Avid Xpress Pro with 30 inch Apple LCD
After editing an entire show on one of the smallest laptops, i decided it was time to switch to a larger screen.
How about Apple's 30 inch LCD display. How about running it on a PC? Well, for under $1000 it is possible to build a PC and run the Apple 30 inch LCD in all its glory!
The card is a little pricey. I picked up an OEM version for $399. This meant the graphics card was the same cost as the entire computer. Keep in mind, this card is NOT listed as a supported graphics card for Avid Xpress Pro. However, it seemed to function flawlessly.
The trick is a 'build it yourself PC' with a good quality graphics card. I did my research and went with the NVDIA 7800 GT. It is a dual head card that is capable of driving the native 2560 x 1600 pixels on the Apple 30 inch screen. Only the bottom port worked with the Apple Cinema Display. Apparently only the bottom port contains something called DDL 'Dual Link'.
