Apple 30" Cinema display on PC :cool:

B

Blethrow

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 20, 2004
Messages
202
Just setting this baby up tonight.....much remains to be done but I thought I'd give you all a peek, and answer some current questions about this display:


IMG_8483_small.jpg


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This is being driven by a PNY Quadro FX 3400. Contrary to some speculation, the monitor is live from power on and will show you all relevant BIOS goodness.

More pics and specs as things progess. The first major order of business will be to watercool this thing. I can hear the fan on the Quadro throughout my entire appartment.
 
Congratulations...I think everyone now hates you. :p

Sweet setup...I wish I could afford that.
 
Hate is such an understatement. ;)

And here I thought the 23'' monitors were huge.

By the way, nice cat.
 
As I thought it works fine with a FX-3400. Very nice :) Not very nice is that it isn´t available in Germany yet :-( - hope this will change as soon as possible as I can´t really wait longer when looking at this pictures :)

Denis
 
nice monitor - matches your case too, what kinda specs on your rig?

edit: just saw your cat perched on top of the case - can't believe you let a cat on your Lian-Li or that close to your monitor :eek:
 
what other cars are capable of drivingi this screen?
sli setup perhaps?
 
Very nice setup!

Looks clean!


Might be a lil while till u can play any games on that units native rez though! :eek: But for graphic/audio work, thatd be very nice.
 
Thanks to all for the comments. Some more details on the system as it currently stands:

P4 Prescott 3.4, not yet OC'ed. With the Intel heatsink it runs 55-65 C.
Asus P5AD2 premium MoBo
2 x 1Gb Kingston 533 DDR2
74G 10K SATA Raptor system drive, 2 x 200 Gb Maxtor 7200 to be RAIDed this weekend
PNY Quadro FX 3400 (PCIe)
Creative Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro
Lian Li PC-V1200 case

Coming soon: Koolance Exos Al to tame the Prescott and silence the Quadro. I haven't done any benchmarking at all yet (besides Doom3), and will not until the watercooling is set up.

As to other cards that can drive this monitor: Sailor_Moon called this right a couple weeks ago: any with a Dual-Link DVI connector (not just Dual, Single-Link DVI). That currently includes the Quadro FX3000 if you want to go the AGP route, the 3400 for PCIe, or the 4000 (AGP) and 4400 (PCIe) when that comes out. There's also a Fire card, but I didn't look into that much.

So, games: I've only had time to mess around with Doom3 a little so far. I'm getting about 37 FPS in 'timedemo demo1' at 1600 x 900, and at 2560 x 1600, I get a totally unplayable, but nonetheless gorgeous 8FPS. About what you'd expect from the Quadro FX 3400, I'd think. It's not going to beat a 6800U for games. If nVIDIA releases a Dual-Link DVI 6800U for PC, I'll eBay the Quadro FX3400 and get two 6800Us; really drive the games at native.

Games are totally immersive on this thing. You have to be carefull not to get motion sick
;) .
 
So, I take it back. It's not entirely unplayable at native resolution, just mostly. In fact it often runs at >15 FPS. Here are a few random screenshots; not for the bandwidth challenged:

Shot 1
Shot 2
Shot 3 Shot 4
 
yikes.. would need awesome power to drive that resolution, I bet thats where SLI really would pay off.

what kind of score do you get for 1600x1200 high quality timedemo demo1 in doom3?
 
i forgot to congratulate you on the setup before, congratulations
my computer had trouble loading all those screenshots :eek:
so how does the card draw the screen? half a screen for each port? like with sli? does any one have any more info?
 
two questions:

1. whats the monitor's response times?

2. whats the monitor's MSRP?
 
16ms

$3499 or so. Shop around, there are some sweet deals.

A really sweet deal is to go to CompUSA and get their replacement plan for $150, get a new screen in 2 years, I just got the new generation 23" to replace my older model 23" for just that $150 replacement. Great freaking deal.

See that Quadro PCIe, that's a $1500 card, you cannot hook up any video card to this screen, it needs the Dual-link DVI and there are not a lot of options to choose from.
 
hmmm. nice system.
I think it would look better with the Microsoft Wireless Desktop Elite for Bluetooth.
No charging cradle. Keyboard and mouse take AA's. Tiny bluetooth dongle. The feel of the keyboard is amazing. The mouse in my opinion has a better feel than the Logitech. Great monitor, congrats..

Oh pics:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1051553&Tab=1&NoMapp=0

Yes, it's a translucent blue keyboard. Alot higher quality than the other microsoft wireless keyboards in terms of feel. The outside edges of the mouse have that soft rubberized plastic feel to them.
 
Drawing the screen: The card uses a Dual-Link DVI out, which looks just like a regular DVI out, the difference being that a regular (single-Link) DVI doesn't actually use all the pins. Dual-Link does.

Response time is 16ms (60 Hz).

MSRP at the Apple Store is $3299, IIRC.

The Quadro FX3400 can be found for about $1300 if you look around a bit.

Costly as hell, no doubt about it. I got it because I need to look at really large data sets from scientific instruments and/or run multiple VNC clients and nothing beats raw acreage for that sort of thing. ;)
 
So far I've been quite happy with the keyboard. How's the battery life on the mouse with that combo?
 
one of my buddies is about to buy the 23" version of this monitor at Comp USA for something like $2K...

is he getting a decent deal or is he gonna get raped?
 
Wow very cool. But couldn't you get 4 20" LCDs for less? (IF there are any good pci vid cards with dvi for now. Or even better, a dual pci express mobo :)
 
$2K is definitely the right price neighborhood for the 23", but more specifically than that I don't know.

As to multiple monitors: I thought about going that route pretty extensively, but in the end the advantage of not having any windowpane effect was really significant for me, in particular because of some of the apps for which I'll use it.
 
tomciob said:
what other cars are capable of drivingi this screen?
sli setup perhaps?
Click to expand...

Not that many.

The 700 Fire GL from ATI (Cough....[it sucks]....cough)

The FX 3400 PCI E and the FX4400 PCI E from Quadro.

Check out the Wildcat w/ 256 or 512 MB RAM, it should go as well.

======================================

30inchdisplaysideview.jpeg

dual30inchdisplays.jpg


the above 2 pic. is from the Apple show, Steve Jobs was showing off that day. IF the pic. doesn't load up, then I run out of bandwidth. Try back another day.
 
Belthrow:

1) Could you take a pic. of the back, I bet some of us here is interested in the look of the ports at the back?

2) What country make this screen, and what country make the PNY Fx3400? I have the Quadro 4 380XL, and it's made in China.

3) Steve Jobs said this is meant for the Apple. And even on their web site, they didn't say it will run for the PC. Did you have any issues setting up the screen?

4) I was told the PNY doesn't do native at 2560x1600. What did you do to use this res., and what happen if you try to display a higher res. than 2560x1600?

5) Any issues with the PNY or the Apple 30" so far? Any complaints? Any games or software that you can run with your old video card and now unable to run with the new video card?

6) Where did you buy your PNY and Apple and what kind of deal did you get out of it?

7) In another thread, someone said Monster Cable gives much better color representation on his 23" LCD. With the money you put in on a LCD and a PNY, what cable did you buy or is it just the ones that Apple comes with?

8) I like your cat, what's his name? :D
 
That is beautiful. If you ever need someone to housesit let me know. :p How do movies look on that?
 
Quote: "Check out the Wildcat w/ 256 or 512 MB RAM, it should go as well"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.

Won't go actually. Here is the 3D lab response a few weeks ago to the question “is the Wildcat Realizm 200 AGP card capable of driving the new Apple Cinema 30 inch Display at 2560x1600 pixels?”:
-------------------------------------------
2456x1536 is supported in the datasheet at 60Hz for an analog display. This would not be supported with dvi-digital. Also as our BIOS does not support the hardware scaling/croping features this monitor requires there would be no display at all during POST. You'd need a special timing file and lots and lots of messing about. It's easier all around to say we just don't support this panel.

Best Regards,

Technical Support
3DLabs - a Creative Company
-----------------------------------------------

Also, I'm not sure which card you mean from ATI ("700 Fire GL") but I'm pretty sure that the only dual link ATI cards are the new FireGL X3 256 and its PCIE twin, the V7100. So, unless anyone can report sucess on another card, these and the Quadro FX2000, 3000, 3400, 4000, and 4400 may be the only PC options for full rez on the 30" for now.
 
I've fallen behind on answering questions, so here are a few:

How do movies look?: They look great, particularly from a few feet back. It's definitely large enough to function as an HDTV, in my opinion. I can't wait for HD-DVDs to start hitting the market.

Picture of the back: Can't right now, but will post one tomorrow. There are firewire and USB ports on the back, lower right (as you're facing the monitor) corner that go to plugs for you to plug into the back of your case.

Country of origin: I'm not sure on the monitor. The chip fabrication on the Quadro card is done in Taiwan, I believe.

Problems setting up on PC?: Absolutely none with the Quadro FX 3400. Much easier than expected. The resolution does default back to 1280*800 every time I restart though, which is a tad annoying. If anyone knows how to fix that, I'd love to hear it.

The PNY Quadro FX 3400 does indeed do native at 2560 x 1600. I can't try to display a higher res, unless there's some wierd custom setting options I haven't found yet.

Complaints: Well, I'm not complaining, but there are three stuck pixels. Not bad, 3 out of 4.3 million. There is also some slight variation in black levels across the monitor. I've only noticed it during the windows startup screen. It's not enough to bother me, but it might bother some. No complaints wit the graphics card at this time. So far, it kicks a lot of ass. ;)

Where did I buy?: Monitor: Apple store in Emeryville CA. Got it for $3k, prior to tax, with an educational discount (I'm a grad student). Graphics Card: Ordered from The CAD Store. I'm happy with The CAD Store. The card was $1301 after tax, IIRCC.

Cables: The monitor has a built in cable ending in a male DVI connector.

The cat is Caley; she's actually a monkey wearing a cat suit.

Games: So far I've only tried Doom3 and UT2004. UT2004 kicks ass at native resolution, and is absolutely gorgeous. I've already talked about Doom3; basically won't run playably at native unless you're really patient, but looks and plays great at 1600 x 900.

As to the question about the 45" 1900 x 1200, YMMV, but I would find it too pixelated. Make sure you see both monitors in person before you buy, if at all possible.

J
 
Complaints: Well, I'm not complaining, but there are three stuck pixels. Not bad, 3 out of 4.3 million. There is also some slight variation in black levels across the monitor. I've only noticed it during the windows startup screen. It's not enough to bother me, but it might bother some. No complaints wit the graphics card at this time. So far, it kicks a lot of ass
Click to expand...

Uneven backlighting or even a purple color shift is a well known problem that has affected many 30" units.

But, stuck pixels are unacceptable there should be no excuse for that, I wouldn't care about how good the odds are, there should be none. My 23" has none, yours should have none as well.
 
Thanks for the reply. When you boot up, it stays at the right res. But when you restart it stays at the wrong res.

1) Since this is an Apple LCD, is it because you don't have a PC Windows driver under XP?

2) how did you fix it after the restart? Shut down and Power back on?

Any plan on Monster Cable or Belkin Components? With that kind of money on video card and LCD, there is another thread in this forum debating the cable does make a difference.
 
Actually, it always defaults to 1280 x 800 on entering Windows. The only time it does not is if I'm powering back up from 'Hibernate'.

I'd have to do surgery on the monitor to remove the cable, so I have no plans to change it at this time. The colors look quite good, so I'm not worried at the moment.
 
truffle00 said:
Congratulations...I think everyone now hates you. :p
Click to expand...

no kidding - and that was BEFORE i read the specs of your rig :eek:
...that's a bloody dream setup, for crying out loud! ;) i wish i had the bucks to shell out for the vid-card, let alone that damn nice display!

how is the picture if you are not running at native res.?
 
#1: mmmm.... 30" proteins.

#2: That is just obscene... I think that screen is bigger than my coffee table.

#3: Nice pussy.

:D
 
Blethrow said:
Actually, it always defaults to 1280 x 800 on entering Windows. The only time it does not is if I'm powering back up from 'Hibernate'.

I'd have to do surgery on the monitor to remove the cable, so I have no plans to change it at this time. The colors look quite good, so I'm not worried at the moment.
Click to expand...

yeah, 1280x800 is the standard Apple mode. And I didn't know Apple fuse the cable, that's odd.

But it is nice to hear Apple has PC driver for this. I am not verse in Apple product, that's good to know.

Congrats. And thanks for all the info.
 
nVidia released new Forceware drivers with improvements in DVI timing and connectivity, this may fix your problem.
 
Blethrow said:
Thanks to all for the comments. Some more details on the system as it currently stands:

P4 Prescott 3.4, not yet OC'ed. With the Intel heatsink it runs 55-65 C.
Asus P5AD2 premium MoBo
2 x 1Gb Kingston 533 DDR2
74G 10K SATA Raptor system drive, 2 x 200 Gb Maxtor 7200 to be RAIDed this weekend
PNY Quadro FX 3400 (PCIe)
Creative Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro
Lian Li PC-V1200 case

Coming soon: Koolance Exos Al to tame the Prescott and silence the Quadro. I haven't done any benchmarking at all yet (besides Doom3), and will not until the watercooling is set up.

As to other cards that can drive this monitor: Sailor_Moon called this right a couple weeks ago: any with a Dual-Link DVI connector (not just Dual, Single-Link DVI). That currently includes the Quadro FX3000 if you want to go the AGP route, the 3400 for PCIe, or the 4000 (AGP) and 4400 (PCIe) when that comes out. There's also a Fire card, but I didn't look into that much.

So, games: I've only had time to mess around with Doom3 a little so far. I'm getting about 37 FPS in 'timedemo demo1' at 1600 x 900, and at 2560 x 1600, I get a totally unplayable, but nonetheless gorgeous 8FPS. About what you'd expect from the Quadro FX 3400, I'd think. It's not going to beat a 6800U for games. If nVIDIA releases a Dual-Link DVI 6800U for PC, I'll eBay the Quadro FX3400 and get two 6800Us; really drive the games at native.

Games are totally immersive on this thing. You have to be carefull not to get motion sick
;) .
Click to expand...
Is Creative Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro a PCI card? How can you use it with your PCI Express mobo?
 
sweet! why your prescott 3.4 gets so hot? what stepping does it have ya know? 55 idle and 65 full load? Lian Li could be very loud with venti holes all over... that's the reason I went for the wave master. still working on mine though and waiting on the Nvidia 6800 U PCIe. love the dual DVI ports...one for the monitor and the other for my projector....
will order the Apple 23" as soon as the video card is available...and will post pics too.
 
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