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ericarthur
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
 
2006-12-23, 13:32

I've just bought a Mac Mini in order to give myself a project (a core 2 duo project) over the holiday period, but don't have a monitor. The first thought it obviously an Apple screen, probably 20" unless I find another £250 lying around somewhere else when I could buy a 23". What other monitors out there are there that people have and would recommend? I want it to be:

1. Widescreen
2. Excellent quality
3. Ideally low power consumption
4. DVI

What do people think?
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MagSafe
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
 
2006-12-24, 06:24

Hmm, thinking of buying one of these myself (an Apple 20" / 23")

I'd like to know how high they sit off your desk with the stand (i.e inches between your desk and when the dock appears) as my Sony 19" one I have now is starting to get annoying due to straining my neck as theres no stand, hence no way of making it eye level.

Find me on Twitter: @StevenMcLintock
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scratt
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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2006-12-24, 06:29

BenQ. I have a lovely 8ms 20" display @ 1680 x 1050 which fits your criteria.
They are nice looking too..
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Fahrenheit
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Join Date: Sep 2005
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2006-12-24, 06:32

You could get a Dell 24 display. I hear they are nice.
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Krientle
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2006-12-24, 13:25

Apple's monitors seem overpriced to me. Benq and other monitor manufacturers have quality monitors for affordable prices. The US Apple Store has a 23" Apple monitor for $1000. That's kinda crazy. I can get a 22" LCD, a Mac Mini 1.66 ghz core duo model, and a nice keyboard and a mouse for that price. The 30" is $2000, though it is a sight to behold.

I can't really comment on quality of Apple displays, but my 17" Samsung LCD looks great to me, though I don't have any real hardcore photo requirements.

Anyways, g'luck with whatever you do decide to purchase.

~ K

1 ghz iBook G4 w/768 MB of RAM, 30 GB HD
30 GB 5th Gen Ipod
Athlon 2000+ w/512 MB of RAM, 1x 120 GB HD, 1x 250 GB HD
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JK47
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
 
2006-12-24, 14:13

As much as I despise their computers, Dell makes excellent monitors. Their specs are as good, if not better than the Apple displays, and they come with a 3 year warranty.

Did I mention that they're cheaper?
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Brave Ulysses
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I am worthless beyond hope.
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
 
2006-12-24, 19:37

Quote:
Originally Posted by MagSafe View Post
Hmm, thinking of buying one of these myself (an Apple 20" / 23")

I'd like to know how high they sit off your desk with the stand (i.e inches between your desk and when the dock appears) as my Sony 19" one I have now is starting to get annoying due to straining my neck as theres no stand, hence no way of making it eye level.
Apple's displays are absolutely terrible right now. Especially the 20" which has awful brightness and is horrendously overpriced.

I just picked up a Gateway 22" which surprisingly has a nice case design, component input, s-video, 4 USB 2.0 ports, much better brightness, much better contrast, and most importantly looks great in real usage. $399 from CompUSA or BestBuy. Their 24" is $679 and is superior to the 23" Apple in every way.
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ericarthur
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
 
2006-12-25, 12:06

I've looked here http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna...D&cs=RC1059030 and these look pretty good, with a decent spec and warranty. Can I just check a thing or two...

1) Should the contrast ratio be as high as possible (ie. 800:1 is better than 500:1)
2) The response time should be as low as possible (ie. 5ms is better than 16ms)
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PB PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
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2006-12-25, 12:26

Higher contrast is better, so 800:1 is better, and don't buy a monitor with anything higher than a 8ms response time.
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Ryan
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2006-12-25, 12:45

Quote:
Originally Posted by ericarthur View Post
I've looked here http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna...D&cs=RC1059030 and these look pretty good, with a decent spec and warranty. Can I just check a thing or two...

1) Should the contrast ratio be as high as possible (ie. 800:1 is better than 500:1)
2) The response time should be as low as possible (ie. 5ms is better than 16ms)
I got a login screen when I clicked that link.
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ericarthur
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
 
2006-12-25, 14:44

Try this link: http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna..._summary=False

I'm thinking the cheaper of the two is probably most suitable for me, as well as being almost £200 less that the Apple one.
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chris e boy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Swansea, Wales
 
2006-12-29, 07:02

I've got a Dell 20" (2007WFP) at home and have an Apple 20" in work. They both use the same screens (LG I think?). Yes, the Apple looks nicer and has a far better build quality and feels more robust, but the Dell is far cheaper.

One thing the Dell has in its favour is the number of connections. If you want to plug a games console etc. into it you can (I've got my Wii plugged into it). Although why the hell they thought putting usb ports underneath the monitor where you have to turn the monitor upside-down to reach them is a mystery. You do get two on the side as well though.

The Apple display feels a lot more solid whereas the Dell feels cheap and plastic. Also, the Dell has height adjustment (I find putting a book underneath works great for the Apple in work).

Hope this helps
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brutox
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
 
2006-12-29, 13:04

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob Dobbs View Post
You could get a Dell 24 display. I hear they are nice.
I have one, kicks ass
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Nesado
 
 
2007-01-06, 01:44

Quote:
Originally Posted by scratt View Post
BenQ. I have a lovely 8ms 20" display @ 1680 x 1050 which fits your criteria.
They are nice looking too..
Hi everyone,

I'm new here. I would advise against buying from benQ due to poor Q.C there seems to be many batches with dead pixels on them. Which was what I had encountered when I made my first purchase of benQ display, so went back to the store to exchange it, hada open 4 boxes but in vain to find one without the obivious shining or dark pixels staring back @ me. So settled for a samsung syncMaser 205BW instead which I'm glad.... Great design with adjustable stand, resolution is equivalent to the apple 20'' display but a lot cheaper, plus there's a zero dead pixel guarantee. Word of advise always check your LCD @ the store 1st b4 bringing it home cos they have this program which check to see if the LC changes its color accurately, better yet bring along a magnifying glass...LOL! Hope u've not made your purchase though...

Last edited by Nesado : 2007-01-06 at 02:03.
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scratt
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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2007-01-06, 02:48

I found 1 monitor with a dead pixel when I bought my benQ. The next box was fine...

One of my Apple Cinema displays has a dead pixel, which I never got to see before it was delivered in the UK ages ago.. No return there.

Nesado is right.. Whatever brand you buy get them to let you put a bright Red, Blue then Green screen up on the monitor in the store before you take it home..

I used to hate opening stuff in the store before I take it home, preferring to savour the experience at home.. But with high end gear, with large displays that is a must these days.

'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take'
Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt
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Schnauzer
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Arizona
 
2007-01-06, 12:00

Quote:
Originally Posted by JK47 View Post
As much as I despise their computers, Dell makes excellent monitors. Their specs are as good, if not better than the Apple displays, and they come with a 3 year warranty.

Did I mention that they're cheaper?
yeah thats the one thing dell is good at
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