Which is a better Apple Display?

20" Aluminum Cinema Display or the 23" Cinema Display HD?

It would depend on price, time used (age) and condition. They're both S-IPS, good quality screens, but the 23" screen is getting long in the tooth. If it was released toward the end of it's service life and the 20" screen toward the beginning, then they would be only months apart and age would not be such a big factor. So, it would come down to condition and price.

MaxxuM wrote in post #11243007
It would depend on price, time used (age) and condition. They're both S-IPS, good quality screens, but the 23" screen is getting long in the tooth. If it was released toward the end of it's service life and the 20" screen toward the beginning, then they would be only months apart and age would not be such a big factor. So, it would come down to condition and price.

Gotcha. On craigslist, the 23" is going for ~$150 and the 20" is ~$300. Maybe I should look for a new budget screen... or would the 20" still be a better display that the newer <$300 displays?

If the 23" is in really good shape, $150 is a good price, but typically they're really well used and dimming by now. You can look at these screens listed below. They're excellent monitors and withing your $300 price range.

Dell UltraSharp U2211H
Dell UltraSharp U2311H
HP ZR22w
HP ZR24w
ViewSonic VP2365WB

The first. Second uses an ADC (Apple Display Connector). One of Apples bigger mistakes IMO.
You'll either need an older Mac with ADC port (My G5 has one, I have a similar screen ), or a (hard to find & expensive) dvi to adc adapter.
http://en.wikipedia.or​g/wiki/Apple_Display_C​onnector

MaxxuM wrote in post #11243178
If the 23" is in really good shape, $150 is a good price, but typically they're really well used and dimming by now.

LCDs don't dim as they are used. Instead, they lose contrast and gamut (the image becomes grayish) and given enough time can also develop a color shift, since each sub-pixel color degrades at a different rate.

It's the phosphor based displays - CRTs and Plasmas - that dim with use.

Also, the Dell U2x11h monitors have a color cast to them, and shouldn't be used for color-critical work unless you've got a colorimeter/spectropho​tometer to calibrate it with.

Mayniyak wrote in post #11245637
LCDs don't dim as they are used.

False: The (CCFL) backlighting does dim over time.

Also: Any monitor should be calibrated for color critical work...

René Damkot wrote in post #11245826
False: The (CCFL) backlighting does dim over time.

Also: Any monitor should be calibrated for color critical work...

The cost of replacing the CCFLs is next to nothing (I've done it). When the headlight of your car goes out, do you replace the entire headlight or just the bulb? Exactly

And yeah, those were a bad choice of words. I basically mean that you're shooting yourself in the leg if you don't calibrate it, even if you're just trying to print some snapshots that your uncle took (or whatever). While with most other monitors you can usually get away without calibration if you really had to.

Avoid the oldest Cinemas, like the 23" you're looking at. Either buy the aluminum models or buy another brand.

Last time I checked eBay, 23" al Cinemas were selling for around $300-350. Not sure if that includes shipping, though.