Help a dude make a decision.....

[saunders45]

Ok guys, I really need some help on this one. Here’s the situation. My Formac that’s hooked up to my MDD dual 867. It took a crap this week, again. It randomly shuts off, for no reason, And will flicker and hardly stay on. I’m sure it’s the display as I hooked it up to a ADC to DVI converter I Have and It did it on my Powerbook and a PC. I’ve already sent it in once to get repaired and it was $200 to get it fixed. I got it used for $350 about a year ago, and I really don’t want to dump more into it. I do a large amount of print stuff and a decent amount of video. The thing is, the 867 is more of a novelty now. I do most of my work on my PB because it’s faster.

Ok, here’s the options running through my head.

1. Sell the G4. How much? My dad might buy it for my 14 year-old brother. He’s interested in what I do, and I think it would be a good starter machine.

2. I gotta have a good monitor, so no crappy $200 lcd. I have an Apple 20” aluminum display at work, and I love it. Kinda steep right now though, even with my education discount. What about dells? I’ve heard some of you guys swear by them.

3. Do #1 and get a new iMac. It would be $500 more than an Apple 20”, and I’d get a new computer. Again kind of novelty, but better than nothing.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I’ve been agonizing over this for the last couple of days.

 

[BrandonSi]

3. Do #1 and get a new iMac. It would be $500 more than an Apple 20”, and I’d get a new computer.

Plus the 20" iMac has the better LCD.

20" ACD
Resolutions * 1680 x 1050 pixels
Brightness (typical) 250 cd/m
Contrast ratio (typical) 400:1

20" iMac
1680 x 1050
280 cd/m
800:1

 

[jsw]

What about dells? I’ve heard some of you guys swear by them.

You can often find the Dell 20" monitors (widescreen and standard) for under $500. I have the widescreen version, and I love it. I'm all in favor of buying Apple products (god knows I have enough of them), but the Dell monitor is superior to the Apple 20" in many ways - better connectivity, better adjustments, rotates (!), etc.

Consider one if you don't get the iMac, but the iMac is an excellent choice as well.

 

[saunders45]

The 20" iMzc is out of my price range right now, so I was considering the 17".

I can get the 20" dell for $400.

 

[itsbetteronamac]

I would go with a screen from dell. You can get a gorgeous 24" for like $549 or something like that. I would personally get the new monitor, use the old PM, and then start saving up for a new one.

 

[Quixcube]

Get the Dell LCD.

We just replaced the LCDs on a graphics workstation at work with Dells. Previously, it had a couple of Formac Gallery 1740s and an Apple 23" Cinema Display HD attached. The Formacs got dim, and the Cinema Display took on a yellowish pink hue.

We bought two Dell LCDs, both widescreen, a 24" and a 20". I prefer the color quality on the 20" model, but the resolution on the 24" (equal to the Cinema Display HD) is addictive.

In terms of overall picture quality, both Dells are a step up from the Formacs. The 24" model is as good, if not better, than the Cinema Display HD was when it was new. The Dells are not perfect though. We have several Eizo LCDs, all of which the Dells are noticably inferior too.

The Dells are much more flexible in their setup than Apple LCDs are. I prefer the Dells' hardware controls to Apple's software controls any day of the week. Also, the Dell LCDs have multiple inputs (DVI, VGA, and composite video on the 24".) The height adjustable stands on the Dells are great. Apple needs to learn that not every person/desk/chair is the same height.

Don't get an all in one desktop. You already have an all in one with your powerbook. Get something more flexible.

 

[saunders45]

Yeah. Thanks for the advice man. Looks like you had the same Formac as I did. I'm thinking I'll go with the Dell 20". I wasn't sold on the iMac anyway, as normally I despise all-in-one's anyway.

 

[gwuMACaddict]

DUDE, you should get a dell!

(had to go there)

 

[alien]

Ok... i don't know where you are... but I'm in Canada and I just traded in my computer for about $475 (CAD). You should be able to get a lot more than I got for my computer (look at my sig for what i traded in... minus the monitor and mous of course). Since you have a really good monitor I'd go for the Powermac. Much more longevity in it, and more power overall. If you don't care about "dual" usage then sell the monitor and get an iMac. I don't know what you reallly use your computer for, but most people can easily get away with an iMac for anything they do. If you what to get a little more life out of your computer and would like the option of being able to upgrade... then get the Powermac.