Dell - Apple - ATI

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I've been looking to upgrade my monitors, finally did so and thought I would share my experience. I was using an earlier model Apple 20in Cinema Display with 2 Apple 17in CRTs on either side.

I needed 3 monitors because of my line of work (Web Development). Of course Apple always gets first consideration but as everyone knows, Apple monitors while beautiful in design, are generally more expensive than their PC counterpart. I began to research alternative displays just in case I didn't want to pony up $2400 for 3 Apple 20in Displays.

After a week of research on LCD displays in the 19in to 21in range, I settled on 3 of the DELL - UltraSharp 2005FPW 20.1-inch Wide Aspect Flat Panel LCD. Word has it that these particular Dell monitors use exactly the same LCD panel as Apple's new 20in display. Because of other factors, the Dell monitor actually out performs the newer Apple 20in. Sitting next to my older Apple 20in Cinema display, the Dell looks considerably brighter and sharper and they have no stuck pixels. On top of that, the Dell monitor pivots, has adjustable height, swivels side to side, has picture in picture, DVI, VGA, S-video and Composite connections. It also has a 3 year warranty!

This is where it gets good. By applying discounts seen on dealmac, I was able to get the cost down to $394.00 per monitor! That's $1182.00 total. I was able to get an overall 60 inches of screen for less than one Apple 23 inch Display (Currently at $1499.00)

I am running a G4 Dual 1GHZ with the stock OEM Radeon video card for my center monitor. The other 2 monitors each run with separate Radeon 7000 Mac edition video cards (make sure you have the latest Radeon rom update and drivers). The Radeon 7000 MAC specs don't indicate 1680 X 1050 support but it seems to work just fine via the included DVI cable. I'm getting 1680 X 1050 with millions of colors at 60 Hertz from those cards. I've seen these cards on eBay for around $25.00.

There is only one downside for the Mac purest. The monitors say Dell on them. I can live with that knowing I saved over $1200! I've been a dedicated Mac buyer since the Apple Lisa but sometimes saving money and getting better value is what its all about.

If you are in the market for multiple monitors and want to save some money, hopefully you will benefit by reading this.
 
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