Advice on purchasing a new Monitor

[swiat-tpg]

Hi,
I have a ASUS UX362F i7 8th Gen notebook that I operate via an ASUS USB3.0 HZ-3 docking station with dual monitors and am thinking of getting a new monitor. I am after some advice about type of screen technology eg. IPS & size, resolution curved vs flat etc.

What is the thought process & tips that I should follow?

Cheers
Peter

 

[Replytoken]

Welcome to the forum. My first question is what is your budget? After that, a brief list of what I would look at are the following, in no particular order:

• screen size
• resolution
• color gamut (primarily sRGB vs Adobe RGB)
• panel technology (IPS vs. non-IPS)
• backlight technology / uniformity in lighting
• color fidelity and ability to color correct
• bit-rate (6, 8 or 10-bit workflow)

Your budget and your standards are going to be the two biggest parameters in your decision process. Do you have a puck and calibration software? If not, you should budget for them if color fidelity is critical and/or important to you. If your budget is restricted, you will need to decide what is or is not important to you. Personally, I would rather have a smaller, screen (22-24") with better IQ than a large screen with lesser quality and/or lesser color gamut. And I feel somewhat the same way about resolution, I am happy with a 1920x1200. But ask different folks and you will get completely different answers. Search the forum and you will find a lot of thread with a lot of different opinions and some useful advice. I would start by looking for the word "monitor" in thread titles.

Good luck,

--Ken

 

[mcasan]

I replaced my 27" iMac with a new Mini attached to a Lenovo ThinkVision P32u-10. The screen is IPS, wide gamut (Adobe RGB), 4K, and does Thunderbolt 3 as well as other input types. I has a USB hub and also passes through RB3 to other devices such as drives. The list was around $1399 and I got it on sale for $699. I think the price has come back up a few dollars. The monitor has 3 year warranty. From my 2 weeks with it, I highly recommend this model if you want one or more large, high resolution, wide gamut monitor. Your mileage may vary.

Merry Christmas

 

[swiat-tpg]

Welcome to the forum. My first question is what is your budget? After that, a brief list of what I would look at are the following, in no particular order:

• screen size
• resolution
• color gamut (primarily sRGB vs Adobe RGB)
• panel technology (IPS vs. non-IPS)
• backlight technology / uniformity in lighting
• color fidelity and ability to color correct
• bit-rate (6, 8 or 10-bit workflow)

Your budget and your standards are going to be the two biggest parameters in your decision process. Do you have a puck and calibration software? If not, you should budget for them if color fidelity is critical and/or important to you. If your budget is restricted, you will need to decide what is or is not important to you. Personally, I would rather have a smaller, screen (22-24") with better IQ than a large screen with lesser quality and/or lesser color gamut. And I feel somewhat the same way about resolution, I am happy with a 1920x1200. But ask different folks and you will get completely different answers. Search the forum and you will find a lot of thread with a lot of different opinions and some useful advice. I would start by looking for the word "monitor" in thread titles.

Good luck,

--Ken

Hi Ken, Thanks for the welcome
I'm looking at the monitor & docking station to be part of my home office and thinking of spending ~AUD$800 for monitor & suitable type C docking station.

• Screen Size 27 to 32 inch. For work I would like to be able to have several virtual monitors within the 27/32 inch physical monitor
• Advise on resolution appreciated HD, vs 2K, vs 4K. I note you suggest FHD. I'm currently running a 1920 x 1080 main display
• Similarly what is the difference on panels is there a link that explains? I was thinking IPS is this the best technology for Photography?
• I do have a Spyder4elite (not had a chance to use it yet) - so colour correction would be good

Thanks. I will start searching the treads If anyone has a good docking station/monitor combo they recommend in this spec & price range available in Australia I would be grateful.

The video is Intel UHD 620. 2x USB-C 3.1 gen1. Just wondering whether it supports 2K or 4K monitors via a docking station?

 

[Replytoken]

Hi Ken, Thanks for the welcome
I'm looking at the monitor & docking station to be part of my home office and thinking of spending ~AUD$800 for monitor & suitable type C docking station.

• Screen Size 27 to 32 inch. For work I would like to be able to have several virtual monitors within the 27/32 inch physical monitor
• Advise on resolution appreciated HD, vs 2K, vs 4K. I note you suggest FHD. I'm currently running a 1920 x 1080 main display
• Similarly what is the difference on panels is there a link that explains? I was thinking IPS is this the best technology for Photography?
• I do have a Spyder4elite (not had a chance to use it yet) - so colour correction would be good

Thanks. I will start searching the treads If anyone has a good docking station/monitor combo they recommend in this spec & price range available in Australia I would be grateful.

The video is Intel UHD 620. 2x USB-C 3.1 gen1. Just wondering whether it supports 2K or 4K monitors via a docking station?

You are welcome!

I have an HD monitor because color gamut and fidelity were more important to me and I was able to acquire a NEC PA242W at a great price. I might be tempted by a 27", but beyond that, it would overwhelm my desk and my second monitor.

Regarding monitor technology, I have always preferred IPS panels for photography, but there are some competing technologies that some people like. I believe that Samsung uses PV-A(?) in their high end panels, but as I prefer NEC monitors, and their high end models are have IPS panels, my choices are really about the type of IPS panel and the backlighting that is being employed. I am sure there are articles on the web that go into detail about the different technologies as well as the pros and cons of each, so you can do a deep dive into that if you are interested.

I have no experience with docking stations, so I cannot comment or offer advice.

--Ken

 

[mariah1902]

Instead of buying a monitor I have bought a UHD tv and connected it with HDMI cable and to be honest I am loving it. I hung it in the wall few cm upward from my table and it looks good and gaming and designing is very easier now. I think if you do not use a laptop then you should buy a tv instead of the monitor. Monitors are expensive and small at the same time, that is why I like tv more than monitors. The clarity is great and the size is enormous. I never got satisfied with watching movies and doing work with the same device.

 

[clee01l]

I think if you do not use a laptop then you should buy a tv instead of the monitor.

The distinction of "what is a TV?" is blurred. By definition, a TV is a monitor that has a UHF/VHF receiver built in to receive over the air broadcasts. Most of the world today receives their local broadcasting via Cable or satellite. All most people need today is a monitor with HDMI ports to connect to a computer, Cable Settop Box, DVR etc. Even "TVs" in addition to a UHF/VHF receiver have a built in computer to access the internet.

 

[Bluebamboo]

An OLED TV or similar panel technology may make an awesome editing display that would probably be pretty colour accurate after calibration.
I'm assuming any Tv that is HDR compliant should be pretty decent colour wise or else they wouldn't be HDR ready?