Should I upgrade to a 27" Dell from a 24"

[KHAANNN]

Hi everyone,

I really enjoy Dell monitors, mainly because of their IPS panels and anti glare coating, they are all glitchy devices, yet I find them to be worth it, I would also suggest them to anyone just for this reason

My current 24" 1900x1200 Dell U2413 is failing
I'm wondering whether I should upgrade to a 4K 24" P2415Q or 27" P2715Q

With the 4K, I will have crisper retina fonts at the 1900x1080 resolution, so for the workspace, I'm loosing 120px in height, yet gaining crisper fonts (I have a retina macbook as the secondary monitor, and the font renderings are just lightyears apart)
It might also be easier for me to buy a U2715H 27" 2560x1440, increase both the resolution and the monitor size
(I was unsure whether I should start this discussion at the ergonomics section, yet this sub-forum seems more compatible with the topic)

I'm at a dilemma, 24" 4K seems to be the best option, as I'm used to 24" monitors, find them optimal in size/pixel density, yet the 27" 4K is tempting, and the 27" 1440p is locally available
The 27" 1440p would extend my workspace significantly, but I would lose the retina fonts
The 27" 4K/1080p setup just seems too large for the 1080p resolution, I guess it would only be better for the movies/tvshows
Not considering getting 4K monitors and using a sub 2x multiplier, using the original resolution or retina reduction seems better

To sum up:

• P2415Q - 1080p - lose 120px in height, gain retina fonts, order from amazon internationally or wait
• P2715Q - 1080p - lose 120px in height, gain retina fonts, risk neck issues with the increased monitor size, order from amazon internationally or wait
• U2715H - 1440p - extended workspace - non-retina, available locally

[katushkin]

Have you got a GPU capable of 4k? Have you got games/video sources capable of 4K you use enough to justify the price leap to 4K?

[Psybin]

I went from two 1080 24” Asus monitors and added a QNIX Evolution II 27” 1440p (overclock able) and put the two Asus as portrait on either side (photos in my sig link). 
I bought it on Amazon for $330.

However the Asus TN panels look like hell in portrait mode and the color and resolution difference really bother me so I pulled the trigger on a refurbished QNIX Evo II for $200 on eBay, arriving tomorrow actually.
I think the two 27” will be perfect, for me anyway. Going from 1080 to 1440 was an awesome jump, same with going from a TN panel to a IPS panel. 

It would have been nice to go bigger and badder but for the price my use, this was a perfect option for me. Plus when I do a new PC build I can look into better monitors when the tech is out and let the wife inherit these (plus I can sell the two Asus monitors and recoup some cash)

[KHAANNN]

Have you got a GPU capable of 4k? Have you got games/video sources capable of 4K you use enough to justify the price leap to 4K?

The price is the ~same for all 3 monitors, they are at the 500$ range

I actually don't care one bit about "4K", 360p satisfies me enough, yet the mac os retina fonts are to die for

The Terminal, IDE's, Browser's all get much crisper fonts at retina

If you look at the retina fonts for long, than get back to the non-retina monitor, the eyes have minor issues to adjust, the non-retina fonts make the brain feel like there are adjustment/focus issues, for a while I considering getting an eye exam

So I guess If I love retina fonts this much, I should decide between the 24" or 27" monitor, I guess 27" is too big for 1080p

All recent macs drive 4K well at 60hz, yet there are issues with 5K, as DP 1.2 can't handle 5K at 60hz, otherwise a 5K setup would obviously be superior, as 1080p is just enough for a workspace

[KHAANNN]

I went from two 1080 24” Asus monitors and added a QNIX Evolution II 27” 1440p (overclock able) and put the two Asus as portrait on either side (photos in my sig link). 
I bought it on Amazon for $330.

However the Asus TN panels look like hell in portrait mode and the color and resolution difference really bother me so I pulled the trigger on a refurbished QNIX Evo II for $200 on eBay, arriving tomorrow actually.
I think the two 27” will be perfect, for me anyway. Going from 1080 to 1440 was an awesome jump, same with going from a TN panel to a IPS panel. 

It would have been nice to go bigger and badder but for the price my use, this was a perfect option for me. Plus when I do a new PC build I can look into better monitors when the tech is out and let the wife inherit these (plus I can sell the two Asus monitors and recoup some cash)

nice setup!

Here are 24" and 27"'s side by side: http://techreport.com/news/27385/dell-latest-4k-displays-bring-ips-goodness-down-to-600

My logic is: a 40" TV would obviously be extremely stupid as a monitor, an 12" monitor would obviously be too small, so there is an optimal size in between, 24" might be that size for me, as I can assess the entire screen without moving my head much, and 24" is big enough for movies / tv shows

I guess I might get a complete upgrade when DP 1.3 devices gets released, at that time, a 5K setup with an extended workspace would be great

Currently I'm really leaning towards the 24" 4K, mainly because I'm too scared to try the 27"

[Psybin]

Thanks!

The 27 is nice, don't be scared. Its like having two smaller monitors joined at the middle. I'll have a word doc taking up one side and a browser taking up the other. With an additional monitor I'll have more programs up as opposed to being minimized. Great with running VMware and multiple systems at once. I love the way my set up looks when off but the mismatched resolutions and poor colors on the TN panels in profile mode drives me insane.

[KHAANNN]

I just stumbled onto this extremity by the way: http://www.ireckon.net/2013/03/force-rgb-mode-in-mac-os-x-to-fix-the-picture-quality-of-an-external-monitor#comments

TL;DR; Mac/DELL incompatibility is likely the cause of the non-decently-antialiased fonts, I also initially had to calibrate the colors a lot, that's probably why ... damn ... haven't tried the solution yet tho