Largest monitor possible

[kuba]

Doing my homework a bit early, might want to purchase a large screen (widescreen format) for my PC.
Was wondering which route to take, apple, dell, anyone else?

 

[w00t]

Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP

Apple Cinema 30'' HD

those are the two better big monitors I can think of the 3007WFP is 1,499 while the Apple 30'' is 1,999

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Keep in mind that to use a 2560x1600 display, you're need a dual-link DVI output from your videocard. That's pretty darn good for resolution.

If you mean physical size, you can certainly get into larger displays than 30".

 

[velis]

Hmmm, Rahul Sood mentions a new beast here.

Unfortunately they are only available together with a new omen PC from voodoopc.com.

Also a bit on the expensive side

 

[BOLt]

Originally posted by: w00t
Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP

Apple Cinema 30'' HD

those are the two better big monitors I can think of the 3007WFP is 1,499 while the Apple 30'' is 1,999

Agreed. However, Dell runs great sales sometimes. You can pick up a 3007FPW for "cheap" sometimes. IMO, Dell wins vs. Apple for the displays, but it's a matter of preference when two monitors are that good.

EDIT: BTW, it's really hard to beat two displays for overall screen real estate. Dell UltraSharp 2007FPs are the best option for that based on price and quality. Go with a 4:3 aspect ratio display if you are into dual monitors.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: w00t
Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP

Apple Cinema 30'' HD

those are the two better big monitors I can think of the 3007WFP is 1,499 while the Apple 30'' is 1,999

yup, these are basically the two biggest LCD monitors you can get, although there are supposed to be other ones out fairly soon. the 3007wfp has been as low as $1080 with various dell discounts and coupons, so keep your eyes open. just remember that at a 2560x1600 resolution, unless you have a very high end GPU (e.g. 8800gtx), gaming will be nearly impossible.

another alternative is picking up a 1080p TV/monitor, such as the 37" Westinghouse. These run at 1920x1080, so the resolution is much lower, but the screen is much bigger. Awesome for gaming & movies but not nearly as good for reading/browsing/office work (but not bad, either).

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: BOLt

Originally posted by: w00t
Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP

Apple Cinema 30'' HD

those are the two better big monitors I can think of the 3007WFP is 1,499 while the Apple 30'' is 1,999

Agreed. However, Dell runs great sales sometimes. You can pick up a 3007FPW for "cheap" sometimes. IMO, Dell wins vs. Apple for the displays, but it's a matter of preference when two monitors are that good.

EDIT: BTW, it's really hard to beat two displays for overall screen real estate. Dell UltraSharp 2007FPs are the best option for that based on price and quality. Go with a 4:3 aspect ratio display if you are into dual monitors.

I'm quite happy with my dual 2007FPs I got for ~239 each. Almost the same total screen space as the 30" as a fraction of the price. For general windows work and internet, it works quite well. Of course the compromise is for gaming I'm limited to using one of them. Still, I like the idea of only having to have a videocard capable of 1600x1200 resolution vs. getting into a cycle of having to have videocards capable of running decently at 2560x1600 if I wanted to take full advantage of a 30" display.

 

[Jaxidian]

In my opinion, if you don't want to spend many thousands of dollars just on video cards and mobos to support those video cards, your best bet is to get a 1080p tv/monitor. Sure, you can look to those 30" LCDs and get higher resolutions but in my opinion, you're starting to get too high of a resolution for current technology and the 1080p tv/monitors are closer to that "sweet spot" plus you can use them for more than just computing easily. 32" to 50" are probably what you want to consider. I think you can sometimes get 37" 1080p screens for $1k though I believe they're the cheaper ones.

Good luck!

 

[mshan]

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-oYAaZ5papr...bin/ProdView.asp?g=146350&I=647LVM37W3

Just doesn't have the resolution of that 30 inch Dell / Apple.

And runs fine (no gaming) on integrated 6150 graphics (slight stutter with 1080p material).

To me, 37 inch widescreen seems perfect for a large pc monitor at about 3 - 4 ft. from screen. I think 42 inch might be too big as a pc monitor if you want to sit directly in front of it.