New iMac as Cinema Display substitute?

wealdstone

Here's my thing: I've been working towards buying a cinema display for close to a year now. Only thing I was left wavering on was the price differential between 20" and 23".



I'd just about made the decision to get the 23" display. But now it seems I can get a 20" cinema display with a free computer attached! For roughly the same price as the 23" (I'm in the UK, by the way) I can have a 20" display plus some decent stuff I haven't got - 160Gb back-up, bluetooth, Airport Extreme and iLife 04. It even looks as if it's 'reasonably' portable.



I need someone to convince me that the 23" display is still worth considering. I could do with the screen space, but it now looks hideously overpriced compared to the above spec. Any advice? And how long is it going to be before a 23" iMac G5 breaks cover...

ipodandimac

Quote:

Originally posted by Wealdstone

Here's my thing: I've been working towards buying a cinema display for close to a year now. Only thing I was left wavering on was the price differential between 20" and 23".



I'd just about made the decision to get the 23" display. But now it seems I can get a 20" cinema display with a free computer attached! For roughly the same price as the 23" (I'm in the UK, by the way) I can have a 20" display plus some decent stuff I haven't got - 160Gb back-up, bluetooth, Airport Extreme and iLife 04. It even looks as if it's 'reasonably' portable.



I need someone to convince me that the 23" display is still worth considering. I could do with the screen space, but it now looks hideously overpriced compared to the above spec. Any advice? And how long is it going to be before a 23" iMac G5 breaks cover...

well, the 23" is designed for displaying HD video. If you're not a video editor, i would go with the 20 inch, and becasue you're considering an iMac I'll assume iMovie or FCE is the extent of all of that. I would go with the iMac, but if you want tons of power, cough up the bucks. i edit video on a 20 inch, and its big enough for most of the things i do except color correction and things like that.

wealdstone

Thanks ipodandimac. I'm in DTP principally, so the 23" option is more about getting full A4 onto the screen. I'm using a dual 1.8 G5, so power isn't an issue - running a G5 with a 17" CRT just seems, well, silly - and OSX is much more screen-hungry than OS9 ever was. The ridiculous thing is that I'd end up with two G5 machines if I got the iMac - so now I'm back to thinking separate 20" HD display, back-up HD, Airport and Bluetooth for the existing dual 1.8. But then, that's the same cost as the iMac...



Hmm. This was a much easier decision before today.

messiah

As someone who has owned two 20" Cinema Displays (one attached to an iMac) and a 23" Cinema HD Display, I'd say that the 23" is jaw droppingly awesome, but that unfortunately you soon get used to it and start taking it for granted.



For page layout, the 23" is still the best Apple display to buy. The figures don't do the 23" justice. The first time you sit down in front of one you realise just how HUGE it actually is!



I can only fear the 30"!

powermacg6

Is it possible to use the iMac screens as an external monitor. I dont want 3 monitors on my desk, but I could lose 1 I've already got, and replace it with an iMac, as long as I could feed the video from my PC into it.

bnoyhtuawb

Quote:

Originally posted by powermacG6

Is it possible to use the iMac screens as an external monitor. I dont want 3 monitors on my desk, but I could lose 1 I've already got, and replace it with an iMac, as long as I could feed the video from my PC into it.

That would be a monster-cool feature: DVI-I in so that you can use it as a display for another Mac. That would make me buy the 20" iMac right now!

king chung huang

Quote:

Originally posted by powermacG6

Is it possible to use the iMac screens as an external monitor. I dont want 3 monitors on my desk, but I could lose 1 I've already got, and replace it with an iMac, as long as I could feed the video from my PC into it.

You could try using VNC?

wealdstone

Quote:

Originally posted by King Chung Huang

You could try using VNC?

Seriously, would this work without too much hassle?

xool

VNC would work, but it will just mirror the screen of the other machine. It will not permit extended desktops.



To get extended desktops, you'll have to trick the machine to think there's a second display of the appropriate resolution.



Additionally, VNC is not suitable for fast graphics, like movies or games.

wealdstone

Quote:

Originally posted by Xool

VNC would work, but it will just mirror the screen of the other machine. It will not permit extended desktops.

OK, thanks for that. In my naivety I've probably made too many assumptions about connecting the two machines up. Damn it. I need a price drop on the 23" to make my decision more comfortable.

wink

Quote:

Originally posted by Wealdstone

OK, thanks for that. In my naivety I've probably made too many assumptions about connecting the two machines up. Damn it. I need a price drop on the 23" to make my decision more comfortable.

who wouldn't need a pricedrop on the 23"?

placebo

Quote:

Originally posted by powermacG6

Is it possible to use the iMac screens as an external monitor. I dont want 3 monitors on my desk, but I could lose 1 I've already got, and replace it with an iMac, as long as I could feed the video from my PC into it.

Why would you want the processor and speakers included in the iMac, if you're going to use it as a monitor? Get a cinema display, which probably has better viewing angle and has a better screen-to-size ratio.