Author |
Message |
Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Monday, March 24, 2008 - 8:03 pm
I was going to say something like that too Bonza, that as long as there is one good way to do something, why would I want 49 other ways? But I am not going to sit here and debate the issue. Everyone has their preference. No one is right and no one is wrong! I know a lot of "techy" guys from my work and even though they know what a mac can do, they still like their PCs better. (I'm guessing cuz they are more techy than creative.) Plus PCs and the applications are really so much cheaper. At any rate, I think Color might really like a mac. Or maybe it's not for her. But certainly worth a look! (And when you think about it a mac IS a PC!!)
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Bonzacat
Member
07-08-2003
| Monday, March 24, 2008 - 8:05 pm
Damn, don't get me started. LOL Look, you can even run Windows and Windows apps on a Mac... I'm done now. :-) http://www.apple.com/getamac/

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Bonzacat
Member
07-08-2003
| Monday, March 24, 2008 - 8:07 pm
LOL

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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Monday, March 24, 2008 - 8:11 pm
Click on the santa ad, it is so cute! http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Monday, March 24, 2008 - 8:14 pm
I am admin at a computer help group with 1300 members, and I can tell you 95% of the mac users just never get out of newbie stage, because it's just not as easy like it is for a pc user to do. eta: Newbie stage is surfing and playing with images
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Ladytex
Member
09-27-2001
| Monday, March 24, 2008 - 9:36 pm
My son has a PC and a Mac. He's a Multimedia major at college and has his own little design business. He uses the Mac for just about everything. He uses the PC to interface more easily with the school network, and that's the network engineers fault, not the Macs. He's taught himself over half of what he knows on the Mac, and my next new computer will be a mac.
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Bob2112
Member
06-12-2002
| Monday, March 24, 2008 - 10:05 pm
Colordeagua: Sorry I disappeared for a bit. Monday is volleyball night, so I just got home a while ago. It's also garbage day tomorrow, so I had to take care of that. But enough about me. The Inspiron 530s has many configurations, but you most likely have the on-board video that only outputs VGA. There were several upgrades that would have given you DVI, but based on Jim's comment, you must only have VGA output. The on-board video says it supports up to 1920x1200, so it should be fine with the 1440x900 of your monitor. Both have a ratio of 1.6 (1920/1200 and 1440/900), so you could also pick lower resolutions that have a 1.6 ratio. 1280x800 would probably be closest in size to what you are used to. When you open the box, you should have both a VGA and DVI cable. Use the new VGA cable, not your old one. The DVI cable has white connectors and the VGA has blue. Follow the steps that Costacat listed above and you should be fine. Your sharpest picture for that monitor will be at 1440x900, so try that first and see if you like it. If you think it's too small, see if there is a 1280x800. Everything will get a little bigger, but the monitor will have to interpolate the picture which may make things a little fuzzier. That is the drawback of LCD compared to the multisync CRT monitors. Some people notice the difference and other don't. You were not running in the native resolution (1280x1024) on your old monitor because you lowered it to 1024x768. If that didn't bother you, then you will probably be happy with either setting. If you get prompted to search for a driver, ignore any disk that came with the monitor and just let it search the internet for the latest driver. Good luck. You have my cell number in case things go very wrong.

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Colordeagua
Member
10-25-2003
| Monday, March 24, 2008 - 10:20 pm
There's a 1280 X 768 setting, not 1280 X 800. Drivers? That's what I am. I gotta get in there? It's an LCD screen but there something about it that makes the screen / picture sharper than a regular LCD . . . doesn't have that soft look. It's sharper. Salesperson explained it (sort of), but of course now I don't know. That's me. So the Acer is OK? I'll do it tomorrow. I'm leaving this thing on tonight.
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Bob2112
Member
06-12-2002
| Monday, March 24, 2008 - 10:26 pm
Acer is OK. You will probably get different settings once the new monitor is recognized. Start with 1440x900 and then post that it is working. Then you can test out other resolutions close to what I posted above and see it you find something you like better. You can increase the font and icon size and still keep the higher resolution. That's an advanced maneuver, so let's leave that until you have played with the available resolutions. Sales person wanted to make a sale. This Acer is a good, cost effective monitor, but it's low end and will work great for you.
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Colordeagua
Member
10-25-2003
| Monday, March 24, 2008 - 10:29 pm
So when new monitor is hooked up the resolution setting choices will change? OK. That's what I, the driver, do when I get in there?
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Bob2112
Member
06-12-2002
| Monday, March 24, 2008 - 10:37 pm
I think so. I never really pay attention and it just detects the new monitor and it works. Go for it.
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Colordeagua
Member
10-25-2003
| Monday, March 24, 2008 - 10:40 pm
Manana (tilda over the first N). No me recuerdo como se dice en espanol -- I will do it manana. Hasta manana!
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Bob2112
Member
06-12-2002
| Monday, March 24, 2008 - 10:41 pm
Julieboo: Your not losing your mind about the GUI history, but much of it goes back to 1979 and Xerox. The gist is many people feel both Apple and Microsoft stole the idea from Xerox. Here's a link to get you started. 
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Bob2112
Member
06-12-2002
| Monday, March 24, 2008 - 10:41 pm
Tasty banana to you too!
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Colordeagua
Member
10-25-2003
| Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 6:04 am
Morning. Bob, maybe I will exchange for 19" diagonal. IS there anything I should pay attention to other than SVGA?
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 6:13 am
Bob, thanks for the reassurance that my mind is still intact! You know, because I am a newbie, doing anything other than surfing and playing is too hard! 
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 6:54 am
Color, the monitor you bought is just fine. Plug it in and see what happens. 99.9% of the time it will work out of the box. I explained, in detail, the steps you need to take. RE: Mac vs Windows, I agree with Naja. Most "new" computer users stay "new" on Macs. The Mac market is less than 10% of all computer users. Many technical apps are not available on the Mac and never will be (even those that started out as Mac apps, such as some Adobe apps). I'm sitting here looking at one WinXP laptop, one WinXP desktop, one Win Vista desktop, one MacBook Pro, and one Mac mini. The one system that is turned on right now? My laptop. Almost all of the apps I use in my job are NOT available on the Mac. So you pick your battles. Windows is just as easy to use as a Mac. Nothing you do cannot be undone anywhere. BTW, creative has absolutely nothing to do with a preference for Win over Mac. Believe me, this is MY JOB!
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Colordeagua
Member
10-25-2003
| Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 7:02 am
Costa, I got that. Trying to find articles / comments on the web about wide screen in general. Saw something that said wide screen not so good for working with photos? I don't do anything with photography now, but who knows in the future . . . .
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Colordeagua
Member
10-25-2003
| Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 7:39 am
Bob, I looked more carefully at your graphic and comments re screen size. I do kinda think I'd prefer 19" diagonal. So, again, anything else I should be concerned with re monitor other than SVGA / DVI?
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Bob2112
Member
06-12-2002
| Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 9:00 am
Colordeagua: All monitors are measured on the diagonal. The difference is the ratio of width to height. Your wide screen is 1.6 time wider than it is high, hence the resolution of 1440x900. Your old monitor was 1280x1024, so it is only 1.25 times wider than it is high. I'm not sure about the photo comment with regard to wide screen. I've worked on both and never had an issue. I would get a 23" wide screen if I were getting one, but I'm used to a bigger screen and higher resolution. Take it out of the box and compare it in size to your current monitor. If you like the size, hook it up. If you think it's too short, return it for a 21" or 23" wide screen or a 19" or 20.1" regular screen.
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Bob2112
Member
06-12-2002
| Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 9:03 am
And in case anyone was wondering:
Relocation to the woods behind my work building 14 miles from home was successful. As I released the squirrel from the trap I couldn't help but say, "While I sit in the heated safety of the car sipping my morning coffee, young Jim will release the pissed off and potentially rabid squirrel into the backwoods." I think the squirrel knew what I was talking about!
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Colordeagua
Member
10-25-2003
| Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 9:19 am
I'm baaaaack. ViewSonic. I exchanged for this one. Bob? You did not want that sweet squirrel?
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Colordeagua
Member
10-25-2003
| Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 9:24 am
Box says 1280 X 1024 SXGA resolution.
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Bob2112
Member
06-12-2002
| Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 10:11 am
That one will work also. It only has VGA, so you can't pick the wrong cable. Use the new cable. Hook it up and set the resolution to 1280x1024. Since this is 2" bigger than your existing monitor, the larger resolution should look about the same to you. You will fit more on the screen. You can try 1024x768 to see the difference, but 1280x1024 on that 19" should give you the best picture. Time to hook it up. <...squirrels are sweet? Does she want me to eat it?!? Ack...>
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Colordeagua
Member
10-25-2003
| Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 10:16 am
Eat squirrel? Nooooooo! Too cute! Lunch. And then I'll do it. Can you tell I'm putting it off? At least I am sure this is the one I want now. That's why I didn't even open the box yesterday. The ViewSonic is $53 less than the Acer. That's good.
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