# and he wants ANOTHER 30"!!!



## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

long term client a bit over the top on screen space....

We've got the NEC 30s factory refurbs back in stock so I'm weaning him off the Cinema as I know he ( and many others ) want matte.

NEC MultiSync LCD3090WQXi 30in Monitor Monitor review - Trusted Reviews










That big block of electronics is where the magic resides.


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

Let me know if he's getting rid of any of those Cinema's MacDoc.


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## Guest (Oct 29, 2011)

That looks like my setup used to, I've been weaning myself down to less monitors. I'm down to 1x30" and 2x23" now.

The NEC 30" is soooooo much better than the Apple Cinema displays that it's not funny. That's actually one of the reasons that I'm pairing down my monitor setup, because everything else looks so terrible beside the NEC 30 

Hmmm dang, wish I had the budget for another couple of NEC 30's as I'd totally move to 3x30"!


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

He actually might as he wants to pair up the 30s and will likely buy a pair of NECs


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## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

how much are the NEC refurbs?


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

$1390 = they never last and we rarely get them. 
Sweet spot seem to be the 24" and 26" 90 series with their 1920 x 1200 ( 16:10) workspace it's a popular size without breaking the bank ( or your back ).

•••

He seems to be in "cold dead hands" mindspace regarding his beloved Apple. 

Had another local client like that
This is a very long term client - graphics company 100 years old and doing high end photo work for the Caribbean islands tourist boards...
kept putting me off and was insisting his Apple 30 was tops....

finally took NEC 30 home....
called me babbling about how good it was - I laughed......_told ya!!_ 

_In the colour business for 20+ years have had many displays, never has their been one as accurate.
invited colleagues to see it they were just as amazed P.Legg_

Some likely have seen his quote on the website when we had them in last year.

Had one wonk with too much money get overenthusiastic and bought TWO new ( $2600 each ) plus two highest end Nehalems loaded with Velociraptors and RAM.
Side by side, one with PC software the other with Mac. ( $10k each or so )
Sweet set up tho of course much fun as he wanted Snow Leopard and Windows 7 working smoothly with all his peripherals a week or so after their release. :yikes:

THEN after all is sorted a month he calls complaining his study was getting too warm .

Ya think!!!! Even the NECs themselves with all the electronics for the colour LUT are pretty good space heater.....let alone a pair of 8 cores size by each .....oh yeah 5870 cards too.
He was subsidizing Ontario hydro with that room.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

_Terrible beside the NEC _ - more than an element of truth there .....even using the Dell U2711 which is no slouch at all, the 4 year old 2090uxi had the edge.
The blacks were deeper on the Dell ( best I've seen ) and a much brighter screen, the NEC flat out was better. These guys know their stuff.

It's a shame as I'm almost entire on a 17" lappie now and I do miss the quality monitor...


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## Guest (Oct 30, 2011)

Also of interest for anyone who owns the 90 series ... if you also have a X-rite i1D2 (eye one display two) you basically end up with _almost_ the SpectraView series .. at least in terms of hardware level colour calibration (but you still only have the 12bit LUT instead of the 14bit with the more expensive model). The calibration tools built into the monitor's hardware do a better job than the eye one display software that X-rite gives you with the advantage that you don't have to change any ICC profiles -- because it adjusts the monitor to be accurate with the standard ICC profile.


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## IllusionX (Mar 10, 2009)

oh lord.. i wish i had just one 30" haha

notice they are using Aastra phones.. probably an asterisk box behind that?


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

IllusionX said:


> oh lord.. i wish i had just one 30" haha
> 
> notice they are using Aastra phones.. probably an asterisk box behind that?


Just get 2 x24" displays... choose your brand and model and get more screen real estate for less money or at least comparable money for 1 30' monitor. I did the math (at the time I bought my 2x 24" HP2475w's) and I got more for less at the time.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

30" are 2 x 24" 1920x1080 in portrait mode - hence the need for the dual link cable. Two 24s are a hair more total pixels - not much 2.07 for the 24" versus 2.04 million per panel on the 30"

If you got 1920x1200 24's ala NEC then you get total 4.6 million pixels - significant jump.

One can go portrait and one can go landscape - nice work space but realllllly a 30" is very sweet.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

MacDoc said:


> 30" are 2 x 24" 1920x1080 in portrait mode - hence the need for the dual link cable. Two 24s are a hair more total pixels - not much 2.07 for the 24" versus 2.04 million per panel on the 30"
> 
> If you got 1920x1200 24's ala NEC then you get total 4.6 million pixels - significant jump.
> 
> One can go portrait and one can go landscape - nice work space but realllllly a 30" is very sweet.


I like having two separate monitors at a resolution that I don't have to squint at...

I am sure 30" monitors are lovely if your setup space allows for the added height. I don't and as I said at the time I made my purchase my 2 x 24" monitors were significantly cheaper than 1 30".

It is good to have options that can accommodate ones needs and budget. 2 x 24" monitors fit the "bill" on all fronts for me while 1 30" monitor didn't...


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

The pair are cheaper in most cases tho dot pitch is likely lower on the 30 than most 24s - so less squint.
Both have pros and cons.
The 27" makes 2 x 24" comparable quality a challenge but there IS a squint factor with those.


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

I can't find a used Apple 30" under a grand, except with damage. So despite their apparent technical inadequacy, few want to let go of them.


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## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

Macfury said:


> I can't find a used Apple 30" under a grand, except with damage. So despite their apparent technical inadequacy, few want to let go of them.


i saw a couple on kijiji a while back. maybe check there.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

They paid $2200 for them which was ludicrous at the time tho okay when they were introduced.
A working 30" iSPS panel will always command a reasonable price.

They are NO comparison to an NEC,, Eizo or LaCie high end panel.....wishful thinking to even consider it.

Even Dell has gone past them with 12 bit depth and wicked blacks.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

MacDoc said:


> They paid $2200 for them which was ludicrous at the time tho okay when they were introduced.
> A working 30" iSPS panel will always command a reasonable price.
> 
> They are NO comparison to an NEC,, Eizo or LaCie high end panel.....wishful thinking to even consider it.
> ...


+1 Agreed.

With all the talk of the EOL of the Mac Pro I would think the EOL of the ACD would be more appropriate. How many people actually buy these things when there are so many more cost effective and frankly better options out there?

What the hell is Apple doing still being in the monitor business when quite frankly they don't even try to compete... at this point they are going on just style alone. 

I guess what PT Barnum said is true, there *is* a sucker born every minute.


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## ScorpioCa (Apr 7, 2006)

I actually did find another 30"... So I will send you a pic of the new crib next week once I'm done setting it up... But I'm keeping all the 23" cinemas... I would have liked the NECs but didn't want to change the whole esthetics... I got a mint one year old cinema for just under a grand... So I'm happy... Maybe one day I'll go black with the NECs... You know me MacDoc.... I do like to have fun!


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## Guest (Nov 21, 2011)

ScorpioCa said:


> I actually did find another 30"... So I will send you a pic of the new crib next week once I'm done setting it up... But I'm keeping all the 23" cinemas... I would have liked the NECs but didn't want to change the whole esthetics... I got a mint one year old cinema for just under a grand... So I'm happy... Maybe one day I'll go black with the NECs... You know me MacDoc.... I do like to have fun!


Once you see the NECs in action it's hard to say no to them. I have a similar setup monitor wise (although I've now paired down to only 3 monitors I used to run 6).


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## ScorpioCa (Apr 7, 2006)

I know the NEC are better, but for me, it just ain't worth it - I would have had to sell the Cinemas and start over. Colour perfection is not really an issue for me as long as it is close and pretty accurate... of course, if I had to start from scratch, I'd get the NECs for sure... maybe one day.


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## ScorpioCa (Apr 7, 2006)

Added the new 30" - and here's the new desk layout.. for now...

Enjoy! I certainly am.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

ScorpioCa said:


> Added the new 30" - and here's the new desk layout.. for now...
> 
> Enjoy! I certainly am.


:lmao: :clap: Try doing this with an iMac even with TBolt!!!!!

It is to laugh.... and this is pointedly directly at WCraig.  beejacon


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## Guest (Nov 24, 2011)

Nice


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## pm-r (May 17, 2009)

That's sure an impressive setup, but a curious question...
How on earth and what is needed to get such a setup actually setup and working??

That's gotta take some serious video horsepower to work as shown.

And next up I guess with be some kind of neck strain???


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## ScorpioCa (Apr 7, 2006)

It's just the 5770 and 2 more Nvidia GeForce GT120s.. nothing that special... I don't do video, audio or rendering - just design... and as for neck strains - so far, so good, but I've had 6 screens in front of me for the past 5 years and it's really hasn't been a problem.

You can never have too much screen space - especially when you're working with multiple documents, changes for one to another, multiple clients, simultaneously.... once you've added one extra monitor to your set up, you'll thank me... then you think of adding another.


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## Guest (Nov 25, 2011)

The only time I found I had any neck strain in my multi-monitor setup was when I spent too much time on the upper monitors. If you keep them for things that you're not going to spend hours on end working with without interruption you'll be fine.

I did something that I never thought I would be able to do ... I went from 6 monitors and am back down to 3! I miss it a bit but not as much as I thought I might at the end of it all.


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## WCraig (Jul 28, 2004)

screature said:


> :lmao: :clap: Try doing this with an iMac even with TBolt!!!!!
> 
> It is to laugh.... and this is pointedly directly at WCraig.  beejacon


Oh, you got me there. Yes, an iMac with two additional displays* just won't cut it. Despite the fact that you could buy a second iMac and connect two** MORE displays to it for the same price as the one Mac Pro. 

Sarcasm aside, you keep demonstrating that you have utterly failed to understand my position. Yes, there are a few niche applications that take advantage of the Mac Pro's capabilities. But they are becoming fewer as technology advances and, at some point, Apple will stop investing in a dwindling product line. 

But there is little likelihood you'll grasp these concepts now--you've pretty much proven it is beyond your reach.

Craig

* Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch): Connection options for Thunderbolt Macs
** or maybe two TBolt displays PLUS one via DisplayPort:
First Look: Apple Thunderbolt Display | Macworld


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

IN theory an iMac could get close it with 2 x 27" on either side and a couple of 24's up top - apparently there can be 6 devices.

But there IS a need for an open architecture Mac - and it's NOT niche.....it's the pro division and if Apple abandons it they do so at peril as the pros are the guys that influence others far beyond their numbers.

Apple has to stop with the flat % nonsense and look at profit per sku.....and with their margins they charge on drives and ram for the MacPros you would think they'd be trotting them out regularly.

They are currently stuck in a model that needs altering.

They brought the prices down on the portables and the iMacs but put them UP on the MacPros.....and now complain about slow sales. XX)


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## spiffychristian (Mar 17, 2008)

.


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## Guest (Nov 26, 2011)

spiffychristian said:


> I have a question:
> 
> Is that even a comfortable setup? I feel like I would hate the "bars" that the edges of the monitors make between each screen. It looks like a bunch of TV's in a store or something.
> 
> Doesn't seem productive, to me.


It might not look productive but it's sooo liberating and depending on what type of stuff you do it can seriously help productivity. If you run multiple apps and spend lots of back and forth time it's crazy better than flipping desktops, or cycling through apps, etc. Especially if you need to see multiple things and compare. For web dev there's nothing like being able to bring up 5-6 different browsers at the same time and compare the results. With enough real estate it takes literally a minute. With one screen it takes a long time and is easy to miss differences.

Going back to a single monitor (or even dual monitors) feels so cramped after you've had tons of desktop real estate. It's like going from a nice big notebook with tons of space to a pad of sticky notes.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

MacDoc said:


> IN theory an iMac could get close it with 2 x 27" on either side and a couple of 24's up top - apparently there can be 6 devices.
> 
> But there IS a need for an open architecture Mac - and it's NOT niche.....it's the pro division and if Apple abandons it they do so at peril as the pros are the guys that influence others far beyond their numbers.
> 
> ...


Not according to Apple:

Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch): Connection options for Thunderbolt Macs
Apple Support



> Computer Maximum number of connected displays
> 
> Thunderbolt-capable Macs with only Intel HD Graphics 3000 integrated graphics can support one connected Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch):
> 
> ...


So including the iMac monitor you can have a total of 3 monitors at this point in time, so not even close really, to the set up pictured.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Thanks for info
Still 12 million pixels is pretty decent


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

MacDoc said:


> Thanks for info
> Still 12 million pixels is pretty decent


Yes it is but it still does not come close to matching the capabilities of an open platform like the MacPro. 

Don't get me wrong for those without the $$ for a MacPro who want muti-monitor support TBolt offers at least a better upgrade path than there was before TBolt... 

*BUT* you are tied to the glossy mirror of an ACD and at a very premium price and not with premium capabilities... it is still a losers game IMO.


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## groovetube (Jan 2, 2003)

If apple offered a non glare iMac I would buy one tomorrow. I'm guessing, I wouldn't be the only one. Apple ramming this glossy crap down people's throats is the one aspect of Apple I can do without.


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## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

groovetube said:


> if apple offered a non glare imac i would buy one tomorrow. I'm guessing, i wouldn't be the only one. Apple ramming this glossy crap down people's throats is the one aspect of apple i can do without.


+1


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