30" Apple Cinema Display vs 27" iMAC

I'm at a small debate right now. Money is definitely something I want to keep in mind, at the same token as much as I want to be frugal, I need to make an educated purchase.

Looking for some advice here.So feel free to chip in.

At the moment I own a 24 inch iMac from early 2009
and 23 inch Cinema Display which I use with my MacBook Pro.

The screens (even after multitude of adjustments at Apple Store) are night and day between the iMac and the Cinema Display. Apple techs explained to me that the technology in the iMac which I purchased in 09 has been upgraded and of the same quality if not better as the Cinema Display now in their iMacs which they sell now. I realized that I'm starting to use the iMac less for 'work' projects and turning more to the MBP with the ACD because of the screen sharpness,vibrant color tones, and clarity.However, I use the iMac for everything else, cant really complain too much.Yet,I arrive at a bit of a debate with myself. Should I keep the iMac and purchase a 30 inch Cinema Display which I can use on both with the iMac and my MBP or just pay a bit more and get a 27 inch iMac.

There are some pros and cons.If anyone here owns a 30 inch CD or a 27 inch iMac and cares to comment or give advice. Please do not hesitate.

Thank you.

First off Apple doesn't make a 30" Cinema Display anymore, they have been discontinued. The biggest they make now is their Apple LED Cinema Display (27" flat panel) for $999.00. The other thing is depending on which iMac 27" inch you buy the price is a lot higher then the display itself. I have the older 24" iMac, a new 21.5" LED iMac and a new 27"LED iMac 2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 with 8GB RAM and it came out to a little more then $2,700.00. The new LED screens are very nice and they aren't as hot as the older screens. If I was in your shoes I would see which one I needed more. If your happy with your Macbook Pro then I would just get the new LED 27" screen. If your looking to buy a new computer, then I would go for the 27" iMac with the 2.93GHz Quad-Core i7. The new 27" iMac blows the 24" iMac out of the water in terms of speed and screen display.

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

I have owned just about every Mac ever made, going back to a Mac Plus in 1985.

I own MacBooks and iMacs. But my workstation for photography, graphic design and video is a Mac tower. iMacs and laptops are limited in the amount of RAM you can install and hard drive options to PCIe cards are not the same speeds.

If you want a full blown station that is easy to add PCIe cards and RAM, you need a tower.

Plan for the future.

KurtGoss wrote in post #11421077
I have owned just about every Mac ever made, going back to a Mac Plus in 1985.

I own MacBooks and iMacs. But my workstation for photography, graphic design and video is a Mac tower. iMacs and laptops are limited in the amount of RAM you can install and hard drive options to PCIe cards are not the same speeds.

If you want a full blown station that is easy to add PCIe cards and RAM, you need a tower.

Plan for the future.

Ideally in the future,perhaps. However at the moment I'd have to say 'no'. If the finances would allow the "big baller" spending. Westmere would be on top of the list for the tower.

Saint728 wrote in post #11421045
First off Apple doesn't make a 30" Cinema Display anymore, they have been discontinued. The biggest they make now is their Apple LED Cinema Display (27" flat panel) for $999.00. The other thing is depending on which iMac 27" inch you buy the price is a lot higher then the display itself. I have the older 24" iMac, a new 21.5" LED iMac and a new 27"LED iMac 2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 with 8GB RAM and it came out to a little more then $2,700.00. The new LED screens are very nice and they aren't as hot as the older screens. If I was in your shoes I would see which one I needed more. If your happy with your Macbook Pro then I would just get the new LED 27" screen. If your looking to buy a new computer, then I would go for the 27" iMac with the 2.93GHz Quad-Core i7. The new 27" iMac blows the 24" iMac out of the water in terms of speed and screen display.

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

hey Patrick thanks for the reply.

I actually am aware the 30" is discontinued,they no longer offer it through their site. That is what they told me at the store, but they had a few 'last ones' in stock that they were selling off down here in Miami. Thats why I posted the question. I'd like to see the variances in opinion. As far as the display alone is concerned,I guess I could put out a bit more $$ towards getting the 27 iMac if I had to choose between the 27 inch display and the iMac.

Eiro wrote in post #11421173
hey Patrick thanks for the reply.

I actually am aware the 30" is discontinued,they no longer offer it through their site. That is what they told me at the store, but they had a few 'last ones' in stock that they were selling off down here in Miami. Thats why I posted the question. I'd like to see the variances in opinion. As far as the display alone is concerned,I guess I could put out a bit more $$ towards getting the 27 iMac if I had to choose between the 27 inch display and the iMac.

If you get the 27" iMac, you can also use it as an ACD for your MacBook Pro.

You could hook up your ACD to the iMac and use that instead of the built-in display...

If you want to be frugal, don't buy Apple monitors. Dell and HP make similar or better monitors, with more connectivity options, for less money.

toxic wrote in post #11421783
If you want to be frugal, don't buy Apple monitors. Dell and HP make similar or better monitors, with more connectivity options, for less money.

Apple only sells one display, the 27" ACD for $900. As far as I know, only Dell offers a 27" high res display and it's $1100.

Tony-S wrote in post #11421944
Apple only sells one display, the 27" ACD for $900. As far as I know, only Dell offers a 27" high res display and it's $1100.

Dell U2711 on Amazon for $990: here. 102% NTSC, more connectivity, tilt/pivot, height adjustment, 10-bit color. Not cheaper, but offers a lot more for not that much more.

I think the Dell 3007WFP used the same panel as the 30" ACD, but it was cheaper and offered the same advantages, minus wide gamut and 10-bit color. I know there were equivalents to the 20" and 23" ACDs which were cheaper.

In the 24" range, Dell and HP each have good options for not all that much money.

edit: I'm not knocking Apple displays, I have a 23" ACD, but I got a decent deal on it used awhile ago. If I were buying right now, I would buy an HP ZR24w or LP2475w.

This right here is the most in-depth review on the new 27" Apple display that I know of, and compares it to the 30" one and many other higher end monitors. Skip to the conclusion if it gets too technical for you.

Put simply: It's a decent display, but it's only middle of the road compared to other displays in it's price range. The Dell U2711 uses the same LCD panel but opts for a CCFL backlight: which gives you a wider gamut, better contrast, and a more accurate white point.

Mayniyak wrote in post #11428748
This right here is the most in-depth review on the new 27" Apple display that I know of, and compares it to the 30" one and many other higher end monitors. Skip to the conclusion if it gets too technical for you.

Put simply: It's a decent display, but it's only middle of the road compared to other displays in it's price range. The Dell U2711 uses the same LCD panel but opts for a CCFL backlight: which gives you a wider gamut, better contrast, and a more accurate white point.

The Apple 27" Cinema Display is an LED not LCD. It also has a backlighting system which gives you a 178˚degree viewable area.

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

Saint728 wrote in post #11430834
The Apple 27" Cinema Display is an LED not LCD. It also has a backlighting system which gives you a 178˚degree viewable area.

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

LED is a type of backlighting used on LCDs, it's NOT a type of display - and the backlight has NO effect on viewing angles.

And the U2711 has that same 178˚ viewing angle you're talking about.

Saint728 wrote in post #11430834
The Apple 27" Cinema Display is an LED not LCD. It also has a backlighting system which gives you a 178˚degree viewable area.

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

LED backlighting doesn't give it 178º viewable area. IPS panel technology does.

Jdmhood wrote in post #11431017
LED backlighting doesn't give it 178º viewable area. IPS panel technology does.

Well that's what the Apple website said.

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

Saint728 wrote in post #11431079
Well that's what the Apple website said.

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

No where does it say that.

Source: Third paragraph in right column