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Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

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Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#721

Post by rkagerer »

ogre_codes wrote: post #574
thomaslord wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hello! Person who actively dislikes 4k here. In my experience: 1. No matter what operating system you're on, you'll eventually run into an application that doesn't render in high dpi mode. Depending on the OS that can mean it renders tiny, or that the whole things is super ugly and pixelated (WAY worse than on a native 1080p display) 2. If the 4k screen is on your laptop, good luck ever having a decent experience plu…

> 1. No matter what operating system you're on, you'll eventually run into an application that doesn't render in high dpi mode You lost me right here on line 1. If there are apps on MacOS that can't handle high dpi mode, I haven't run into them as a developer (or doing photo editing, video editing, plus whatever other hobbies I do). Also, I don't have any trouble with plugging my highDPI MacBook into a crappy 1080p d…

1 is definitely an issue for me.

It's why I actively avoid monitors with small pixels. My trusty old Dell U3011 and the two rotated 1600x1200's flanking it suit me just fine.

I've no inclination to change my OS, either, just for the sake of fonts.

Kudos to those commenters still on CRT displays. One complaint I have with LCD's is reset lag time, which can make it tricky to catch early BIOS messages.

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#722

Post by Humphrey »

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…

For me it all comes down to display size and density, and therefore out of all the monitors I've tried, I'd go 27" at either 5k or 2.5k resolution.

For me 27" is the perfect display size: - Any bigger and I find I have to move my head to much to be comfortable in the long term and I get a stiff neck. - Any smaller and I can't fit enough on the screen at once and my productive decreases.

2.5k (1440x2560) on a 27" monitor has pixels at a good size that most apps scale by default beautifully on.

5k is exactly double the density of the already perfect 2.5k, so (at least of MacOS) everything displays exactly as it does with 2.5k except really crisp!

Therefore, I now run the 27" LG 5k as my primary screen, and my old 27" 2.5k vertically on the side for all those status like things that it's good to see but don't require my focus. Also, since the size and "looks like" resolution is the same, I can drag windows between them without any changes and size/scale. It just works!

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#723

Post by the_af »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #691
the_af wrote: post #667

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get what you're saying. In general, though, I disagree with the notion that newer tech makes old tech automatically -- always -- not good enough. It's the mentality that makes a lot of people rush to buy the latest Kindle (or mobile phone, or whatever) when the one they own does everything they need. More importantly, it's one thing to say "I prefer this new tech/resolution/gadget" and another to claim "how can you…

I just like 200+ PPI displays (24" 4K is the same pixel density as 27" 5K) because I have to spend a lot of time reading text and like not seeing pixels and/or anti-aliasing artifacts. Once you get used to it, going back is like going back from an iPhone 4 to some Windows Mobile 6.1 phone. It should also be cheap enough now, and at some point fabbing a 200+ PPI display will cost the same as an older one, it won't mak…

Don't get me wrong, I agree when the tech gets better, with none or few of the downsides others mentioned, going forward is the only direction. I won't actively shop for an older tech once the current one gives up the ghost.

I just disagree that it's "time to upgrade your monitor", or that the current tech is bad or makes it hard to be productive.

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#724

Post by mumblemumble »

mulmen wrote: post #686
mumblemumble wrote: post #635

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The 4K monitor at my office is a fair bit smaller than that, and I haven't used it since the COVID-19 epidemic sent me packing home. Since then I've just been using my laptop's built-in screen. To be honest, I think I may stick to it. At first, the huge monitor was fun, and initial change to having less screen real estate was definitely a drag. But, now that I'm accustomed to it again, I'm finding that "I can fit les…

A major pain (literally) point for me with laptop screens is posture. My neck aches after a day of looking mostly down. I suppose an external keyboard and mouse would help but I would have to get a stand and blah blah. Also for my particular workload real estate is very handy. I totally agree with there being some virtue to constraints but several times a day I really need the space.

That's a fair point. I do place my laptop on a stand and use an external keyboard and mouse, even when I'm working from home.

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#725

Post by jt2190 »

cmroanirgo wrote: post #310
the_af wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand this and I don't want to argue against anyone's preferences. You know what's best for you . I'm just pushing back against these out of touch fads. Most developers worldwide don't have a three-monitor setup. There is no proven correlation between quality software and 4K displays or mechanical keyboards (to name other fads). More importantly, the best devs I've known -- people I admire -- used tiny laptops…

May favourite dev environment was a 7" Android 4 running Debian. I got plenty done with an external keyboard. I bang away at my mba 13" 2013 these days and the only real gripe i have is the lack of delete & backspace keys combo: I've never gotten comfortable without it. That said, the only reason i could possibly use more screen real estate is web debugging. But to me that's more of an indictment of the environment I…

> ... the only real gripe i have is the lack of delete & backspace keys combo

I’m not sure I follow. Are you complaining about the lack of a dedicated Delete key on Macs, having to use only one key for both Backspace (Delete key) and Delete (Fn + Delete keys)?

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#726

Post by awtawtwat3aw »

lol @ monitors, new OLED tvs have hdmi 2.1, barely any bezel, and way better response/picture than any "monitor".

burn-in isn't the issue it once as.

will take years for people to realize this, though. feels good to live on the edge.

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#727

Post by wonderlg »

rkagerer wrote: post #721
ogre_codes wrote: post #574

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1. No matter what operating system you're on, you'll eventually run into an application that doesn't render in high dpi mode You lost me right here on line 1. If there are apps on MacOS that can't handle high dpi mode, I haven't run into them as a developer (or doing photo editing, video editing, plus whatever other hobbies I do). Also, I don't have any trouble with plugging my highDPI MacBook into a crappy 1080p d…

1 is definitely an issue for me. It's why I actively avoid monitors with small pixels. My trusty old Dell U3011 and the two rotated 1600x1200's flanking it suit me just fine. I've no inclination to change my OS, either, just for the sake of fonts. Kudos to those commenters still on CRT displays. One complaint I have with LCD's is reset lag time, which can make it tricky to catch early BIOS messages.

> BIOS messages

I think the problem is right there. You’re living in the past so you get the past’s problem.

I haven’t seen a BIOS message in a decade.

I’m sure those U3011 are beautiful and hard to let go (I used to have a U27) but it’s also hard to look at a low-dpi screen once you’ve seen the light

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#728

Post by smabie »

Havoc wrote: post #604

I bought a 4k screen for same programming rationale. Deep regret. From CRT days I know I can see 60hz but not 75hz. I had stupidly assumed that modern 60hz with freesync would be ok. It's not. Especially @ grey colour for some reason (Asus screen). The fact that I was coming from a 120hz laptop screen didn't help the situation either. Anyway...so I'm buying a 144hz 1440p gaming screen next. Screw this resolution game…

I have a Dell S2716DG [https://www.dell.com/lv/business/p/dell-s2716dg-monitor/pd] and I absolutely love it: 1440p, 27in, 144hz, 1ms response time (on fast mode), and g-sync. It's great for games and looks very classy. Also the price isn't bad at around ~$500. I would highly recommend it.

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#729

Post by codebook »

I switched to 34inch 1440p ultrawide monitor after WFH began. Previous monitor was 27inch 4k monitor. As I put the monitor at the edge of the desk, I don't notice significant differences of the text quality.

As I use work laptop and personal desktop both, changing to ultrawide that supports USB KVM is god blessed. It removes any clutter to switching between the PCs.

Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor

#730

Post by smabie »

ulisesrmzroche wrote: post #650
huy-nguyen wrote: post #393

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$200 is quite cheap for a 27” monitor. A good non-gaming 1440p 27” costs about $300-400 not on sale.

I got it on amazon. It has good reviews. I’m convinced it’s more than enough for coding.

Yeah, I'm sure it's fine. But $200 isn't "pushing it", that's a very entry-level price. An objectively nice monitor is gonna be between $400-$700, usually.
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