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Specials galore: Which 27" monitor?

M

macmesser

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 13, 2012
921
198
Long Island, NY USA
Which 27 inch monitor for 09 Mac Pro? Will be upgrading the OS to ML. Main use PS CS6, Canon apps, Bridge, Lightroom. Does anyone know how Asus stacks up against NEC? Both of the below monitors are around 100% aRGB gamut. The Asus is a little faster, while the NEC has 14 bit 3D LUT. Any other suggestions appreciated. I think both have some sort of ambient light sensing. NEC does, some of the Asus do. Thanks in advance for helping Santa out; in these parts he's running a tad late this year...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...71W_BK_MultiSync_PA271W_BK_27_Widescreen.html

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4561593&Sku=A466-2782
 
That Asus isn't even CLOSE to what the NEC is designed for! That NEC is truly aimed for professional market, while that Asus isn't.

If you have the money, by all means get that NEC.

If you are somewhat short, consider the Dell 2711U as well.
 
The Dell U3011 is only $1100; also worth considering.

Calibrated with my printers and camera; I don't seem to have any issues with color matching and performance is excellent.
 
SDAVE said:
http://www.frys.com/product/6406652?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Might be lucky and have one in stock nearby.
Click to expand...

Thanks for reply. No Frys within 100 miles. Bummer. Are the Apple displays as good as NEC or Eizo? Just wondering. Off to try Provantage and Newegg.

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alphaod said:
The Dell U3011 is only $1100; also worth considering.

Calibrated with my printers and camera; I don't seem to have any issues with color matching and performance is excellent.
Click to expand...

Awesome specs. Where did you see it for $1100? It's $1400 on Dells site now.
 
macmesser said:
Thanks for reply. No Frys within 100 miles. Bummer. Are the Apple displays as good as NEC or Eizo? Just wondering. Off to try Provantage and Newegg.

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Awesome specs. Where did you see it for $1100? It's $1400 on Dells site now.
Click to expand...

Check slickdeals for Dell coupons, call a Dell business sales rep, look at [h]ard|forum (should read the thread for the monitor you want to buy on there when spending that amount). You will find you can get things a lot cheaper from Dell than their "retail pricing".
 
SadChief said:
Above all, no LED backlit display - they are standard gamut.
For photo applications: EIZO or NEC (wide gamut).
See why here:
http://diglloyd.com/articles/Recommended/displayNEC27.html
I followed his advice and I couldn't be happier.
For further detailed information:
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/nec_pa271w.htm
Click to expand...

Pretty sure I'll be going for this. B&H current price is best bang for buck by far. The 30" model is around twice the price with the same specs otherwise. Big premium for the extra screen space.
 
stevedusa said:
That Asus isn't even CLOSE to what the NEC is designed for! That NEC is truly aimed for professional market, while that Asus isn't.

If you have the money, by all means get that NEC.

If you are somewhat short, consider the Dell 2711U as well.
Click to expand...

Thanks for reply. Looking closely at the NEC. The U2711 is also very interesting, with "factory tuned aRGB and sRGB modes." With a possible coupon price would be significantly lower than the NEC.
 
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Umbongo said:
Check slickdeals for Dell coupons, call a Dell business sales rep, look at [h]ard|forum (should read the thread for the monitor you want to buy on there when spending that amount). You will find you can get things a lot cheaper from Dell than their "retail pricing".
Click to expand...

Thanks. On slickdeals now. Dell U2711 is $649. U3011 is $1049. NEC PA271W-BK not there but is $899 at B&H, right in the middle. Free shipping on all. Time to cogitate.
 
SadChief said:
Above all, no LED backlit display - they are standard gamut.
For photo applications: EIZO or NEC (wide gamut).
See why here:
http://diglloyd.com/articles/Recommended/displayNEC27.html
I followed his advice and I couldn't be happier.
For further detailed information:
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/nec_pa271w.htm
Click to expand...

It's not just a matter of gamut. The current NECs are just really nice displays across all parameters. They're also extremely competitive on pricing for what you're getting if you do need those features.
 
thekev said:
It's not just a matter of gamut. The current NECs are just really nice displays across all parameters. They're also extremely competitive on pricing for what you're getting if you do need those features.
Click to expand...
Of course you are right - I know it well because I own one (see signature).
Those features you hint to are needed for any serious photo work, as the OP seems do.
That is why I've quoted the two links where enormous amount of information is to be found (especially the second one). One have to read it very carefully and understand thoroughly. There is there much, much more knowledge in the field than what can be said in a limited space here.
 
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SadChief said:
Of course you are right - I know it well because I own one (see signature).
Those features you hint to are needed for any serious photo work, as the OP seems do.
That is why I've quoted the two links where enormous amount of information is to be found (especially the second one). One have to read it very carefully and understand thoroughly. There is there much, much more knowledge in the field than what can be said in a limited space here.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. I just get irritable when people focus on gamut:p. Higher quality displays were mostly sRGB or something close to that until a couple years ago.
 
macmesser said:
Thanks! That weighs in at $150 more than the NEC, but it's a 30" display. Wish specs for both had given the viewable area.

Now I need to pore over some reviews and do some shopping, but actually the prices in this thread are pretty good for the several models discussed. It's going to be a tough decision between the NEC and the Dell.
Click to expand...

Welcome.

If you have AE card and signed up for Dell.com $150 statement credit back in early December, it'll make it 649 - 150 + tax (if applicable).

Mine will be here tomorrow and I already got the 150 statement credit back 48 hours after I placed the order.

The U2713... not even close to what U2711 does.
 
derbothaus said:
Eizo is moving all their stuff to LED starting with the 23" and 24" ColorEdge. Only 27" is all CCFL for the time being.
http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/review/2012/review-eizo-cg246-part9.html
"Without a doubt, the new LED backlighting concept is ready to replace the established technology."
Click to expand...
At least at the present moment, I think that my assertion is still valid. And yes, we can reasonably expect a dramatic technological improvement as announced, no doubt about that. But for the time being, the OP needs a display available now.
Thank you very much for letting us know about those changes to come.
 
Einz said:
Interesting new model from Dell.

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/news_archive/27.htm#dell_u2713h
Click to expand...

Not just Dell, but LG also if look at all of the December entries for TFTCentral's new for their wider Adobe space LED backlight addition also. (probably same tech in different wrappers but likely indicative of a market trend. )


Couple that with the NEC PA271 being almost 3 year old model and seems a decent chance NEC will roll out something new early in 2013. They incremented the NEC P models in 2011/2012. It is about time to tweak the PA models now. Especially since the competition is moving on also (not just Dell but Eizo http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/news_archive/26.htm#eizo_coloredge ). It is as much the issue of moving to wider gamut LED lights as well as the panel which makes peddling 3-4 year old designs fairly non-competitive.

It wouldn't be surprising to see new ones come out at CES 2013 in a week or so.

"Priced to move" on the PA271 could be indicative of trying to flush the inventory.
 
SadChief said:
At least at the present moment, I think that my assertion is still valid. And yes, we can reasonably expect a dramatic technological improvement as announced, no doubt about that. But for the time being, the OP needs a display available now.
Click to expand...

It is rather limited "now". On Dell's website a U2713H is right now tagged as shipping Jan 23, 2013. That's less than a month away and they are taking orders. It isn't really "announced" that is the issue as much as shipping having been announced. It isn't a matter of crystal ball future forecasting.

If the original poster's criteria is 27" and 'deep discount' then your assertion has much more traction. If the discount is the primary focus those will likely broaden as go further into 2013 as more newer alternatives start to ship and more of the older inventory needs to be flushed.
 
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SadChief said:
At least at the present moment, I think that my assertion is still valid. And yes, we can reasonably expect a dramatic technological improvement as announced, no doubt about that. But for the time being, the OP needs a display available now.
Thank you very much for letting us know about those changes to come.
Click to expand...

Yes. Still valid. Just wanted to point out that Eizo is shipping LED based ColorEdge display's that get real close to CCFL extended gamut. Just not the 27" stuff yet. Most likely still working that out.
 
derbothaus said:
Yes. Still valid. Just wanted to point out that Eizo is shipping LED based ColorEdge display's that get real close to CCFL extended gamut. Just not the 27" stuff yet. Most likely still working that out.
Click to expand...

That 27" came out much later after they tested the self calibration route on the 245. It could easily be late in the current year before you see a revised 27" in that product category.


deconstruct60 said:
"Priced to move" on the PA271 could be indicative of trying to flush the inventory.
Click to expand...

They did that with many of the 90s series displays too. Those preceded the PAs. Typically NEC's cycles last a while, but they reduce pricing periodically. You can typically expect the first round of that a year or so into a product cycle. This was the second or third reduction on the PAs. I think they started around $1800 or so for the 27".
 
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