Suggestions for buying old Apple Monitors

[CarnelianClout]

I am having an interest in buying a 30 inch Apple Monitor, they are rare to find. What sort of adapters would I need to use it for my M2 Mac Mini, and other general things to be aware of? I am also thinking about buying a 22 or 23 inch Apple Monitor from 1999-2003, and would like suggestions for how such a setup would work for using with a Mac Mini.

 

[rm5]

I am having an interest in buying a 30 inch Apple Monitor, they are rare to find. What sort of adapters would I need to use it for my M2 Mac Mini, and other general things to be aware of? I am also thinking about buying a 22 or 23 inch Apple Monitor from 1999-2003, and would like suggestions for how such a setup would work for using with a Mac Mini.

I've done this (with several different Macs - MacBook Air, Mac mini, Mac Pro, and even a PC) and it works well. You'll need a dual-link DVI to HDMI adapter to hook the 30-inch Cinema Display up to the HDMI port. I'm not sure about connecting it to the Thunderbolt ports though.

I am not sure about the old 1999-2003 Apple monitor though, as I've never owned one.

 

[CarnelianClout]

I've done this (with several different Macs - MacBook Air, Mac mini, Mac Pro, and even a PC) and it works well. You'll need a dual-link DVI to HDMI adapter to hook the 30-inch Cinema Display up to the HDMI port. I'm not sure about connecting it to the Thunderbolt ports though.

I am not sure about the old 1999-2003 Apple monitor though, as I've never owned one.

How is the image quality?

 

[rm5]

How is the image quality?

These displays (speaking of the 2003 Cinema Display) are active matrix I believe. They have good viewing angles and decent black levels. They aren't very bright though, especially ones that have been used a lot. In practicality, they're not nearly as bright as any modern display.

The 2003 Cinema Displays also have image retention issues, as does mine (which is why I've stopped using it as a main monitor).

I think you can certainly use one if you want to, just bearing in mind these two issues.

 

[nathan_reilly]

I use two 30" cinema displays daily. Bought used from two different eBay sellers. They are warm. I can feel the heat coming off them when seated at a normal viewing angle. They probably pull a lot of electricity but I really don't care about that as I do design work at my family's machine shop and our monthly electric bill is like $3500 no matter what.

Their color is maybe not the best, but improves as they warm up (with improvements leveling off after about 30 minutes of warm up). I start my computer before I intend to use it anyways.

I use an image calibration tool from Spyder and I can't get them to have exactly the same color, which frustrated me a lot until I separated them. I now have a standing desk and a sitting desk, 1 30" monitor apiece. Two 30" monitors next to each other is a lot of head turning anyhow.

There's no good reason to get rid of them that I can see, but they are not as bright or sharp as my 2013 Retina MacBook Pro. I love the 1x pixel scaling for my work, and the pixel density is a plus because I can run old school apps that don't respond well to HiDPI scaling, like old versions of Solidworks and Keyshot.

One of them has some slight image retention. I'm using it now. My solution is to set a screensaver to turn on after 10 minutes.

I think the vintage Cinema Displays are great, but they are expensive to ship carefully, so they may not be the most cost effective unless you can find a seller locally. I kept the boxes and peanuts mine arrived in so that I can pass them on more easily when I'm ready, but to be honest I will probably recycle these monitors when they break instead of resell them anytime soon.

 

[CarnelianClout]

@nathan_reilly @rm5

I got a good used 27 inch Apple Cinema Display from 2011, it has visible wear. I had wanted to get a 30 inch display but they are very rare to find in good condition - so from what I am understanding here if I can find a good one to use it would still be perfectly usable for a Mac Mini for years to come? I suppose the 30 inch one in good condition would be easier than the 1999-2003.

 

[nathan_reilly]

I have bought probably 10 or so parts or computers from usedmac website before. He's got a 60 day warranty if you don't like it, and he says "no dead pixel" about his 30" HD cinemas, which also come with a genuine power supply (he says).

I'd say its a decent vendor, because the few times that something hasn't gone right, he has made right. But you probably get better prices/similar buying protection on eBay with an add on warranty?

I will say you are asking if it will be "perfectly usable...for years to come" and I would answer that any electronic device at an advanced age is a bit of a gamble. But again, usedmac has got the parts to keep these things kicking for a good while. I got a replacement DVI/power cable for one of my displays from him, for example.

*edit* looks like he's also got the older panels you are talking about, even back to the CRTs