Looking to move away from my Apple Cinema 27 to two/three 24" LCDs, recommendations

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NIZMOZ

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I am going to sell my Apple Cinema 27" DV port monitor that has been great. Just I want to go back to 2-3 monitors as I get more real estate that way. I do game (BF4, COD), and would need the selling cost $600-700 of the Apple to buy the 2-3 monitors to put in it's place.

What are your recommendations for replacement monitors that are great picture, brightness, and colors? I do only have one 780 GTX at the moment, so it would need to handle it.
 
Guys, would appreciate some help here. I need to purchase one within the next day or 2. Thanks!
 
Are you trying to game across 3 monitors? Are you trying to get 2-3 monitors under $700? Budget?
 
2-3 monitors. Gaming across is not needed at this moment, but having two monitors is. You know the quality of the Cinema, so you know what I am kinda expecting from a good monitor too. I have read all the topics here, but it's just everyone saying all the monitors are the best for their situation.

Thanks.
 
Assuming you go with 3, you'd be looking at 1920x1080, so probably a 21-22" panel? Problem is all the IPS screens in that size are 6bit+FRC, not 8 bit, so the colors are lacking compared to ACD and most other 27" panels. Maybe you could get 3x24" at 1920x1200, but decent ones in that size cost a premium, and then you are back in 27" territory.

Kind of need to decide if you can live with two - if so, then I would sell the ACD and just buy two 27" QNIX or whatever. Add a third one in the future if/when you need it. Going down to 1080 vertical from 1440 just feels limiting regardless of the width. The panels on the Korean imports are generally just as good as the ACD.
 
I have been considering the QNIX and getting two 27s if I can fit it in my budget. I have the space on my desk to do two. Not sure about 3 though. What model do you recommend on the QNIX and where to buy from?
 
NIZMOZ said:
I have been considering the QNIX and getting two 27s if I can fit it in my budget. I have the space on my desk to do two. Not sure about 3 though. What model do you recommend on the QNIX and where to buy from?
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I can't even speculate; should be other threads on it. I bought my 27"s awhile ago and haven't been following what is current. Though personally I would look for DisplayPort inputs to keep your connectivity options open.

My main work setup is actually a 27" in the center and an old Dell 20" on the right in portrait. (30"+20" would be better, but that's another discussion...) I prefer to focus on a central screen, having a fat bezel down the middle sucks, but having a 27" way off to the right is kind of limited in usefulness. And I don't like having a third monitor on the left from an interface standpoint - all the menus and icons are on the left, so when you toss your mouse over there you want it to stop at the screen edge, not drift over to the left display.

I just throw pallettes or extra web pages on the right monitor, so I don't particularly care that the resolutions don't really line up and the color isn't a perfect match. Just mentioning it as an option for limited space/budget - cheap old Dell IPS screens are plentiful on Craigslist and eBay. Think about what you're really going to do with the extra display(s). Obviously not a good option if gaming on multiple screens is a priority.
 
I personally have 3 monitors at work and my center one has all my icons and start button. Sorry for the late reply, was sent out of town to Microsoft for a week so didn't have time. It seems I am not getting any local interest on my current monitor to sell on craigslist except many low ballers that do not understand how much this 27" is worth. So that has delayed me on getting replacements till I can get this one sold.

Thanks for the links NCX.
 
I had the ACD 27...great display

The Dell S2240M is what I recommend to people who like the apple display but can't really afford it. It's a glossy IPS with similar pixel density.
 
NIZMOZ said:
I personally have 3 monitors at work and my center one has all my icons and start button. Sorry for the late reply, was sent out of town to Microsoft for a week so didn't have time. It seems I am not getting any local interest on my current monitor to sell on craigslist except many low ballers that do not understand how much this 27" is worth. So that has delayed me on getting replacements till I can get this one sold.
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There are now a number of low-cost 27" monitors that offer comparable or better performance to the 27" ACD. Hence the "low ball" offers.
 
^ this. Sorry if OP's getting the offers he feels he should, but like with anything in life, something's only worth as much as people are willing to pay for it *shrugs*
 
Craigslist is terrible for selling anything of negotiable worth. If you want the 'bidding' process to work upwards instead of downwards use eBay or Amazon.

eBay even has a BIN option with best offer, and an auto-reject feature to reject any offers below a certain sum, and of course you only have to "accept" an offer you want to. The other advantage of course is nationwide or global market as compared to local. Local markets will never offer the best prices.
 
2 monitors is silly, so you'll need 3. Getting 3 decent monitors under $700 total may be hard (let alone monitors that compare to the ACD, especially if you detest hyper-matte coatings). You may also have trouble selling your ACD for that price, even though its a damn good monitor.

Honestly, you will be disappointed going from a 27" ACD to 3 garbage 24" monitors. Save up and make the right upgrade later.
 
The ACD sucks compared to most of the 300$ 27" 1440p Korean monitors since it uses edge-to-edge glass which makes blacks look gray, dark scenes look very washed out (coating comparisons) and is extremely reflective, even compared to a glossy screen. It has accurate color presets, but so do most of the Korean monitors, some of which have better color presets than the name brand monitors and can overclock while the name brand 1440p monitors can not (Best 27" 1440p Monitors). I'd pay a maximum of 100$ for an ACD, but only if I knew an Apple fan who desperately wanted one and didn't want to pay 100$ for an active DP-DVI adapter which is required to connect to some of the Apple devices.
 
NCX said:
The ACD sucks compared to most of the 300$ 27" 1440p Korean monitors since it uses edge-to-edge glass which makes blacks look gray, dark scenes look very washed out (coating comparisons) and is extremely reflective, even compared to a glossy screen. It has accurate color presets, but so do most of the Korean monitors, some of which have better color presets than the name brand monitors and can overclock while the name brand 1440p monitors can not (Best 27" 1440p Monitors). I'd pay a maximum of 100$ for an ACD, but only if I knew an Apple fan who desperately wanted one and didn't want to pay 100$ for an active DP-DVI adapter which is required to connect to some of the Apple devices.
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And you just proved you have no clue about ACD monitors. They are rated one of the best by all the professional photographer magazines and online reviews. Just because you don't like them, doesn't mean you have to lie about them either.
 
KenAF said:
There are now a number of low-cost 27" monitors that offer comparable or better performance to the 27" ACD. Hence the "low ball" offers.
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Not to mention that it's craigslist, where all sales are final, unlike ebay. There's a significant price loss there because the buyer takes all the risk with a cash purchase. You can actually make some decent money flipping items from craigslist to ebay because of the increased perceived risk on craigslist of duds. I found a pair of Genelec speakers for $300 on craigslist that had sat for months and nobody was giving this guy offers. I put it on ebay for more than twice the price I paid for it and 20 minutes after I listed the item somebody bought it out. I needed the cash at the time, I could've listed it for even more if I was willing to be patient.

Also electronics in general tend to be heavily discounted on craigslist. I paid $900 cash for a receiver a while back on craigslist and when I sold a few months later it got bidded up to $2000 on ebay.
 
I've seen an ACD 27" (built in an imac) today in a store and it looked amazing. It definitely blew out of the water the glossy s2415h, that I've tried last week.

The cheap korean monitors might have the same panels but there's no guarantee you are getting a well calibrated one unlike the acd, some don't even have an OCD and brightness controls.

If I were you I wouldn't even bother finding a replacement for it, at least until the OLED monitors are available. :D
 
Pechendko said:
I've seen an ACD 27" (built in an imac) today in a store and it looked amazing. It definitely blew out of the water the glossy s2415h, that I've tried last week.

The cheap korean monitors might have the same panels but there's no guarantee you are getting a well calibrated one unlike the acd, some don't even have an OCD and brightness controls.

If I were you I wouldn't even bother finding a replacement for it, at least until the OLED monitors are available. :D
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Agreed. I am just sitting tight the way it is for now. If someone is interested, then great, but only for the price I am asking now as i won't go lower. I am already lower than Ebay.
 
Pechendko said:
I've seen an ACD 27" (built in an imac) today in a store and it looked amazing. It definitely blew out of the water the glossy s2415h, that I've tried last week.
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The iMac's are not the same as the Cinema Display, particularly if you were looking at the new 5K Retina which has twice the resolution of the ACD or other iMacs. I'm not sure how different the standard 27" iMac panel is from the ACD but it's said to have Plasma Deposition coating which the Cinema doesn't.
 
NIZMOZ said:
And you just proved you have no clue about ACD monitors. They are rated one of the best by all the professional photographer magazines and online reviews. Just because you don't like them, doesn't mean you have to lie about them either.
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Nice argumentum ad populum. McDonald's is rated one of the best by all Americans Fast Food magazines and customers, therefore it is awesome and anyone who claims otherwise is a liar.

The ACD's edge-to-ege glass is extremely reflective, makes blacks look grey (proved by my picture of the 970D
​
which is available in my coating comparisons link above) and has been extremely overpriced since 2012. They could have tried to justify the price by replacing it with rationally designed, glass-free versions with extra inputs, hardware calibration and proper colour controls to match competitors, but haven't because they know many consumers are both stupid and lazy. Fortunately the glass can be removed by those with standards who want to enjoy the glossy LCD underneath.​
 
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I own one, you do not. The blacks are BLACK. And the most black out of any monitor I have seen.

Overpriced? But they cost the same as the Dell equivalent 27" IPS LCD which costs over $1000. At least 2 years ago it did. Haven't checked recently. Last I heard also, they use the same panel.

20141224_155527-L.jpg
 
NIZMOZ said:
I own one, you do not. The blacks are BLACK. And the most black out of any monitor I have seen. ]
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Not possible. The Samsung S27B970D in my photo linked to above is exactly the same aside from using a PLS panel, as was the Dell S2740L and the many ACD's I've used. Even VA panels blacks look grey when glass is placed over top. In fact, I dare you to full screen this image and take a proper photo.

The Samsung S27B970D (ACD with hardware calibration, extra inputs and many more features) is one of the only non-wide gamut 1440p monitors to sell for more than 800$ since 2011.
 
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3 years ago your 27" Samsung was not out. Many companies started stepping up and getting into the larger monitor market. Dell and Apple and HP were pretty much the only ones who had a 27 and 30" monitor designed for professionals.

Here is your picture. Other than the reflectiveness showing, it is pure black.

20150101_101344-X2.jpg
 
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