imac G5 screen compared to other TFT's

I was all set to buy a mac mini and hook it up to a TFT (not sure which one yet) but then I started looking at the imac G5. Now, I know that the mini and the imac are different beasts, but either would do what I want, but what about the screen? Is there a difference between the imac screen and other TFT screens? The imac costs more than the mini and a 17inch TFT but is it worth the extra cost? And what about the life of the imac screen? Any ideas?

Steve

u said they will both do what you want so y do u need the extra power from the imac. The imac is a more powerful computer,the ,mac mini is for new people to try out osx but the mini is still a pretty good computer. it comes down to if you have the extra cash for a imac and do you need its powerboost. The powerboost is what sent me toward the imac g5. Best comuter i have had , 1 gig ram ,superdrive 80HD 17inscreen 1.8ghz shes a way better then any mac mini...

Its a tough call. While the iMac G5 is a good computer, you may end up getting one with one/few stuck dead pixels, which as you know is a pain in the *** considering the screen is tied to the machine. If you get a mini mac and a good quality lcd (maybe a manufacturer with a better pixel policy -- Samsung comes to mind) and just upgrade the mini every couple years as they get faster.

A widescreen 17in screen that supports 1440x900 like in the iMac is a lot better to work on that your average regular aspect 17in that supports 1280x1024, in my opinion. You can find some really nice 17in LCDs if you want a regular aspect screen. I would just go to a couple local stores to look at some, check some of Sony's LCD, they are amazing.

but 1440x900 isnt even real widescreen ? not a 16:9 ratio?

THe iMac has a gorgeous vivid screen.

Echo_ said:

but 1440x900 isnt even real widescreen ? not a 16:9 ratio?

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It's actually 16:10, like the Cinema displays. The Cinema HD displays will show a HDTV-resolution image with a small border. iMacs and 17" PowerBooks will show a down-converted (ED?) image with the same aspect ratio and border.

Thanks for the advice. I have to say that most of the LCD/TFT screens that I have looked at so far have not impressed me. I am an amature photographer and perhaps because I that i am very crtitical of image quality. So, can anyone recommend any TFT manufacturers who produce good, sharp displays?

I like Dell, I think for the money they make great stuff. Just make sure it is digital.

You should definatly go for the G5. Even if it's an over kill (which is good), it will last longer than a mac mini so you wont want to buy a new machine a year later. Plus the iMac display is really crisp and the machine it's self is amazing. It's thinner than most LCD's alone and it has teh whole computer inside. I'd say go for the iMac is you have the money, but if you dont't throw 1GB of ram in the mini.

Edit: oh ya, and the widescreen is great!

ssp65 said:

Thanks for the advice. I have to say that most of the LCD/TFT screens that I have looked at so far have not impressed me. I am an amature photographer and perhaps because I that i am very crtitical of image quality. So, can anyone recommend any TFT manufacturers who produce good, sharp displays?

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You are correct. I used a high end Sony 19" CRT for 6 years and then I got an iMac G5 20". While the iMac has nice screen its not as sharp as the old Sony. I even got a new Dell Ultrasharp lcd at work and while the pixels appear smaller than the iMac G5, it is not as bright. Also it still isn't as sharp as the Sony CRT either. Part of the problem has to do with font blurring that is used on lcds, in fact almost everything seems a little blurry. Its not just my eyes either. LCD's are certainly very nice due to their size and energy consumption, but there is a few years to go yet before they reach the quality of a high end CRT.

Flyingpostman, what you say is just how I see LCD's.....a little blurry. I'd much rather have a slim LCD than a hugh 19inch CRT, but the softness of the LCD might constantly annoy me. I have to think about it some more.

Thanks everyone for the replies.