This is in tandem to my Monitor for an Older PC thread. I thought if I was posting that now, I might as well post this too. I'm currently using a 20" iMac for my work. In a month or two's time I'll have a much bigger desk at my disposal and I'll finally be able to buy a second monitor. However I don't know a lot about what's out there and which one to get. Given my primary monitor is the screen built into the iMac it doesn't matter that the second screen will be different. I'm not even sure if I need one that's 20"; I'm open to other suggestions. What I'd like is another monitor that's decent for graphics work. I'll be able to use the primary iMac screen for text and auxiliary windows while using the second screen for the brunt of my graphics work. However I'm trying to build my new office according to a budget and I'm not sure what's a decent mid-range monitor for graphics work, or even if such thing as a "mid-range" monitor exists. I'm not really that savvy on all the monitor tech that's out there at the moment. Does anyone have any suggestions or experiences for what monitor they'd pair with a 20" iMac, or alternatively can you give me some hints or directions for where I could look to get the info to make an informed decision. Thanks in advance. Edit: Gave this a slightly more general title. [Edited by - Trapper Zoid on September 14, 2008 8:41:31 PM]

No replies thus far, so maybe I need some more clarification for my request.

What I really want is some tips on what kind of monitor I should be looking for as I'm pretty clueless the current state of tech. There's articles out there for basic usage like office use or games, but not much for people planning on using it for artwork as well as programming and other game development needs.

The iMac bit is probably irrelevant - you can treat that as me having a fairly standard quality 20" LCD monitor to begin with that I'm going to use as one monitor, but I don't care that it's paired with a completely different monitor type.

Any advice? Or if you've bought monitors of your own for a similar purpose maybe just tell me what guided your decision?

Thanks!

What's your monetary budget and your desk space budget?

Quote: Original post by SiCrane
What's your monetary budget and your desk space budget?

This is part of an office revamp that I'll be doing after I move, so these things are changeable.

Desk space should be pretty generous. I haven't set up my office space yet; I'm moving interstate in a week and will be setting up a new office in a month; but the desk I've got is large. We're talking one of those L shaped office desks, maybe two metres long on the longest edge, 1.5 metres on the shortest. (That's from memory, so my estimates might be a bit out).

Budget is somewhat flexible due to me not having yet decided on the right amount of money to spend on revamping. This is all coming out of a pool of money I've put aside to startup an indie game business. Consequently while I have enough cash to pay for practically anything, it will come out of my "keeping myself alive" budget that needs to last a year or two during the startup phase. I'm prepared to spend money on quality stuff that I need, but I don't want to waste it on extravagances. That's why I'd aim for "mid-range", except I don't know what the mid-range is in this case or what kind of budget that is. I'm thinking something around $400 to $800 dollars, preferably as cheap as I can get away with.

If you are doing graphics work, I believe the general trend is still to go with a CRT due to color trueness over most LCDs. I'm not sure if we have new technology that allows a more CRT like display on LCDs. I'm not a graphics person though, but that's the word I've heard from graphics friends. As to what models specifically that are nice, I don't have any recommendations but I know that if you are doing online shopping, shipping a CRT is a mess due to the bulk size and how "shakey" the delivery process can be. I'd check local stores to see if there are any good deals on CRTs.

It's not like you can't use a LCD, though, but that's a decision you'll have to make in this process. I use 2 x of these baby's. Working great for me and programming / gaming [smile] (Although that's just for reference and not a recommendation since NewEgg is for US only)

That's what I've heard as well. I'm more of a jack-of-all-trades than a graphics person, but it's something I'll need to be able to do. If a CRT is a better bet than a LCD then I'm happy to consider it. I'll be sticking to 2D colourful cartoony vector graphics for the most part.

The problem I've had with CRTs is that they don't seem to be easy to find these days. Most stores seem to only stock LCDs these days. The only ones I've sourced with my quick Google searches are second hand sales, and I don't know what quality those are. Maybe I'm not finding the right stores?

There's also the issue of desk space - while my desk will take a large CRT, it will eat up a lot of real estate that I could use for other things like paperwork. It's a small thing however as my desk is pretty huge.

If you're into graphics, you should absolutely avoid a TN-Panel, which have fast response times and are cheap but have bad color reproduction. Now TN-Panels are getting better and aren't all that bad anymore, but professionals will still advise against them. Apple has until recently always used IPS or PVA panels in their products for this reason. Now I cant recommend any specific monitor, but I believe you can get a 24 Inch PVA/MVA monitor for under 800 dollars. The price difference is pretty substantial between TN and the other panel types, though. Also keep in mind that these panels are not suitable for games due to poor response times.
Considering the CRT vs. TFT debate, good CRTs do provide a higher color range and better contrast than most TFTs, and LCD technology will never have response times as fast as a CRT. Still TFTs have much better ergonomics and perfect geometry. Also I forgot to mention, CRTs are not manufactured anymore and you'll only get professional grade CRTs that are used.

http://prad.de/en/index.html

This page can be pretty helpful.

Quote: Original post by Drew_Benton
If you are doing graphics work, I believe the general trend is still to go with a CRT due to color trueness over most LCDs.

It's a bit of an oversimplification.

First of all, if your graphics are only ever going to be displayed on a computer screen, the color trueness of your display is less important. It's far more important if you're doing work in video (I mean literal video, not streaming video), film or print. Secondly, if calibrated, correct color is a major concern - especially for television, video and film work - even a desktop CRT monitor may not be nearly accurate enough; you're going to want a professional broadcast monitor like this one.

Thirdly, there are LCDs that deliver pretty decent color calibration, especially in conjunction with a high quality color calibrator like this one.


@Trapper Zoid:
I have a 20" iMac, too. One thing you have to consider is that the only connector on the back of the iMac is Mini-DVI, and though it supports "DVI, VGA, S-video, and composite video connections via adapter," you want to minimize signal conversions as much as possible. The other consideration is how serious you are about your art. If it's not a major emphasis, then focus on an affordable monitor with the same overall height (including bezel) as your iMac (the logical screen area will be a little bit uneven, but that's okay). If you're serious about your artwork and willing to spend a little money on it, then I recommend the Wacom Cintiq 20WSX. It's what I'm aiming for sometime next year. Having the same screen dimensions as the iMac is nice, but the deciding element, for me, across the Cintiq line is that it has a better contrast ratio than the 21UX (which costs the same), and places the Quick Strip on the reverse side of the display panel, so you don't accidentally brush it. I've worked with one of these puppies twice before, and it is orgasmically good for your art! [smile]

Quote: Original post by Oluseyi
@Trapper Zoid:
I have a 20" iMac, too. One thing you have to consider is that the only connector on the back of the iMac is Mini-DVI, and though it supports "DVI, VGA, S-video, and composite video connections via adapter," you want to minimize signal conversions as much as possible.

I don't know a lot about the signals between the monitor and graphics card, but I thought it was digital. Wouldn't you avoid signal decay issues with a single adapter with a digital signal?

Quote: The other consideration is how serious you are about your art. If it's not a major emphasis, then focus on an affordable monitor with the same overall height (including bezel) as your iMac (the logical screen area will be a little bit uneven, but that's okay).

Art is a moderate emphasis - it's something I'm planning on balancing between programming and business. It is something I plan on putting more work into once I've finished my PhD studies this month.

I'm aiming to be more of a cartoonist than a fine artist, and that's the skill I plan on developing as a prime strength. I also prefer to work in vector than raster. I most likely don't need anything too fancy for that style, being based on strong black line work and solid patches of colours. However I'll need to work on general art skills to improve my cartooning, so it's a balance.

Is it a big benefit to have the monitor at the same height? Currently my research computer has two of the same make of LCD monitors, but I slightly angle them towards me with a big seam in the middle. I was planning on doing the same so the two monitors act like two different surfaces rather than an extension of the same space. I thought this might work better as I doubt I'll have the same colour consistency in the two screens.

Quote: If you're serious about your artwork and willing to spend a little money on it, then I recommend the Wacom Cintiq 20WSX. It's what I'm aiming for sometime next year. Having the same screen dimensions as the iMac is nice, but the deciding element, for me, across the Cintiq line is that it has a better contrast ratio than the 21UX (which costs the same), and places the Quick Strip on the reverse side of the display panel, so you don't accidentally brush it. I've worked with one of these puppies twice before, and it is orgasmically good for your art! [smile]

I admit it looks really good, but the Cintiq might be a bit pricey for me and my current skill level. The Melbourne store I get equipment from has the Cintiq 21UX at A$2499, and that's on special (RRP $3289) - that's about the price of all the rest of my equipment combined, save my laptop. I've got a fairly new Intuos 3 I still need to break in.

I guess it's better to look for an affordable LCD screen, probably with a better panel type than TN, and maybe get the Cintiq when my art's a success [smile].