Apple 27" LED Cinema Display

So will this monitor be compatible with PCs if you have a card with Displayport? I looked up one MiniDisplayport to Displayport dongle, but it specifically said that it wouldn't work with ATI 57* or 58* cards. Do you think Apple will come up with a solution, considering they want these to work with their desktops?
 
orangeblue said:
So will this monitor be compatible with PCs if you have a card with Displayport? I looked up one MiniDisplayport to Displayport dongle, but it specifically said that it wouldn't work with ATI 57* or 58* cards. Do you think Apple will come up with a solution, considering they want these to work with their desktops?
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I'm not sure why that dongle wouldn't work; should be simple pin-conversion to go from DP to mini-DP.

The new Mac Pros have a Radeon HD 5770 or 5870 which have two mini-DP and one DualLink DVI, no adapter necessary.
 
Oneboy said:
Would this one be any good for the job: http://h30094.www3.hp.com/product/sku/5107978/mfg_partno/NR078AA. It seems a little cheaper.
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No. Read the description carefully. "Converts a graphics card's DisplayPort output to dual link DVI." That's the opposite of what you want.

Oneboy said:
here is also another one: http://buy.fudzilla.com/a489848.html.
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Nope, again: "Sapphire has introduced an active powered DisplayPort to DVI converter, which allows any standard DVI monitor to be used..."

Basically, I wouldn't use any adapter unless it specifically states that you can go from a DualLink DVI source to a 27" iMac.
 
Either hope Dr. Bott come with an adapter, newer Nvidia cards have a mini-DP output, or just get a 5870 Eyefinity or 5970....
 
Xeanor said:
Either hope Dr. Bott come with an adapter, newer Nvidia cards have a mini-DP output, or just get a 5870 Eyefinity or 5970....
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Uhh. My 470 has a mini-hdmi.. what cards have minidp?
 
jenneth said:
HD 5870/5970... like what Xeanor said.
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Yeah I'm sorry I love the way their displays look but Apple can fuck themselves if they think I'm going to replace my video card to use a monitor.

My point is I have a new nVidia card and.. yeah no minidp.
 
I wonder if this would work with a 5850?

I have 5850s in crossfire. If it wont work with a 5850 I wonder if I can sell my 5850s for a 5870.
 
Weenis said:
My point is I have a new nVidia card and.. yeah no minidp.
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They don't care if you buy a new card. Their laptops have had mini-DP since late 2008 so they want people with those to get this display.

wrxdrunkie said:
I wonder if this would work with a 5850?
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I might be missing something but why wouldn't it work? That card will do 2560x1600 over DP. You will need a Male DP to to Female mini-DP. Why do I suddenly feel dirty?
 
Here's a critical point about converting Displayport or HDMI to DVI that many may not understand: HDMI and Displayport are both capable of transmitting single-link DVI through the cable, but neither can transmit dual-link DVI.

It all comes down to the number of pins in the cable. Single-link DVI uses 12 pins, dual-link DVI uses 24 pins, HDMI uses 19 pins and Displayport uses 20 pins. HDMI and DP achieve the higher speeds required for higher resolutions or higher Hz by sending more data through the same pins, while DVI achieves the higher speeds by adding more pins in dual-link mode. HDMI and DP cables can transmit single-link DVI because they have more pins than necessary, but there is no way for HDMI or DP to transmit dual-link DVI because they don't have enough pins.

Edit: this is critical here because 2560x1440 over DVI requires dual-link DVI.
 
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I'm very tempted by this display. I own the 24" ACD. The 24" display has trouble even with Radeon cards that have DisplayPort built-in. For instance, certain 4890s work with the monitor, but people have trouble with 5870s.

I
 
Godmachine said:
If it wasn't for the lack of inputs and the funky connector I would have already dived into the 24 inch version. Keep in mind that Apple has a pretty great replacement warranty , you can bring that monitor in to the store and likely have it replaced on the spot. Not many places offer a standard warranty that you can use just by walking into the store and not alot extra.
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I'd have probably gone for the 24" as well if it had two or three displayport inputs I could switch between. Considering the iMac 27" now has a dp input I'm surprised they didn't bump this up to two.
 
orangeblue said:
^Don't all the newer ATI cards have Displayport only and no MiniDisplayport? I know my 5870 only has a regular Displayport, so you would have to get an adapter and as I posted earlier, the only adapter I found: http://estore.circuitassembly.com/p...Female-to-Displayport-Male-Adapter-Cable.html clearly states that it has issues with some 5 series cards.
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At the end of the day, you probably DON'T want to use any adapter at all to connect these apple screens. I think the only solution is to either get a HD 5970 or HD 5870 Eyefinity, or don't buy it at all.

If you already have one of these graphics cards, then it's no problem for you to buy this monitor... people have reported a lot of problems with the Dr. Bott/Atlona adapters too (to convert them to DVI/HDMI). Things like the screen unable to show any other resolution, not being able to see the BIOS/startup screen, etc.
 
Apple must really hate money.
By simply adding dvi and hdmi they could have made great display for a lot of people (probably including owners of few years old macs too and not only pc enthusiasts).

Oh well so goes my hope for good screen with glare.
 
Actually it would be consistent of their vertical monopoly business model. I believe the connectors are not even removable on the ACD?
 
Damn, that's disappointing. I wasn't planning on upgrading until my current monitor died (hopefully not for a few years), but I thought this Apple monitor would have been a good choice when the time came. I've seen their 27in displays on the 27in iMac, and they're absolutely beautiful....

Maybe something will come along that beats this by the time I need to get a new monitor.

Question: If a monitor doesn't have a built in scaler, it can't display your bios? I didn't think a lot monitors had those to begin with, so I'm kinda confused how this works.
 
Michaelius said:
Apple must really hate money.
By simply adding dvi and hdmi they could have made great display for a lot of people
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It's not that simple, unfortunately. DVI/HDMI requires more electronics which adds thickness and cost. And the majority wouldn't use those inputs anyway (most PC people will continue to think the ACDs are a complete rip-off, and most Mac users with older machines will be looking to upgrade anyway)
 
rezonat0r said:
It's not that simple, unfortunately. DVI/HDMI requires more electronics which adds thickness and cost. And the majority wouldn't use those inputs anyway (most PC people will continue to think the ACDs are a complete rip-off, and most Mac users with older machines will be looking to upgrade anyway)
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This.^
The amazing thing about the DP is that it moves most of the control work to the gpu, thus limiting the need of a lot of electronics in the monitor itself, and, possibly, limiting input lag.
 
At the same time a lot of apple users use consoles for gaming so hdmi would be good for them.
 
Michaelius said:
Apple must really hate money.
By simply adding dvi and hdmi they could have made great display for a lot of people (probably including owners of few years old macs too and not only pc enthusiasts).
Click to expand...

I don't think I have ever seen an Apple monitor with more than one input. Apple has never really done business that way, they are all about simplicity (one connector) They are also all about going with the new and abandoning the old. The moment they see where the future is they switch. They don't wait for a lot of industry support to build.

They were the first to drop 5.25" floppies and go to 3.5" floppies, later they were the first drop floppies altogether. First to ditch legacy ports for USB. I bet they were the first to embrace DVI, just like they will be the first to abandon it.
 
suiken_2mieu said:
isn't this basically the Dell U2711 with a glossy coat?
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No. First off, the ACD uses glass; there is no glossy coating. The ACD also has:

- LED backlighting
- Standard gamut vs. wide gamut on the U2711
- Built-in iSight
- Built-in microphone
- Built-in speakers (not "good" by any means, but actually usable)
- Ambient light sensor
- Charger for Macbooks

Of course, the U2711 has a bunch of inputs, different modes and an adjustable stand (one thing the ACD really should have, though they do have a VESA adapter for it). They really are quite different beasts.
 
rezonat0r said:
No. First off, the ACD uses glass; there is no glossy coating. The ACD also has:

- LED backlighting
- Standard gamut vs. wide gamut on the U2711
- Built-in iSight
- Built-in microphone
- Built-in speakers (not "good" by any means, but actually usable)
- Ambient light sensor
- Charger for Macbooks

Of course, the U2711 has a bunch of inputs, different modes and an adjustable stand (one thing the ACD really should have, though they do have a VESA adapter for it). They really are quite different beasts.
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Thanks for clearing that up. But one more question, even though one uses glass and the other doesn't, is it the same panel?
 
I'm sure it's similar, but the backlighting is part of the panel, and since one uses CCFLs and one LEDs, they aren't the same. We'll probably have to wait for it to be released to find out the model # of the panel.
 
I just saw the 27'' iMac at BestBuy and I assume this monitor will be the same but without the pc in it. It was a beautiful monitor; I really like glossy screens. I'm assuming that it will work with my 4890 that has DP; I would just need a DP to mini-DP adapter.
 
One of the Zoltac GTX 460s has DP output (not mini). Will this work as per already asked by others with ATI cards? Anyone going to try this when the 27" is available?

I figure this is a better solution than using the Atlona AT-DP400 converter because I can throw my older GTX 260 video card into my old computer.
 
Yeah its pretty much the iMac Screen without the components.

I don't know. In my case i will go all the way with the Dell u2711, it has much more inputs. So i will not worry if the ACD is compatible with my video card or purchasing extra cables and converters.

Both offer same resolution both IPS panels... sure glass looks nice and LED consumes less power than ccfl... but the inputs on the Dell u2711 its the win for me. just my humble opinion.

Other than that its a nice looking monitor... but lacks inputs.
 
Is there any real downside to using the Apple LED Cinema 27" + AT-DP400 with an nVidia GTX260? Yes, I know that a PS3 and 360 will only work at 720p, but on the PC side of things, would the display work fine for me during the BIOS screen / POST / Windows 7?
 
Snowdog said:
I don't think I have ever seen an Apple monitor with more than one input. Apple has never really done business that way, they are all about simplicity (one connector) They are also all about going with the new and abandoning the old. The moment they see where the future is they switch. They don't wait for a lot of industry support to build.

They were the first to drop 5.25" floppies and go to 3.5" floppies, later they were the first drop floppies altogether. First to ditch legacy ports for USB. I bet they were the first to embrace DVI, just like they will be the first to abandon it.
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That's cool and all but throwing legacy compatibility out the window the second something new comes out is just dumb as hell. Also Apple is hardly on the bleeding edge nowadays.
 
Apple Cinema Display are amazing screens but using them is not really cheap...

So there is 3 different solutions for using this display :

-AT-DP400 (you can keep/choose your graphic card but it's 199€ at least, and with a HD 5850 the whole thing is at 460€...).
-ATI HD 5770 or 5870 eyefinity (260€ to 460€ and it's mini dp only).
-Apple 5870 with mini dp (412 € on AOC Store).

Surprisingly Apple Solution seems to be the cheapest (if you want to change your graphic card), but i'am not sure if the 5870 will work on a PC computer (i have read it should but i am not really sure...)
 
Snowdog said:
I don't think I have ever seen an Apple monitor with more than one input. Apple has never really done business that way, they are all about simplicity (one connector) They are also all about going with the new and abandoning the old. The moment they see where the future is they switch. They don't wait for a lot of industry support to build.

They were the first to drop 5.25" floppies and go to 3.5" floppies, later they were the first drop floppies altogether. First to ditch legacy ports for USB. I bet they were the first to embrace DVI, just like they will be the first to abandon it.
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Basically they're the first to force us to upgrade whether or not we want/need to upgrade :p
 
Apple is about going with the new and abandoning the old? I sure wish they would abandon the DVD and force me to upgrade to Blu-Ray Disc!!!
 
Ashok0 said:
Apple is about going with the new and abandoning the old? I sure wish they would abandon the DVD and force me to upgrade to Blu-Ray Disc!!!
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Apple and MS seem rather fit on using Digital Distribution, instead of Sony's little kingpin (though, admittedly, MS controls a good steak of BluRay technology...).
 
There is an 27" iMac displayport input thread in the Apple forum here. Looks like people are having success using the 27" iMac as a display. When the 27" LED Cinema Display arrives, I don't see it being any different.

Here is what I pulled.........

Thread ===> 27" iMac displayport Input:

Confirmed a PC with Palit GTX 465 or GTX 470 with displayport works on iMac 27 as a monitor. I used a mini displayport to displayport cable instead of an adapter.

http://cgi.ebay.com.hk/1-8M-Mini-dis...a5c44d74b#shId"

Also:

"Well the Zotac GTX 460 does not work w/ the iMac. It will display the bootup/POST on the iMac. But as soon as you hit Windows the display goes blank.

EDIT: I was wrong. I tried the other GTX460 I got and it worked great."
 
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