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Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

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Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#581

Post by asenna »

I enjoyed the article, good suggestions.

Slightly off topic but I have the 16" Macbook Pro with maxed out graphics, and as soon as I connect my monitor, the fans start getting ready for lift-off (~5.6k RPM). It's a Samsung 4k 32" (DP 1.4 to usb-c).

I know this is a common issue but anyone else able to resolve this yet? It drives me crazy that this powerful machine starts sounding like jet just from connecting 1 monitor (Apple says it can support four 4k monitors).

The CPU and GPU don't look to be under any stress as such.

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#582

Post by stu2b50 »

delecti wrote: post #233
coreai wrote: post #47

After using a rMBP for 6 years, I realized that using a lower resolution and lower quality display makes absolutely no sense at all if both graphical power and budget is available (first 13' rMBP had some serious issue driving the display). Better quality image is better quality image. I think Apple's biggest selling point over any vendor right now, despite numerous issues with its hardware and software in the recent…

I honestly find MBP trackpads to be too big, which is admittedly a preference thing, but their keyboards are absolutely horrible, and I have difficulty understanding how anyone could think they were "great". There's not enough distinguishing keys from each other, so I can't ground myself to the home row. I can't think of many keyboards I've used throughout my life that I enjoy less than the MBP. And that's not even m…

Are you talking about the butterfly (2016-2019) keyboards or the new magic keyboard OP (2020) was talking about?

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#583

Post by nickreese »

asenna wrote: post #581

I enjoyed the article, good suggestions. Slightly off topic but I have the 16" Macbook Pro with maxed out graphics, and as soon as I connect my monitor, the fans start getting ready for lift-off (~5.6k RPM). It's a Samsung 4k 32" (DP 1.4 to usb-c). I know this is a common issue but anyone else able to resolve this yet? It drives me crazy that this powerful machine starts sounding like jet just from connecting 1 monit…

Try plugging it into the right side... seriously. Makes all of the difference on mine.

Also try a USB-C to display port if you can.

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#584

Post by noisem4ker »

speeder wrote: post #270
BearOso wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1. Arbitrary resolutions Consult the dot pitch of your monitor for the actual resolution. Everything is “scaled” to that resolution. Of course, the algorithm is physics, which is much better than cubic interpolation, so it does look slightly better, but a modern hidpi lcd will provide a higher dot pitch and thus a sharper, more accurate picture.

That is exactly my point, CRT don't scale things, monochrome CRT can even draw pure vector graphics, having "infinite" resolution.

Color CRTs do have something akin to a native resolution too, defined by the phosphor arrangement, so they do "scale" things. It just happens that the scaling is naturally blurry and artifacts aren't noticeable.

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#585

Post by AtlasBarfed »

8K TVs are coming!!! I've been an enthusiastic user of 4K TVs as monitors for 40" TVs. They're only $200-$250 for a decent one! So much real estate.

4k at 40" is basically what the DPI of a 30" 2560x1600 was.

But a 80" monitor for 8k is ridiculous. So with 8K we can finally just pick the real estate you want and the DPI will be great.

It amuses me that the press always say "what will you watch on 8K!" ... this is just like 4K. The "content" on 4K isn't broadcast, streaming, or disc based. It's all generated content by game consoles and computer applications, and upscaling.

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#586

Post by Const-me »

Agree about resolution.

I was an early adopter. Didn’t happen voluntarily though, my client wanted me to develop embedded Linux software that drives a 4K HDMI output, so I was kinda forced to upgrade. Never looked back. When that monitor broke just after it’s 3 years warranty expired, I’ve bought very similar one with the same specs from another brand, 27” 4k IPS.

However, I think 120Hz is overkill for programmers. The price/performance proportion is not great either, my current BenQ PD2700U is offered for just over $500 in the US, while the monitors recommended by OP are above 2 grands.

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#587

Post by seanmcdirmid »

the_af wrote: post #76

The technical details are all right (or seem right to me, anyway), but this is too opinionated for my liking. No, you do not need a 4K monitor for software development. Some people might like them, some won't. [edit/clarification: someone rightfully pointed out that nobody will actively dislike a 4K monitor. I was unclear here: I meant "some people won't need them" more than "dislike them"] This sounds like when Jeff…

We could still be programming at 640x480 like we did back in the early 90s. Thankfully, technology marched on and we went to 1024x768 and then even better resolutions. One would think that technology would march forward until we had ink on paper-resolution displays, because why not? But of course, we could still make do with 640x480 like we did way back when.

The bigger issue is that, like we've been doing for the last 40 years, a cutting edge 2X display should eventually become the new 1X display, while the former 1X's become obsolete. This makes building software a bit easier, even with resolution independence, it is difficult supporting more than 2 generations of display technologies (e.g. right now we have 100 PPI, 150 PPI, 220 PPI, even 300+ PPI at the bleeding edge).

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#588

Post by megameter »

the_af wrote: post #181
akersten wrote: post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I wouldn't say having a mechanical keyboard makes your code any higher quality - that'd be pretty silly. I think in general the thought is, if you care enough about your craft that you seek out refined tools, that care will be reflected in higher-quality development. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but I'm inclined to believe there's a correlation. I mean, it would be weird to visit a professional car…

Thanks for the reply. I think there is little to no correlation, but like the opposite opinion, I've no proof other than the anecdotal: the best hackers I've known didn't care about these things. Other bizarre opinions I've read from Atwood and his followers: that you should be an excellent typist (this is also related to owning a mechanical keyboard). No. Just no. Typing speed is not the bottleneck when writing soft…

I do think there's a "CrossFit" mentality among the typer-coders who swear by mechanicals and end up with wrist braces - a kind of "more is more" approach that drives them to write lots of code, put in lots of hours, memorize innumerable details, and min-max their output in Taylorist fashion. It's optimizing for reps, versus mobility, stability, flexibility.

I have let my WPM drop a fair bit over time. I'm still relatively young yet, but I see no reason to go fast when I realize that most of the typing amounts to disposable bullshit. It's better to spend time thinking and developing thought patterns, and then just type a little bit to jog your mind and clarify. I allow myself to write some cheap code, but the point of that is to sketch, and the sketch should be light and quick, for the same reason that artists will say to favor long, confident strokes instead of chicken-scratch markings.

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#589

Post by bluescrn »

gnicholas wrote: post #153
dsabanin wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love my 3 monitor setup. In 20 years of coding, I finally reached peak productivity in my workspace. No switching between windows, ease of throwing a window aside for monitoring, laying out information and tools side to side. It’s incredible once you readjust your habits and learn to use that new space. I compare it to having a large, wide desk when you’re working on something. Who wouldn’t want that? I was one of…

> I compare it to having a large, wide desk when you’re working on something. Who wouldn’t want that? I have used between 1-3 monitors over the last decade, and there sure are advantages to having 3 for certain tasks. However, I noticed that having multiple monitors resulted in me having a dedicated screen for email (usually the smallest, my laptop screen). This decreased my productivity. Perhaps not everyone has thi…

IMHO, two monitors is an amazing upgrade. One screen for code, another for reference material or for the app being debugged. Better than one huge screen in many cases, as it’s two 16:10 spaces that you can maximize things to.

But with a 3rd monitor, you’re well into diminishing returns, it may even end up being a distraction if it becomes a Slack/Mail/web screen.

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#590

Post by g-b-r »

the_af wrote: post #76

The technical details are all right (or seem right to me, anyway), but this is too opinionated for my liking. No, you do not need a 4K monitor for software development. Some people might like them, some won't. [edit/clarification: someone rightfully pointed out that nobody will actively dislike a 4K monitor. I was unclear here: I meant "some people won't need them" more than "dislike them"] This sounds like when Jeff…

In my experience 1366x768 is tight, but 1440x900 is already quite good
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