Best External Display for Macbook Pro

I am looking to buy an external monitor for my Macbook Pro. I will be using it for basic office tasks, watching movies and watching T.V.

The minimum size would be about 20" and maximum 22"

Do you guys recommend any monitors which you think would be good for my needs?

I like the Apple Cinema Displays but I also like the glossy finish of the iMac displays which I think would be good for T.V. viewing.

Price is not really an issue within reason, and I am happy to explore brands other than Apple. Although design is a big priority for me!

 

can't you bump it to 24"? i've just bought this Samsung 244t and i must say i'm really impress with the colour they produce! the viewing angle, screen brightness, uniformity, sharpness, etc. is really outstanding.

it is a Samsung made S-PVA panel, with 178/178 (horizontal/vertical) degress viewing angle. i also would like to add that glossy coating are harder to clean, as it shows dust/fingerprints/smudge easily.

glossy is not necessarily good though... there are high/low quality glossy coating as well as high quality matte one, not all screen coating are the same or equal.

 

The Apple Cinema Displays are pretty expensive, so I don't think you'll need them.

No recommendations for other monitors, but I'd say you don't need a Cinema Display, and would save some cash with other monitors.

 

i'm sorry sam but i gotta to partly disagree with you on this one. the panel on the apple cinema display is pretty good. it is an LG S-IPS panel. the colour is pretty good, though there is some subtle (pinkish/purplish? i can't remember 100%) it has 178/178 viewing angle also... though i found the Samsung 244t to be much better, coz it is more ergonomics -the monitor is height, tilt, and rotation is adjustable- the apple cinema display is only tilt adjustable. but the most important fact is that the Samsung got the Apple beaten in term of picture quality. the screen coating is good, and the picture is unbeliably sharp. colour looks so rich and true, you'll see a lot of missing detail. so if you watch HEAPS of TV or movie in this, it might be worth it.

the design on the Samsung 244t is unique too. the build is mostly solid. as this is (like the apple) is a prosumer line. with 24" 1920x1200 you'll be ready for the full HD experience.

the apple cinema display strongest suit is its design though. no one could argue that alumunium is cooler than plastic like all apple product, it is iconic. oh, skip the 20" if you care about quality. as far as i can remember; the 23" model is much better. btw, its been a while since i use apple cinema display (about a year). so the product might be updated.

ALTOUGH i do agree on the part that for office work the screen here is overkill, unless you're a technology or quality connoisseur.

 

I have the Samsung. Great monitor. In fact I have 2 of them

 

As with other posters, I believe Samsung would be THE choice for great notebook display extension. You can go for the 20" widescreen with 2000:1 contrast ratio, I'm sure it would still be much more cheaper than getting your hands on an Apple Cinema Display. Hope this helps.

 

No problem, Wobble . Everyone has to disagree on something, if not, the whole world would be really boring .

I guess what I mean is, for just a normal monitor for normal tasks, I don't know if you need the Cinema Display, which is quite expensive.

 

I have to agree with Sam on this one. In fact the Cinema Display doesn't warrant the cost, ever. When you're looking for large high quality displays Dells top of the line products actually win out over the Cinema Display in my opinion. I've used both for very graphics intensive tasks(mostly magazine layouts) and the Dells win every time. The only logic behind paying that much for a Cinema Display is apple fanaticism. (That's not to say I wouldn't love a Cinema Display, but if I'm buying it, I'm buying the Dell)

 

I've been using the 20.1" widescreen Dell monitor (I think it's the 2005FPW) for a couple years and I love it. If you really care about the quality of colors then I'd recommend getting a color calibration tool like the Spyder2Express. I use my monitor for graphic design and photography. I find the size more than adequate (although I'd never say no to a bigger monitor). It works great for me

I stacked up 2 coupons from Dell and got a great deal on the monitor.
You can get the Spyder2Express for about $54

 

Troll the forums on Hardocp - http://www.hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=78 - there is a plethora of information there.

Dell 24 are popular due to price/performance. Also there is a new 27/28 inch that you can get for roughly 500-600 now at the same resolution, 1920x1200, its somewhere on the forum, I can't remember the name though.

Edit: found it http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1230310

 

Also, www.behardware.com is an excellent site for LCD reviews, very indepth and informative.

 

i hope apple upgrades their cinema displays soon to be the same as the new iMacs, actual glass panels, looks so gorgeous those things.

 

The glass does look nice on the iMacs, but the reflections, especially in a bright place, aren't that great...so if Apple does decide to add glass to future Cinema Displays, I hope there is still an option for matte screens.

 

glare and reflections are way worse on the matte displays, when you get glare on the Apple cinema displays and any other matte displays it just keeps you from seeing at what you are looking at completely, on a glossy/glass screen, you still see right through any reflection. I will never ever understand peoples matte screen preference, for that very reason.

what I am saying is this situation. you are staring at a black screen with light shining directly on it, with matte, and light shining directly on it, you get a very annoying glare which won't even allow you to see your screen, with glossy/glass screens, the light source must actually be in the reflection on the screen to cause any kind of annoyance, and even then you can easily look past the reflections to what is on the screen.

I guarantee if people would use a glossy screen for a week or so they would love it.

 

So this only happens when you stare at a blank black screen? you do that a lot?

 

Thanks very much for your comments guys. I have decided to purchase one of two 20" Samsung Monitors, however I cannot decide between the two and am hoping you can help me decide.

The two monitors I am looking at are the Samsung SM2032MW and Samsung SM206BW.

Samsung SM2032MW - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132112

Samsung SM206BW - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/125098

Is the only difference between the two the design?

 

One difference, according to the listed specs, the Samsung SM206BW (the second one) has 3000:1 ratio, whereas the first one has 1000:1.

Also worth noting is the first display also has a HDMI port, while the second one doesn't.

But other than that, yes, the only other difference is the design.

 

that samsung 206BW isn't really a good screen though. i know they used this practice on the 226BW. there are 3 panel they used (that i know of)

S - Samsung 3000:1 (the best, but very rare; they mostly give this out to reviewer sites. so they can get a glowing review)

C - Chimei 2000:1

A - AUO - 2000:1

i pick the SM2032 one. coz its a TV too! should suit you better.

edit: oh don't look at the 3000:1 contrast ratio of the 206BW. they actually cheat to get the effect, they play around with the backlight by dimming it in darker movie/situation and brighten it in bright situation. and they also use dynamic colour boosting to achieve it, but everything looks artificial.

 

Thanks guys, I have just ordered the SM2032 version.

 

congrats

 

Nice, thekingdavids! Tell us how it is!

And off topic, but how are you liking your iPhone?

 

Haven't received the screen yet, but I will let you know what it's like.

In reply to Sam:

My iPhone is great, by far the best gadget I have ever bought.

One of the things that I love about it, is the fact that the device does not scratch like my last iPod. The glass screen is extremely durable and looks fantastic. The weight of the device is great too, it really feels as if you are holding something which is quality.

If there is anything you would like to know about the iPhone, just ask.

 

Nice to hear, thekingdavids. I wouldn't be able to get an iPhone (Canada, and don't want to mess with unlocking and carrier stuff), so I'm looking at the iPod Touch, but they're pretty similar.

Good to hear the screen doesn't scratch. My first generation iPod Nano was extremely prone to scratching (had to get a transparent cover for it), and with such a large touchscreen, I'd be really annoyed if it scratched.

Do you find you can operate it with one hand? Obviously, everyone has different hand sizes, but just in general.

 

Can anybody confirm that the SM2032 will work with a Mac via DVI. I downloaded the monitors manual and the only Mac reference is regarding VGA connection.

Thaks

 

OK, this is 24in but hopefully useful to web searchers coming across this page....

Best Monitor for Macbook pro.

I searched around for a while trying to find a solid monitor to go with my Macbook pro. The screen onboard the laptop is so sweet that it was jarring every time I looked at a different monitor.

In short, I’ve settled on the Samsung Syncmaster 24in (model 2493HM) It seems *almost* as good as the screen onboard the macbook pro. Its pretty darn bright and the colors are almost the exact same as the macbook pro. Plus, it has HDMI and VGA so I can use it with an old PC on a KVM as well as the macbook pro.

Before this I tried a dell ultrasharp 22in, a 22in Hyundai and the Samsung 25.5 in (also known as the 26in model 2693HM).

Here’s the rundown in chronological order of trying:

The Hyundai. Forget it. Dead pixel, plus the colors and brightness were nothing like the macbook pro. OK, fine I could have guessed this, but I figured I’d *try* the budget option before shelling out bigger.

The ultrasharp. Although I’ve relied on a dell monitor for years on a PC, it just didn’t seem to be able to pull off the colors correctly on the mac. I work all day on my computer (code, writing, etc) and the colors cant be wildly different then the mac. I partied all over the settings many times and just couldn’t get it to work out. Maybe I missed something, but the ultrasharp just didn’t happen.

I was juuuussst about to by one of the Apple displays. I wasn’t happy about this since they are expensive, seemingly dated and only accept one input. So, I made a last effort and tried the Samsung Syncmaster. By now, I was a little tired of testing monitors.

Viola! The 25.5 in Syncmaster did really well on color and an increased resolution (the previous ones we’re 22in). So all was good. But then I noticed that the 24in version of the same monitor had smaller pixels, was $100 cheaper and supported the same resolution so same amount of stuff on screen. Not only that, when I took it home, it was actually easier for me to use on my desk since the screen was smaller. With the 25.5in I felt I had to move my neck around a good bit to see around the screen.

So there you have it. For my use and setup, the 24in Syncmaster rocks.
I searched the boards quite a bit while trying to find a good monitor. I hope this helps others. Best of luck!
ag