imac 24" monitor vs Samsung 244t or similar

I'm looking to switch from a pc to mac and i've been looking at the imac 24" and possibly the mac pro. The reviews that I've read on the apple web site aren't that great regarding the 23" monitors. Stating dead pixel issues and ghosting. Are there any similar issues with the 24"? The reviews on the Samsung 244t all seem to be pretty positive. The viewsonic vp2130b also gets good reviews. If the apple monitors aren't up to par with some of the other manufacutures I think i'm more inclined to go with the mac pro and one of the other manufacuters. Any thoughts would be helpful.
Regards, Owen

imac 24" color accuracy for photoshop use

I would like to purchase the imac 24" but would like to know more about the quality and color accuracy of the monitor as compared to the viewsonic professional series or similar manufactures. Owen

owenpga said:

I would like to purchase the imac 24" but would like to know more about the quality and color accuracy of the monitor as compared to the viewsonic professional series or similar manufactures. Owen

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I was also wondering this.
It seems that the viewsonic monitors are cheaper and look much better.
I would reccomend getting a MacPro and a Viewsonic or Dell (2407) monitor.

I have a Viewsonic VP2130b and I can confirm that the picture is the best I have seen to date on any LCD monitor. Subjectively, I find it to be better than what I see on the 24" iMac, which I just checked out a few days ago at my local Apple store.

However, there are also OBJECTIVE ways of proving that the Viewsonic looks better. The Viewsonic has a 1000:1 contrast ratio, a 300 nit brightness and an 8 ms response time. The latest iMacs sport a 700:1 contrast ratio, a 300 nit brightness and a 14 ms response time.

So objectively, the Viewsonic is a better performer and this is borne out by subjective experience.

Now however, the latest 23" Apple Cinema display quotes a 400 nit brightness, although still the same 700:1 contrast ratio. So, you may wish to consider it. It may be a pretty nice performer. Note that the "equivalent" Viewsonic 23" monitor only manages a 500:1 contrast ratio.

Right now, I consider the Viewsonic VP2130b to be the perfect "sweet spot" in the LCD monitor market. The best of all of the specs, and 21.3" is generous enough. I would LOVE to get a 24" display with the Vp2130b's specs, but it doesn't seem that such a thing is (yet) available.

Apple dispays are excellent and I've not heard of ghosting or dead pixels.

The ones at the Apple store might not have been calibrated well.

owenpga said:

I'm looking to switch from a pc to mac and i've been looking at the imac 24" and possibly the mac pro. The reviews that I've read on the apple web site aren't that great regarding the 23" monitors. Stating dead pixel issues and ghosting. Are there any similar issues with the 24"? The reviews on the Samsung 244t all seem to be pretty positive. The viewsonic vp2130b also gets good reviews. If the apple monitors aren't up to par with some of the other manufacutures I think i'm more inclined to go with the mac pro and one of the other manufacuters. Any thoughts would be helpful.
Regards, Owen

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Here are a few reasons why I would go with the Mac Pro. Here are some problems associated with the iMac:

1.) If the monitor goes dead, you lose your entire computer while it's in for repairs.
2.) If you need to increase your hard disk size, you'll need to take the computer in for servicing.
3.) If a new HD optical reader/writer comes out, you'll have to fork out extra $$ to buy the external version.
4.) If you want to upgrade your video card - good luck.

The iMacs in my opinion were designed for someone who just wants to turn on the computer and use it for a few basic things, and that's it for the rest of their lives. If you are like me, and like to upgrade to new stuff, a Pro is definitely worth considering. I think you will be less trapped. If your monitor breaks down, just buy a new monitor. If your computer breaks and you have confidential stuff on your hard drive, remove the hard drive before you take it in for repairs. There are so many pluses to going with the Mac Pro. The negative about this computer is the cost. It's much more money than the iMac, but the iMac is more of an entry level machine. If you've been using computers for a while and want to customize things to your liking, you'll definitely need the Pro.

Currently, you can plug lots of expensive external things into the iMac, but you never know when a new type of connection will come along. First we had parallel and serial ports. Then we had USB ports, then USB2, now Firewire, and even a new brand of firewire! It's difficult to keep up with the changes. I find having a computer where you can install internal components yourself buys you a little more time.

By the time you spend the extra $$$ on the external drive(s), and everything else external, you may as well have purchased the Pro. It's more $$ up front, but will save you in the end.

Excellent points, kevin270. You are right on. I suspect that these comments would also apply in some measure to the lower end of the Apple spectrum too, the humble Mini. Many of the pluses you mention above derive from having the computer and the monitor separate. I have been thinking of buying a second Apple, and had been tossing around the Mini and a lower end iMac in my mind, trying to decide. Your post has been quite instructive. Thanks!

Yes, that's true. The reason I consider the Mac Pro better than the iMac is because the monitor is separate from the rest of the computer. There is also more room to stuff extra components into the Pro. They have left 4 HD bays inside the Pro. I have not really considered buying a mini because I plan on doing lots of video editing (at a somewhat professional level), so I need power. I also want a computer that I will be happy with for many years. From looking at the mini, it looks like it would hold less components, so if you started to obtain a lot of extra stuff, you might have to resort to external devices. It is a better idea to have the computer separate from the monitor just from a repair point of view. I also run my business on my computer. The last thing I would want is to have my computer break, and then to have to drag it into the repair shop where the people working on the computer can snoop into a lot of my private business. It's not easy to get to the hard drive in the iMac. Privacy is definitely something to consider. I am surprised that Apple buried the hard drive into the monitor so deeply. This should be just as accessible as the memory in my opinion. Outside parties should never have the opportunity to access my hard drive - ever!

kevin270 said:

Currently, you can plug lots of expensive external things into the iMac, but you never know when a new type of connection will come along. First we had parallel and serial ports. Then we had USB ports, then USB2, now Firewire, and even a new brand of firewire! It's difficult to keep up with the changes. I find having a computer where you can install internal components yourself buys you a little more time.

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I'm sorry but I don't see how this has anything to do with the question. Not only that, but the connection itself is not really the issue at all when referring to changes in technology. If anything, it just means we are advancing. I would never buy anything just because I knew it was going to stay the same forever and ever.

Sorry, not trying to pick on you Kevin, but I just thought I'd share my $0.02.

Well, my Mac Pro arrived yesterday afternoon and I'm using it now. It's a fast machine! Keep in mind that this is the very first time that I have ever used a Mac in my life, and I'm a little scared at this point. It does not work as much like Windows as I thought it would. I have no idea of what I'm doing. I don't understand the way programs are stored, or how one could take a look at the hard drive to see the programs. It's going to take a lot of time to get up to speed. I'm the type who will figure a lot of things out by myself, but I now realize before becoming expert at making videos and what-have-you, I'm going to have to invest some good time into understanding this operating system. It seems slick, but there are a few things that also seem to be missing that I will miss. I may end up installing Windows on my Mac, and only use the Mac for specific things such as video/audio stuff.

The biggest things I'm missing is my email program on the PC - I used Outlook. I'm also missing PKZip with 256 bit encryption. I have a password file that is zipped up with 256 bit encryption and a strong password on each text file. The Apple computer cannot open this zip file at all. Oh well, I'm sure that there must be replacements for everything out there. It's going to cost $$$$ though.

I'm excited about learning this new system, and am extremely excited about coming to the day when I can create a really amazing video. Until I learn more about this system, I think I'll leave Final Cut in its packaging.

Kevin270 just install Final Cut and start playing with it. You will learn both the system and the application at the same time. Also don't think about how windows works, when using your system. As you work with your system you will find OS X is more intuitive than windows. For me you have to learn windows, whereas OS X you just get your work done.

Haha, I have noticed that many of the things that I have "discovered" were not all that difficult to figure out. So you are correct!! I find the Mac a bit more graphical. I keep looking for a text display of my files, but it turns things into icons, etc. Not sure if you can look at things in text mode or not like you can in Windows or DOS.

I guess I'm in a bit of a tunnel because of the many years (20) that I've spent working with Windows. I'm well trained - so much so that I'm all confused now as to why a different system would not be so complicated. I'll try to ease up on it, but it won't be easy. Changing habits are always difficult.

The good thing is that I'm usually very fast and picking up on new things. I think within a month I'll have a pretty good handle on it. Then I'll move onto other things such as security, and what I need to know in order to protect myself from unauthorized attacks or file vulnerability. IE: What if my computer is stolen during a housebreak? I need to know how to protect my data like I did on my Windows system.