Are second hand monitors an option?

[adam z]

I'm wondering if it is worth purchasing a used high quality monitor to get me through the next 6-12 months as I start to establish my business rather than buying a new but sub-par monitor. What got me thinking about this was seeing an Eizo CG210 advertised for sale for $300. I know it is a fairly old monitor, but wonder if it was worth considering. Ideally I would like an NEC PA series 24 inch monitor, however I am working hard to keep costs down at the moment. Obviously if the business does well I will upgrade at some point, but I really can't afford to spend much money at this point in time.

I guess what I want to know is will an older monitor still work well and be able to display consistent and accurate colour, and also is it likely to be compatible with my current computer, a i7 Dell XPS, and Spyder 3 Pro for calibrating.

Any help much appreciated. Thanks

[Doug Fisher]

Yes.  High-end monitors should be good for 10,000 hours or more.  If it has been used by someone who has calibrated the monitor, it probably was calibrated at a low luminance level which means a lot less use/strain/wear on the light source.  NEC's software will let you see how many hours of use a monitor has on it (download their free Multiprofiler software to your testing laptop, then go to the information section).  Eizo probably does the same.  If you get a great price on a low usage monitor, it can be a steal of an investment.  Take your laptop along with one of the free pixel testing programs and run that.  When on the black test screen, turn off the room lights and make sure there isn't excessive light bleed (there will always be some to an extent).  I would only buy a unit with an IPS panel versus PVA panel.

Doug

[Doug Fisher]

Make sure to research that monitor before buying.  It is an older discontinued model.  Check the panel type and the color gamuts it can cover.  I think $300 is too much money.  If you decide to keep looking, use one of the search tools for Craiglist that can search all of the cities near you at once.  It would be worth driving a couple of hours each way to test a monitor that has a great price.

Doug

[adam z]

Thanks for that. It has got me thinking further..........

I'm thinking one of the higher end Dell monitors might be a better option unless I stumble across another Eizo or NEC. It isn't easy finding high end monitors used in Australia - not in my limited searching anyway.

I'm thinking either the Dell U2410 or U2711 might be ok, especially if I wait until they are on sale since Dell seems to have online sales on things all the time.

Any information or opinions will be very much welcomed

[AFairley]

The u2711 and u3011 are notorious for brightness and color variations across the panel as a result of the cfl backlight (personal experience plus web research).  The u3011 I ended up with has 600k of variation between the colest and warmest spots!  In practice, the variation is not a big problem for me, but it could be for critical spot color balancing.  So you might be better off going for a higher end unit, though the variation is an issue with all large panel cfl-lit monitors, just less so with the higher end, as I understand it.  if you are picky, I would definitely try before you buy a Dell.

[KirbyKrieger]

I always check NEC's refurbished offerings.  The pricing seems fair -- no steals, but good deals.  You might find something good to hold you for a while, or you might find something more long-term at a price you are comfortable with.  I don't know if they are available in Australia.
http://www.necdisplay.com/category/desktop-monitors?Refurbished=1