Purchasing advice: 17" LCD

lucaluca
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I may well be getting a PowerMac G4 soon (a used G4/867) and I need a monitor for it. For the time being I will borrow one of my brother's many CRTs, but I want something better. I've decided a 17" LCD (or any LCD that can do 1280x1024 really) is my best option. 15" LCDs have too low of a resolution, and CRTs are too unfriendly on the eyes and too bulky. Any suggestions? I saw that Formac is promoting their Gallery 1740 which is only $499 for the ADC version until mid-October. That's top on my list for the time being. Any other suggestions? I do want something that is fairly good quality, I've seen some poor-quality analog LCDs in CompUSA and they looked blurry. I'll consider an analog but it should be a good one. Also I don't want to spend over $500, and ADC connection is fine because I'll only be using it with the PowerMac anyway.



EDIT: A friend of mine just referred me to Dell, he says his Ultrasharp 20" is really good and I should look for a 17" or 18" version. I checked their website and they have both a 17" and 18" version of the Ultrasharp for the exact same price, $530. Anyone have experience with those?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    I went out on a limb based completely on specs and no reviews with a TDV Vison (not vision ) LCD and I am very happy. 1280x1024 native resolution and its very nice. Took me a while to adjust to the color because I was used to a ViewSonic CRT for so many years.



    I calibrated the color and took down the brightness (this monitor can get very bright!) I was happy as a clam in the sand. (gay saying I know)



    www.tdvvison.com



    I bought mine from www.tigerdirect.com and they are running a special for $320. Not a bad deal.







    F173 is my model.
  • Reply 2 of 7
    podmatepodmate Posts: 183member
    I've got 2 17" LCD Studio Displays and I couldn't be happier. They have the best "image" quality that I have seen in their price range.

    We got a whole bunch of Dell LCD's (various sizes) and not one of them can compare.

    Not to mention that out of an order of 25 (CPU's and LCD's) we have had to send back 2 CPU's as dead and 3 LCD's as defective. All within 6 months of purchase.

    We now have 4 more CPU's that are acting up. Pooh on Dell.
  • Reply 3 of 7
    mcqmcq Posts: 1,543member
    I've read on some other forums where people list hot deals, that the Dell Ultrasharp models are often rebranded Samsung LCDs, which means that they'd be pretty good.



    Personally, I have a Samsung 170T, and it's a great 17" LCD. The Samsung 172T got a solid review from AnandTech (http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1780 )... though it's a bit out of your price range from what I can see.
  • Reply 4 of 7
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    I got a Dell 18.1" LCD for 550 a few months ago, thanks to an overstock.



    It's a rebadged Sony as far as I can tell. Very nice. It also has DVI and VGA dual inputs, which is also nice. The picture quality is a bit below the Formac and the Apple display but it's hardly noticeable. I'd say the formac has the best image quality.
  • Reply 5 of 7
    gspottergspotter Posts: 342member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Luca Rescigno

    ...ADC connection is fine because I'll only be using it with the PowerMac anyway.



    I would still think twice before buying something with a proprietary connector: How long will you use this monitor. Will Apple still use the ADC then? An ADC monitor is also powered by the computer PSU. This might result in more heat within your computer and therefore more noise (sorry about the rant, but I have a leafblower aka MDD - with a 3rd party monitor - and the system is hot enough). Oh, I forgot: I don't like monitors that have a fixed cable - What do you do if the cable breaks: You'll have to send in the complete monitor instead of buying a new simple cable...



    Apart from the ADC decision, I would look for the panel technology used in the LCD. IIRC, there are currently (at least) three variants available: TN (twisted nematics), IPS (in plane switching) and MVA (multiple virtual angle). These technologies have different pros and cons when it comes to display characteristics. Especially important is the response time of a display. At least when I bought my display, MVA panels had the shortest resonse times, whereas IPS panels were rather slow which could lead to a smearing effect while watching movies or fast pacing action games.
  • Reply 6 of 7
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    I don't think there have been many complaints of the cable breaking. Apple also would provide an adapter if they decided to stop supporting ADC. ADC->DVI and ADC->VGA are out.





    I'd wouldn't get a new monitor just yet. I don't know that there is any rumors of it but maybe updates are waiting for paris...also although Apple Displays are very nice...they are expensive for something that takes up so much room (including the area around the monitor due to the THICK bezel.



    My Vison F173 is I believe the same or better at all the specs I could compare between it and the Apple 17". Mine even looks nice silver...I got it for a G5 but decided to go with a powerbook, hope they look just as nice together!
  • Reply 7 of 7
    gspottergspotter Posts: 342member
    Another question: How much space do you have on your desktop? My desk is rather small, so I appreciate that I can put my keyboard under my monitor (and therefore out of the way when I don't need it). I think it is not possible to put a keyboard under a Cinema Display.



    I do not know the features of the Cinema Displays, but when you want to play some games or watch DVDs you might want to check the capabilities of a monitor when it doesn't show it's native resolution: How good is the interpolation? Which options are offered (1280x1024 has a different size ratio than 1024x768, so a full zoom would distort a picture etc.)?
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