Will Apple Cinema Display Work with Alienware Notebooks?

Hey guys,

I have an Alienware M15X that I bought last year.

I considering getting the 27" Apple LED Cinema Display. Does anyone know if it will work with the M15X?

Apple - LED Cinema Display

Because I understand that Macs use Display Port and my M15X also uses Display Port (although it has a DP to HDMI converter). Or do I need to get 3rd party converters? Or it just won't work not matter what converters I use?

Any advice is appreciated!

 

Should work fine. If you want to use DP to hook it up, you will need an adaptor as the Apple "displayport in" is a mini-displayport socket unlike the full size Displayport out on the Alienware.

Something like this Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort Adapter Cable | DisplayPort | Video / Monitor | Cables | LINDY UK should do the trick. Again, pro's and con's as Apple do not provide any support if you hook it up with a third party adaptor.

Bear in mind also that the Apple comes with a glossy screen which will cast reflections quite easily. Glossy vs matte is the owners choice at the end of the day - I prefer matte as it casts very little reflection, if any at all.

Also, the Apple has limited inputs compared to other IPS monitors so, in terms of connectivity, your already limited to how to connect it.

Yet another factor to consider would be intended useage - if you game alot (which owning an Alienware like myself, I presume you do lol) then response times for fast moving games is an important factor to consider. The advertised response times for the Apple screen are 12ms which is very slow in comparison to other H-IPS displays....the U2711 advertises a response time of 6ms, so twice as fast as the Apple.

Although IPS panel response times have improved, they are still somewhat "slow" in comparison to cheaper TN (Twisted Nematic) panels which boast response times as low as 2 milliseconds....but the trade off here is quality of image for speed. IPS (In Plane Switching) panels are far superior in terms of image reproduction so you WILL get a better looking screen with either Apple, HP or Dell IPS monitors.

I would seriously look at the Dell Ultrasharp U2711 (27") or its even bigger brother, the U3011 (30") which has a whole host more connections options - you wouldnt need a third party adaptor to hook it up via Displayport as both sockets are full size Displayport in/out.

The Ultrasharps are a matte finish, anti glare coating and are also IPS panel and similar resolutions to the Apple. In fact, I think the 30" one has a slightly higher res of 2560x1600.

Have a read of a few articles:

Anandtech U2711 Review

Apple Cinema Display (27in) Monitor review - Image quality and Verdict - Trusted Reviews

Apple 27-inch LED Cinema Display Review - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

I may be slightly biased as I own an Ultrasharp 24" monitor and am suitably impressed with it, using with my M17x R2.....the 27" Dell is definetly a very strong contender and is well worth a look if your considering that kind of outlay on an external monitor!

 

I suspect you are "after" a glossy panel when you ask this. Hazro in the UK now offers a glossy LED panel that uses are normal DVI input, thus bypassing the hassles of getting the Apple Cinema working on a PC.

Hazro unveils HZ27Wa and HZ27Wb monitors - FlatpanelsHD
http://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1301909469 Hazro releases the two 27" models.
http://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1297675111 Samsung SA850 news 27" 2560x1440 with a "light haze" coating
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/hazro_hz27wa.htm Hazro review, but seems to think both panels are glossy, which Hazro releases say isn't true. But they review well so worth a read.
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/news_archive/23.htm#samsung_sa850_updates







It may be difficult to get this shipped to the US, but you can do some web hounding to find out if that's possible.

Secondarily there have been a lot of threads on HardOCP.com where folks have gotten the Apple display working on PC's and can give you detailed listings of the issues they have encountered. It's doable, but it has some gotchas is what I recall. I don't think the built in speakers work correctly.

So those are two ways to get what you are after. Since I have a U2711 and very much wish it was glossy, I suspect that may be what you are after. If I'm wrong, my apologies.

You will face some difficulty in either route.

Apple doesn't make it entirely easy to get it's display working with PC's.
The controls for Apples are in their interface so you need to use the display driver to control things like brightness and so forth (doing this from memory, but there are several controls that are only reachable via USB control of the monitor)
I don't recall how they get the sound to the built in speakers but I think it was also via USB.
If any display driver change alters how the monitor behaves, you are on your own to make it work again.

For the Hazro you first have to figure out how to get it to the US and pay UK prices. Remember to try to get the 20% VAT removed if you find a way to get one shipped over here. You may be able to do this as a foreign purchaser. Trying to submit for a VAT refund is time consuming and you have to wait for the UK to send you your money. Better not to have the tax deducted in the first place. Shipping will be pricey.
Second, but much easier, you'll need a Displayport to dual DVI-D (dual link DVI specifically NOT single link) adapter. These are $60-90. The single link adapters are 20-40, so you can tell almost immediately by price if it's not a dual link adapter. You "may" (I have to test this and don't have a M18x to test it with yet) be able to use the HDMI to dual link DVI-D adapter that costs $5 or less on Amazon. However I don't know if this will work yet. But it's a cheap thing to test if you want to be the first to try it.

Those are your challenges. As Stevie said, you could also just give in and get the U2711 which has a Displayport input that works with a $10-15 cable from Amazon directly with your M15x displayport output. Correction, that's if you want a 3 meter or 10' cable. The U2711 comes with a Displayport cable 6' in the box. I've gotten used to the antiglare, but as soon as a glossy, 10 bit, LED model shows up from Dell or HP or the like, or Samsung's SA850 model turns out to be "lightly antiglare" like they promise, then I'll probably leap on that.

Remember that with the M15x you are driving a ton of pixels at this monitor size. Just be ready for that.

Enjoy!

 

I would take a serious look at the u2711, dot pitch is amazing and the picture is great. If your looking for something bigger, dell 3008wfp or u3011.

 

Just my opinion, but I'd never recommend the Apple displays. The only good thing about them is the IPS technology. Other then that, you're paying big bucks for a WLED with, even still, fairly poor color gamut.

The Dell ultrasharp series is what you want. RGB tech and a much better color gamut.

I have a 27inch iMac and the display is bright and as always IPS tech is amazing, but the color representation is poor for a display at this cost.

 

Thanks for the reply guys, much appreciated!

I was considering the Dell U2711 too, but I read some reviews saying that text was really hard to read because of the anti glare coating.

I do photo editing too and good color depth/accurate reproduction is important to me. I'll probably drop by a store that sells Dell stuff and take a look.

Anyone has any idea when a new 27" Dell monitor might be out? Maybe through the release cycle they have been doing through the years for their monitors?

Thanks guys!

 

I aksed my rep about newer monitors as I recently bought my Ultrasharp - he told me that there were no new monitors at that point in time...but we all know how secretive Dell like to be concerning new line-ups....maybe someone else on the forum has more info or insight into this.