I am looking for a 34" monitor but unsure of what to get. I don't do any gaming so I guess I don't need a high refresh rate.
Main use cases are:
- coding
- occasional youtube video
So my questions are:
- Is it better to get a flat monitor as opposed to curved? I have a curved one at work, and its good, but I'm worried any video I watch would look weird.
- Which resolution do I need? I use vscode a lot and I like being able to split my coding panels into 3+. So confused as to 3840 vs 3440 resolutions that's available.
- I do want to power my work laptop via USB-C. The highest power delivery I've seen is 65W, but the mac native brick is 96W. Will the lower power output be an issue?
- On the above do I need a thunderbolt instead of USB-c?
- I'd like to keep the price around the $600 mark, but happy to push it to $1000 if I get something long lasting and don't have to compromise on the above.
Thoughts/ suggestions? TIA.
In order:
- No experience
- 3840 x 2160 is the standard 16:9. Personally I think 3440:1440 (ultrawide) is just too pixelated on a 34" monitor - I've been spoilt on 3840x2160 at 27", and high-DPI displays on all my devices
- Lower power output will NOT be an issue for your MacBook, however, you may experience slower charging speeds when actively using the device. Under sustained heavy load, your battery will provide the extra power that cannot be delivered over 65W. Other devices may have different behaviours, including throttling the CPU and/or GPU when a lower-than expected power adaptor is being used.
- All thunderbolt uses the USB-C connector, but not all USB-C connectors support Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt may be necessary if you wish to connect high-speed USB 3.0 devices to the dock of your monitor; otherwise, DisplayPort will be able to handle 4K 60Hz as well as Power Delivery, all over the USB-C cable connector.
- No suggestions for monitors. However, can I recommend you go with a Thunderbolt Dock instead? You can easily get 100W PD, Dual 4K outputs (If you need in the future) as well as multiple USB 3.0 devices AND Ethernet via a single USB-C cable. Then, all you need to do is find a 34" monitor that you like, without worrying about the monitor's PD capabilities and/or cables, which is likely to be far cheaper