10-13-2009, 11:38 AM

I currently have a powermac G5 with a 20" apple cinema display (ACD).

I'm a writer and my main priority is having clear, crisp, readable text resolution and quick, responsive speed. I like having several documents open at once.

Now I want more real estate.

Should I do A or B?

A: Buy a high-end 24-inch monitor? (i.e. 1920x1200)

B: Keep my 20" ACD and buy a second one on craigslist and use two 20-inch displays?

I am fairly loyal to Apple, but they discontinued the 20"; and the 24" is not compatible with my G5.

I would probably break down and buy a 30-inch ACD, but for my writing needs, it would be overkill--too big--like sitting in the front row of the Cinerama theater.

Again - I don't care about photo editing or anything like that -- I just want a large workspace for multiple documents with THE CLEAREST TEXT RESOLUTION.

If I go with option A, I would be comfortable spending $600 for the latest Dell, non-TP panel.
If I go with option B, I'd probably look for one on craigslist, I suppose, or maybe ebay, although I hate buying used stuff.

Maybe there's another option?

thanks in advance for reading my long-winded question.

10-13-2009, 05:24 PM

Again - I don't care about photo editing or anything like that -- I just want a large workspace for multiple documents with THE CLEAREST TEXT RESOLUTION.

If I go with option A, I would be comfortable spending $600 for the latest Dell, non-TP panel.

If I go with option B, I'd probably look for one on craigslist, I suppose, or maybe ebay, although I hate buying used stuff.

Maybe there's another option?

I think you kind of answered your own questions...

Go with the Dell. It's a great monitor and offers plenty of real estate for your writing needs. I like the ACDs because of their brightness and clarity, but to be honest, since they're proprietary they usually turn out to be more of a headache to get setup correctly.

Stay away from ebay and Craig's list unless you can find a great deal local to you - from someone who you can get back to in case the deal turns sour.

Another option? Keep what you have?

Regards.

10-13-2009, 05:46 PM

And Dell had that $600 panel on sale a week or so ago for $429 - check it out, see if it's still on sale.

10-13-2009, 05:50 PM

Go with the 2 displays at 20" - Also you can research finding which SCREENS go in the Dells and find ones comparable to the ACD so they look the same