Already have 22in' monitor. What would you do?

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Hi all,
I am trying to decide between the 21.5 and the 27in. I already have a 22in monitor and was considering saving some by going with the smaller machine and attaching a second monitor as the 2 screens will be roughly the same size.
I don't mind spending a few more dollars for the 27 if it's worth it, but considering I'm not a video/audio editor and probably won't put too much of a load on my machine, I don't want those extra dollars to buy me nothing but overkill.
Thoughts?
Thanks,
spciii
 

pigoo3

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In my opinion…the 27" is a better value.

- Nick
 

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I'll throw out a dissenting opinion here and say that you should go with the 21.5" (because dissent is fun, :p).

I figure that, since the higher end 21.5" is essentially the same as the lower end 27", why get the 27" when you already have a secondary monitor? Doing this will save you $200 for the same hardware.
 

chscag

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It is a better value. But with the limited space I had on my desk, I opted for the 21.5" model instead. Either iMac is a great bang for your buck!
 
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Thanks all. A knowledgeable (at least it seemed) Best Buy employee said I might not like the difference in resolutions between the 2 monitors . . .that I'll lose a lot of it between the primary and secondary if I don't have a 720p monitor.
Anyone else run across this problem? Anyone attached a second monitor but wish they hadn't?
Thanks again,
spciii
 
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You got the best response. Go with a 21" 2.8GHz model. Keep in mind Apple sell refurbished computers complete with the current OS, a full twelve month warranty, and with a saving of several hundred dollars.

Just do a Google for "iMac refurbished".
 
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Thanks all. A knowledgeable (at least it seemed) Best Buy employee said I might not like the difference in resolutions between the 2 monitors . . .that I'll lose a lot of it between the primary and secondary if I don't have a 720p monitor.
Anyone else run across this problem? Anyone attached a second monitor but wish they hadn't?
Thanks again,
spciii
Yeah. I bought a 21.5 inch iMac in June, planning to use my NEC 22-inch monitor for editing photos. The iMac monitor is so much better than the NEC that the latter is sitting in a box. I'm using my iMac monitor for editing photos and my 12-year-old Sony 17 inch monitor for Mail and palettes. The NEC has lower resolution than the iMac's built-in monitor, which makes everything on the NEC look fuzzy next to the iMac monitor, and the iMac displays the exact same colors without being calibrated. All I did was adjust the brightness to match the calibrated NEC monitor.

As for speed, my bottom-of-the-line 2.5GHz iMac with 20GB RAM throws around 200MB PhotoShop files like it is shooting them out of a t-shirt cannon. YMMV.
 

pigoo3

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Thanks all. A knowledgeable (at least it seemed) Best Buy employee said I might not like the difference in resolutions between the 2 monitors . . .that I'll lose a lot of it between the primary and secondary if I don't have a 720p monitor.
Anyone else run across this problem? Anyone attached a second monitor but wish they hadn't?
Thanks again,
spciii

Here's another 2 cents. FOCUS on the main issue here…which is the purchase of the new computer! Forget about this silly 22" monitor for the moment!;)

Don't let some old used 22" monitor that's probably worth $75 bucks be a big deciding factor in your $1000+ iMac purchase decision. I say get the 27" iMac (if it's in your budget)….you'll kick yourself later for not getting it!;)

What you may not realize is…the 27" display used in the 27" iMac is exactly the same as the $999 Apple Cinema Display (minus some of the convenience features of the 27" CInema Display). So basically…if you were to get this refurbished $1419 quad-core i5 iMac:

Refurbished iMac 27-inch 2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 - Apple Store (U.S.)

You would basically be getting the $999 27" Apple Cinema Display + a 2.7ghz quad-core computer for another $420 bucks (far less than any Mac-Mini…which aren all dual-core). This is why the 27" iMac is such a GREAT value!:)

- Nick

p.s. Again…focus on the main issue here…and that's the purchase of the iMac. Don't let some used 22" monitor be a big deciding factor in a $1000+ iMac purchasing decision!:)
 

chscag

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Nick:

I dream of a 17 MBP attached to a new cinema display! Rich dreams with a poor man's wallet. :p
 

pigoo3

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Nick:

I dream of a 17 MBP attached to a new cinema display! Rich dreams with a poor man's wallet. :p

I'm close. I currently have my Early 2011 17" MBP connected to a 22" monitor…and I do have a 24" monitor I could use instead of the 22". But of course…neither of these is close to the quality and "bells & whistles" of the 27" Thunderbolt/Cinema Display!!!;)

- Nick
 
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Thanks all for the input (esp Lightcraftsman and pigoo3)! I still haven't pulled the trigger, but have to admit that I'm now leaning towards the 27in with the i5 as I am not a gamer or video editor, but like to have the real estate for multiple windows, but don't want to lose fidelity.
spciii
 
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If you have the budget for the 27-inch then go for it.
 
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Hi all,I am trying to decide between the 21.5 and the 27in.
27", no brainer. They are CHEAP!! Less than $250 shipped - are you kidding me?

Amazon.com: Viewsonic's VA2703 27-Inch Full HD 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black: Computers & Accessories

Monitors are some of the longest lasting computer equipment you can get - buy the biggest one you can. At current prices, I wouldn't consider anything less than 27" unless I specifically needed a small monitor for one reason or another.

FWIW, I have 3 27" monitors - and all together they cost a FRACTION of what a single 27" monitor from Apple costs.
 
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Here's another 2 cents. FOCUS on the main issue here…which is the purchase of the new computer! Forget about this silly 22" monitor for the moment!;)

Don't let some old used 22" monitor that's probably worth $75 bucks be a big deciding factor in your $1000+ iMac purchase decision. I say get the 27" iMac (if it's in your budget)….you'll kick yourself later for not getting it!;)

What you may not realize is…the 27" display used in the 27" iMac is exactly the same as the $999 Apple Cinema Display (minus some of the convenience features of the 27" CInema Display). So basically…if you were to get this refurbished $1419 quad-core i5 iMac:

Refurbished iMac 27-inch 2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 - Apple Store (U.S.)

You would basically be getting the $999 27" Apple Cinema Display + a 2.7ghz quad-core computer for another $420 bucks (far less than any Mac-Mini…which aren all dual-core). This is why the 27" iMac is such a GREAT value!:)

- Nick

p.s. Again…focus on the main issue here…and that's the purchase of the iMac. Don't let some used 22" monitor be a big deciding factor in a $1000+ iMac purchasing decision!:)


Couldn't agree more.
27 inch iMac monitor is superb. much better than any of the other monitors I have owned.
The IMac is a fantastic machine, if you get one you will not be disappointed.
 
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2 displays is always better than one. I use them to let my brain switch between what is happening. The ideal is a small monitor to display mail, iTunes, Terminal, and Text Edit left monitor (of the pair) is work, the right monitor is fun! so in the end a 4x3 ay 16x12 and a 16x10
 

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