Recommend me a monitor for my needs!

Metric Tensor

Hi all,

I am in the market (sort of) for a new monitor and I thought Black Friday might be the day to pull the trigger!

The only thing is that I don't know a lot about monitors and I have no idea what I should budget or what type would be best for me. I'd love some advice!

Current Set-Up
In my current set-up I have two 22 inch lcd panel's side by side. I use one as my primary monitor and the second one is used for having multiple files open, when I want to compare things side by side which happens often, and for skype calls that I use a lot for work. I find the matching size of the two monitors easy on the eye and I'm a bit worried about having two monitors of different sizes.



Use

• I use my computer for work and home so it gets used for:
• CAD - daily
• Office based word/excel etc. - daily
• Gaming - once or twice a week max
• Photoshop/photo editing - once or twice a week
• I never use it for watching films or editing videos.

Computer
I have a span new computer with Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 card - 1 one DVI connector, 1 HDMI port and 3 DisplayPorts


What I think I need
I want more screen area and a good vivid colour range (IPS maybe?). I recently used one of the 27 inch imacs and it was glorious! I know my card might support G-Sync for games but I doubt I play enough to justify the cost. I'm also not sure if I'd be enough of a connoisseur to tell the difference between 60 and 100 hertz.

I will still be using a dual monitor set-up so one of the 22inch monitors will become the secondary monitor to the new one.



Finally I don't know what to budget for something like this so I don't know where to start!


Any help very much appreciated.

Xenoronin

Something more professional grade sounds good here. Gaming orientated isn't really what you are aiming towards.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/dell-ultrasharp-u2715h-27-2560x1440-ips-widescreen-led-monitor-midnight-grey-mo-080-de.html
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/benq-gw2765ht-27-2560x1440-ips-widescreen-led-gaming-flicker-free-monitor-black-mo-110-bq.html

So pretty much any 1440p 27" IPS screen with good reviews would suit you well.

Metric Tensor

Thanks Xenoronin - the Dell looks good but pricey! How do people find the BenQ monitors?

I have a Dell and a Samsung at the moment (both TN). The Dell was second hand the Samsung was new. Never had a days trouble from the Dell and the colours are nicer and it's more adjustable. The Samsung is good but I have had to replace the capacitors in it and you can't raise it up and down - it annoys me a bit considering I paid well for it (10 years ago of course!).

Xenoronin

Might be a good idea to invest in some proper mounts so you can set up the monitors as you want.

Metric Tensor

I intend to do exactly that! Have a nice desk mounted twin mount picked out on amazon already!!!

Thanks.

As I said I'm worried about two dissimilar size (and possibly aspect ratio) monitors side by side but there's no way I'm buying two 27inch IPS monitors!!!! I appreciate any thoughts/advice from people with two monitors of different sizes.

Lu Tze

Metric Tensor wrote: »

I intend to do exactly that! Have a nice desk mounted twin mount picked out on amazon already!!!

Thanks.

As I said I'm worried about two dissimilar size (and possibly aspect ratio) monitors side by side but there's no way I'm buying two 27inch IPS monitors!!!! I appreciate any thoughts/advice from people with two monitors of different sizes.

Have you considered getting a single ultra wide monitor (3440 x 1440) instead? I do a small bit of CAD and GIS work on mine, and its great for the large drawing/map area. They start slightly more expensive than the dell linked above, but you have the pixel width just under your two existing monitors in one, great for side by side working on two items, or comparing documents etc.

Xenoronin

As I said I'm worried about two dissimilar size (and possibly aspect ratio) monitors side by side but there's no way I'm buying two 27inch IPS monitors!!!! I appreciate any thoughts/advice from people with two monitors of different sizes.

It's not actually all that jarring once you are used to it. I've done it before, and I also use a laptop screen at work paired with my two monitors. One monitor will always be your primary anyway.

Metric Tensor

Lu Tze wrote: »

Have you considered getting a single ultra wide monitor (3440 x 1440) instead? I do a small bit of CAD and GIS work on mine, and its great for the large drawing/map area. They start slightly more expensive than the dell linked above, but you have the pixel width just under your two existing monitors in one, great for side by side working on two items, or comparing documents etc.

Thanks Lu Tze - I had thought about that but I ruled it out for a few reasons:

1. The way my desk is set up I have a primary monitor in front of me and a secondary one off to one side - if I centred up a ultrawide it would affect the way I work and I think I'd find it awkward working at one off-centred even though in theory it is the same thing.
2. I use the windows "snap to screen" thing (sorry I don't know the proper name) a lot so with two monitors I can easily snap four word files side by side. I don't think it would be as easy with an ultrawide because you'd be snapping two of them centrally somehow.
3. I use skype a lot of work and when I only have one file open the skype call is left in full screen on the second monitor - again this would be more awkward with one monitor because I wouldn't be able to use the "full screen" option.
4. Then there's price and the fact that I have two monitors already here that I may as well re-use what I can.

Maybe I'm totally wrong on some of these!

Johnboy1951

Get a widescreen and place it between the two existing monitors ....... there ye go you have 'balanced' viewing!

Lu Tze

Metric Tensor wrote: »

Thanks Lu Tze - I had thought about that but I ruled it out for a few reasons:

1. The way my desk is set up I have a primary monitor in front of me and a secondary one off to one side - if I centred up a ultrawide it would affect the way I work and I think I'd find it awkward working at one off-centred even though in theory it is the same thing.
2. I use the windows "snap to screen" thing (sorry I don't know the proper name) a lot so with two monitors I can easily snap four word files side by side. I don't think it would be as easy with an ultrawide because you'd be snapping two of them centrally somehow.
3. I use skype a lot of work and when I only have one file open the skype call is left in full screen on the second monitor - again this would be more awkward with one monitor because I wouldn't be able to use the "full screen" option.
4. Then there's price and the fact that I have two monitors already here that I may as well re-use what I can.

Maybe I'm totally wrong on some of these!

Yeah you would have to manually adjust the windows to fit the screen, although there may be an app/programme for that, though I haven't felt the need to investigate it! I have one 23"-24" monitor off to the side as well, usually just have email or something up on it. You could run all three monitors if you want, as suggested above. But each to their own, don't think I would give up the single large screen for mapping/cad especially. For using multiple windows/programmes though, there is no huge benefit over multiple screens

Metric Tensor

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

Get a widescreen and place it between the two existing monitors ....... there ye go you have 'balanced' viewing!

I thought about it - but the reamaining desk real estate would be restricted - and anyway how would I keep an eye on what was happening outside the window!!! :D

Lu Tze wrote: »

Yeah you would have to manually adjust the windows to fit the screen, although there may be an app/programme for that, though I haven't felt the need to investigate it! I have one 23"-24" monitor off to the side as well, usually just have email or something up on it. You could run all three monitors if you want, as suggested above. But each to their own, don't think I would give up the single large screen for mapping/cad especially. For using multiple windows/programmes though, there is no huge benefit over multiple screens

I don't doubt for a second that for purely CAD one massive screen is the way to go. The bigger the better!

Although I use CAD daily it would probably be less than 50% of my days work. I spend a lot of time doing calculations and writing specifications/tender documents. For that sort of "flicking back and over" type work I find the multiple screens very handy.

As you say horses for courses. Appreciate all the comments and help lads. Keep it coming!

ED E

From a quick read:
- You want balanced scaling
- You want symmetry

So that means A. buying a new 22" 1080p IPS thats marginally better than the existing one or B. Buy a pair of new monitors for significant expense.

OR, C. Agree to compromise. Symmetry is nice, but unless your pockets are very deep its not pragmatic.

Metric Tensor

Yeah ED E - I like symmetry but I'm going to have to give it up I think as per option C. That's why I was asking if people here are operating with a non-symmetrical set up - to see how the feel and does it cause them any problems.

I don't know what you mean by balanced scaling?

ED E

If you've an 800x800 window on Screen A(400PPI) and drag it onto Screen B(300PPI) it becomes 30% "bigger" to you even though its the exact same size. Windows can manage that for you somewhat but its imperfect.

The first example I found on google is this. Note the icon sizes on far left and then centre.

Having a 22" 1080 beside a 22" 1440p would see the same scaling issue but you can negate that by making the 1440p bigger so the PPI or pixel per inch is about the same.

Metric Tensor

ED E wrote: »

If you've an 800x800 window on Screen A(400PPI) and drag it onto Screen B(300PPI) it becomes 30% "bigger" to you even though its the exact same size. Windows can manage that for you somewhat but its imperfect.

Thanks ED E - that's exactly the type of thing that I didn't have any experience with and was looking for advice about.

It could pose major problems for me because I sometimes span windows across my two screens at the moment! I also drag folders around the place a lot when I'm doing file management stuff.

Maybe I just have to stick with what I have It would be pointless buying two new 22 inch because the price wouldn't justify the small benefit - and two 24s or 27s is out of the question budget wise.

Balls!!!

Thanks for the help btw.

Johnboy1951

Metric Tensor wrote: »

Yeah ED E - I like symmetry but I'm going to have to give it up I think as per option C. That's why I was asking if people here are operating with a non-symmetrical set up - to see how the feel and does it cause them any problems.

I don't know what you mean by balanced scaling?

I am using two monitors ... main one is a widescreen 32" and a side monitor of 21.5".
I use the side one mainly for stuff I do not want obscured and work normally on the widescreen.

Metric Tensor

Thanks Johnboy.

Do they have similar DPI values or do you have window scaling issues when you move from one to the next?

Johnboy1951

Metric Tensor wrote: »

Thanks Johnboy.

Do they have similar DPI values or do you have window scaling issues when you move from one to the next?

The DPI values are the same.
The only 'issue' I have noticed is that if I have a window open in full screen on the side monitor and drag it to the widescreen, the it is full screen on the wide screen monitor also, which I immediately correct.

I am not doing CAD work, so there very well might be something I do not meet.

Metric Tensor

The full-screen to full-screen thing wouldn't trouble me much but the jump in smaller window size when going from the new to the old might be a pain in the balls!

Thanks!

Johnboy1951

Metric Tensor wrote: »

The full-screen to full-screen thing wouldn't trouble me much but the jump in smaller window size when going from the new to the old might be a pain in the balls!

Thanks!

The size of an open window, if not full screen does not change when dragged from one to the other .... if it is a wide window on the widescreen monitor, then it can go off screen on the smaller screen when dragged over.

Metric Tensor

From what ED E said above ....

I think that's because both your screens have the same dpi. Mine would not have the same dpi if I went for the set up above which could cause the size change.

Lu Tze

Metric Tensor wrote: »

From what ED E said above ....

I think that's because both your screens have the same dpi. Mine would not have the same dpi if I went for the set up above which could cause the size change.

Yeah if you went for a 1440p screen (16:9 or 21:9) it would end up something like this if you stretch a window across both screens. You can see its much larger in the smaller screen due to the change in PPI between screens.
I find it works fine if you have separate windows on different screens though.

Metric Tensor

Thanks Lu Tze.

It makes total sense but I just hadn't considered it until ED E mentioned it.

I don't span windows across screens very often - Excel is actually the main one.

Do you know is there any scaling that can be done in windows to adjust the size on the lower resolution screen or does the quality just disintegrate too quickly?

Appreciate you going to the effort of taking a picture. Very sound of you.

Lu Tze

Metric Tensor wrote: »

Thanks Lu Tze.

It makes total sense but I just hadn't considered it until ED E mentioned it.

I don't span windows across screens very often - Excel is actually the main one.

Do you know is there any scaling that can be done in windows to adjust the size on the lower resolution screen or does the quality just disintegrate too quickly?

Appreciate you going to the effort of taking a picture. Very sound of you.

I dont think you can adjust the scale of the text etc. on just one monitor, but if anybody knows for sure feel free to up date us!

ED E

W10 lets you scale fine, but its got a significant drawback. Soft text. If you scale 9 pixels by 125% 11.25 pixels. That's not even so you end up soft as can be. I despise it, others don't notice it.

iLikeWaffles

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

I am using two monitors ... main one is a widescreen 32" and a side monitor of 21.5".
I use the side one mainly for stuff I do not want obscured and work normally on the widescreen.

I am in looking to get a second monitor with that exact setup for my 32" hoping there will be some Black Friday deals to be had too!

Would you by any chance be able to post a picture of your two monitors side by side?

Similarly to Metric I am looking for a monitor for opening files and other windows at the side away from the 32" main monitor. Worried about the looks of the two monitors symmetrically, Its the OCD that'll be wrecking the head!


I want to use the second monitor for the TV too but if its sideways the footy will hard to follow. Anybody know a way around orientating a HDMI input or if it is a feature on some monitors to orientate a HDMI input? Was looking for a way to convert HDMI to coaxial for PIP feature on the 32" gave up on that! Just wish PIP worked for HDMI input, I digress.



Do any of you know where might do some BF deals for a monitor or is there going to be an alert thread on here for any deals online. Sites will probably only have like 10 items before they stop selling.

Metric Tensor

ED E wrote: »

W10 lets you scale fine, but its got a significant drawback. Soft text. If you scale 9 pixels by 125% 11.25 pixels. That's not even so you end up soft as can be. I despise it, others don't notice it.

It also defeats the purpose of getting a 400 dpi monitor if you have to scale it up to try to be the same as the 300dpi one.

Johnboy1951

@iLikeWaffles

Mine is similar to the pic already posted ..... except my bezel colours do not match

iLikeWaffles

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

@iLikeWaffles

Mine is similar to the pic already posted ..... except my bezel colours do not match

You said you have second monitor sideways didn't you? How are they similar?? That's a widescreen in the image I'm trying to gauge how a sideways monitor will look with a 32".

Lu Tze

iLikeWaffles wrote: »

You said you have second monitor sideways didn't you? How are they similar?? That's a widescreen in the image I'm trying to gauge how a sideways monitor will look with a 32".

The second monitor is on an arm, when rotated, it's much taller than the main monitor, it would be less so with a 16:9 32" main monitor

iLikeWaffles

Lu Tze wrote: »

The second monitor is on an arm, when rotated, it's much taller than the main monitor, it would be less so with a 16:9 32" main monitor

How much so exactly is what I'm looking for an answer of, which an image would give me a point of comparison!

Johnboy1951

iLikeWaffles wrote: »

You said you have second monitor sideways didn't you? How are they similar?? That's a widescreen in the image I'm trying to gauge how a sideways monitor will look with a 32".

Actually what I posted was

I am using two monitors ... main one is a widescreen 32" and a side monitor of 21.5".

I am unsure what you mean by a 'sideways' monitor.

I have two monitors
the main one is widescreen 2560 x 1080
the smaller one to the side is 1680 x 1080

I don't rotate either.

I hope that clarifies what I meant.
Sorry for any confusion I might have caused.

iLikeWaffles

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

Actually what I posted was


I am unsure what you mean by a 'sideways' monitor.

I have two monitors
the main one is widescreen 2560 x 1080
the smaller one to the side is 1680 x 1080

I don't rotate either.

I hope that clarifies what I meant.
Sorry for any confusion I might have caused.

Alright my mistake.

Metric Tensor

Alright lads - I took a bit of gamble:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LGE29SK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=22XKOJ85BA9VX&coliid=I3TNN7C159B936

I got a warehouse deal on this guy - reduced to £299 with a further £50 discount that they are running for Black Friday. The Irish VAT brought it back up a small bit from the £249 but I still got it approx. €100 cheaper than the advertised rate.

I know it's a bit of gamble with the Amazon Warehouse nature of it but they still offer a 30-day money back option and due to the Christmas that is extended until 31st of January. So I have the guts of 2 months to find any flaws!

Metric Tensor

It came this morning lads.

One dead pixel - not a scratch otherwise. Very happy!


PS: Can't see any backlight bleed worth talking about but I'll check later in the dark.

Metric Tensor

The only downside is my old monitor looks like a piece of crap now when I pull a window over to it!

Xenoronin

That's pretty awesome. Whereabouts is the dead pixel? Try one of those dead pixel fixer programs to see if it can't be revived?

Metric Tensor

Unfortunately the tale has turned sour

The screen had been working well all morning and I opened up Lightroom to look at some photos. One of the photos was of a field and predominantly green and there was a strange flashing horizontal line moving about the screen. So I thought it might be a dodgy HDMI cable and I switched to a DisplayPort cable instead - nothing at all appeared on screen. Then I tried a DVI cable and I just got random flashing lines and colours but no picture at all.

So now I'm back with the HDMI cable and as I type this the screen is perfect again but I'd imagine the horizontal lines are not far away.

I'm about to contact amazon support now

Metric Tensor

No problem getting a refund - but no offer of a replacement forthcoming.

Have to organise delivery myself but they will repay me the cost.

Really disappointed - it is such a lovely screen - I'm using it right now without a bother but the lack of ports and the random lines (at times) are too much and probably a risk for the future too.

iLikeWaffles

Metric Tensor wrote: »

No problem getting a refund - but no offer of a replacement forthcoming.

Have to organise delivery myself but they will repay me the cost.

Really disappointed - it is such a lovely screen - I'm using it right now without a bother but the lack of ports and the random lines (at times) are too much and probably a risk for the future too.

You'll probably get a better deal in the coming week and then there is Cyber Monday too take it as an omen and return.

Metric Tensor

Maybe - but I got it for about €90 cheaper than the cost of a new one. The deals I've seen so far for "Black Friday" have been pretty poor.

Thanks for chin up comment!

Metric Tensor

Problem confirmed anyway - just hooked it up to a completely different computer and have the same issues. I'll pack it up over the weekend.

I'm sure I'll be a fine sight heading to the post office on Monday with a 27inch monitor under my elbow!

Xenoronin

Dunno if this will help, but there is someone on adverts selling that monitor at the moment.
http://www.adverts.ie/desktops/i5-gaming-pc-gtx-970-asus-27-pb278q/11781663

Metric Tensor

Thanks for that Xenoronin.

Haven't decided what I'll do yet (except sob sadly when I have to look at a blurry old 1680x1050 on Monday morning!)

I might consider splashing the cash to buy it new. Whatever I do I'll hold for a week until cyber Monday.

Metric Tensor

Well ....

Decide in haste and repent at leisure ....

So I did a bit of googling about the monitor and it appears it's a little "sensitive" when it comes to displayport. In some cases the monitor needs to be powered up before the computer for it to be successful ... so I gave it a go and lo and behold it starting working with the display port!

Still though ... the DVI port is boll0cksed ....

But I started thinking to myself what if the same was true for that. Did the whole off-on again thing again but it didn't make the DVI port work. I still had a niggling feeling though ....

And then I discovered (ahem) there's f***in different types of DVI lead!!!!! I sheepishly swapped the lead for a dual link one and although it still didn't work once I did the off again on again trick it sprang into life.

So now the only problem I'm left with is the little horizontal lines that appeared a few times earlier today - always in HDMI mode. I'm beginning to wonder if maybe that could be a lead problem after all. I'm going to use it for a week or so and try a few different cables and cable types to see what happens!

Things might be OK yet! I really hope so. However the call to Amazon telling them I was a bit hasty requesting a return will be a little uncomfortable. I'll make it though if all turns out well.

I'll keep the thread updated in case anyone is interested!

Metric Tensor

I don't know if anyone is interested but after using the monitor for a while and swapping leads, different programs etc. I have determined that the only problem seems to have been a faulty HDMI cable (+ some graphics driver issues with Microsoft Edge).

So I rang Amazon yesterday to tell them I was keeping the monitor and they gave me a £10 discount to buy myself a new HDMI lead.

So in the end I paid £246.68 for the monitor. Box was opened but everything inside was spotless. 1 dead pixel I think - although I haven't been able to find him for a few days now. Very little backlight bleed. Dodgy HDMI but other cables seem ok.

I think I'm going to count this one as a win in the end!

Xenoronin

Nice to hear! Dead pixels can actually be resurrected in some instances so you might have just gotten lucky