Desktop monitor

[stephenson]

I've tried lower and higher res on a couple of smaller versions of these monitors - I was certain it wouldn't matter, but the 34" 2560x3440 was noticeably easier to use, to look at for longer period ... less strain ... and the price is waaaay easier than it used to be.

I knew I didn't want two monitors - a big 34" solved it - and the curve is just gravy!

 

[Jerry1]

I’d go with 4K if you think you’ll want to watch a movie on it. I’d also go with the larger 32” if it will fit in your space.

 

[Aerides]

Go as big as your space will allow. Don't worry about font size as your browser doesn't have to be full screen. Also I like my curved screen, it's subtle but just a nice touch.

Currently have a 27" but I think I've had it long enough to justify an upgrade.

 

[meierlde]

Go as big as your space will allow. Don't worry about font size as your browser doesn't have to be full screen. Also I like my curved screen, it's subtle but just a nice touch.

Currently have a 27" but I think I've had it long enough to justify an upgrade.

Right now I have a laptop that is plugged into a 22 inch vizio tv. Works quite well and you also can see streamed tv on it, using the built in streaming from vizio. (smartcast) Now one interesting thing is the colors on the two screens do differ a bit. Am awaiting the arrival of an intel NUC 10 where it will be the monitor. Also have a 40 inch tv plugged into an older lap top and youtube videos of folks driving down roads look quite good on it. So consider carefully between a monitor and a tv in particular get one with 4k capability and you can go up somewhat in resolution. Watch carefully on the smaller tvs and be sure they go 1080 p not 720p.


Also using the computer the monitor can serve as a digital picture frame when not otherwise in use.

 

[davebarnes]

Ask and you will receive
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/best-monitors-at-ces-2020/

I would like to purchase a new monitor...price isn't an issue.

Perhaps
https://www.tweaktown.com/news/6967...-42-5-inch-4k-ips-monitor-ces-2020/index.html

 

[statsman]

Ask and you will receive
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/best-monitors-at-ces-2020/

That's some pretty pricey monitors at CES.

 

[timo2]

Since I don't ever anticipate getting into gaming, will a typical 60Hz monitor be sufficient? Or would there be some benefit to one with a higher refresh rate? Seems like those with say 144Hz refresh rates would be overkill, but I am seeing some with 75Hz rates (ViewSonic comes to mind).

Don't underestimate the ability of your system to stream news and sports, or even movies.

 

[Aerides]

Now one interesting thing is the colors on the two screens do differ a bit

Yup that is always the case. That's why when online shopping, sometimes there will be a note on an item about color may be slightly different, etc., and usually lots of reviews "i thought this would be more pink/blue/yellow etc."

 

[DrRoy]

I love my 27" 4K Dell. I use it mostly for photo editing and the size is great. No problem with text size.

 

[Freedom56]

If you do photo or video editing, I would recommend a 32" Samsung 4K monitor. I bought one last year for about $200 on Ebay with free shipping.

 

[statsman]

I love my 27" 4K Dell. I use it mostly for photo editing and the size is great. No problem with text size.

If you do photo or video editing, I would recommend a 32" Samsung 4K monitor. I bought one last year for about $200 on Ebay with free shipping.

I do some photo and video editing, but not a lot. It isn't my main criteria for a monitor. Mostly documents, spreadsheets, browsing, ... Some video playback, but nothing 4K. Heck, our two TVs are old-school, circa-2014 1080p 55" panels, and at the moment, we see no rush to move to 4K TVs.

 

[Cobra9777]

Interesting thread. Our main desktop PC in the office has three 22" monitors. I love all the screen real estate. I don't think I could work any other way.

But they are all 8-10 years old running at 1680 X 1050 with DVI connections from two separate aging graphic cards. The monitors are all different brands that Ive accumulated over the years. None of them match exactly, with different support stand designs and slightly different bezel sizes. But they are all at the same height and I've adjusted the brightness and other parameters so they all look the same. This has worked extremely well for us for many years.

But one of them is starting to fail. I think it's a power supply issue. Screen goes black right after it wakes up and has to be power-cycled once or twice to stay on. Anyway, it's hanging on to life for now. But I'm also due for a new PC build this year. So maybe in the spirit of BTD, I'll upgrade both the PC and the monitors. I really like the sharpness of IPS and 4K monitors I've seen. Three 24" 4K IPS would be amazing but pretty expensive.

I'm not a gamer, but I do watch a fair amount of video on that PC. Although it's mainly used for documents, spreadsheets, SketchUp, photo/video editing, some music production, as well as online shopping and financial transactions... often multiple things at the same time, which is where the 3 monitors work well. DW and I do most casual browsing, email, etc on our smartphones.

 

[Ronstar]

I have a 27” iMac. Great for photo editing. And I use my 15” MacBook at the same time doing other things.

 

[sengsational]

Last time I needed monitors, I went to dealnews and bought the size I wanted, ignoring brand, just concentrating on price. I ended up with Acer. They work. I have them in a kind of wrap around configuration on those articulated arms. I position them so that by rotating my head, I'm looking straight at each. I like that the arms keep them up off the desk.

 

[badatmath]

I Heck, our two TVs are old-school, circa-2014 1080p 55" panels, and at the moment, we see no rush to move to 4K TVs.

Not much is broadcast in 4K is it? (I might be out of date).

 

[statsman]

Had a chance to go to a few computer stores to check out monitor sizes. While my current 22" monitor size would be fine, I am going to pick a 27" monitor (or 28"). That seems to be a sweet spot for me. 32" is surprisingly a bit too large for how I use my PCs.

With size out of the way, I am now concentrating on panel type (TN/IPS), resolution (2K/4K), and maximum refresh rate (60Hz->144Hz). Leaning toward IPS, 2K, and some refresh rate > 60Hz. The latter seems to be a challenge. Most higher refresh rate panels are TN, which it not necessarily bad. But since text work is a big part of why I use a PC, an IPS or some ultra-sharp panel makes the most sense.

 

[jim584672]

Not much is broadcast in 4K is it? (I might be out of date).

Over the air currently is either 720p@60 or 1080i@30. Some online sources could be higher.

 

[Jerry1]

Last time I needed monitors, I went to dealnews and bought the size I wanted, ignoring brand, just concentrating on price. I ended up with Acer. They work. I have them in a kind of wrap around configuration on those articulated arms. I position them so that by rotating my head, I'm looking straight at each. I like that the arms keep them up off the desk.

I only have one monitor, but a couple years ago, I bought one of those arms and got the monitor up off the desk. I like it a lot. Not only can I position the monitor at just the right height and angle, I like that it’s off the desk. That allows me to slide my keyboard forward and leaves me enough space that I can have paperwork spread out on the desk.

 

[Jerry1]

Not much is broadcast in 4K is it? (I might be out of date).

Over the air currently is either 720p@60 or 1080i@30. Some online sources could be higher.

But you can stream in 4K today with most services (Netflix, YouTube . . .).

I guess it would come down to cost. If I was looking at a 2K monitor, as the OP is, and a 4K was only slightly higher, I’d get the 4K. Of course “slightly” can only be defined by the OP in this case. For me, for $50 to maybe $100, I’d get the higher resolution.

 

[davebarnes]

This https://www.newegg.com/insider/how-to-choose-the-best-computer-monitor-buying-guide/ is actually quite comprehensive

 

[Jerry1]

This https://www.newegg.com/insider/how-to-choose-the-best-computer-monitor-buying-guide/ is actually quite comprehensive

That’s a good article. One point stood out relative to the OP. Since OP is looking at refresh rates greater than 60, it’s important to look at cables. I didn’t know that HDMI maxes out at 60. To go higher, apparently you need to use a DisplayPort cable connection.

 

[Music Lover]

Our main desktop PC in the office has three 22" monitors. I love all the screen real estate. I don't think I could work any other way.

Three 24" 4K IPS would be amazing but pretty expensive.

Since they measure diagonally one 48" 4K TV screen will have 4 times the viewing surface as three 24" screens. All you need to do is open multiple windows. You can buy a 48" - 52" 4K TV for under $400.

 

[statsman]

Just for grins, I decided to check out the monitor I have been using for the past six years on my Win 7 PC. It's the Dell P2214H and was purchased refurbished, completely forgetting I had done so. It really was an afterthought, but it has performed well.

Imagine my surprise when I found out it is an IPS monitor. It is 1920x1080 @ 60Hz. It is difficult to find an IPS monitor greater than 60Hz, but those few that do are quite expensive. There are numerous 27" (and 32") IPS monitors that are 2K or 4K @ 60Hz.

Yeah, still looking.

 

[statsman]

Since they measure diagonally one 48" 4K TV screen will have 4 times the viewing surface as three 24" screens. All you need to do is open multiple windows. You can buy a 48" - 52" 4K TV for under $400.

Don't you mean 4 times the viewing surface as one 24" screen? If so, then three 24" screens would give you 3/4 the viewing surface of a 48" TV. Beyond that, the 4K TV (3840 x 2160) split into four windows would yield four 1920x1080 pixel windows, less than what each individual 24" 4K screen has.

 

[Music Lover]

Don't you mean 4 times the viewing surface as one 24" screen? If so, then three 24" screens would give you 3/4 the viewing surface of a 48" TV. Beyond that, the 4K TV (3840 x 2160) split into four windows would yield four 1920x1080 pixel windows, less than what each individual 24" 4K screen has.

Sorry, I mistyped. You are correct. A 48" screen has 4X the screen area as ONE 24" screen.

My 65" 4K TV (for computer) works fine with multiple windows open but when I do that it's mostly text. Some people may want more detail.