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IBM T220/T221 LCD monitors: 4k in 2001
- nullc 3y agoI still own a pair of T221s. But they're boxed up now (and have been for a long time) because they're a bit of a pain to drive. I bought them from someone in Japan I found on a mailing list (IIRC), when I made the wire transfer my bank made it seem like I was funding terrorism or something-- the negative experience was one of several that contributed to me eventually working on Bitcoin. There was a long span when resolution was just stuck on 1080p-- hardly any more pixels than the 1600x1200 I'd been using for a decade on a CRT in in a worse aspect ratio. Even once higher resolution monitors were a thing it took a while before the T221s had a reasonable competitor.
- anotherhue 3y agoMy gut reaction is to enquire as to whether you'd part with them, but honestly I don't think they'd be very practical, even as as showpiece. What did you use them for?
- dryark 3y agoI first saw one of these in use for visualization at a large quarry a few years after they came out. I also bought mine from Japan, around 2012. As nullc mentions, driving the monitor properly is a pain as you need one of a handful of graphics cards that could properly work with the dual DVI cables. I think I still have the specialized cable for the monitor, which was expensive itself. Eventually purchased a Apple Cinema Display and sold off the T221 for more than I originally purchased it for as they are quite rare. It is an awesome piece of history but I am glad not to have it taking up space in my house. The monitor is very heavy and built like a tank.