Review of the 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt 2011 monitor
Unlike its predecessor, the Apple Cinema Display LED monitor, Apple's new monitor has several new hardware features. It should immediately be noted that the new monitor can only be connected to the Macs of the 2011 line (except for the last Mac Pro). The new line of Macs has a new Thunderbolt connector, without which it is impossible to connect a monitor.
The appearance of the monitor Apple Thunderbolt 2011 has not changed compared to its predecessor. Apple has not abandoned the glossy screen cover. The reverse side of the case is covered with brushed aluminum. The new functionality of the Thunderbolt monitor can be seen when connected to Mac: the monitor cable has only two connectors, Thunderbolt and MagSafe. On the back of the screen are additional connectors for Thunderbolt, USB 2.0, FireWire and 800 Gigabit-Ethernet. Thus, all Macs with an integrated graphics chip (2011) are able to connect two additional monitors. In total, the new technology makes it possible to connect up to six peripheral devices.
In practice, through the Thunderbolt port, the same I / O data rate for peripheral devices is achieved as with their direct connection to Mac. For example, the data transfer rate from the periphery with the Ethernet port reaches 90 megabytes per second. The new Thunderbolt technology also allows you to run an alternative operating system, if one is available, for example, on an external hard drive or on an array of hard drives. To test, we used the Promise Pegasus R6 hard drive array.
Intel began to develop a new data I / O technology, code-named Light Peak. Apple first introduced the technology in the finished products called Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt port will theoretically be able to deliver 10 gigabits of information per second. It is twenty times faster than USB 2.0 and twice as fast as USB 3.0. Thunderbolt technology uses PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) protocol, which makes it possible to connect other peripheral devices with USB ports (2.0 / 3.0), Firewire (400/800), Fiber Channel or Ethernet with the appropriate adapter. At the moment, Thunderbolt's I / O technology allows you to connect a chain of six peripheral devices using the same technology to one Mac. Sources: Intel, Apple
All other technical characteristics of the new monitor remain the same as those of the LED Cinema Display. The built-in speaker system with subwoofer provides quite tolerable surround sound. The ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the brightness when it becomes darker in the room. This feature can be optionally disabled in the system settings. The integrated camera is now called Facetime HD instead of iSight. Accordingly, the name of the new camera is the best resolution and automatic connection to the Facetime video chat. If the monitor is connected to Mac with an integrated camera, the user can choose which camera to communicate with. One of the drawbacks that the new Thunderbolt monitor inherited from the Apple line of monitors is the lack of height control and the possibility of vertical format.
Image quality and color depth
Thanks to IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology, the image quality on the Thunderbolt monitor is of fairly high quality even at an acute angle. Monitor resolution - 2560 pixels horizontally and 1440 - vertically, the aspect ratio of the screen - 16: 9. In our test lab, the new Thunderbolt monitor showed the same specifications as its predecessor, the LED Cinema Display 27 “. The color palette corresponds to quite high demands, together with the excellent sharpness of the image, it gives a crystal-clear picture. As for brightness, the maximum readings of the Thunderbolt monitor in the test lab are 345 candelas per m2 (stated by Apple in technical specifications 375 cd / m2), the contrast is 1139: 1 (stated by Apple in specifications 1000: 1). The uniformity of the brightness distribution is in the region of 11 cd / m2, a fairly high figure.
Power consumption
The new monitor consumes significantly more electricity than its predecessor. With full brightness and without the connected MacBook, the LED Cinema Display consumed 88 watts, the Thunderbolt monitor consumes more than 100 watts under the same conditions. Additional energy is used by the Thunderbolt converter, which allows you to connect peripherals with different connectors to the monitor.
Apple's Thunderbolt monitor is positioned as a monitor slightly above the middle class. Only some specialized monitors with hardware calibration are more expensive. The ability to connect peripherals to a Thunderbolt monitor with FireWire 800 and Gigabit Ethernet connectors is particularly useful for Macbook Air owners, who only have Thunderbolt and USB 2.0 connectors.
Related Monitors: Apple Cinema LED Display, Eizo Flexscan SX 3031W, NEC Multisync LCD 3090WQXi
Source: Macwelt, screenshots
The appearance of the monitor Apple Thunderbolt 2011 has not changed compared to its predecessor. Apple has not abandoned the glossy screen cover. The reverse side of the case is covered with brushed aluminum. The new functionality of the Thunderbolt monitor can be seen when connected to Mac: the monitor cable has only two connectors, Thunderbolt and MagSafe. On the back of the screen are additional connectors for Thunderbolt, USB 2.0, FireWire and 800 Gigabit-Ethernet. Thus, all Macs with an integrated graphics chip (2011) are able to connect two additional monitors. In total, the new technology makes it possible to connect up to six peripheral devices.
In practice, through the Thunderbolt port, the same I / O data rate for peripheral devices is achieved as with their direct connection to Mac. For example, the data transfer rate from the periphery with the Ethernet port reaches 90 megabytes per second. The new Thunderbolt technology also allows you to run an alternative operating system, if one is available, for example, on an external hard drive or on an array of hard drives. To test, we used the Promise Pegasus R6 hard drive array.
For reference - technology Thunderbolt
Intel began to develop a new data I / O technology, code-named Light Peak. Apple first introduced the technology in the finished products called Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt port will theoretically be able to deliver 10 gigabits of information per second. It is twenty times faster than USB 2.0 and twice as fast as USB 3.0. Thunderbolt technology uses PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) protocol, which makes it possible to connect other peripheral devices with USB ports (2.0 / 3.0), Firewire (400/800), Fiber Channel or Ethernet with the appropriate adapter. At the moment, Thunderbolt's I / O technology allows you to connect a chain of six peripheral devices using the same technology to one Mac. Sources: Intel, Apple
Thunderbolt monitor technical capabilities
All other technical characteristics of the new monitor remain the same as those of the LED Cinema Display. The built-in speaker system with subwoofer provides quite tolerable surround sound. The ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the brightness when it becomes darker in the room. This feature can be optionally disabled in the system settings. The integrated camera is now called Facetime HD instead of iSight. Accordingly, the name of the new camera is the best resolution and automatic connection to the Facetime video chat. If the monitor is connected to Mac with an integrated camera, the user can choose which camera to communicate with. One of the drawbacks that the new Thunderbolt monitor inherited from the Apple line of monitors is the lack of height control and the possibility of vertical format.
Image quality and color depth
Thanks to IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology, the image quality on the Thunderbolt monitor is of fairly high quality even at an acute angle. Monitor resolution - 2560 pixels horizontally and 1440 - vertically, the aspect ratio of the screen - 16: 9. In our test lab, the new Thunderbolt monitor showed the same specifications as its predecessor, the LED Cinema Display 27 “. The color palette corresponds to quite high demands, together with the excellent sharpness of the image, it gives a crystal-clear picture. As for brightness, the maximum readings of the Thunderbolt monitor in the test lab are 345 candelas per m2 (stated by Apple in technical specifications 375 cd / m2), the contrast is 1139: 1 (stated by Apple in specifications 1000: 1). The uniformity of the brightness distribution is in the region of 11 cd / m2, a fairly high figure.
Power consumption
The new monitor consumes significantly more electricity than its predecessor. With full brightness and without the connected MacBook, the LED Cinema Display consumed 88 watts, the Thunderbolt monitor consumes more than 100 watts under the same conditions. Additional energy is used by the Thunderbolt converter, which allows you to connect peripherals with different connectors to the monitor.
Apple's Thunderbolt monitor is positioned as a monitor slightly above the middle class. Only some specialized monitors with hardware calibration are more expensive. The ability to connect peripherals to a Thunderbolt monitor with FireWire 800 and Gigabit Ethernet connectors is particularly useful for Macbook Air owners, who only have Thunderbolt and USB 2.0 connectors.
Related Monitors: Apple Cinema LED Display, Eizo Flexscan SX 3031W, NEC Multisync LCD 3090WQXi
Source: Macwelt, screenshots
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Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/130226/
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