What's a good 30 or 32-inch monitor for a Mac Pro?

[Tuppy]

I've been doing a lot of video editing using Final Cut Studio, and photo editing with Photoshop, and as far as I'm concerned, the bigger the monitor the better for this kind of work.

I was using an Apple 30-inch Cinema Display that was very good for this, but it just went bad on me (lots of colored lines have appeared on the screen) and I guess there's no fixing it.

I suppose I could get onto Ebay and buy another used Apple 30-incher, but these Cinema Displays are at least a dozen years old now (they quit making them in 2010), and even if I was lucky enough to get a good working one it might just give up the ghost at any time, like mine did today, due to old age.

The reason I like the Apple monitors is because the Mac operating systems have the Apple calibration app for them, which makes color calibration easy. One of my other computers has a 30-inch Dell U3014 connected to it, and while it's a good monitor, it's very difficult to adjust the color on it. I use a lot of photos and video clips of people in my videos, and accurate skin color is important, for one thing.

So now I'm in the market for another big monitor, and I guess I don't care what brand it is as long as the display is sharp and crisp and the colors accurate, or can be adjusted to be accurate (the more easily adjusted the better).

Has anyone had good experiences with currently available 30-inch and larger monitors for Photoshop and/or video editing, and if so, what's the brand and model number? I'll probably buy a monitor from Amazon, because they allow returns if you don't like what you get from them.

Thanks for any advice,

Tom

 

[pigoo3]

I would have suggested the Dell 30" monitor you mentioned...since it's the same size & resolution as your Apple 30" monitor. But sounds like you prefer/need to have excellent color accuracy (and adjustment).

I'm thinking a good place to start is checking out some review articles for "Best Color Accurate Monitors" or "Best Displays for Photo/Video Editing".

Something like this possibly:

The Best Monitors for Photo Editing in 2024

Whether you're a creative pro, an amateur enthusiast, or a student learning the trade, here's how to shop for a display to use for photo work—plus the top picks from our lab-tested reviews.

www.pcmag.com

Nick

 

[Raz0rEdge]

I've read that BenQ monitors are really well linked by photo/video professionals for their color accuracy. You might want to check those out..

 

[Tuppy]

I would have suggested the Dell 30" monitor you mentioned...since it's the same size & resolution as your Apple 30" monitor. But sounds like you prefer/need to have excellent color accuracy (and adjustment).

I'm thinking a good place to start is checking out some review articles for "Best Color Accurate Monitors" or "Best Displays for Photo/Video Editing".

Something like this possibly:

The Best Monitors for Photo Editing in 2024

Whether you're a creative pro, an amateur enthusiast, or a student learning the trade, here's how to shop for a display to use for photo work—plus the top picks from our lab-tested reviews.

www.pcmag.com

Nick

Thanks Nick! A very helpful web page, that.

One problem I would have with most of these new monitors is the video cards that I have in my Mac Pros, which are mostly ATI Radeon HD 5770s that have DVI and DisplayPort 1.1 connectors, while the newer monitors have done away with DVI entirely and have the newer DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C, and HDMI cables.

I read that if a monitor has a DisplayPort 1.4 cable, and I connect it to my Mac's DisplayPort 1.1, the monitor's resolution will be reduced 1.1 level, which means that I wouldn't be able to get the new monitors' higher resolutions.

I'm not sure whether there are any video cards available that will provide my Mac Pros with the kind of connections these new monitors require. I'll have to do some research. I went to the OWC website and found that they don't sell any PCIe cards at all anymore--none. I guess PCIe technology has been declared obsolete.

The alternative is to keep buying used monitors with connectors that are compatible with my Macs' video cards, but there I'm back to being uncertain what I'm getting, what condition these old monitors might be in, and how much life they have left in them. Drat!

Tom

 

[pigoo3]

One problem I would have with most of these new monitors is the video cards that I have in my Mac Pros, which are mostly ATI Radeon HD 5770s that have DVI and DisplayPort 1.1 connectors, while the newer monitors have done away with DVI entirely and have the newer DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C, and HDMI cables.

I completely understand...I still have some of the older equipment you mentioned.

You didn't mention what sort of computer you needed a new monitor to work with in post #1 (I think I was assuming something newer). But if we're talking older Mac Pro's from 2012 or earlier...a big part of this discussion would need to include how to connect a newer display to an older computer.

There are lots & lots of adapters out there. Maybe some compromises will need to be made to purchase a newer display that has the ports necessary to connect to an older Mac Pro.

I'll have to look around to see what newer displays are out there...and what ports they come with.

Nick

 

[Tuppy]

I've read that BenQ monitors are really well linked by photo/video professionals for their color accuracy. You might want to check those out..

I had never heard of BenQ monitors before, but I just took a look on Amazon and saw their beautiful
SW321C 32-inch Photo and Video Editing Monitor. Wow, what a beauty! But I would have to make sure that my old Mac Pro could run such a display.

I don't have the connectors for the cables that come with the BenQ monitors, so at the very least I'd need a different video card, and I don't know yet whether such a card is available for my Mac.

But thanks for making me aware of that brand of monitor. It looks spectacular.

 

[Tuppy]

I completely understand...I still have some of the older equipment you mentioned.

You didn't mention what sort of computer you needed a new monitor to work with in post #1 (I think I was assuming something newer). But if we're talking older Mac Pro's from 2012 or earlier...a big part of this discussion would need to include how to connect a newer display to an older computer.

There are lots & lots of adapters out there. Maybe some compromises will need to be made to purchase a newer display that has the ports necessary to connect to an older Mac Pro.

I'll have to look around to see what newer displays are out there...and what ports they come with.

Nick

 

[Tuppy]

Thanks Nick. My main Mac is a mid-2010 Mac Pro 5,1 (2 x 3.33 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon) with 64 GB of Ram and an ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024 MB graphics card in it. This video card has one DVI-D port and a couple of DisplayPort 1.1 ports.

If this graphics card is unable to support the higher resolutions of the newer monitors, I'd be willing to buy a more powerful card for this Mac, if any such exists. Or, I guess I'd be satisfied with the 2560 x 1600 that I was getting out of the 30-inch Apple Cinema Display that just went kaput on me, if that's the best this particular Mac can do with any card that fits it.

I appreciate your help!

Tom

 

[pigoo3]

Here's another article listing various displays:

The 6 Best Monitors - Winter 2024: Reviews

The best computer monitor we've tested for all-around use is the Gigabyte M27U. It's a versatile display that's great for many uses, making it a jack-of-all-trades option.

www.rtings.com

Every single display mentioned in the article has a "Displayport" and an HDMI port. Adapters can be purchased for either of these ports to work with a Radeon 5770 (full size DVI port & 2 mini-DVI ports).

I'm not necessarily recommending any of the displays in the article (since I do not have experience with them). They are examples of what seems to be the norm these days in terms of video ports. Should not have an issue connecting them to your 2010 Mac Pro.

Of course always purchase from a retailer that allows returns...just in case there is an issue...or you just don't like the display once you get your hands on it.

Nick

 

[pigoo3]

I should also mention there are lots & lots of video cards that can be installed in 2010-2012 Mac Pro's (video cards that never came with these Mac Pro's when sold new). Many of these video cards were sold years after these Mac Pro's were released.

Here's an Apple list of supported aftermarket video cards (there are many more video cards that work but not on the list) :

Graphics card compatibility for Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Compressor - Apple Support

Learn which built-in and aftermarket graphics cards work with Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Compressor on Mac.

support.apple.com

My 2012 Mac Pro had a 1GB Radeon 5770 in it...I installed a 4GB Radeon RX 570 video card (paid about $70 for it)...and it runs great. Radeon RX 570 is on the supported list in the Apple link.

* The Radeon RX 570 is at least 300% faster than the original Radeon 5770.
* Radeon RX 570 4GB RAM vs. Radeon 5770 1GB RAM
* It has a full sized DVI port, 3 Displayports, and 1 HDMI port.
* Radeon RX 570 released 2017...Radeon 5770 released 2009.
* Radeon RX 570 (as well as all the video cards in the link above)...support "Metal"...which officially allows 2010-2012 Mac Pro's to run macOS 10.14 Mojave.
* RX 570 needs just slightly more power than the Radeon 5770 (120 watts vs. 108 watts). This was important to me...since my 2012 Mac Pro is 10 years old...I purchased it used...and didn't want to over-stress the power supply.

Some newer video cards can require a lot more power...I decided to play it safe & get a newer video card that didn't need much more power than the older Radeon 5770.

HTH,

Nick

p.s. FYI. With many of these aftermarket video cards you do not get the Apple boot up screen (Apple logo on reboot)...no big deal for me.

 

[Tuppy]

Here's another article listing various displays:

The 6 Best Monitors - Winter 2024: Reviews

The best computer monitor we've tested for all-around use is the Gigabyte M27U. It's a versatile display that's great for many uses, making it a jack-of-all-trades option.

www.rtings.com

Every single display mentioned in the article has a "Displayport" and an HDMI port. Adapters can be purchased for either of these ports to work with a Radeon 5770 (full size DVI port & 2 mini-DVI ports).

I'm not necessarily recommending any of the displays in the article (since I do not have experience with them). They are examples of what seems to be the norm these days in terms of video ports. Should not have an issue connecting them to your 2010 Mac Pro.

Of course always purchase from a retailer that allows returns...just in case there is an issue...or you just don't like the display once you get your hands on it.

Nick

Thanks again, Nick. I took a look, and that's another website with good monitor reviews.

What I've found in researching this Radeon 5770 video card like the stock one in my mid-2010 Mac Pro is that the 5770s in the Mac computers are quite a bit different from the ones sold for PCs.

The PC versions of the 5770 can have more ports, and more different kinds of ports, than the Mac ones. You can get really confused because many websites with specs on these 5770 video cards don't acknowledge that fact, or even seem to know the difference.

As near as I can tell, the Mac version of the Radeon 5770 has one full-size DVI connector and two DisplayPorts, version 1.1. Most current monitors still do have DisplayPort connections, but they are the newer version 1.4 DisplayPorts, which support higher resolution than the old 1.1 ports can provide.

Apparently any DisplayPort cable will connect a 1.1 DisplayPort on my Mac's video card to the 1.4 DisplayPort on a monitor, but I'll only get 1.1 resolution on the monitor, and the best that the Mac Radeon 5770 can do is 2500 X 1600 pixels, even though the monitors are capable of 4K (3840 x 2160).

As I said, it's hard to find information on the Mac version of the Radeon 5770, but I don't think it can do any better than 2560 X 1600 on any of its ports, no matter what kind. It just doesn't have enough video RAM, I guess (1024 MB), to go any higher.

Which means that yes, I could use any kind of adapters to connect these newer, big, high-resolution Monitors to this 2010 Mac, but I won't get 4K resolution on any of them--I'll never get better than 2560 X 1600.

And I suppose that's all right--it's what I'm used to, after all, but being able to get higher resolution would be nice--I might really like it.

So, is it possible to get a more powerful video card than the Radeon 5770 to put into this Mac? So far I haven't been able to find out. Other World Computer doesn't seem to sell any kind of PCIe cards anymore, video or otherwise--at least they have none for sale on their website.

If anyone is aware of a more powerful video card than the stock Radeon 5770 (1024 MB) that will fit into a mid-2010 Mac Pro, and provide high resolution on these big new monitors, please let me know.

Tom

 

[pigoo3]

So, is it possible to get a more powerful video card than the Radeon 5770 to put into this Mac? So far I haven't been able to find out. Other World Computer doesn't seem to sell any kind of PCIe cards anymore, video or otherwise--at least they have none for sale on their website.

If anyone is aware of a more powerful video card than the stock Radeon 5770 (1024 MB) that will fit into a mid-2010 Mac Pro, and provide high resolution on these big new monitors, please let me know.

Did you look at post #10 of this thread? I gave at least some information on this exact topic.

Nick

 

[pigoo3]

What I've found in researching this Radeon 5770 video card like the stock one in my mid-2010 Mac Pro is that the 5770s in the Mac computers are quite a bit different from the ones sold for PCs.

The PC versions of the 5770 can have more ports, and more different kinds of ports, than the Mac ones. You can get really confused because many websites with specs on these 5770 video cards don't acknowledge that fact, or even seem to know the difference.

Yes the ports on the Mac & Windows PC versions of the 5770 are different...but both 5770 versions have the same amount of RAM (1GB)...thus both support the same display resolutions/max resolution.

Which means that yes, I could use any kind of adapters to connect these newer, big, high-resolution Monitors to this 2010 Mac, but I won't get 4K resolution on any of them--I'll never get better than 2560 X 1600.

Then purchase a non-4k monitor to use with your 5770. A non-4k monitor will likely be slightly less expensive as well.

Also realize that with a 4k monitor...if it's in the 30"-32" diagonal measure range...computing content on the display will be much smaller than it is/was on your 30" Apple display.

If you happen to have eye-sight issues (many of us do as we get older)...smaller won't be helpful.

To get around this you may end up selecting a different (such as 2560x1600 or 2560 x 1440). This is basically the resolution of your 30" Apple display....which would then cancel out the 4k resolution of a 4k monitor (if you were to purchase a 4k display).

So, is it possible to get a more powerful video card than the Radeon 5770 to put into this Mac? So far I haven't been able to find out. Other World Computer doesn't seem to sell any kind of PCIe cards anymore, video or otherwise--at least they have none for sale on their website.

If anyone is aware of a more powerful video card than the stock Radeon 5770 (1024 MB) that will fit into a mid-2010 Mac Pro, and provide high resolution on these big new monitors, please let me know.

Mentioned some of this in post #10 above.

Nick

 

[Tuppy]

Yes the ports on the Mac & Windows PC versions of the 5770 are different...but both 5770 versions have the same amount of RAM (1GB)...thus both support the same display resolutions/max resolution.

Then purchase a non-4k monitor to use with your 5770. A non-4k monitor will likely be slightly less expensive as well.

Also realize that with a 4k monitor...if it's in the 30"-32" diagonal measure range...computing content on the display will be much smaller than it is/was on your 30" Apple display.

If you happen to have eye-sight issues (many of us do as we get older)...smaller won't be helpful.

To get around this you may end up selecting a different (such as 2560x1600 or 2560 x 1440). This is basically the resolution of your 30" Apple display....which would then cancel out the 4k resolution of a 4k monitor (if you were to purchase a 4k display).

Mentioned some of this in post #10 above.

Nick

Well how the heck did I miss Post #10? That's exactly the kind of information I was hoping to get! Thanks very much Nick!

If you've had good luck with a 4GB Radeon RX 570 in your 1012 Mac Pro, then I probably will too in my 2010. Those 570s cards are all over Ebay, but I see all sorts of confusing additions to their description.

For instance this one is called a Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 570 4GB GDDR5 Graphics Card (11266-04-G). What the heck is a Sapphire Pulse? Will Sapphire Pulse RX 570s go into a Mac? And there are other such strange names on other 570s. Why does this have to get so confusing?

Tom

 

[pigoo3]

Why does this have to get so confusing?

Welcome to the Windows world! Lol

But seriously...things aren't as standardized in the Windows world. Seems many video card manufacturers for Windows video cards must get a manufacturing license from the original video card company to manufacture the video cards...then they stamp their name on it...making things very confusing.

If it helps...the Radeon RX 570 card I got was has the Radeon "Gigabyte" brand name on it.

One reason there are so many of these cards for sale is...many many bitcoin/crypto-mining rigs used these video cards at one time. A typical mining rig might have 4, 8, 10, or more video cards in it (some as many as 20). Once these video cards become outdated (newer video cards come out that are much faster)...the old video cards end up on eBay.

For example...here's an eBay link for a Gigabyte RX 470 video card just like the one I have (but much higher price). Notice the description says "Not used to mine". Lol

RX 470 G1 Gaming 4GB GDDR5 Gigabyte Radeon Graphics Card (NOT USED TO MINE) 889523006658 | eBay

Selling my Gigabyte Radeon RX 470 G1 Gaming 4GB GDDR5 Graphics Card (GVRX470G1GAMING4GD). This card was not used for mining at all. It was used for gaming but now I no longer need it after upgrading.

www.ebay.com

Nick

 

[Tuppy]

Nick, have you got the Radeon RX 470 or the 570 video card in your Mac? In the list of Mac-compatible video cards on the Apple website that you kindly pointed me to, the 570 is listed as compatible, but I don't see the 470.

I suppose I could search Ebay for any of the cards on that list, but I could also play it safe(er) and find one like yours, since yours is proven to work in a Mac similar to mine. I would hope to find one for under $100 like you did, though.

As to this mining business, are video cards that were formerly used for that purpose considered to be undesirable for some reason, such as maybe they've been hard-used and are now possibly worn out? Why else would the seller of that card brag that his was not used for mining?

Tom

 

[pigoo3]

Nick, have you got the Radeon RX 470 or the 570 video card in your Mac? In the list of Mac-compatible video cards on the Apple website that you kindly pointed me to, the 570 is listed as compatible, but I don't see the 470.

Very sorry...my mistake. It was just before bedtime last night when I posted that info. I was in a rush to find an eBay link to an RX 570 similar to mine (so you could see what it looked like)...and accidentally posted a link to an RX 470.

It's very possible the RX 470 could work as well. The Apple list is definitely not a complete list...there are many many many more video cards that would work. When I was looking for a better video card for my Mac Pro...I did lots & lots of research. I settled on the Radeon RX 570 for the reasons I mentioned in post #10.

If you wanted to do some research...ry some searches for Mac Pro video card or Mac Pro 2010 video card (or something like that).

I suppose I could search Ebay for any of the cards on that list, but I could also play it safe(er) and find one like yours, since yours is proven to work in a Mac similar to mine. I would hope to find one for under $100 like you did, though.

I did this when I did my research...you'll find some of them can be very expensive. And for me...I wanted a video card that didn't require too much power (not much more than the Radeon 5770). The Radeon RX 570 met that requirement for me.

But for you...you may want a more powerful video card for the projects you do (maybe an 8GB card).

As to this mining business, are video cards that were formerly used for that purpose considered to be undesirable for some reason, such as maybe they've been hard-used and are now possibly worn out? Why else would the seller of that card brag that his was not used for mining?

I can almost 100% guarantee that the Radeon RX 570 I purchased was from a mining rig. The guy had about 3 different model video cards for sale at the time I was looking...and he had about 4-8 of each model available for sale.

These mining rigs are run 24 hours/day...7 days a week...week after week after week (basically they are run continuously for their whole life). AND...what they do (crypto-mining) is pretty stressful on the equipment. Thus any hardware involved in a crypto-mining setup is going to get worked much much harder than it would if in one of our personal computers (at least 95% of us).

The operator/owner of these mining rigs would need to make super sure the mining rig had the best cooling possible...and kept everything free of dirt/fuzz/etc so things don't overheat.

The 2 fans on my Radeon RX 570 video card were very worn out (one of them wouldn't even spin at all)...and I needed to replace them (about $10-$15 for both). For the price I paid I figured I'd take the chance. Plus I was going to install it in my Mac Pro as soon as it arrived...throughly test it for 24-48 hours...and if it crapped out on me...I would return it to the seller for a refund. So far it has worked fine (after the fan replacement).

Nick

 

[pigoo3]

I would recommend any video card you decide on...make sure it is "metal compatible". Metal compatibility will allow you to officially upgrade your 2010 Mac Pro to macOS 10.14 (Mojave).

Nick

 

[pigoo3]

Here's a MUCH BETTER eBay link for a Radeon RX 570. I would be almost positive this RX 570 wasn't used in a mining rig...since:

Electronics, Cars, Fashion, Collectibles & More | eBay (outdated link removed)

* The owner still has the original box.
* Only has one of them for sale.
* Been an eBay member since 2005...but only has 26 transactions (thus not an eBay business or volume seller).

Current price is $75 with 4+ days remaining (very likely the price will go up). I would say max price shouldn't be higher than $100-$125...but could sell for less depending on how many folks are interested...and how badly they want it.

Nick

 

[Tuppy]

Here's a MUCH BETTER eBay link for a Radeon RX 570. I would be almost positive this RX 570 wasn't used in a mining rig...since:

Electronics, Cars, Fashion, Collectibles & More | eBay (outdated link removed)

* The owner still has the original box.
* Only has one of them for sale.
* Been an eBay member since 2005...but only has 26 transactions (thus not an eBay business or volume seller).

Current price is $75 with 4+ days remaining (very likely the price will go up). I would say max price shouldn't be higher than $100-$125...but could sell for less depending on how many folks are interested...and how badly they want it.

Nick

That card looks like a good deal, Nick. I'll bid on it in the final minute or so of the auction, if the price hasn't gone too high by then. Thanks for letting me know about it.

And if I don't end up with that one, I'll find another one just like it, and try to make sure that it hasn't already strained most of its life away down in some mineshaft (cue the Ernie Ford song "Dark As A Dungeon Way Down in the Mine").

I see these cards have two fans, and big ones. Are they loud?

Tom