single 22 or dual 17 cinema display ?

[thevessels]

im in the market for a new display rig

and ebay-wise it looks like 17 cinema displays go for about half the price as the bigger 20 or 22's

which would you recommend ?

two 17 cinemas or a single 22 perhaps

-chris

 

[DanTekGeek]

i would go for the dual 17. it gives you more horizontal real estate. plus, having 2 monitors is just awesome.

 

[Wano]

I have a 20" and I love it! I think it's nicer than two 17" especially for watching movies and also workig with FCP. Maybe get a 20" or 22" and later get a 17"?

 

[cluthz]

im in the market for a new display rig

and ebay-wise it looks like 17 cinema displays go for about half the price as the bigger 20 or 22's

which would you recommend ?

two 17 cinemas or a single 22 perhaps

-chris

The cinema 17 has adc connectors, your mac probalby has only one of them..
You will need a +$100 adapter to use two.

The apple 17" studio is a bit outdated compared to modern displays and often costs too much...

 

[edesignuk]

If I remember correctly the resolution on the 22" wasn't really anything to write home about. I'd go with 2x17" (total 2560x1024 vs 1600x1024 of the 22" IIRC).

edit: good point cluthz, hadn't thought about the ADC connectors and that an adapter would be needed.

 

[Solafaa]

I use 1 23" new apple display and i love it, i got used to the 23" displays since i have it on all 0of my desktop (20" for iMac G5) that i find it hard to use a smaller display.

 

[SilentPanda]

I have a single 20" display and my dad has two 17" displays. I know he has more screen real estate but... I dislike having to use monitor spanning. Just a personal thing I guess... I'd go with a single large display over two displays.

 

[coconn06]

im in the market for a new display rig

and ebay-wise it looks like 17 cinema displays go for about half the price as the bigger 20 or 22's

which would you recommend ?

two 17 cinemas or a single 22 perhaps

-chris

Here's an idea: don't buy Apple monitors! They're way too expensive and you can get quality LCDs elsewhere. I recently bought an LG 17" LCD and it's great (see my sig). The plan is to eventually pick up a second one. Btw, two of these LG monitors are still several hundred dollars less expensive than an Apple 20" LCD.

 

[thevessels]

Here's an idea: don't buy Apple monitors! They're way too expensive and you can get quality LCDs elsewhere. I recently bought an LG 17" LCD and it's great (see my sig). The plan is to eventually pick up a second one. Btw, two of these LG monitors are still several hundred dollars less expensive than an Apple 20" LCD.

hmm - you aare right ..
have any other names that are comparable or trustworth? samsung sony ?

 

[efoto]

If your looking for a great LCD for cheap, check out Dell (this should be the only time I EVER endorse such a company). I have their 2001FP which is a 20.1" LCD (Inputs: DVI, VGA, S-Video, and Composite. Has an upstream USB port on it for hooking into a computer and then four downstream ports on the side of the screen, all USB 2.0 which is pretty sweet. Oh, and you cannot forget a 16ms response time...pretty sweet on a 20")

My friend already has one and just ordered a second for the great low price of 645.cc USD, which is a pretty hot deal. If it matters to you, like it did to me, LG makes the panels for Dell in their 2001FP monitors. They also have a new 2005FP which is a widescreen version if you prefer that, but it is actually less physical realestate, depends on what you prefer. I love mine, works great, not a single dead stuck or hot pixel, awesome when you flip it tall for word or browsing, and just overall a pretty nice product.

There you go, thats my vote. I am not sure if my friend had some crazy coupon stacking or not, but with Xmas and the like, you should be able to pay no more than 700USD, probably less

 

[Rod Rod]

hmm - you aare right ..
have any other names that are comparable or trustworth? samsung sony ?

Here's one: the HP L2335. It's a 23" LCD, 1920x1200, with all sorts of inputs. There's an eBayer selling refurbs for $1199 who says it comes with a three-year warranty. It's a better deal than getting a used Apple 22" even though it's probably $100-200 more than what you're looking to spend.

The other day the 1600x1200 Dell 20" LCD was selling for $599 new, and the 1680x1050 was selling for $634. Those deals are gone at the moment but they'll very likely pop back up again soon. dealmac/dealnews/dealcoupon.com and techbargains.com are helpful sites for finding good prices.

 

[HiRez]

I'd get the single larger one. I find it very frustrating to use dual monitors, you can never put anything in the middle. The only cases where I'd say dual screens might be good is with high-end graphics apps where you have one screen for your main image or movie or render, and the other for all the various tool palettes. Even then I find it strange to be moving the cursor into that neutral zone all the time. And with a larger monitor you get the benefits of a larger single view for things like movies and games, plus more efficient use of space and probably less power as well.

 

[decksnap]

Does anyone have opinions / experience with the Formac LCDs? They look pretty nice but I've never read any reviews. $900 for their 20 inch.

 

[efoto]

Not sure about Formac screens, but $900 for a 20"!? Wow, they had better be pretty darn good because that is an outdated price. Seriously, check out the Dell 200-FP, straight 20 or widescreen, up to you. Posted above, prices vary from week to week, even daily in some cases to check with the deal sites, stack a few coupons, and your looking at a 16ms 20" for around 650USD. Pretty nice.

 

[jackieonasses]

Not sure about Formac screens, but $900 for a 20"!? Wow, they had better be pretty darn good because that is an outdated price.

Well, if that price was outdated, then check a look at apples! ahha If you haven't seen it already, it will give you a heart attack!

 

[Capt Underpants]

Does anyone have opinions / experience with the Formac LCDs? They look pretty nice but I've never read any reviews. $900 for their 20 inch.

How the heck do you have a 'tar with less than 200 posts?

I second the dell LCD monitor thing. It's a darn good monitor for the price.

 

[musicpyrite]

How the heck do you have a 'tar with less than 200 posts?

He/she won the best animated avatar contest thingy.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/84244/

 

[decksnap]

How the heck do you have a 'tar with less than 200 posts?

I demanded satisfaction.

 

[mfacey]

I have a 17inch NEC LCD monitor and it is awesome. They're better value for money over here in Europe than most of the other big brands ie. Samsung, Sony, Philips and they look pretty good. Take a look at them!

 

[StarbucksSam]

I would go for the single 22, but that's just because I don't like how much space the two monitors would take up, or having a "split" screen.