Macbook pro external monitor, recommendations ?

pontovic

Howdy

I'm looking into getting an external monitor for my MacBook pro and I'm wondering has anyone else here done the same thing ? Can anyone recommend a monitor? I've been looking on komplett at the samsung 22" range of monitors and they look good, but would the quality of the display be the same as that of the display on the macbook or indeed on an imac ?

Also, is it ttrue that it's ok to keep the lid closed with the power on and have the laptop running smoothly without heat issues ?

Thanks

needhelpguy

I have my MBP hooked up to a Dell 2407 monitor (24 inch) and cant recommend it enough. Dell do fantastic monitors at a great price. And yes, you can run your laptop with the lid closed.

Red Alert

I run it with the lid shut and no problems. I've it connected to a BenQ G2400W display and it works a charm.

johnk123

+1 to reccommend the DELL monitors. I know loads of people with them and they find them great. The 30" is actually so bright and a friend of mine uses it with a ps3 and it looks great. 30" is probably too much to have infront of your face for prolonged periods of time though.

leeroybrown

needhelpguy wrote: »

Dell do fantastic monitors at a great price.

That depends a lot on the panel. Their 22" Ultra Sharp monitors us cheap TN film panels which just aren't up to scratch. The 2407 is fantastic. My 2707 is pretty good. My previous 2005 and the 2007 are both brilliant.

I'll give the OP the one piece of advice that I give anyone buying a monitor: read lots of reviews. With flat panel monitors don't be duped by the specs, read a lot of reviews and you'll soon find that the figures can often lie.

pontovic

Cool, I think I'll have a look at the Dells. They seem to be getting good reviews. Are they just rebadged versions from another mnufacturer I wonder. I'd rather go for a good solid 22" monitor than a cheap 24" any day.

Thanks for the advice. One more quick question. Are the Apple keyboards and mice worth the money ?

Ta

Fajitas!

What will you be using the screen for? Gaming? Video editing/Photography? General use?

pontovic

I'll be using it for all-round web development, so there will be alot of image manipulation and code onscreen. I'm an ameteur photographer with a newly acquired dSLR camera so I'd like to be able to appreciate photos on my new screen

I wouldn't use it for gaming at all really, or watching DVD's. It would be more a workhorse

J-blk

pontovic wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. One more quick question. Are the Apple keyboards and mice worth the money ?

+1 for the DELLs by the way. I have the much older 2405FPW and it's a fantastic monitor for pretty much everything...

As for the keyboards, it's hard to tell if they are the right fit for you. Because of the spaced out keys, it "feels" very different to most other keyboards and even the MBP's built in one. Personally, I like it a lot, but other people hate it. If you can use a MacBook even somewhere, it is very similar to that. For any kind of coding, you might want to go for the wired one though, as the bluetooth one has no numeric keypad and the keys overall are more cramped.

Fajitas!

A friend of mine has one of the large Dells, looks great. I wouldn't be a fan of Samsung tbh...

If you're going to be doing a lot of image work on screen, go for something big, it'll help in the long run. If you're going to be making your money back from it, it might be worth going for one of the Mac screens... They are very very nice.

johnk123

I'm typing on the wired aluminum version right now! I bought it for a couple of reasons really

1. It's full size compared to the bluetooth version
2. It has two usb 2.0 ports on it. Very handy as i always use those thumb drive thingys. Also handy if you have a wireless dongle reciever i.e With say a logitech mouse or something
3. I use alot of the function keys and with the full keyboard, you have up to F19
4. Not a major selling point, but its cheaper.

I would however, recommend the wireless mighty mouse if you want one. I love them, but some hate them.

You should look at the apple monitors too, but they are very expensive, and haven't been updated in a while

leeroybrown

pontovic wrote: »

I'll be using it for all-round web development, so there will be alot of image manipulation and code onscreen. I'm an ameteur photographer with a newly acquired dSLR camera so I'd like to be able to appreciate photos on my new screen

In that case take my advice seriously and read reviews. The colour quality on some flat panel monitors is really poor if you're using them for image work.

johnk123

leeroybrown wrote: »

In that case take my advice seriously and read reviews. The colour quality on some flat panel monitors is really poor if you're using them for image work.

Or try and see a few in person. In spectra photo they have all the Apple monitors on show and have a 30" with a 23" as a secondary display. But like has been mentioned, make sure its right for you if it going to be critical to the productivity and quality of your work

babypink

I absolutely support eyeballing any monitor you're consdering buying. Failing that, trust reputable reviews...... In this instance what can't be counted really counts!

Keep an eye out for a well priced cinema display...they're mega!

pontovic

Thanks for all the feedback! I think I've narrowed it down to these three

-- Samsung 24" Syncmaster 245T (link)

-- Dell 2408 WFP (link)

-- Apple Cinema Display 23" (link)

Since I am buying the screen this once I don't want to be left wanting. The screen on my Macbook Pro is excellent and Apple have a well deserved rep. It's just that the screen on the MBP is a bit cramped for what I'm doing, so that's why I'm upgrading.

johnk123

Those 3 are all good choices. I'm sure you'll get a lot of people telling you about the possibilty of dad pixels on the apple displays. But Apple give you 30 days to try it and check for dead pixels, if there are any, they'll replace it for you.

The apple one will really compliment your MBP. My dad has the 23" in his office which he runs off his MBP also. It's a really nice monitor and just looks very classy on a desk.

Only downside to the apple is that it is little expensive compared to other monitors. But like i said earlier, look at one in real life before you make the choice

Fajitas!

Fwiw, pencil in the cost of a colour calibration unit aswell

440Hz

Loathe as I am to admit it, Dell do make bloody good monitors. As Apple-mad as I am, I'd be leaning towards Dell tbh.

jpfahy

I'm sitting in front of my Dell 2407WFP, best monitor I ever had.

pontovic

Hey thanks for all the replies! I was looking at the prices of Apple Cinema HD 23" displays, and they're €900 euro here. Thing is, they're £600 on the UK store, so I'm wondering would it be worth my while driving up to Belfast and getting one there ? I'd be making a saving of around €180 euro, assuming £600 is about €720.

Does anyone know places up North selling them ?

eddiecash77

i have a macbook pro 2.2 GHz 15" and am using it to edit a film shot on hd (108024A) and am getting tired of the small screen size.

i am considering either selling it and buying a 17" or buying a cinema display external monitor. i am leaning towards the external monitor but am concerned that the macbook pro won't be able to handle both a feature film in final cut and exporting an image.

is the macbook pro processing power up to give me a good resolution on the external monitor (as good as I would get if i hooked up from a desktop). also, would the computer give me the wheel icon to wait more often because it has to do extra processing?