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Recommended Monitor

D

dtechlogic

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 15, 2011
203
3
Hi Everyone,

I wanted to know which monitor will yous recommend for the Mac pro. Right now i have a samsung Syncmaster P2770HD. Is it better to get a cinema display. What do you guys recommend. Also i do video editing but i don't do color correction on them. advice if i should just buy a cinema display brand new or get a used one. from ebay or craigslist.
 
How serious are you with the video?
Video is often in 24p, 23.98p, 50p etc kind of refresh rates, and they all show up crap on normal monitors.
If you want decent video playback, you need to get an Eizo Foris, an Eizo CG or a Nec PA monitor.
If you want cheap, you are better of with a decent TV to watch your work.
 
Stay with the Samsung and put the money into a SSD and more RAM.

I really love Cinema Displays, I also own one, but they are so damn expensive, even if you buy them used. Unless your don't need the good quality, I'd recommend to get a Samsung or a Dell.
 
What are you using the monitor for?

The answers will vary wildly without this...
 
dtechlogic said:
Hi Everyone,

I wanted to know which monitor will yous recommend for the Mac pro. Right now i have a samsung Syncmaster P2770HD. Is it better to get a cinema display. What do you guys recommend. Also i do video editing but i don't do color correction on them. advice if i should just buy a cinema display brand new or get a used one. from ebay or craigslist.
Click to expand...

I have that Samsung, it's one of the worst I've ever owned. I upgraded to Cinema Display. You should also check out the Dell U2711 for about $200 less.
 
I bought a new Mac Pro and a Dell U2711 monitor, I picked both up last Friday late afternoon.

The Dell has a very nice stand, and you do not see the black surround when the monitor is on. The silver trim on the outside looks good too. The touch controls on the front, work well IMO.

The screen is anti glare too.

However, the text is very poor, being quite grey. it looks good for photo work, but for the net and text work, its poor. i have tried calibrating it, but although the apple calibration improved it, it is still not as good as an old iMac 24
screen.

I rang the dealer and I am returning it.
 
Melbourne Park said:
i have tried calibrating it, but although the apple calibration improved it, it is still not as good as an old iMac 24
screen.
Click to expand...

That's not a great way to adjust things. Apple's "calibration" screen is quite rudimentary.
 
I am going to look for a use cinema display from ebay or craigslist. That samsung monitor is not a good monitor. i have RMA it once.
 
Dell

I got my eyes on a new DELL 30 inch LCD ISP as soon as I get paid for my last gig! I guess its price at from $1,100, and $1,500 BUT I have heard glowing reviews on it!

The best FLAT SCREEN I have ever had seen was is my old HD APPLE 23inch. ABSOLUTELY STUNNING I would of gotten the 30 back them if I had the scratch. AND I want that again but in a 30inch dell and many say it will deliver...

I would of gotten one for my old POWER MAC G5 but the damn video card would NOT support it

BUT my new MACPRO 12 core will!

The only negative press I have heard for 2 people on the 30inch dell is that in both the monitor was dead on arrival
 
rantingrich said:
The best FLAT SCREEN I have ever had seen was is my old HD APPLE 23inch. ABSOLUTELY STUNNING
Click to expand...

Honestly dude you got lucky on that one. Those varied immensely in terms of uniformity, color, etc. and they weren't entirely stable. Even at the time better ones were available, but it was possible to spend $1700-2800 for a 21-22" display if you wanted one of the best. The cinema display was cheaper than that after the first price drop. I wouldn't suggest that others rely on your results, especially when those are old and likely no longer serviceable. 23" displays today tend to be pretty hit and miss, but they're sold on much lower margins.
 
Good point

thekev said:
Honestly dude you got lucky on that one. Those varied immensely in terms of uniformity, color, etc. and they weren't entirely stable. Even at the time better ones were available, but it was possible to spend $1700-2800 for a 21-22" display if you wanted one of the best. The cinema display was cheaper than that after the first price drop. I wouldn't suggest that others rely on your results, especially when those are old and likely no longer serviceable. 23" displays today tend to be pretty hit and miss, but they're sold on much lower margins.
Click to expand...

I have heard some bad stories about the cinema display form many folks! Lots of dead pixels, color cast ect! Like I said I bought mine NEW AND once in a while it does have this weird little white box bout one 1/8 an inch by the same! that will move around but very rarely!

NOW what did surprise me was how HOT this thing got. Hotter than ANY old CRT or any other monitor I have used ever. NOW I think one reason its stayed working so long is that I have always had this TINY fan blowing on it from behind that comes one when the monitor comes on.

I so loved the 23 inch i had I went looking for a used 30 like 4 years ago and found one. But eventually the guy told me its messed up. What a shame the cinema display was one of the coolest looking and sharpest LCD at the time,

I better go knock wood huh?

yea heard apple had MOUNTAINS of the 30 inchers returned as defective. ANd usually right about the time the warranty ran out OUCH!

I was close to getting a new apple 27 inch until I went to see one and that DAMN HYPER GLOSS SCREEN is just too much! I worked with the generation prior to the new one at a publishers. and had to turn off all the lights in the office and shut the blinds to even use it with out my eyes bleeding.

Of course then I was accused of sleeping in my office all day! DAMN!
 
rantingrich said:
I was close to getting a new apple 27 inch until I went to see one and that DAMN HYPER GLOSS SCREEN is just too much! I worked with the generation prior to the new one at a publishers. and had to turn off all the lights in the office and shut the blinds to even use it with out my eyes bleeding.

Of course then I was accused of sleeping in my office all day! DAMN!
Click to expand...

In terms of reliability, they were probably a step up. When Apple came out with those, they were accused of no longer catering to professionals. In terms of catering to those looking for a display for color sensitive work, they were potentially a step backward. LED backlighting tends to make for a very cold looking white point. Glossy is a pain in the ass too, although it seems like they're working on methods of glare reduction. Many of the boosts in reliability were likely just that the technology has matured quite a bit. Anyway yeah given the hit and miss nature and their general age + lack of repair options, I wouldn't suggest one to anyone these days. The prior generation with the plastic frame was really bad. Those broke constantly.
 
What do you think of the NEC multisync E231W or EX231W. I will check into the brands you guys have mention.
 
Melbourne Park said:
I bought a new Mac Pro and a Dell U2711 monitor, I picked both up last Friday late afternoon.

The Dell has a very nice stand, and you do not see the black surround when the monitor is on. The silver trim on the outside looks good too. The touch controls on the front, work well IMO.

The screen is anti glare too.

However, the text is very poor, being quite grey. it looks good for photo work, but for the net and text work, its poor. i have tried calibrating it, but although the apple calibration improved it, it is still not as good as an old iMac 24
screen.

I rang the dealer and I am returning it.
Click to expand...
Anti-glare will do that to text
 
Might want to look at the lower cost 27" 2650x1440 displays too. Catleap Q270, Potalion 2710QW, Achieva Shimian QH270 and the Pcbank PB2700 are on eBay, shipped from South Korea, using the same type of Panels found in the higher-end ones. There are ways to get pixel guarantees too. You can get these for under $300 and a lot of people are buying and reviewing them positively.

There are also US based models available in the Auria EQ276W from Micro Center and soon there will be one from Nixeus.
 
Umbongo said:
Might want to look at the lower cost 27" 2650x1440 displays too. Catleap Q270, Potalion 2710QW, Achieva Shimian QH270 and the Pcbank PB2700 are on eBay, shipped from South Korea, using the same type of Panels found in the higher-end ones. There are ways to get pixel guarantees too. You can get these for under $300 and a lot of people are buying and reviewing them positively.

There are also US based models available in the Auria EQ276W from Micro Center and soon there will be one from Nixeus.
Click to expand...

Isn't the Shimian a naked panel (no coating at all) and no scaler or OSD or anything? Just power (not even for your country maybe) and a Dual-DVI port. I admire the simplicity but...
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5885/the-achieva-shimian-qh270-a-350-27inch-wqhd-sips-display
 
derbothaus said:
Isn't the Shimian a naked panel (no coating at all) and no scaler or OSD or anything? Just power (not even for your country maybe) and a Dual-DVI port. I admire the simplicity but...
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5885/the-achieva-shimian-qh270-a-350-27inch-wqhd-sips-display
Click to expand...

They are all cheap displays so yeah you aren't going to find OSD, physical rotation/adjustable stands and a myriad of connectivity. The lower build quality and import issues seem to have been easy to overlook for so many buyers with those price differences.
 
Unless you really need resolution higher than 1920x1080 (and you very likely won't unless you are a professional photographer or PhotoShop layout artist, and you probably won't even then) I think the best route these days is to get a HDTV and connect via HDMI. It is not difficult to get a newer Mac to sync at this rez, and Mountain Lion is supposed to be smart enough to do this on its own (we'll see).

What does a monitor do that a HDTV does not do? Higher resolutions. That's really about it. Honestly, there is no real advantage to a computer monitor other than that these days; the quality is just as good and the price is right because they sell many more HDTV's than they do monitors so it allows them to amortize the lower price over that many more units sold.

What does a HDTV do that a Monitor does not do? It can be used also as an HDTV receiver and can also be used as a monitor for any video device, such as a blu-ray or a DVR.

You may have no interest in using it for anything else, but it will save you a ton of $, and there may be a day when you want to repurpose it as a HDTV is a kid's bedroom or something. You can get a 32" HDTV that will run rings around most monitors, for under $300, and you can get that with LED edge-lighting and smart dimming for just about that price. Vizio is what I have, and I can highly recommend it for this purpose. It also shuts off automatically when there is no input if you want it to.

You can also go to monoprice.com and get a Thunderbolt or mini-display port (same thing) adapter for about $5, or a MDP to HDMI cable for less than $7. Works great.

If you need precise color correction, that is a little more difficult on a HDTV than it is on a computer monitor, but you can still get there (a high-dollar monitor will be more accurate if needed).
 
TyroneShoes2 said:
Unless you really need resolution higher than 1920x1080 (and you very likely won't unless you are a professional photographer or PhotoShop layout artist, and you probably won't even then) I think the best route these days is to get a HDTV and connect via HDMI. It is not difficult to get a newer Mac to sync at this rez, and Mountain Lion is supposed to be smart enough to do this on its own (we'll see).

What does a monitor do that a HDTV does not do? Higher resolutions. That's really about it.
Click to expand...

No, it's not. This is the worst advice I have seen for some time. Do not try to use a TV to work with a computer whilst sitting 1 foot away. Seriously.
 
I love Iiyama monitors for accurate colours and brilliant contrast at a vey low cost. They may not suit all tastes but they are a bargain.
Currently using a Prolite E2475HDS TN panel, looks great, no glare and only £139.
Their IPS cost more mind.
 
More reading!

Been doping more research and am still leaning twards the 30 inch dell, which one can pick up at retailers for like 1,100-1,200....

But on newegg almost every review says IF YOU DON'T BUY IT FROM DELL DIRECTLY you will play hell getting ANY satisfaction from any sort of customer service IF AT ALL! and if you buy from dell it's another $200-$300 :(

----------

I might as well ask here! All the reviews also warn that MAKE SURE your computers video card supports 2560 x 1600 res of this monitor..

I will be getting a new MAC PRO 12 core with the ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB I am going to assume this card will service the 30 inch dell???
 
I've been very happy with my Dell 30" (U3011). It's a little expensive but the colors are fantastic, and a 30" screen is amazing, so it was worth it to me. I am an amateur photographer and spend most of my time in Lightroom editing photos. I used a Spyder 3 Pro to calibrate it and have no complaints at all :)
 
DELL vs Other retailer

I have been reading reviews and they all point twards DELL 30 inch as thats the TYPE size quality I want.

BUT almost every review while GLOWING and BACKLIT! (PUN INTENDED) all say BE AWARE! If possible get this directly from dell as if you buy it from a retailer you will play HELL dealing with ANY PROBLEMS!

OKAY so I went on dell and worked it all out! TT&L Comes cents short of $1500.....

SO I went to amazon TT&L is $1,100!

ALSO there is a caviot on the DELL order that says Estimated time of shipping 8-8-2012.. WTF?

DELL may bend over backwards for you for this monitor if there's an issue but is it worth and almost $500 difference and a months wait????
 
According to a number of posts on pro video forums, you'll see a lot of Dell Ultrasharps in editing suites. Take a look at those.
 
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