Best monitor for beginning graphic designer?

I am starting out in graphic design. I have been doing a good amount of design for the web and a bit of print also. My laptop is just not cutting it for screen space and I would like to get a monitor that has decent color clarity, etc so that the colors I use will be as true to life as possible. I don't want to design something and have it come out a totally different color when I print it.
My price point isn't so great, I'm looking to spend about $300 at the most but preferably less. I will be using the monitor with a Macbook Pro & Dell Studio laptop. Does anyone have a good recommendation for a decent monitor to get within this range?
Thanks!

In that price range it's unlikely you get a monitor that works for all situations, especially since Macs and PCs use different Gamma and have other differences in their color rendering. Most cheap PC monitors simply don't work that well on Macs since they are obviously tweaked towards Windows. You would need to tweak them for Mac and if they don't allow to store different profiles, you may end up doing this over and over again. It's not hopeless, though. Even cheap monitors can be good. I'm using an Asus 27" which is amazingly close to a standard sRGB profile, so checking their product line in the 23"/24" might fit your budget.
Mylenium

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I've got a MacBook pro 15' running 10.6.6. I want to use an external monitor for my graphic design work running Adobe software and thought I'd try an HD TV. I ran a Mini Display to HDMI lead to the TV but the picture quality was disappointing.

I've got a MacBook Pro 15' running 10.6.6. I want to use an external monitor for my graphic design work using Adobe software and thought I'd try an HD TV. I ran a Mini Display to HDMI lead to the TV but the picture quality was disappointing. I also tried a Mini Display to VGA lead and that wasn't much better. I tried all variations of resolutions in System prefs - Displays but nothing helped. Am I getting something wrong? Thanks all.

In addition to pixel density, you are up against the translation driver card in the TV.
If you read the fine print of computer-resolution-capability in the TV user guide, you will see a chart as tall as the manual page. At the top is the smallest resolution capable, at the bottom is the full use of the 1080p in the TV.
Mac falls into the top 25% of the page, maxing out at 1366x768 often. This is because the TV control card is expected to do too much of the work, but is not designed for computer-monitor processing.
I looked at the resolution charts on 2 TVs before deciding to buy a 1080p LCD monitor that has a TV interface/connector. Computer monitor first, TV second. But the thing is only 27 in. Good thing TV is not as important to me as it is to others.

What is the best laptop for a graphic design student?

Hi, I`m going to study graphic design. I want to buy a new computer for this purpose.
Which qualities should I look for? Which computers work good with Adobe Creative Suite® 6?
Thank you for advice.

You didn't defined a budget. So for best for the buck I would definitly go for a Lenovo IdeaPad 510p.
Very good overall performance : Great processor, very power graphic card (really nice for Video Editing), SSD + HDD combo wich make it really fast to boot and use softwares.
It has also a very nice Full HD screen with REALLY nice colors. IdeaPad Y series have really good screens compared to every other companies (even Samsung).
Last touch : Backlid keyboard, aluminium cover and "slim" (for the components).
Usually start at 1200$ but they have alot of specials. Right now its 849$
Up to 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor
Windows 8
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT750M 2GB graphics
Up to 16GB DDR3 memory
Up to 1TB HDD + 24GB SSD
Up to 5 hours' battery life
15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) widescreen display
Starting at 5.95 lbs / .61" thin

What is the best Monitor for Video editing & Graphic Design?

Hi every one,
I would like to find out what is the best monitor for video editing and graphic design that you recomend, I am trying to buy one but not sure which one is good and not expansive.
Thanks very much

I don't want 2 monitors, so a single 27inch model just what I need... plenty of room for PPro, or I can have a Word document and a Text file open and side by side
John,
That is personal taste and there is no discussing taste. However, from my perspective, and that is personal, I prefer 3840 x 1080 resolution with dual monitors over 1920 x 1080 with a single monitor, but that is because I very often have Firefox, Filezilla, Dreamweaver and some other applications open at the same time, switching between the Adobe forums, Gmail accounts, Notebook results from the PPBM5 data submissions, PPBM5 form submissions, MySQL access, phpadmin pages to update the database, the PPBM5 results pages and various DW .php pages for the maintenance of our database and switching back and forth between various versions of PR. I occasionally really run out of real estate with all these applications and could not consider a single monitor with only 1920 x 1080 resolution, even if it were a 105" screen. In the future I would even like to have a four monitor setup (with MPE hardware support) in a two by two configuration, so that I can freely move my application screens around.
If that happens, notice I say if and not when, my preference for a monitor would be something like 4 Samsung F2380 monitors. Small bezel, great display and panel, affordable.

IMac for a Graphic Designer?

I am currently shopping for a new iMac system for my Graphic Design needs and would like to get feed back form the community on a few topics. I am thinking about getting the 21.5 iMac with 8GB's of ram.
Would this be enough to handle Photoshop, Illustrator, and Cinema 4D softwares? I am going to get a external hard drive to store my files on to save hard drive space, any recommendations for that?
Is there an option to upgrade the ram in the 21.5 iMac to say 32 GB's (as I heard you could)? I am currently using a mid-2010 MacBook Pro with 4GB of ram and it's beginning to lag a bit. The screen size isn't really that great either being it's only 15 inches.
So any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
- KidHTML

As you have a specific and well-defined need I would work backwards:
Determine what software applications you will need, then figure out which model and configuration of iMac can handle them in the best possible/fastest way, particularly if you have them all open at once.
Also, depending on what kind of graphics you deal with, decide what screen size you really need.
Then talk to your bank!

Best Monitor for Photoshop??

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone can suggest what the best monitors for photoshop digital painting/editing etc are at the moment??
I still use a crt as I've heard years ago that their colour depth were alot better than lcd's or tft's that were around then. I'd assume that's no longer the case. Can someone please suggest what the best monitors currently are?
I'm also considering using a 42 inch Pioneer PDP 4280XD full HD 1080P flatscreen Television as a monitor. Would anyone know how that would work in compared to a good quality monitor?
Thanks for any help in advance!

A 42" TV is not a good solution, innacurate colors, huge pixels.
Get a LCD, with a IPS or a MVA or PVA panel, with LED backlighting if you can afford it.
The 22" are usually TN change color according to the angle of vision, and dither some colors. They are cheaper, but not a good choice (you said "best"
Lots of users go for 24" Dells, for the price and quality.
I use two 24" when I can, with one portrait, the other landscape. Useful when one uses bridge to keyword pictures, or simply to review photos the way they were shot.
Top of the crop are Eizo, NEC.
There are places with comparative tests...

Best monitor for graphic design?

Hi -
I am thinking of buying a mac mini to use for graphic design and I just wanted to get some opinions from any other designers using one. Whilst I'd love to be able to afford an iMac it's just out of my price range at the moment. I was thinking of buying the basic mini along with an Eizo Foris FS2333 23 inch monitor which I've read good things about. Does anyone else use the mini for InDesign, light Photoshop work and Illustrator? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks

Hi, no experience with them, but Eizo monitors seem to always be praised, if the Mini+Eizo is cheaper than the iMac, I'd go that way.

Which new MacBook Pro is best for a graphic design student?

Hi there, I was just wondering if anyone could give me some advice on which new MacBook Pro to get. I'm a graphic design student who would like to be able to use Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator at the same time, while also web browsing (I tend to have a million windows open). I won't be using the computer for any video work or heavy gaming.
Here's what I do know: I'd like the retina display, and I need the 8GB of memory (do I need more?). Other than that, I'm not too sure about what specifications I need. I'm not super knowledgeable about all of this, so apologies if these are very elementary questions. Any help would be much, much appreciated. Here are my main questions:
1. Would you recommend getting the quad core i7, or is i5 fine? For i5, do I need to pay attention to the difference between 2.4GHz and 2.6GHz?
2. What exactly is PCle-based flash storage, and would you recommend 256GB or 512GB?
3. What's the difference between Intel Iris Pro and Intel Iris?
Thanks so much!

1) Depending on which software you'll be using most of the times a quad core has more benefits (since it's more future proof). Not all software supports multiple cores (and thus rendering the extra cores of the quad "useless" if it's not supported).
2) PCI-e is what we use in desktops to attach for example a graphic card. Previous hard drives used a cable to connect it with the motherboard (in the old days we used IDE, now recent hardware uses SATA3). Basically because it's directly connected to your motherboard (there's more to it but to keep it simple) this will allow it to read and write faster from and to it. (Double the speeds of your regular SSD)
3) I reckon (haven't checked into it) that the base core speeds are clocked higher on the Iris Pro and probably has more dedicated ram to it.
What a graphical student wants would be most likely a quad core CPU with a dedicated graphics card. The extra is storage is nice if you reckon you'd need it. (I mostly work on cloud but keep my current projects on my drive because then I'd have faster access to it).

Best Monitor for Under $500

I'm looking to pick up a new monitor for the office and I was given a budget of $500 to work with. Obviously, this excludes the best models available, but
I should still be able to find something decent. Any help is appreciated.
Here are my requirements.
1. Cost must be under $500
2. Good color accuracy. I'm a graphic designer, so this is very important.
3. 22" or bigger.
4. 1920 x 1080 or better
5. Wide viewing angle.
6. Good contrast ratio
7. Good overall sharpness. I do not want grainy whites.
8. Glossy or matte screen is fine.
More details
1. Well lit office environment (fluorescent lighting).
2. LED or LCD. Either option is fine. Looking for the best overall quality regardless of technology.
3. Gaming performance / response time is not important. This will only be used for design work.
Models under consideration
1. HP 2310m
2. Samsung SyncMaster F2380M (It seems to no longer available)
3. HP 2311x
4. HP ZR24W
5. Dell UltraSharp U2410 (poor quality control)
Are there any other good models that I am leaving out?

I can only say that I have three F2380's (without the M) and even while they are not up to IPS monitors, they are way better than TN monitors, meet all the other requirements you stated and IMO they do deliver a very, very nice price / performance ratio.

Best Monitors for Video editing?

Hey guys. I'm looking at an NEC monitor for editing my stills, and am wondering if this will be suitable for video editing?
Models I'm considering are:
http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-monitors/pa241w-bk
http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-monitors/pa242w-bk
http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-monitors/pa271w-bk
These monitors are great for stills, as they cam emulate paper types well, but do I need a more "vibrant" monitor for video? Just worried that my video will look a bit off on these monitors, as it's such a different medium?
If they aren't suitable, what brand/models are considered good? (Professional level).
Cheers,
Ben

Hey Fuzzy, sorry about the format of this reply. Not sure to quote on here the way you did. Your points are addressed numerically.
1. I haven't seen the user manuals, but using http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-monitors/pa271w-bk for example, under color gamut, there's no mention of Rec709. Compare that to: http://www.eizo.com.au/products/coloredge/cg276/index.html#tab02, under preset modes. Not to mention this entire page: http://www.eizo.com/global/solutions/graphics/video_editing_and_post_production.html.
Just seems like NEC isn't playing up their video editng credentials, and I wonder why?
If you can link me to a user manual for any of the above models, which shows that it ships with Rec709 I'd appreciate it.
2. I couldn't find that artcle, unless you mean: http://www.videomaker.com/article/15133-nec-multisync-pa271w-color-correct-lcd-display-rev iew. In any case, I meant NEC's marketing.
This page has nothing: http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-monitors/pa271w-bk
The incedibly detailed marketing PDF here: http://www.nec-display-solutions.com/p/download/pr/File/cp/Products/LCD/Shared/Brochures/P DF-PASeries.pdf?fn=PASeries.pdf actually contains the phrase "A range of Professional Desktop Displays that are ideal for users in the Photography and Media, Architecture, Engineering, Industrial Design and Precision CAD fields. " (No mention of Video, although it is the first NEC document mentioning "Built in Rec-BT709")
You have to understand that for a comsumer such as myself, not spelling these things out is going to make me look for answers. Or go to a company that does spell it out.
3. Got it, thanks.
4. I think I get that. I'll read the article. But... do these NEC monitors comply?

2007 iMac vs New MBP for Web/Graphic Design?

Hey everyone,
I'm a web/graphic designer currently using a Mid-2007 iMac and looking to upgrade to the top level MBP for better performance and mobility. I'm usually running a few programs at a time (photoshop, indesign, illustrator, safari, spotify, etc) and my current setup seems to be bogging down lately. Given the specs below, will I see a big boost in performance by upgrading to the MBP? On paper 2.4ghz vs 2.8ghz doesn't seem like a lot, but I know the RAM, graphics card and whatever "turbo boost" is all play a big role as well. Any advice?
Current iMac:
-Mid-2007 iMac - 24"
-2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
-4 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
-ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro 256 MB
-500 GB SATA Disk
Potential MBP:
-2.8GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 4.0GHz
-16GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
-512GB PCIe-based Flash Storage
-Intel Iris Pro Graphics and NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 2GB of GDDR5 memory

Hi Bee!
Thanks very much for your advice!
However, why do you suggest the 21.5" over the 27"? Do you think it is worth the extra screen size, because I can afford either?
It seemed to me that the iMac was the best option also - I'm in need of the power, but I'm still deliberating over size.
Also, on a side note, do you know of any iPhone apps that can help me with transferring files from home to college I'm getting an iPod Touch as part of the new deal Apple are running and I just wondered if there were any apps that I would find handy for transporting files etc.?
Thanks again!

Laptop recommendations for a graphic designer?

I am trying to figure what laptop I'd want to upgrade to since I'll be doing Graphic Design work very soon for college online. I have never been a Mac user but I know that the Mac notebooks can come with a lot of great tools for graphic design. When I did research myself, I was set on the Macbook Air. Mostly because of the lightweight of the Air and my current laptop is very hard to handle. Since then I talked with a friend and got some advice that the Air wouldn't be a good fit for me because of the small screens. Also from what I understood the Macbook Pro W/ Retina Display (Which she recommended) had way more "designing capabilities" than the Air which is more for entertainment purposes. Well now I'm kind of unsure about which Macbook laptop out of all of them would be the best for me because apart from the weight, the other factor that made the Air so appealing was its very affordable price. The "Pro"s are a lot more expensive so I want to make sure that I know about all my options and be able to find one that really make me happy. In case it helps, when I do graphic design I mean I will be working along side a graphic tablet in Microsoft Illustrator etc. to create drawings and sketches. I know this is a lot of information so thank you in anvance to any recommendations I receive!

Jessehk wrote:Thanks for all the responses!
Hey, I'm always looking for new converts.
Although it's about $300 more, I have to say I'm leaning towards the T61. There seems to be an emphasis on the Thinkpad's cooling system, fan noise, and general build quality but in some ways I'm paying more for less.
Any tips?
My T61p runs cool (especially compared with the T43) and quiet (nice little whisper fan, sort of soothing, actually), and is solid as a rock -- no flex in the screen, and no creaky plastic noises when I pick it up, unlike my brother's top-of-the-line Dell and my teenaged daughter's entry-level Compaq-HP. In fact, I think the build quality may actually have improved under Lenovo, at least comparing the T61p with my two T43s. (The IBM-era T21 is similarly solid, I should add.)
I really don't think you'll regret going with a Thinkpad. Some people have said they're the Volvos of the portable computing world, with which I concur -- not flashy, but solid, well-engineered, durable, classy and elegant. Every few weeks I run across some feature of my Thinkpad that makes me say, "Man, somebody gave that a bit of thought."
Did you scour the Net for coupons? Also, depending on your credit card, you can sometimes shave off another 5-7 percent by purchasing through the credit card's member portal. You might find some info here (which is probably VISA-USA, but might direct you).
Last edited by dhave (2008-07-16 16:00:50)

All Things Being Equal, Is the Apple Display The Best Monitor For A Mac

Let's put price aside for a second....
Is the Apple Display the best monitor to hookup to a MacBook Pro (or any Mac for that matter) because the Apple Display is specifically configured for Macs where other monitors are probably more configured for PCs/Windows? In other words are Apple Displays the best out of the box for your Mac (minimal configuration, maximum clarity and crispness, etc.).
Thanks.

It's a very good sRGB monitor. The 30 is outstanding. I still think the 23 is a little sketchy; it seems prone to an issue where for as much as an hour you can just discern a ghost of a window that has been up for a few hours; and there are still sporadic reports of weird color casts and "sparkling" effects that can make it difficult to focus on fine details when you're working. The 20 is very good unless you're in a bright environment, in which case you might find its backlight does not go up enough. The 20 has a certain rarity value right now; it's about the last really good wide-format monitor in its size class, though there are still plenty of good 20 or 21 inch 1600x1200 displays out there.
Bear in mind that because OS X (including, most importantly, Safari) still thinks everything is sRGB, if you get an extended gamut AdobeRGB monitor like the latest 90-series 26 incher from NEC, all the colors in iApps like iPhoto and Safari will come out looking Day-Glo.
The very best monitors out there -- and here we're talking 24-inch monitors that cost $1,200 and up once you consider tax and/or shipping -- will tend to have things like a polarizing filter on the display itself, HDCP support, dual or even triple computer inputs, and 10 or 12 bit color support that enables profiling within the monitor independently of the graphics card on your computer. Of the above features Apple is particularly overdue on implementing HDCP, which Hollywood in its stupidity has made a requirement for HD movies (why they want to enrich monitor manufacturers rather than themselves I don't know), and the polarizing filter thingy, which further improves the blacks and the viewing angle on IPS panels such as the ones Apple uses in its displays.
Every now and then a cheaper one comes along -- DoubleSight's latest 25.5 inch ("26 inch" in name only) display comes to mind -- that fulfills all those attractive specifications but usually has some deficiency or other. The most common aggravating feature of cheaper displays, and this has shown up in forums on the DoubleSight display, is you can't turn the brightness control down far enough for domestic use without resorting to hardware calibration and/or pulling back on the individual RGB sliders, which makes color accuracy a problem. But for a brightly lit office environment, and if you're OK dealing with the (hopefully temporary) OS X issues with wide gamut, the DoubleSight is an attractive HD option.
Now will someone help me decide which of the ACD 20 or 23 causes less eye strain when dealing with text? Thanks in advance.

Best Monitors for video editing??? NEC LCD2690WUXi² Vs 24"Apple GLOSSY LED

I am so stuck finding the right monitor for video editing in my price range i just cant afford the 30" apple cinema display, what is next best solution out there...?
Is Anyone using the NEC LCD2690WUXi² Monitors? from what i can tell they are better than the 24" apple LED displays for video editing as...
a) anti glare screen & can be properly colour calibrated
b) 26" screen Vs 24" screen size
c) got DVI-I & DVI-D Connectors so compatible with NVIDIA GT 120 outputs (1 Mini DisplayPort and 1 dual-link DVI-D)
i would love the 30" apple but the NEC comes in at 1/2 the price so i can eventually buy two & i would have definitely taken the 24" but its just not suitable for professional video editing from everything I've read - mainly due to glossy screen, colours & calibration
pls can anyone help with any display solutions/setups
warmest regards
graeme
Oh PS do the NEC LCD2690WUXi² work flawlessly with the latest "Nehalem" Mac Pros?

Not sure if that model number is here or not, but these are supposed to be very good for color work, though I do know that my old shops are still using their CRT's.
http://www.necdisplay.com/Products/Series/?series=171d9fbb-281e-44d8-be67-14d146 e8ada0
Third party monitors are having some trouble with the new Macs. Mostly because of the mini-display ports on the newest Apple supplied cards, but there seem to be other issues as well. You can definitely expect to use the DVI port and leave the mini display for whatever Apple will force on us next.
Apples 24"? Well, it works fine for most but in Apples own description of the display it was made to connect laptops to.
Edit: I'm sorry, for video work? Most anything in the upper end is fine.
Message was edited by: Samsara

Best Monitor for Macbook Pro 13"

i am looking to purchase a Monitor to enable me to use my MBP as a desktop when i get home with a wireless keyboard and mouse. Anyone know which is the best monitor to go for? ideally between 21 and 27 inches? i was looking at a samsung but i have heard Dell ultrasharp are quite good also? Any advice would be greatly appreciated?
thanks

Honestly I would grab an UltraSharp over the Apple display. The Dell's have adjustable stands and way more inputs. I have used the 27" Apple display next to a Planar 24" and the Apple display isn't really all that impressive.
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&cs=ussoho1&l=en&sku=2 24-8284

Best monitor for beginning graphic designer?

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