Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kevin Boyd 
Just about to buy a Mac Pro 12 core and I noticed the Apple LED Cinema Display (27" flat panel) costs a staggering £899!
Now I read this is basically a LG 27" LED panel, that looking on Amazon costs around £300
So can anyone persuade me why I should pay more than double to have it wrapped in Apple's shiny metal casing?
What are the best alternatives to Apple's screen?
Kevin
Those cheap ones are TN displays so they have poor viewing angles and colour reproduction and the possibility of bad gradient banding.
The Dell U2711 uses the same panel as Apple:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-U2711-Ultrasharp-Premier-Widescreen/dp/B003A4H17S/
it is £150 cheaper than Apple's:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-27-inch-Thunderbolt-Display/dp/B005DXS7DQ/
The Dell has a matte coating, which some people prefer but you do get some light diffusion over the screen that makes blacks less black in bright light but it has no reflections/glare.
The Apple one has a webcam, ethernet, FW800 and internal speakers. The Dell one will rotate into portrait and has a 3 year zero dead pixel warranty vs Apple's 1 year warranty where they find a handful of dead pixels acceptable.
Other competing displays:
Viewsonic VP2765 AMVA 178/178 viewing angles like IPS
http://www.amazon.co.uk/VP2765-LED-68-58-AMVA-1920-1080/dp/B005UB18Y6/
HP ZR2740W:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ZR2740W-27-IN-LED-monitor-Promo/dp/B005VOEJ7A
Samsung LS27A850DS - PLS panel
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-LS27A850DS-EN-inch-Monitor/dp/B005CYXNVW/
There is a benefit to the metal case - I was checking out the Samsung on Youtube and someone had posted a video where they pressed the back of the panel and it totally screwed up the display signal. The Dell and HP monitors are quite rugged but they're all plastic and have some amount of flex.
I personally don't think any of them are ideal, you just have to pick one that best fits your own preference and budget.