comparison of monitors

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I see so many monitors available for Mac usage that it is bewildering.



For our business, for our secretary's use in doing bookwork/accounting, I am thinking about a 20" monitor. Apple has its 20", which is around 800$, and then I see a good graphics monitor, or at least I believe it was reviewed as a graphics monitor, from Sony, for 700$, or about that. Then there are various others like from NEC, or Samsung. Who makes the Apple monitor, or is it different from the others?



The 23" while it may be handy some times, is twice as expensive. I am not sure that we need that size now, but since we have not even got a computer in the business now, I am not able to judge this.



I frankly am not crazy about supporting dell, even if people do like its monitor. Perhaps I should be less unbending.



Any thoughts about the relative merits, or the ease on the eyes of the various 20" monitors? Or for that matter on the size of a monitor for bookkeeping purposes?



Thanks.



A few pages earlier, I see a discussion of the 20" Apple monitor vis a vis the dell, both of which originate from Phillips, but both of which are then nourished by their respective sellers, the gist of which is humourously delineated by a Richard.



I am still wondering about the NEC or the Sony or the Samsung, and whom they may be made by, and welcome any critical remarks.



The Sony and the Apple are the two that I am thinking on, however, I am curious about the other two I mentioned.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 36
    justinjustin Posts: 403member
    Until the new generation Apple monitors come out, I'd definitely recommend a demo on one of the latest Sony WXGA clear bright LCDs. These are contrastier and higher resolution than anything I've seen from Apple: I use a Sony Vaio 15" and an Apple 17" and the Sony's monitor is superior in resolution, detail and clarity than the Apple.



    For a desktop, I'm still old-fashioned and prefer CRTs anytime over LCDs. And definitely not plasma, unless it's for the fashionable looks - around the screen image, rather than in the screen image
  • Reply 2 of 36
    Quote:

    Originally posted by NordicMan

    I frankly am not crazy about supporting dell, even if people do like its monitor. Perhaps I should be less unbending.



    Any thoughts about the relative merits, or the ease on the eyes of the various 20" monitors? Or for that matter on the size of a monitor for bookkeeping purposes?




    Dell montiors aren't bad. They tend to use good panels and have vanilla driving circuitry. Apple monitors tend to have the best driving circuitry you can get. There are other monitors out there that have equally good driving circuitry, but it's the absolute truth that Apple monitors somehow look better than Dell monitors with the same panel. This has a lot to do with color accuracy.



    Of course, Dell monitors are damn cheap. That's not a bad thing.
  • Reply 3 of 36
    Thanks for the thoughts, men. I like to save monies, too. It just seems to me that dell has so many folks that get them, I would rather support someone else. I wish that I were close enough to a decent store to get a look at some good 20" monitors.



    I have had CRTs, and they are fine, but room is a consideration for the business office.



    I am wondering whether the Sony 204 and the Samsung 20" or an NEC are the same monitor.
  • Reply 4 of 36
    All of the samsung's I've seen have poor picture quality.



    Another monitor to look at is the Gallery 2010 from Formac. (www.formac.com). I haven't seen it, but it gets solid reviews. It uses a Fujitsu panel.
  • Reply 5 of 36
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    The Apple 20" Cinema Display is a Samsung screen



    The Apple 23" Cinema Display is a LG based screen.





    If you're looking at 20" LCD and widescreen doesn't have to be an option take a look at the



    Samsung 204T 20" LCD



    Also for Nec take a look at their 19" LCD1970NX. Man talk about bright and sharp. I'm probably buying that one myself.



    Honestly I think 23" LCD are overpriced. As long as you don't need 1920x1200 rez you're better off grabbing a couple 19 or 20" and slapping them on a Ergotron DS100







    Also check out LG's LCD line www.lgusa.com. Samsung and LG are two of the more prolific LCD manufacturers so you're likely to get a quality monitor from them for a decent price.



    Also keep in mind that 19" LCD right now are the fastest movers in price decreases. That means the price between a good 20" and a good 19" is easily $150.



    For instance



    the 204T is about $580-630 while the Nec 1970nx is $490. I'd put the Nec monitor a cut above the Samsung because it's just so damn bright and vivid.
  • Reply 6 of 36
    londorlondor Posts: 258member
    Quote:

    The Apple 20" Cinema Display is a Samsung screen



    The Apple 23" Cinema Display is a LG based screen.



    I think you got them the other way round. I do not know about the 23" but the 20" panel is made by LG.Philips.
  • Reply 7 of 36
    gongon Posts: 2,437member
    So the task is accounting and bookkeeping? And you are in the US, so the insane Dell deals are available to you? Use them. I have to pay twice as much here, and still bought one with my own money. There are many good options, 20", 20" widescreen, 24" widescreen. And dual screen. If some of the data is in a vertical format (think printed page, or any text) then a pivoted 2005fpw 20" widescreen (same panel than in Apple 20") would be insane combined with another screen. 1650 vertical pixels.

    Even two vanilla 2001FP 4:3 20":s side to side add up to 3200x1200. Pivot both, and it's 2400x1600.
  • Reply 8 of 36
    Gentlemen, thank you kindly for your thoughts here. I thought this would be a good place to get a good variety of views, so to speak.



    Yes, the monies are certainly always in consideration. One's eyes are essential, and so I like a good screen to look at. I have an Apple studio display at home, the 17", which I have liked, but soon I will be getting either a larger Apple or what I believe is a Japanese made Sony.



    For the office, I will look more in to the NEC monitor, it is one that I had noticed in a catalogue, by its specifications and the price is good. Yes, it is bookkeeping/ accounting. One ends up with many things going on at once, and so the idea of two is a good one.
  • Reply 9 of 36
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Londor

    I think you got them the other way round. I do not know about the 23" but the 20" panel is made by LG.Philips.



    Samsung doesn't make a 23" check their site. 21.3 is as large as they go.





    LG makes more than one 23". I'm not guessing on this one..the LG rep himself told me they make Apple's 23".



    It is possible that Apple is sourcing the 20" widescreen from multiple vendors.
  • Reply 10 of 36
    gongon Posts: 2,437member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by hmurchison

    Samsung doesn't make a 23" check their site. 21.3 is as large as they go.



    I haven't heard of them making a 23" either, but their site definitely shows displays over 21.3". I remembered the 24" Syncmaster 234T because that was one of the displays I considered before eventually buying my Dell 2405FPW. They also list bigger but low-res displays.



    I tried to put direct link here but Samsung site does not allow deeplinking. It's under samsung.com -> products -> monitor -> LCD-Digital, fourth page.
  • Reply 11 of 36
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Yes actually that's my bad. I do remember a Sammmy 24"
  • Reply 12 of 36
    andersanders Posts: 6,523member
    Ask yourself this question. Is your urge to give the elephant Dell a undetectable little moskito bite larger than your urge to make your secretary happy?



    If yes, buy a 20 inch Apple. If no, buy the Dell 23 inch.



    Or even better. Tell the secretary the limit you are willing to use for a monitor and let him/her decide for him(er)self.
  • Reply 13 of 36
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Anders

    Ask yourself this question. Is your urge to give the elephant Dell a undetectable little moskito bite larger than your urge to make your secretary happy?



    If yes, buy a 20 inch Apple. If no, buy the Dell 23 inch.



    Or even better. Tell the secretary the limit you are willing to use for a monitor and let him/her decide for him(er)self.




    Well, thanks for the economic sensibleness. However, unless I am very constrained, the decisions I make about such purchases reflects where the dollars go in terms of whom I wish to support. I purchase USA made work boots and shoes, or clothes, when I have the chance, although there is only so much of that made. I buy studs from the Finnish Americans in Minnesota, who produce them, rather than farther abroad, as they are a small family owned mill. And I prefer to buy Macs, which is all that I have. I may be compelled to get some other machine, as the county land map records here seem to not be visible to Mac users. Someone described me as one of the last stubborn holdouts here.



    I had thought on this NEC 19" 1970nx, but from what I can see, the resolution on these 19" is the same as the 17" monitors, and so just so much will fit on any screen, although it would make it easier to see, being larger. That appeals to me, so I would like to see one of these monitors that hmurchison praised. So a 20" that has that 1600x1200 would have more 'room' to contain things. Apple's has this 1680x1050, so I reckon that makes it to be a 'wider' screen in perspective. I need to get down to t he Apple Store in the Mall of America to see these. If she needs it, I could just give her my 17" Apple display for another screen, in addition to a 20".



    dell is not likely to get funds from me, however much of a mosquito bite it may be.





    For my own use, I think I will get me an Apple 20".



  • Reply 14 of 36
    londorlondor Posts: 258member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by hmurchison

    Samsung doesn't make a 23" check their site. 21.3 is as large as they go.





    LG makes more than one 23". I'm not guessing on this one..the LG rep himself told me they make Apple's 23".



    It is possible that Apple is sourcing the 20" widescreen from multiple vendors.




    As I said I did not know about the 23" but all the reviews that I have read about the Apple 20" said that it was using the LG.Philips panel so I assumed that you had just mixed them up.



    http://anandtech.com/displays/showdoc.aspx?i=2400&p=5



    I have the original 20" Apple Cinema Display and I am extremely happy with it.
  • Reply 15 of 36
    can you buy american made monitors?
  • Reply 16 of 36
    Quote:

    Originally posted by theapplegenius

    can you buy american made monitors?



    I am not aware of American made monitors. LG(Korea, I believe), which is related to Phillips, I do not know how, makes monitors. Mitsubishi used to make monitors. LaCie(French company, so far as I know) would take the Mitsubishi and add their particular goodies to it, in software, and they had this Blue Eye, that is for colour tuning, so to speak.



    Apple takes monitors from such as Samsung and LG, just as they used to use Canon printers, and brands them. after producing the monitors as they desire, so they are Apple monitors, with their own stamp.



    I am referring to the fact that this American company which I happen to like, Apple, is doing what they wish to with these OEM equipment pieces, and selling them, and so I support whom I like and cotton to in terms of their philosophy of life, at least as I perceive it.



    NEC has these monitors which seem to be fine graphics monitors, and LaCie is taking them like 21", and also a 19" and is adding what USB ports and software, or their Blue Eye, and coming out with it. Perhaps Apple too may find the NEC 2180 to be desirable to have as an option.



    I understood from a pro photographer who is an editor that the good graphics monitors were from Japan or Korea, and the run of the mill monitors were from factories in china. I have no way of verifying this. I wish there were more American companies that made hardware. There are some American tv makers left. I just like to buy American as much as I can, as I like to see us keep some manufacturing ability, and jobs. I am in business in America, I get offers from china and from Latvia(I like the Latvians I have met in my line of business), and from various places. But I prefer for us, a small business to employ Americans in our production.



    I guess I am getting off of the thrust of the thread, sorry. Let us go back to the subject of the qualities of various monitors, or just let this thread settle in to the sunset.
  • Reply 17 of 36
    e1618978e1618978 Posts: 6,075member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Splinemodel

    Dell montiors aren't bad. They tend to use good panels and have vanilla driving circuitry. Apple monitors tend to have the best driving circuitry you can get. There are other monitors out there that have equally good driving circuitry, but it's the absolute truth that Apple monitors somehow look better than Dell monitors with the same panel. This has a lot to do with color accuracy.



    Of course, Dell monitors are damn cheap. That's not a bad thing.




    Last time I compared them, the Dell 24" was brigter than the Apple 23", with a much nicer image.
  • Reply 18 of 36
    spookyspooky Posts: 504member
    I have a batch of formac gallery 19s in platinum and they r teh business!
  • Reply 19 of 36
    How about ViewSonic? I have an 18" (I think) TV/Monitor combo that works very nicely.
  • Reply 20 of 36
    Quote:

    Originally posted by e1618978

    Last time I compared them, the Dell 24" was brigter than the Apple 23", with a much nicer image.



    Brighter is not always good. I have an Apple 23", and I have to dim the brightness all the time. Who want's a floodlight in his face ? Gives me a headache !

    And about the image: I never saw the Dell, but the 23" is of an amazing image quality.
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