give me snow for some bizarre reason, but powering the monitor off and on again abrogates the issue.

It appears some vendors still sell them, for what appears to be sub-$500 (at least Amazon does it would seem). I don't do any professional photography work with them (I'm an amateur at best, but they've served me fine in editing and print), so hopefully someone else who does more serious work with them can chime in further on them if they sound like a viable option for you. My work on that machine predominantly entails primarily scientific computing, Illustrator usage for figures/posters/papers, and Lightroom/Photoshop editing amateur stuff off my dSLR.

 

[designer22]

After reading endless reviews, I'm heavily considering the NEC P241W-BK-SV. It seems to have the quality and consistency that the Dell lacks.....pricier for sure, but in this case it seems to be that you get what you pay for.

I appreciate all of your comments and experiences.

 

[yomibro]

If you don't mind refurbs Dell has had the U3011 listed at $899 for the past few days.