apple cinema 20"

[tekno82]

i realize this doesnt fall under the idea of traditional cost-effectiveness, but the x850 is relatively cost effective and i believe supports dual-link. have fun finding one. that looks to be your best consumer PC bet. i think maybe 6800 ultra can support dual link also, but dont quote me on that one. im fairly certain the x850 can drive the 30" though.

 

[carage]

Originally posted by: tekno82
i realize this doesnt fall under the idea of traditional cost-effectiveness, but the x850 is relatively cost effective and i believe supports dual-link. have fun finding one. that looks to be your best consumer PC bet. i think maybe 6800 ultra can support dual link also, but dont quote me on that one. im fairly certain the x850 can drive the 30" though.

From what I know now, the only 6800 Ultra board that supports DDL is only available through Apple, and that card won't fit on a PC either because it requires an additional ADC slot adjacent to the AGP slot on an Apple motherboard.
The only way to go is get a workstation card, the same situation applies to ATi too.
However, the problem is that even if I get a top of the line workstation card its D3D performance is still less than a gaming card based on the same chip and costs a lot more.

 

[oscarsande]

Hi there tek...

Im also thinking of getting the same apple 20 inch monitor as you.

Now...from all the comments, it seems that it should be fine running on a pc (with windows) as long as you have a good graffics card. Some people dont seem to see the bios in the begining (POST) but you seem alright with it. So just a quick question...what card do you recommend (note that I'd need one that is PCI express), is the colour on your display even (eg. any yellow on the edges)...And...what is SLi all about on the NVIDIA cards??

Thanks

Oscar

 

[batmanuel]

Personally, I'd take a 2005FPW over the 20" Cinema display. I don't know about you, but I'd be willing to accept some backlight bleeding if I got the Dell for half the price of the Cinema Display (which is with the realm of possiblity, even after the Cinema Display price cuts). The Apple display looks sexier and has better quality control, but I just don't think it is worth the extra price, especially since it has less inputs than the Dell and no rotation capability.

 

[tekno82]

everybody has their own threshold of marginal utility/cost-benefit. and when would you ever use the rotation capability? that feature is just odd to me, since i never once have independently wished for such a feature on either my TV or my monitor...inputs is a good point, but i use the monitor solely for the computer, everything else is routed to my main big-screen tv. maybe if i got the 30" id want inputs...

 

[oscarsande]

Hi there...

I see your point. The apple is very expensive...however...they have had the price cuts, and they do student discounts. Which come in very handy for me because I am a student. YEAH BABY!

I get it for £600 instead of £700

Its all good.

Oscar.

 

[batmanuel]

In regards to rotation, this is how bjc112 uses his 2005FPW rotated. It's a really handy feature. Not sure if I'd really WANT an LCD that didn't have rotation, actually. Also, height adjustment is key for me as well.

In fact, ergonomics has always been my big beef with Apple's computer products. Steve Jobs has always favored form over function. They try for good ergonomics, they really do, but when push comes to shove ergonomics tends to lose out when it conflicts with stylishness. I still shudder at the ergonomic horror that was the old Apple hockey puck mouse. I will grant that the iPod is an ergonomic masterpiece, but their monitors, mice and keyboards have always left me cold.

 

[tekno82]

hm, i dont think id ever look at stuff like that...i guess thats just personal preference. thats basically what i envisioned as the only real use of the rotation...and id rather have lateral WS rather than vertical WS. i dont think i ever adjust the height of my monitor, just my chair...im not saying the monitor couldnt be improved, i just think some of the things people pick at like the rotation feature arent very important at all.

plus, with the rotation, i wonder if you run into screen drooping/tilting in the future? not sure if it has a good locking mechanism...i dont know many who will defend the puck mouse i usually despise apple's attempts at minimalist form as well, but i dont think you sacrifice anything truly significant on the cinema display other than input options.

 

[carage]

I seriously doubt the ability of vertical rotation is of any importance, at least I can't think of any real uses for it. Yeah, but I can't think of one doesn't mean others can't think of one, so I guess this is personal preference. I know a couple of Eizo LCDs support the roate function, and the only usage I see others doing is reading PDFs or portrait photos.

In addition to the lack of input choices, the Apple CinemaDisplay still lacks one thing: an OSD. Actually it does come with one, just that the controls are integrated into the Mac OS so it is completely useless in a Windows environment. Of course, only the real serious graphical designers or realists alike would care for this omission. Most people I know who use Apple LCDs on PCs couldn't care less about adjusting the display. The default settings looks excellent to most.

 

[tekno82]

eh, the real serious gfx designers would load their own color profiles in software anyways, wouldnt they? i make minor color adjustments to my personal preference using 3rd party software...

 

[carage]

Originally posted by: tekno82
eh, the real serious gfx designers would load their own color profiles in software anyways, wouldnt they? i make minor color adjustments to my personal preference using 3rd party software...

That's true, and LG also provides monitor color profiles which probably use the same panels.
Some people also adjust color using video card drivers like nVidia's Digital Vibrance makes a huge difference in terms of color representation, although some people think it only serves to distort the color.

 

[oscarsande]

Hi there everybody...

Just read on apple.com that the 20 inch monitor should work fine on a PC as long as the graphics card being used supports DVI with DDC technology for widescreen viewing.

Which graphics cards meet these specs??

I've being looking everywere for such a graphics card...but none mention anything about DDC technology.

Much help needed as I am loosing sleep over it :-(

Peace, Oscar.

 

[Cheesetogo]

Now I don't know if you are 100% set on the Apple, but the Dell 2005fp is worth a look. I know Apple just dropped their prices, but considering you can get the 2005fp for as low as $500 it's worth a look.

Where can you get a 2005fp for that much?

 

[carage]

Originally posted by: oscarsande
Hi there everybody...

Just read on apple.com that the 20 inch monitor should work fine on a PC as long as the graphics card being used supports DVI with DDC technology for widescreen viewing.

Which graphics cards meet these specs??

I've being looking everywere for such a graphics card...but none mention anything about DDC technology.

Much help needed as I am loosing sleep over it :-(

Peace, Oscar.

That's just about EVERY SINGLE graphics card out there.

 

[batmanuel]

Originally posted by: Cheesetogo

Now I don't know if you are 100% set on the Apple, but the Dell 2005fp is worth a look. I know Apple just dropped their prices, but considering you can get the 2005fp for as low as $500 it's worth a look.

Where can you get a 2005fp for that much?

Keep an eye om the Hot Deals forum. They had a lot of deals near the end of the year, but the deals have cool off a lot now it is past Christmas. You generally have to do some furious coupon stacking and wait for the deals to come around, but it is possible.

 

[oscarsande]

Carage!!

The nightmares have stopped.

Muchas Gracias, Oscar.

 

[oscarsande]

Hi there...

Im curious...it seems some people using the monitor on their pc can see their bios and some cannot.

I think its a good idea for everyone to show what spec their pc has...and maybe we can find out what the problem is.

Peace.

 

[domsch]

I also want to buy the Apple Display, but they told me, that I can't change anything with a windows computer.

No contrast, streching mode etc...


Is that true or do you only need a special driver?

 

[amol]

it is true

edit: lemme elaborate

the only actual adjustment ON the monitor is the brightness

everything else is built into OS X, which obviously, you can't have with a PC

 

[Boze]

Its very true, I picked my 2005FPW for $521.75 and five days later saw some post about getting theirs for $484.xx, so keep those peepers peeled for the deals.

In a completely unrelated note, I wish Dell would come to our rescue and release a 30" LCD panel to compete with Apple's so I don't have to listen to all the Macheads brag about their giant screen to work in Photoshop on while they sip their latte and eat their cinnamon raisin cream cheese bagels... :|

 

[tekno82]

Originally posted by: Boze
Its very true, I picked my 2005FPW for $521.75 and five days later saw some post about getting theirs for $484.xx, so keep those peepers peeled for the deals.

In a completely unrelated note, I wish Dell would come to our rescue and release a 30" LCD panel to compete with Apple's so I don't have to listen to all the Macheads brag about their giant screen to work in Photoshop on while they sip their latte and eat their cinnamon raisin cream cheese bagels... :|

hey, i sip lattes! but im not a machead, or a gfx designer. and i hate cinnamon raisin bagels. but i do love my apple 20".

domsch: you can adjust monitor settings with drivers or 3rd party programs on the PC. no direct adjustment of anything but brightness.

 

[domsch]

domsch: you can adjust monitor settings with drivers or 3rd party programs on the PC. no direct adjustment of anything but brightness.

Good to hear.

I ordered mine today, I studied long time if I should buy dell or apple. I deceided for apple because of the designt and I don't need pivot, digital-s etc.

 

[tekno82]

craftsmanship and the superb minimalist design that apple does so elegantly is really what put me over the top. seeing as how the rest of my place is setup in similar euro-style.

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: tekno82
craftsmanship and the superb minimalist design that apple does so elegantly is really what put me over the top. seeing as how the rest of my place is setup in similar euro-style.

That might have put me over the top for the apple... but that darn $450 additional cost just somehow did not seem worth it. Plus I don't have an annoying, glowing apple on the bottom of my monitor. That alone was worth saving $450... er.... yah!

-spike

 

[domsch]

Originally posted by: Spike


That might have put me over the top for the apple... but that darn $450 additional cost just somehow did not seem worth it. Plus I don't have an annoying, glowing apple on the bottom of my monitor. That alone was worth saving $450... er.... yah!

-spike

$450 additional cost is much, but in Switzerland (with studen price) I only pay about 200$ more. And so I taught it's ok. $450 is quite a lot of difference.