External monitor for MBA

[smyk]

Planning to buy an external display for MBA.
Going through many forums and blogs and reading through resolution mismatches and other issues the safest bet seem to me is Apple Cinema display but I don't want to invest into it at this moment.
Any suggestion for monitors that work seamlessly with MBAs? (23" or above)

 

[leftywamumonkey]

Planning to buy an external display for MBA.
Going through many forums and blogs and reading through resolution mismatches and other issues the safest bet seem to me is Apple Cinema display but I don't want to invest into it at this moment.
Any suggestion for monitors that work seamlessly with MBAs? (23" or above)

A refurbished 24" Cinema Display?
The big benefit of a Cinema Display in my opinion is being able to keep the magsafe charger in your bag, other room, car, etc.

You could look into Dell UltraSharp monitors. Although I have heard mixed reviews about them, I really can't comment on them.

 

[philxor]

I use a Samsung SyncMaster P2450 24" monitor with a DisplayPort to DVI adapter at 1920x1080P with no issues.

 

[bob99]

Agreed, get the cinema display, either the 24 or the 27 if you can stretch your budget. Like most Apple products, they're just nicer than the off brands. Plus you get the magsafe, iSight, speakers built in.

 

[bigp9998]

Cinema Displays are nice, but I wouldn't exactly call Dell an "off brand".

 

[tom vilsack]

so take you air into bb and try out monitors...how hard is that?

 

[Gruber]

I am using a Dell 30in screen, and it works very well, using the clunky dual-link adapter with the USB port. The screen acts as a USB hub, with external keyboard, mouse and USB2Ethernet. (I would not recommend running external HDs with it, because they will be abruptly disconnected when you turn off the screen during lunch break.) Thus, the requirement of plugging USB into the dongle is not much of a bother.

I had the Dell already standing around, but if I wanted to buy a new screen, I would go for a lower resolution. At full HD, you do not need the large dongle, but you can use the more convenient and cheap HDMI adapter, and you may chain the screen with your home stereo and/or cinema projector, if you wish.
Also, MacOS does not yet support resolution independence, so the 27in Cinema display hurts my eyes by displaying fonts way too small. I would rather go for a 27in full HD display.

 

[trims]

Anyone using their MBA with a 27" iMac?

Will it run both screens??

Thanks in advance.

 

[Curren~Sea]

Anyone using their MBA with a 27" iMac?

Will it run both screens??

Thanks in advance.

You can't use an iMac as an external monitor, sadly. I wish you could (disregard). The recent 27-inch iMac model allows the Mini DisplayPort to act as an input, turning the iMac into a standalone display.

I have a Dell 24" Ultrasharp IPS monitor and it can't touch my 4 year old iMac 24" display, sadly.

 

[trims]

You can't use an iMac as an external monitor, sadly. I wish you could (disregard). The recent 27-inch iMac model allows the Mini DisplayPort to act as an input, turning the iMac into a standalone display.

http://www.cultofmac.com/video-27-inch-imac-in-action-as-external-monitor/20355

I presumed the Macbook Air would work, as it has a mini-DisplayPort. I just wondered if there are any current users out there? Does it work well, or does the MBA struggle to drive such a large screen? Can it drive both screens simultaneously?

 

[Kyllle]

I'm also trying to find an external display that would be good for the air.

Does anyone know of one with a similar design to the ACD? I love it's design, most of the others seem to be really bulky and do not match the air at all, but don't really need the IPS technology or whatever, since I'm not a photo/video editer or anything. $1000 is really steep, and I'm hoping to find something around $200-300. Also in the 21-inch range. I wish the sold the iMac as a display only haha.

 

[dlamin517]

costco has some decent 23" samsung led monitors for $180. recently got one and i love it.