LG 34UM95 for New Mac Pro

realph said:

I'm a bit confused by this whole 4K, QHD, Retina thing.

Basically, I've got an ASUS PB287Q 4K display that I bought earlier in the month. It's sharp and clear but not without it's problems. I'm a designer and this is my main screen and I've noticed that colours are affected by what angle I view the screen at. So, I'm thinking of returning it.

Enter the LG 34UM95. I was thinking of picking this up as a replacement, but I can't tell if it's 4K or not. I basically need a monitor that is as close to Apple's retina display on the iPad as possible. 2x normal resolution, basically. Is this a good fit? Also, will I have the same viewing angle problems as the Asus?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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It's not 4K/UHD 3840x2160.

The 34UM95-P is 3440x1440 aka WQHD.

The ASUS uses a TN panel which is known for bad viewing angles and colours, the LG is an IPS panel. Good colours and very good viewing angles.

realph said:

Err okay... thanks! Will this display offer a "retina-like" effect over my old Apple Cinema Display 24"?

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I have no idea what you mean by retina effect, but it's much high quality with more pixels.
More details, that's sharper looking. It also has a hardware LUT, so you can calibrate the colours with a colorimeter for even more accuracy.

Here a review from a photographer.

http://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1213797-lg-34um95-p-ultra-wide-monitor-review/#entry596405841

realph said:

Thanks for the great review. By retina, I mean how close is the pixel density compared to say an iPad Air or one of the MacBook Pro's with Retina Display?

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It has the same pixel density of a normal 2560x1440 Apple Cinema Display.

realph said:

Hmm. Because I plan on designing things for the iPad and iPhone's retina screens. I'd rather work at that sort of pixel density. Thanks for your help.

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It's basically an Apple Thunderbolt display with a few edges more on the left and right edges. Same density.

realph said:

That's a shame. Seems the only decent 4K monitor on the market is the Sharp one Apple sells alongside the Mac Pro. I'm not willing to slap $3K down on a non-apple display, though. Seems ridiculous.

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According to the front page 4k displays do seem to be inbound from Apple.

realph said:

That's a shame. Seems the only decent 4K monitor on the market is the Sharp one Apple sells alongside the Mac Pro. I'm not willing to slap $3K down on a non-apple display, though. Seems ridiculous.

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To be clear, while not 4K, the LG is the same pixel density of the current 27" ACD (109 ppi). That's higher than your existing 24" ACD (94.3 ppi).

realph said:

That's a shame. Seems the only decent 4K monitor on the market is the Sharp one Apple sells alongside the Mac Pro. I'm not willing to slap $3K down on a non-apple display, though. Seems ridiculous.

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Don't forget the 23.8" Dell up2414q, an 4K IPS that would work wonderful as a "1080p-retina" monitor. I believe it would give you the pixel density you want.

Boomhowler said:

Don't forget the 23.8" Dell up2414q, an 4K IPS that would work wonderful as a "1080p-retina" monitor. I believe it would give you the pixel density you want.

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That Dell (yuk) looks like a quality monitor but all the reviews say it has bad sleep issues - won't wake up half the time.

Mums said:

That Dell (yuk) looks like a quality monitor but all the reviews say it has bad sleep issues - won't wake up half the time.

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Oh, I must have missed that. Where did you read about that?

Boomhowler said:

Oh, I must have missed that. Where did you read about that?

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There are many threads if you search the model number and "sleep". It sucks because it's otherwise a good IPS monitor, it would seem.

I finally decided and got the ASUS PB287Q - the closest to functional of all the inexpensive 4K monitors for nMP. And will hopefully get Apple 4K monitor if it comes out.

Mums said:

There are many threads if you search the model number and "sleep". It sucks because it's otherwise a good IPS monitor, it would seem.

I finally decided and got the ASUS PB287Q - the closest to functional of all the inexpensive 4K monitors for nMP. And will hopefully get Apple 4K monitor if it comes out.

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ok I'll keep looking

Hope you get satisfied with the Asus one. Just saw this though, have you seen anything about it?

NEC Multisync EA244UHD

IPS, 23.8".. bit more pricey though.

realph said:

Err okay... thanks! Will this display offer a "retina-like" effect over my old Apple Cinema Display 24"?

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No, 34UM95 will not offer retina scale.

Boomhowler said:

ok I'll keep looking

Hope you get satisfied with the Asus one. Just saw this though, have you seen anything about it?

NEC Multisync EA244UHD

IPS, 23.8".. bit more pricey though.

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That looks good, but is roughly twice the price, and smaller, so I still think I'll just wait for the Apple 4K display and then use the ASUS as a second monitor. The TN vs IPS thing doesn't bother me - I'm more about brightness, color (as in saturation, not hellbent on color grading) and resolution.

Boomhowler said:

Hope you get satisfied with the Asus one. Just saw this though, have you seen anything about it?

NEC Multisync EA244UHD

IPS, 23.8".. bit more pricey though.

Click to expand...

Might make for a good "pixel double" Retina monitor ( 1920 x 1080 ) Would have to stench to "Retina-ize" the 21.5" model ( 21.5" --> 23.8" ).

It is pricey in part because the pixel density here is higher than the other TN panels.

deconstruct60 said:

Might make for a good "pixel double" Retina monitor ( 1920 x 1080 ) Would have to stench to "Retina-ize" the 21.5" model ( 21.5" --> 23.8" ).

It is pricey in part because the pixel density here is higher than the other TN panels.

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and the NEC is an extended color range IPS, with very good specs. Even the Dell up2414q has a higher quality panel than the TN ones.

deconstruct60 said:

Might make for a good "pixel double" Retina monitor ( 1920 x 1080 ) Would have to stench to "Retina-ize" the 21.5" model ( 21.5" --> 23.8" ).

It is pricey in part because the pixel density here is higher than the other TN panels.

Click to expand...

Boomhowler said:

and the NEC is an extended color range IPS, with very good specs. Even the Dell up2414q has a higher quality panel than the TN ones.

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Sadly, it's still an MST display and who knows if it even works with the nMP and what support would be long term. If it was single stream, I'd consider getting a pair to replace my aging 24" ACDs.

I have the LG 34UM95, and I must say it's a fantastic screen for my uses.

It does NOT offer 4k / retina scaling, but that's ok with me. I have previously used a 27" iMac, and I find the pixel density perfectly fine for working with on a daily basis. This screen is basically identical to the 27" iMac in height and pixel density, but wider. As someone with lots of windows open while working, the extra space is fantastic. Also, it works great for gaming. The ultrawide format gives a very immersive experience, while still keeping good framerates as it's much less pixels to push than 4k.

What I also love is all the connectivity. Not only is it the only screen at the moment with Thunderbolt 2 (2 ports, so you can daisy chain it), it also has USB hub, HDMI and DisplayPort connectivity. The USB-hub works through thunderbolt too, so only one cable needed from computer to screen to be able to use USB peripherals connected to the screen. And on that note, I have the screen connected to two computers - one through DisplayPort and one with Thunderbolt. With the mouse and keyboard connected to the screen, it switches automatically to the correct computer just by changing the Input on the monitor. Awesome!

Also, having it next to my iMac I realize just how nice a monitor without glare is - while I can see myself in the iMac reflections, the LG is very readable.

There's not many cons I've noticed so far. The built-in speakers are not very good (definitely worse than the iMacs). Also, when changing input source it can take a while to get a "fix" (a couple of seconds), feels a bit slow at times, but it's not something you do very often.

All in all, I can gladly recommend it for anyone with a Mac. It's not a retina display, but it's damn good.

I recently got the LG ACB 8300 calibrator to use with my display and it only cost me €49, as opposed to the €200 for the Xrite iPro. The results were brilliant for it's price, and it plugs into the back USB3.0 input port to work with the Hardware LUT of the display.

You just need to install the LG True Colour Finder softer and away you go.