NEC LCD 2490 vc. Apple Cinema 23" Display

[jarnold439]

Hi,

I am trying to decide between these two monitors. In a post on another forum late last year, Andrew Rodney indicated that the NEC 2490 blows the Apple Cinema 23" display out of the water. Unfortunately the thread did not go on to say "why". I was wondering if anyone could fill in the blanks.

I have been able to actually see the Apple 23" in a store but have been unable to find the NEC 2490. So I haven't been able to make a visual comparison. One of my concerns is that the NEC 2490 display resolution is 94 ppi vs. the Apple's 100 ppi. So I am concerned that the NEC won't appear as crisp. Again, I can't find one in a store so that I can just have a look.

If I go the NEC route I have also considered the 26" NEC 2690 but am somewhat concerned about the remarks that I have read about the wide gamut issue. This monitor will not be used exclusively for retouching photographs. It will also serve for general all around use including surfing the net. I don't know how annoying it will be to have every website that doesn't have an imbedded ICC profile appearing with super-saturated colors due to the wide gamut. That and the concerns raised over making subtle color corrections concern me.

If anyone can knows what the logic is behind Andrew's statement regarding these 2 monitors, I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts.

Thanks,

John Arnold

[jliechty]

I own an NEC LCD2490WUXi, and have had very little experience with the Apple 23" LCD.  As for any concerns about apparent "sharpness," all you must do is sit back a few more inches from the screen, and when the 24" occupies the same area in your vision as the 23" would if you were sitting a bit closer, then there should be no noticeable difference in sharpness.

Since I don't own both, all I can do is tell you why I bought the NEC over the Apple.  The NEC can be calibrated with its Spectraview software and an Eye One Display2 (or possibly other) colorimeter.  This calibration is done within the display at a higher bit depth, so once calibrated, the NEC should be able to use all of its 256 levels of brightness per channel, while the ACD will have lost some due to rounding after the calibration curve is applied in the graphics card.  Smoother gradients are the result; all I can say is that my NEC is noticeably better than the Samsung it replaced, which lacked internal calibration as the ACD does.

The NEC also has multiple inputs and a very extensive and useful menu system - two things that His Steveness would never allow to exist on an Apple product.  This flexibility lets me have both a MacBook Pro and a PC desktop connected to the monitor at the same time, with a third input available if I need it later.

[Photolandscape]

I own an NEC LCD2490WUXi, and have had very little experience with the Apple 23" LCD.  As for any concerns about apparent "sharpness," all you must do is sit back a few more inches from the screen, and when the 24" occupies the same area in your vision as the 23" would if you were sitting a bit closer, then there should be no noticeable difference in sharpness.

Since I don't own both, all I can do is tell you why I bought the NEC over the Apple.  The NEC can be calibrated with its Spectraview software and an Eye One Display2 (or possibly other) colorimeter.  This calibration is done within the display at a higher bit depth, so once calibrated, the NEC should be able to use all of its 256 levels of brightness per channel, while the ACD will have lost some due to rounding after the calibration curve is applied in the graphics card.  Smoother gradients are the result; all I can say is that my NEC is noticeably better than the Samsung it replaced, which lacked internal calibration as the ACD does.

The NEC also has multiple inputs and a very extensive and useful menu system - two things that His Steveness would never allow to exist on an Apple product.  This flexibility lets me have both a MacBook Pro and a PC desktop connected to the monitor at the same time, with a third input available if I need it later.
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I have an NEC 2690. I agree with everything above. The NEC allows for far more adjustments and customization than the ACD. And I have seen a number of 23" ACD's, in less than a year's time, grow dimmer out toward the periphery of the screen, and take on a strange, splotchy magenta cast becoming more noticeable as you move outward from the center. If you are critical and demanding when it comes to color, I'd go with the 2490 or 2690.