Help me decide on new Monitor(s)

[domsch1988]

Hey folks,
since my tax refund is coming in the following weeks, i want to upgrade my Monitor Setup. Currently i use a 5 year old Samsung low end 24" 1080 Monitor. It's working and has served me well, but i really want to upgrade now.

Since there are options over options available, i started making a excel sheet comparing PPI, €/PPI and €/inch. Anything between 24" and 32" is on the list. Budget is not fixed. I'd say under 600€. But the Display needs to justify it's price by size, PPI and usability.

Current Options:
Dell 24" 2560x1440: Same size as before but much better ppi. I experienced the 2560 res at work on a Ultrasharp 27" and loved it. But is Windows to small on that PPI (123 ppi)? And it cheap at 250€. Its a first place for €/ppi on my list and on the top for €/inch.

Any 27" 2560x1440: I know the form factor from work. Its useable without scaling and would be a upgrade size wise. Good ones are a good amount more expensive than the 24 offering from dell. Some Korean QNIX ones go for 250€ but i'm not sure on the quality. For the same price i'd rather take the dell for known great panels.

Dell Ultrasharp 30: Only used. Again 2560x1440. I'll put the 32 Inch offerings that are more common new also in this Category. The Size is astonishing and i love the look of a massive screen. The PPI is close to my current monitor which is no problem for me. I need more Pixels, but higher PPI is not necessarily on my list. The Dell use and e.g. a Benq new go around the 400€ mark. This is the point where I'm not sure if i'd pay 150€ over the Dell P2416D for better readability and massive size without gaining any productive benefits.

ASUS 28" UHD: They offer a 28" UHD Monitor for 450€. The Resolution would be epic but i fear the without scaling it's unusable. Plus Windows scaling is a proper mess right now... Also my current GFX Card (GTX 570) doesn't provide DP1.2. So I'll be stuck with either 30Hz or messing with two inputs and PBP. Or upgrade my GFX Card to something with DP 1.2 (think GTX 950/960) this would add another 150€-200€. Not sure not this one...

So my Questions:
1. Would you take bigger Display or higher PPI for the same price?
2. Is 2560x1440 on 24" useable without scaling?
3. As a base for a future 2 or 3 Monitor Setup, is 24" to small as a centre?
4. Is 4K worth it on 28" when considering my GFX Card might need to be upgraded or should i go with 2560 on 27"?
5. My Desk is mid sized and i sit around 1m away from the monitor. Which screen size would you recommend from a ergonomic standpoint? Is 32" to much?

On a side note: I don't game much. If i do i can use 1080 resolution. I mainly play Rocksmith and some casual games, so GFX Performance is a non issue. As long as Windows is working without slowdowns i'm happy 

[Jokrik]

These answers will all be my personal preference

So my Questions:
1. Would you take bigger Display or higher PPI for the same price?
I would take bigger display but my love is with 27", it's just perfect, and definitely would get more PPI for the same price

2. Is 2560x1440 on 24" useable without scaling?
It's quite small to be honest, though my experience is only with 27" 1440p for me it's perfect and I can't think of anything smaller at that pixel

3. As a base for a future 2 or 3 Monitor Setup, is 24" to small as a centre?
24" is perfect for surround, it's already that immersive
but if you plan to multi monitor (not surround) it depends on personal preference. I tried 27" 1440p centre and one 24" 1080p (both vertical and horizontal) once, didn't love it. I'm now with 27" 4k centre and 27" 1440p on my left, perfect for me (different scaling)

4. Is 4K worth it on 28" when considering my GFX Card might need to be upgraded or should i go with 2560 on 27"?
This is debatable , I love my PB278Q, honestly more than my LG 27" 4k. But I love to game sometimes and this LG has 4k, IPS, sRGB, and Freesync! how can you beat that for gaming?

5. My Desk is mid sized and i sit around 1m away from the monitor. Which screen size would you recommend from a ergonomic standpoint? Is 32" to much?

at 1m , 32" is still OK
for reference I sit around 60-70cm at my 27" and it's perfect for me

My piece of advice
1. Always go for IPS
2. Suit your budget, suit your use. If you like gaming get high hz or freesync/g-sync , it makes the difference
3. Get something with good warranty in your country
4. Try not to go the Korean cheap monitor like QNIX, I had the once and you pay what you get for in terms of build

from what I see, that Dell 30 really suits you
Can't go wrong with Dell

how about dell u2715h? doesn't suit the budget?

[domsch1988]

Thanks for the input, it's much appreciated 

So, the 24" Dell is out. (It just occurred to me, i can rum my Windows test VM Fullscreen on a 24" with the Resolution. Looks like crap, but good for testing the size of the ui. Definitely to small  )
The U2715 is a bit expensive for it's specs. Its around 500€ new. The Acer G277HU offers similar specs for around 399€. But no VESA and no adjustable stand, which sucks big time 

Since i first saw it i massively wanted the classic Dell 20-30-20 Setup (PLP). It so sexy and so much real estate, it screems productivity  )
So it seems i'll be watching eBay closely for a ultrasharp 30 or one of the 32" 2560 monitors. I think 27 is nice, but the upgrade over 24" is quite small. Might as well go big or go home  Also prices for 27" 2560 and 30/32" aren't that much different.

4k seems more struggle than it's worth for a home setup. At work, i would take it immediately. Just the possibility to have 12 RDP Sessions open and being able to work on all of them is epic. But sadly my boss won't pay one, so i'll have to keep dreaming 

[UsualSuspectXXX]

The Asus VG248QE is by far my favorite monitor so far. The colors are very bright and vivid. Dual-link DVI-D, HDMI, and DisplayPort. It'll support up to 144hz with the DVI (and I believe the DP too). If you use the stands that they come with (which I do not), they are rotatable and height adjustable.



If you're interested, here's the custom mount that I made.

[patachu]

If you're interested, here's the custom mount that I made.

that DIY stand is stylish, i like your idea using a pipeto make it... gotta try something like this since i'm looking for one


as for the monitors, well i'm going for HP, the station-tier ones are very decent for the price (LP2465&LP2475) can get calibrated, etc. i guess theres bigger resolutions now, haven't checked.

[UsualSuspectXXX]

If you're interested, here's the custom mount that I made.

that DIY stand is stylish, i like your idea using a pipeto make it... gotta try something like this since i'm looking for one


as for the monitors, well i'm going for HP, the station-tier ones are very decent for the price (LP2465&LP2475) can get calibrated, etc. i guess theres bigger resolutions now, haven't checked.

If you have any questions about the stand feel free to PM me.

[Hak Foo]

I've been very happy with my 27" Korean (Yamakasi).

The problem is that you need to know exactly what you're getting ahead of time.  Some units have nice LG IPS panels, some have decent Samsung PLS panels, some have questionable AU Optronics AHVA panels.

Many of the models promising refresh rates over 60Hz cheat by discarding extra frames presented to the monitor.  Especially if they have an OSD and multiple inputs

Usually only dual-link DVI in.  Some don't even have an on-screen display.

The stand and case will be crap, but if you're using a VESA mount it's not necessarily a problem.  (The Yamakasi unit has a poor quality VESA mount plate, but if you don't abuse it it's probably fine; not even sure they still sell that unit anymore)

If you can get it from a seller who will inspect and test, you may pay more but can avoid some of the worst with regards to dead pixels.

[Badwrench]

I have the same Asus 1440p monitor as jokrik and love it.  Color after calibration is excellent, no scaling needed for your distance (I am about 3.5ft from my screen, so I just manually have everything at 110% through Chrome).  For documents, a quick "Ctrl + scroll gets me where I want to be).  Since you are a pretty casual gamer, the 1440p would be perfect and you can game on it with pretty modest hardware by playing with your settings a bit - higher resolution with medium/high settings still looks better than gaming on 1080p 27" monitor.

I am not sure exactly where you are or where you normally shop (post a link so we can see what is on offer?), but ebay is always there.

Asus PB278Q  Unit is priced as pick up only though, so no go if you are not nearby. 

[jacobolus]

Get a Dell P2415Q: ~24" diagonal at 3840 x 2160 pixels, now down to ~$400 US. Once you’ve tried a display with ~200 DPI, you’ll never want to go back to the super blurry/pixely old displays you were used to before.

For a 4K display, 22" would be better, but 24" is still pretty good.

Or if you have lots of extra cash to burn, go for a 27" 5K display.

Or if your computer can handle it, use 2–3 4K 24" displays instead. I know a couple programmers who rock 3x Dell P2415Q displays oriented vertically and placed side-by-side, and that’s also a pretty awesome setup.

Scaling is a must. I have no idea how Windows is doing, but on OS X the 2x scaling works flawlessly.

[tp4tissue]

You want to WAIT..

Here's why..

4k Blurays are incoming.. they're going to be SUPER awesome..

so you need 4K.

HOWEVER,  all current 4k monitors are Blurry ****s.. because NONE of them have ULMB or Lightboost..

SO....

The only thing to do is WAIT, for a 4K IPS monitor with ULMB...


In the meantime,  Save more money, because it will probably cost $1500 to $2000



FORGET about OLED,   OLED has significant motion blur.. 

It will take a significant amount of time before they make OLEDs that can Flash bright enough to reduce motion blur to the level of regular led backlit panels.

[jacobolus]

On a side note: I don't game much. If i do i can use 1080 resolution. I mainly play Rocksmith and some casual games, so GFX Performance is a non issue. As long as Windows is working without slowdowns i'm happy 

By the way, what other criteria are important to you? What computer are you going to use your new display(s) with?

Personally, I do a lot of photo editing, vector graphics work, map making, data visualization, front-end web development, writing, other text/code editing, and so on. I don’t watch movies on my desktop display, and I don’t play computer games. Thus, for me, refresh rate is almost irrelevant and high pixel density is a huge advantage. My desktop can drive the Dell 24" 4K display at 60 Hz, but even on my laptop, which can only manage 30 Hz refresh, the 24" 4K display is dramatically better than crusty <150 dpi displays. Even for just reading plain text on a screen (e.g. browsing the web, writing code, etc.), having a >200 dpi screen makes a huge positive difference. But for photo editing and other graphical work, it’s a godsend.

[tp4tissue]

Essentially.. It boils down to this..

If you care about MOVING images,  you need to wait for 4k IPS with ulmb

If you don't care about MOVING images, like Jacobolus,   Then you can buy anything on the market, they're all pretty good...

[domsch1988]

Wow, so much input  Love it 

So, my PC (Relevant parts): i3 3220, GTX570, 8GB DDR3 Ram

Problem is, the GTX570 doesn't offer Displayport 1.2. So either the monitor has to support the 2 inputs for one 4k Image or i'm currently limited to 4k 30Hz.
That might not be a problem. My usage: 70 is general purpose browsing, mailing, some youtube videos. I do some Audio Recording with Reaper, but not with so much channels that space currently on 1080 is an issue. The Rest 20% is Gaming. But since all games i play are more focused on the "action" rather than on visuals, performance is a non issue. But For my rhythm based games 30Hz might very well be an issue. I might have to test that by artificially lowering the Refresh Rate on my current monitor. I will try that later today.

As for Location: I'm in Germany and will generally shop through Amazon. My current price list it based on Amazon. If i decide what to get, i'll have a look at where it's cheapest. 

4k at 24" is no option. Apart from my GFX Card not being able to output 4k 60Hz, i find 2560 on 24" already small. Scaling is no option either as windows scales really crappy. My MacBook at work does it beautifully, but my windows machine doesn't. After some testing in a VM on 24", i found around the 120 PPI Mark to be as low as i'd want to go without scaling. My Current monitor is at 93 PPI. Around or slightly upwards of 100PPI would be perfect.

[jacobolus]

You could also drive the display at a lower than native resolution when you want to do something at 60Hz.

[TacticalCoder]

1. Would you take bigger Display or higher PPI for the same price?
2. Is 2560x1440 on 24" useable without scaling?
3. As a base for a future 2 or 3 Monitor Setup, is 24" to small as a centre?
4. Is 4K worth it on 28" when considering my GFX Card might need to be upgraded or should i go with 2560 on 27"?
5. My Desk is mid sized and i sit around 1m away from the monitor. Which screen size would you recommend from a ergonomic standpoint? Is 32" to much?

(the following is just my opinion and it's for my workstation: I'm not gaming and not watching vids on my workstation's monitor)

1. I'd take higher screen size rather than lower PPI unless you're spending your life manipulating hi-res pictures in Photoshop or doing high-end video-editing. And if you do that, you kinda need a retina display anyway nowadays.

2. too small compared to "normal" screens and way too big compared to retina, I'd forget it.  Go for 27" or more for 2560x1440.

3. I don't think 24" is too small in a multi-monitor setup but I'd still prefer a 27"

4. Don't know

5. I think 1m is bit far : I'm sitting at about 75cm but YMMV.  Never tried a flat 32" but I tried a curved 34" and I kinda fell in love immediately.

FWIW I just ordered a 27" 2560x1440 to replace my aging 24" 1920x1200 (never liked to have "only" 1080 pixels vertically, so I went for a 1920x1200 24").

But I may resell it to a client and go for a curved 34" (if I can manage to make it work with Linux... Tried a curved 34" on my MacBook Air and it immediately worked but on Linux I know I may find myself in a world of hurt).

[KingRama]

Using the new Dell Ultrasharp UP2516D at work and it is amazing, the colour reproduction is BEAUTIFUL (100% Adobe RGB). Also have a 24" Ultrasharp at home, these monitors are amazing, very recommended. Only downside is the slow refresh rate, not an issue for the work I do though! The bezels are so attractively small on the Ultrasharp range.

[iLLucionist]

In my opinion, most displays are utter crap: uniformity issues, backlight bleeding in corners, PWM, and black delta issues. Then, some IPS panels have IPS glow which I cannot stand in some quantities and VA often has banding (BL3200PT for instance, it's horrible).

Therefore, I'm sticking with my U2713HM: great uniformity and color out of the box. Almost no IPS glow and no noticeable backlight bleeding. It uses the same planel found in Apple's Thunderbolt Display (now aging, of course).

Now, I'm waiting till some very good 4K/5K screens are coming out and then I'll probably upgrade my setup to 3 of those. But that will gonna be a couple of years from now I guess.

You should check out TFTcentral's reviews. They are very very thorough. The new U2715-series has horrible backlight uniformity. Confirmed by many people on other forums who returned it.

[keshley]

Before I talk about PPI, knowing which version of windows is important. Windows 10 handles scaling much better than 8/8.1.

I'm using a Cinema 4k display at 31" and only a few apps bug me that don't support scaling. Mostly it's fine. Think I run at 125%.

I have a 4k display at 28" that I run at 150% scaling, and it's good too.

I wouldn't recommend a 4k display for gaming. I run two 980s, which is fine for most games, but not all. Don't be fooled by cards that claim they can run 4k games, you really do need to run an SLI/CrossFire setup.