Suggest a 32/34 Inch Monitor for Coding/IT

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  deme on 08/04/2021 - 23:25

  Just rotate your current monitor sideways

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  bweiss on 08/04/2021 - 23:50

  I still think the sweet spot is 1920x1080… and just more monitors.
  I currently have 5 monitors in my setup, with one of these unfortunately being a higher resolution ultra wide screen… definitely don't get one of these, it's horrible for document things (like Word / coding).
  Mine are mostly 27" though.

  • 

    deme on 08/04/2021 - 23:52

    How can you stand the low res of 1080 at 27"?

    • 

      bweiss on 08/04/2021 - 23:53

      Pretty easily.

      • 

        deme on 08/04/2021 - 23:53

        +1

        Should have gone to Specsavers

        • 

          bweiss on 08/04/2021 - 23:56

          @deme: For what reason? I've got no problem reading text on a 1920x1080 27" monitor.

          • 

            deme on 08/04/2021 - 23:58

            @bweiss: Do you notice text looks terrible on it? If not get your eyes checked.

            • 

              bweiss on 09/04/2021 - 00:02

              @deme: You're possibly using the wrong font. Maybe stop using Comic Sans..
              I find the text looks entirely readable, and I believe that is the intent of text, to be readable.

              If you're finding yourself overly distracted by how the 'text looks terrible' you could bring that up with your therapist… it might be projection.

              • 

                Clear on 09/04/2021 - 00:07

                @bweiss: 100% agree with you there. I use 1080p on 27" displays and it's perfect… even for gaming.

              • 

                witheredcouch on 09/04/2021 - 08:32

                @bweiss: It's not that text looks terrible on a 27" 1080p standalone. But once you get used to a 1440p 27" both the extra realestate and the ease of reading text that the extra resolution gives, becomes very helpful. I personally feel that for desktop use somewhere between a 32" 1440p and 32" 4k are the sweetspot, depending on what you can handle at 100% scaling. At work i use a 32" 1440p and 27" 1080p and at home i use a 32" 4k and 27" 1440p. I find i use the 1080p 27" as minimally as possible, whereas i use the higher res 27 and my 4k 32 pretty interchangeably.

                To the OP, a 32" 1440p sounds like what you want, they are quite cheap for what they are, and a really comfortable way to work. Remember that a 34" ultrawide is just a 27" with more width, and in many ways will feel smaller than a 32"

          • 

            ozbargainsam on 09/04/2021 - 07:00

            @bweiss: Let me have a go at this: for some, we prefer smaller text on higher resolution screens because it allows us to see more. We don't have the option of smaller text on lower resolution screens because the text objectively becomes harder to read.

            There are other factors, such simply being used to a certain setup or eyesight.

            At an earlier job, they were cheap and they only gave us the cheapest OW screens. Eventually I just gave in and paid for my own monitor and brought it to the office (25" 1440p). I also have a 5K 27" for personal use; hands down the most gorgeous pixels I've used.

            You might not know what you're missing out on. Just saying. Like people that say 4K on a TV isn't noticeable over 1080p. If you have half-decent eyesight, you should definitely notice.

            • 

              bweiss on 09/04/2021 - 08:34

              @ozbargainsam: Noticing a difference was never the issue, and sure, 4K looks 'better' (at the same perspective size). But that doesn't make 1080 look 'terrible'.

              1080 is entirely readable at standard 100% scale and down to 8pt Helvetica font sizing (on a 24"/27" monitor).

              It is also the right price point that I consider the sweet spot.

              If your choice is 1x 32" 4K, vs 2x 27" 1080 displays (and this is roughly the price differences), I believe there's no question, for coding and simple image manipulation the 2x1080 will be far more productive.

              • 

                ozbargainsam on 09/04/2021 - 10:38

                @bweiss: Of course, 'terrible' is an exaggeration (and an opinion). It just looks bad in comparison, and if I'm going to be looking at it for several hours a day, I'm going to care/want to get something better. It's like looking at a (noticeably) low resolution photo vs a higher resolution photo…I think we can all agree, one is preferred.

                However, if there are price concerns, real estate trumps DPI every time.

                • 

                  witheredcouch on 09/04/2021 - 10:42

                  @ozbargainsam: That's where the 4k vs 1080p argument doesn't work for me. Because a 4k 32" at 100% scaling essentially gets you 4x 16" 1080p screens which is a lot more usable real estate. I find 1080p on a 27" feels too cramped for proper desktop usage. But i can also see a 4k 32" at 100% scaling being too small for some. Can agree with multi screens, but when when you can get a basic 32" 1440p for sub $300, a 27" 1080 just seems unnecessary.

                  • 

                    bweiss on 09/04/2021 - 16:23

                    @witheredcouch: Got links for the 32" 1440 for <$300? :)
                    I would be onboard with that.

                    • 

                      witheredcouch on 09/04/2021 - 17:11

                      @bweiss: Viewsonic VX3276-2K is 299 at a bunch of stores from a Google, AOC Q32V3/WS is 260-300 at a bunch of stores. I have used the AOC briefly and it is a VA, but not bad for the money.

  • 

    Ghost47 on 09/04/2021 - 09:39

    IMO the sweet spot was always 1920 x 1200 (16:10). It’s real shame that 16:10 monitors died out and 16:9 took over. That extra vertical real estate really helps with productivity and in general. I guess the good thing about coding Is that you can turn it vertical anyway.

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  FoxJump on 09/04/2021 - 00:32

  I use a 27" 4k ips for coding and love it.
  Once you go ips you can't go back.

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  scotty on 09/04/2021 - 05:57

  For coding does it really matter, as long as the text are sharp enough? For video editing you do want panels that have good colour reproduction though.

  My main monitor is a 34" ultrawide LG that I do most coding on, and I'm pretty happy with it.

  • 

    bweiss on 09/04/2021 - 08:40

    How do you typically use the ultra-wide?
    I find it ends up with just blank space on the right in the code window, but is absolutely useless aspect-ratio for portrait orientation.

    Do you have secondary monitors?

    I guess industry likely factors in.
    I typically have:
    - Outlook window on my laptop 15" screen
    - Internet browser on 27" landscape
    - Visual Studio on 27" landscape
    - SCADA / PLC dev environment on 27" landscape
    - Reference manual / PDF / word on the horrible 27" ultra-wide in portrait..

    • 

      scotty on 09/04/2021 - 09:37

      For the ultrawide, I usually do 2 windows side by side (1720px each), or 3 columns with one narrower for text editor or terminal. Doing 3 columns can be a bit tricky on Windows 10 but there are tiling window manager that can help you with that (e.g. bug.n). I almost never maximise a single window to take up all 3440x1440.

      I do also have an old 19" 1280x1024 monitor on the side that I use for Slack.

    • 

      mando7 on 09/04/2021 - 19:55

      bweiss, I was initially planning to get 2 monitors but then thought of combining them into 1 instead makes sense. I know what you mean with 2 monitors side by side but I do not work for long hours with this at home. I see myself using 6-7 hours per day on weekend.

  • 

    mando7 on 09/04/2021 - 19:54

    Thanks for your input. Which model do you use? How's LG support/customer service if you had to contact them?

    • 

      scotty on 10/04/2021 - 08:21

      LG 34UM88C-P — bought it 4 years ago. Never had to contact customer service.

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  FIVEDOLLAR on 09/04/2021 - 08:33

  Personal preference for coding - I look more about the quality of the panels more than the "resolution".
  In the long term, this matters more for me because I'm staring at the screen for a long time and there's much more strain for me with shitty 1080p panels.

  Currently, I have a 1440p dell ultrasharp. It is a bit of a premium for it's price but depends how well you deal with eye strain.

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  mando7 on 09/04/2021 - 20:02

  Thanks everyone for your inputs. Have you guys used any of the above monitors personally? And also any VA panel monitors?