Screen brightness in 24" vs. other imacs

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I'm on the brink of my first mac purchase, and will be making another trip to the Apple store in Novi, MI on Monday. I've seen how much brighter the 24" imac is when sitting next to the 20". I can't really afford the 24" (not that I can "afford" the 20" when it comes down to it), but it looks SO much better than the 20". It's glorious.

I guess what I'm wondering is WHY the difference? I'm using a Compaq monitor right now & it seems plenty bright & sharp. Is the 24" brighter than most screens out there, period, or is it just much brighter than the rest of the imacs?

Maybe this is a vague type of question, but seeing that 24" beauty makes me wonder what a screen is "supposed" to look like. Any constructive comments are welcome.

P.S. I think I may just go with a macbook as my first foray into apple & look to replace my current PC later in the year (3+ year old Compaq with a few upgrades along the way).

Thanks,

Jeff
 
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I'm not familar with imacs but maybe the brightness setting was higher on the 24in imac?
 
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jeffk27
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Thanks for the reply. From what I understand, they're build that way. I've read reviews on the new crop of imacs & the 24" is around 40% brighter.
 
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The older G5 imac's without the built in i-sight camera were like that also. The 20" was a lot brighter then the 17". Now the 17 and 20 seem about the same but the 24 is just amazing.
 
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jeffk27
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So the current 17" & 20" are average brightness, and the 24" just kicks it up a notch? I wonder why not all computers are brighter in general if it's so widely considered a marvel to behold.
 
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The only thing I heard is that they're supposed to be brighter than the smaller ones--why? I don't know. I actually turned mine down a few notches. This is my first MAC too, and I have to say, I love it. It's so competent.

Regarding your finances, you only live once! Go without a girlfriend for a few months to make up the difference. Good luck with whichever you get.
 
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jeffk27
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The only thing I heard is that they're supposed to be brighter than the smaller ones--why? I don't know. I actually turned mine down a few notches. This is my first MAC too, and I have to say, I love it. It's so competent.

Regarding your finances, you only live once! Go without a girlfriend for a few months to make up the difference. Good luck with whichever you get.

Ha. I like your suggestion for pulling off an imac. So, you have the 24"? I've read the 20" holds up about the same in speedmark tests. And I wouldn't fuss over an extra 4", but they had to go & give it such a gorgeously vivid disply.
 
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I have the 20" and I'm more than happy!

When my Mac is on and there are no other lights in the room its bright enough to light the room sufficiently as a small desk lamp would or something lol.

I know what you mean about the 24" looking awesome though, I had never seen one in real life until I had got my 20" and went to the Apple certified re-seller near me. They had one sitting next to a 20" just like mine, it made my 20" look like a dwarf!

But that said, I'm still glad I have the 20". It's just a nice size to 'wow' your guests, has ample room for designing (Dreamweaver, Flash, Photoshop etc.) and is 'small' (note, I use that term loosely) enough to fit on a desk nicley.

That's just my opinion on the 20". At the end of the day it's up to you which one you get, I suppose you just have to have a think about what you will be needing the Mac for.

Hope this helps,

Regards,

Chris :mac:
 
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jeffk27
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I have the 20" and I'm more than happy!

When my Mac is on and there are no other lights in the room its bright enough to light the room sufficiently as a small desk lamp would or something lol.

I know what you mean about the 24" looking awesome though, I had never seen one in real life until I had got my 20" and went to the Apple certified re-seller near me. They had one sitting next to a 20" just like mine, it made my 20" look like a dwarf!

But that said, I'm still glad I have the 20". It's just a nice size to 'wow' your guests, has ample room for designing (Dreamweaver, Flash, Photoshop etc.) and is 'small' (note, I use that term loosely) enough to fit on a desk nicley.

That's just my opinion on the 20". At the end of the day it's up to you which one you get, I suppose you just have to have a think about what you will be needing the Mac for.

Hope this helps,

Regards,

Chris :mac:

I just came back from the Apple store in Novi, and this time I thought the 20" was more than enough. I could see the 24" could almost be too much in certain situations, & when I really compared them, the 20" is more than bright enough. It was refreshing to get "over" my 24" fetish. :)
 
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LOL make sure to keep us posted on what you get...
By the way--Attention all users: Wait until you see how amazing Google Earth is on these clear screens! It's amazing. I was playing around zooming all over the earth last night, linking from posts on the Google Earth users' forums.
 
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jeffk27
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I've done some posting on the other macbook forum, thinking that would be my first purchase, then an imac down the road. After my visit to the store today I think it's going to be an imac first. I can do the portable thing later. And unless I swear off women for a couple months, I think it's going to be the 20". I fully understand the premise of siphoning the budget, but there are limits! Ha.
 

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