Any recommendations for a 4K 32+ display for work?

[McHuj]

My company is being really cheap about upgrading our equipment. I've been stuck on 20" 10-year-old monitors so I'm just going to get my own display now. This will be in my office so no gaming.

I'm looking at 32" 4K. Any ones to avoid? Seems like there are some VA panel based ones that seem decent (LG, Acer), but I've only ever used IPS so that's my concern. IPS at 32"4K is 2X the price of VA panel. Is a cheaper VA worth the trade offs?

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

Unless you tell us what you plan to use the monitor for that will be impossible to say.

Unless you're doing graphics work or anything else that requires the best possible IQ I'd say it makes no difference.

 

[Malo]

I'm assuming VA are cheaper for a reason? What is that reason? They might be ok for gaming compared to IPS but for work, especially at high resolution, where panel quality is very important for eye strain?

I work on 3 24" monitors in LPL doing programming, which are IPS panels. I can't say I've ever used a VA panel so I can't advise which is better for that purpose.

 

[bgroovy]

VA panels are great. I prefer them to ips personally. Unless your work requires extreme color accuracy in photoshop VA is terrific.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

I'm assuming VA are cheaper for a reason? What is that reason? They might be ok for gaming compared to IPS but for work, especially at high resolution, where panel quality is very important for eye strain?

I work on 3 24" monitors in LPL doing programming, which are IPS panels. I can't say I've ever used a VA panel so I can't advise which is better for that purpose.

VA, in general has deeper blacks and less light bleed (IPS glow) than IPS panels. But they also, again, in general have lower color accuracy. That said there's a lot of overlap between the two. VA also generally has slower pixel response than IPS, but in recent years that's been compensated for by overdrive and other such workarounds. VA in general also has shallower viewing angles with greater color shift when viewing from the side but not nearly as bad as TN panels.

Regards,
SB

 

[zed]

Also I'l go for 34" + if possible as 32" is still not large enuf that it doesnt need scaling, unfortunately a lot of applications/windows doesnt handle this well without being blurry

 

[McHuj]

Thanks. Mainly C programming and GDB, no IDE's or anything fancy like that. Good old VI. Color accurancy isn't super important for that. I just want something to replace two monitors with one.

 

[zed]

vi? you poor bastard I dont think I've used that for at least 15 years

 

[swaaye]

I used a BenQ 32" BL3200PT 1440p monitor for a few years but bought a Samsung MU7000 40" 4K TV as an upgrade this year. I am happy with it. PC mode looks great and has no lag. Though maybe it is too big!

Still probably need Windows scaling. I bounce between 125 and 150%.

Only complaint is the deal with most TVs where it won't enter power save when the PC is off. You need to grab the remote and power it off yourself.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Only complaint is the deal with most TVs where it won't enter power save when the PC is off. You need to grab the remote and power it off yourself.

Weird, my LG from a few years ago turns off the screen after a few minutes if there is no video signal. There's an option to disable it in the TV settings, but it's handy to leave on.

Regards,
SB

 

[swaaye]

Weird, my LG from a few years ago turns off the screen after a few minutes if there is no video signal. There's an option to disable it in the TV settings, but it's handy to leave on.

Regards,
SB

Oh yeah they usually do have a no-signal power-off setting to turn off after some minutes. But you know monitors usually go into standby within seconds if there is no signal. I think it's that DPMS standard. TVs do seem to usually support it on VGA but not HDMI.

Seems like HDMI DPMS is optional. Some monitors support it. But I've even had problems there if using a DVI -> HDMI adapter. Some of those don't work with DPMS and the monitor will cycle on/off or just stay on when the computer sleeps. But there are HDMI -> DVI cables that work great.

 

[nutball]

I know this kind of cuts across your question, but have you considered a sub-4k 21:9 monitor?

I ask because I went around the houses several times over 32" 4k monitors. I changed my mind and plumped for a 38" 21:9, and honestly I don't regret that decision. For productivity the extra width is so worth it.

 

[McHuj]

Yes, I’ve thought about. But I’m hesitant on those since I think I would like a little more vertical resolution.

 

[Malo]

Ultrawide displays aren't very good for work, unless perhaps they're insanely large and then you lose dpi. I guess it depends on your workflow but I have an ultrawide on my main home desktop which I code on sometimes and it's a pain.

 

[nutball]

Yes, I’ve thought about. But I’m hesitant on those since I think I would like a little more vertical resolution.

Yeah this can be an issue, especially as you seem to be budget constrained.

I have the 38" Dell, which is 1600p, and physically the same height as a 32" 16:9. It loses a bit of resolution, but then I'm 50 and my eye-sight ain't what it was. Yes I can see it's not 2160p, but not so much to really bother me.

It was £1k though, so maybe more than you want to spend?

 

[Silent_Buddha]

I've got a 49" 4k monitor as my main display and there is no way I could go back to anything smaller or anything with less resolution (no scaling on my display). It's quite nice for all kinds of work flows.

Regards,
SB

 

[Davros]

samsung have just introduced a super ultrawide monitor 49inch 32:9 ratio 144hz freesync monitor
https://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Pr...6824022584&cm_re=chg90-_-24-022-584-_-Product

 

[swaaye]

I've got a 49" 4k monitor as my main display and there is no way I could go back to anything smaller or anything with less resolution (no scaling on my display). It's quite nice for all kinds of work flows.

Regards,
SB

Man that is gigantic. After months I still think my 40 is a bit too much for desktop use. I was using a 50 for the living room at 7 ft distance until this year!

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Man that is gigantic. After months I still think my 40 is a bit too much for desktop use. I was using a 50 for the living room at 7 ft distance until this year!

Yeah, it took a bit to get used to. But it's nice to have the entire 3840x2160 resolution available rather than having to either increase Window's scaling value for a smaller desktop but more readable text or trying to squint at tiny characters on a smaller display.

Heck, as I get older I'm actually considering using an even larger display for my main PC to avoid having to increase Window's scaling value. Ah, to be young again.

The only thing I wish for in a display this large is for it to be curved, which mine unfortunately isn't.

Regards,
SB

 

[swaaye]

Yeah, it took a bit to get used to. But it's nice to have the entire 3840x2160 resolution available rather than having to either increase Window's scaling value for a smaller desktop but more readable text or trying to squint at tiny characters on a smaller display.

Heck, as I get older I'm actually considering using an even larger display for my main PC to avoid having to increase Window's scaling value. Ah, to be young again.

The only thing I wish for in a display this large is for it to be curved, which mine unfortunately isn't.

Regards,
SB

That's a good point about trying to avoid Windows scaling. And I hear you about the age and eyeballs issue too.