Computer monitors?

[newshound]

Currently using a 22 inch LG on the desktop and a secondary 19 inch for laptops or when I power up one of the unix boxes.

Time I upgraded, thinking about a 27 inch main monitor and using the 22 as secondary, perhaps on one of the adjustable 2-monitor stands.

I don't do games, I do some photos and video but don't need professional state of the art. Mainly I could do with bigger text for editing especially with a couple of documents open.

I was surprised to see how cheap decent 27 inch screens are these days. Not really limited by money, and I have a reasonably big desk so could go bigger than 27 inch. By reorganising the printers and other boxes I could have three monitors (I can easily build a custom stand).

What do people think about curved monitors? Seem like a strange idea to me but I am very happy with various other Samsung stuff around the house.

I know it is a "piece of string" question but I'd be really interested in the views of these groups. Currently have an old-ish Dell 490 as the main box with a Radeon R7 200 series DVI card. This still seems to have plenty of "oomph" for me at the moment.

[Jaimie Vandenbergh]

They make some sense if you're going turboultrawide. I have a curved 38" Acer XR382CQ and that wouldn't be as usable if it was flat just due to the changing angles.

For a normal 21:9, don't worry about it - very little benefit.

For document use, I'd always recommend something around the 27" mark, 1400+ pixels tall, using IPS technology. That lets you do A3 or dual A4 in lifesize. The Dell Ultrasharp range are extremely reliable, but there are very very many somewhat cheaper models that'll probably be just as good.

If you look at 4k monitors, be aware that Windows is still a little on the retarded side with screen scaling and you'll occasionally find things coming up in tiny sizes. Less so as time goes by, with Win10 updates. Earlier Windows, just don't go hi-res, it's aggravatingly crap.

Cheers - Jaimie

[Andrew]

Apart from those massive curved widescreen monitors, I don't see the point of a curved monitor.

Do you need 4K ?. That's another variable to ponder.

If you don't, and your desk is big enough, then they have these :-

[S Viemeister]

My daughter recently bought a Samsung 32" curved monitor, to use when she's working from home. She displays two pages on the monitor, and other stuff on her laptop screen. She'd been using a 32" tv, but the curve does seem to make things easier.

[Vir Campestris]

I'm using a 40 inch 4k TV. I must admit the far side of the screen does seem a long way away... Probably be OK through if I was in the middle, but I have my old 20 inch of to one side to use when I'm running non-computer stuff on the TV.

Andy

[polygonum_on_google]

When I needed a new monitor, I got a 27" flat - not curved.

But what has been more useful than I expected is the USB side. It has standard USB which is useful for running a separate speaker, charging cameras, etc. And USB-C which both charges and allows display from a Surface. Can switch between computer and Surface quite easily.

[Mathew Newton]

I went from two 19" 4:3 monitors (not sure of the resolutions) to a single 34" ultrawidescreen (21:9, 3440 x 1440) Samsung CH890

and wasn't sure how it'd compare. It's turned out to be superb and I can't imagine going back to separate monitors now that I'm used to not automatically maximising my windows and instead moving/sizing them around the screen estate available. You mention Unix boxes; I do find the screen size lends itself well to having a terminal window and gkrellm etc always open at one side for constant visibility/access without getting in the way.

The monitor is curved, which I wasn't fussed about either way when it was ordered, but now I think it does make you feel more immersed and it wouldn't surprise me if it might be easier on the eyes given the reduced refocusing. Thinking back, I didn't have my two separate monitors parallel and so perhaps I should've expected this. It wouldn't surprise me if having such a wide screen in a flat format would be really missing something.

I'd definitely recommend it/similar, but I ought to confess that my employer paid for it (£500-600?) and so it is difficult to work out how to factor that in. If I had to come up with anything I don't like it'd have to be the poor user interface - a hidden joystick around the back and everything being menu driven so sometimes quite a few clicks to do something that could quite easily have a dedicated button (eg changing source input). I've used the picture-in-picture feature a few times to connect two PCs simultaneously which works well enough, but arguably not quite as well as two separate monitors would. I wish it had built-in speakers too, just for the little amount of audio I need and that it help keep the desk clear if it had. None of these issues are showstoppers for me though - I still love it, and I still think of it as a lovely piece of kit having used it for over a year now.

Mathew

[John Rumm]

Yup, although many are the same resolution as their 24" cousins. So you get bigger pixels rather than more information as such. However if what you see is what you currently get only more magnified they can be a good choice.

You mounts that take three or more screens.

As the screen size gets wider, then it makes sense in applications where you are sitting close to the screen - it keeps the eye to screen distance consistent across the width of the display.

Not a bad idea, unless also want to be able to rotate the screen into portrait mode from time to time.

Yup many have USB hubs at that level. Also many of the multi arm desk mounts also include them, so you don't need to worry about the screen having the feature so much if going for a multi monitor mount.

(the ones with gas lift arms are quite nice, but a bit more pricey)

[Mathew Newton]

I forgot to add: don't assume bigger is always better... I sometimes use a 49" super-ultrawidescreen (32:9, 3840x1080) Samsung CHG90

at work and really quite hate it. The reduced vertical resolution as a bit limiting and, frankly, I never go near the far sides as it feels like you're working on someone else's desk when you do! Probably great for gaming - which I think is it's target market - but somewhat deficient for 'normal' use.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Unless you are doing photo critical work, any POS from Korea will do. Only downsides I have found to modern LCD screens is failing backlights and poor viewing angle

[The Natural Philosopher]

The beauty of Mint MATE (linux) is that I can have as many virtual screens as I want.

Unless I need to have more than one window per task, I simply move whole tasks onto another virtual screen, so I can have e.g. Windows under virtualbox on one virtual screen, a mail and news client on another, a browser on a third...

[Andy Burns]

I have a Dell U2715H 2560x1440, good resolution and colours, only thing missing is a VGA input for occasional hooking-up of older machines, which I suppose is the way things are going, but a VGA->HDMI soap-on-a-rope solved that.

Would probably buy another Ultrasharp if it died tomorrow, maybe a 4K

32" if I was feeling flush.

[Jeff Gaines]

Will built in Intel gfx drive those at full resolution or do you need a PCIe card?

[Mathew Newton]

Yes, a common feature of many window managers I believe. Its not something I've ever really got on with, but then as above I could imagine if I gave it more if a chance and got used to it I might end up singing its praises. I can only assume the benefits are limited to multiple, discrete, windows and not a single app spread across desktops though?

[Martin Brown]

In that case I would go for a flat monitor since it takes less desk space. Immersiveness might be a selling point for gaming but I find it supremely irrelevant for photo, video and text editing. I'm fussy about decent colour management but unless you need it any LCD today is decent and again if you don't want gaming you don't need insanely fast refresh. But don't go below 60Hz - wider screens make you more sensitive to any flicker in your peripheral vision.

LCD ones are fine. For photo editing I prefer IPS since then there is a sporting chance once calibrated that the colour management between what you see on the screen and print out on the printer will be the same(*). One benefit is that they have a wider viewing angle too (but cost more).

(*) even with Windoze which is retarded in this respect.

The latest OLED TV screens suffer from screen burn much like the CRTs of old. They have wider dynamic range than LCDs and they cost a *LOT*.

[The Natural Philosopher]

almost certainly you will need a better card

The nvidia fanless entry level are cheap and quiet Look for a GT710.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yes. It suits a multi-tasking role more than a compile-debug-run role. e.g. I leave mail in one window, and when I get audible warning of new mail, I switch and deal with it. Then go back to whatever else I was doing.

Its a bit guicker than minimising amnd maximised a window

[Chris Green]

Windows had (or maybe still has) virtual screens in a free collection of addons from MS whose name I can no longer remember, however the idea was never really promoted.

[RJH]

That'll 'only' drive 2560 x 1600.

To the OP - I bought an Asus VP28UQG 28" LED - the higher resolution (3840 x 2160) means you get more information on the screen. The downside of this relatively cheap monitor is that text can be slightly blurred - but overall it's fine for me on a 'spare' Windows PC.

My iMac's native resolution is 5120 x 2880. That really crams stuff on to a 27" screen, but the default text size is approaching the limits of my less than perfect eyesight. It's fine at the moment, but guess another 10 years and I'll be struggling. Also, buying that standard of screen is £1000+ . . .

[newshound]

Wow, great set of advice, thanks to everyone. Some pretty consistent "themes" and some useful warnings.

I'm definitely going for two screens because I routinely run two (sometimes three) machines at the same time. I already have a Datacolour calibrator. Will *probably* go 27 inch becase I'll be keeping the 22 inch LG and Amazon's stand for 2 x 27 isn't silly money. I'll probably be mounting it on one of my three sided "raisers" that keyboards and laptops live under.

I already had the Dell ultrasharps on my initial shortlist (I had a good Iiyama years ago). Tempted by IPS from other reviews.