27" 5k Monitor or 32" 4k?

[maflynn]

Long story short, looking to upgrade my monitor situation. My current monitor is a 34" ultra-wide 1440p LG monitor. Usage is productivity and gaming. I'm not considering OLED due to the burn-in. HDR is a nice to have but not critical.

• Option 1 - Apple Studio Display, 27" monitor, 5k display 60Hz. Less then ideal PC support - $1,500.
• Option 2 - BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX. Mini-LED, 32" 4k display 144Hz. A bit on the higher end of things, but well received - $1,000.
• Option 3 - BenQ MOBIUZ EX3210U 32" LED 4k display 144Hz. Less features then the UX version - $600
• Option 4 Corsair XENEON 32UHD144 32" LED (quantum dot) 4k display 144Hz - $800

I'm leaning towards option 2 Benq EX321UX but also Option 4 Corsair. I think the mini-led and other features is worth the 200 dollars price difference.

I went to my local Microcenter to see the corsair, except there was no display model being shown, so I left disappointed. That might be been a blessing in disguise as I was searching RTINGS and stumbled upon the BenQ.

Thoughts and suggestions, any red flags withe BenQ or Corsair?

 

[EugW]

I'm not a gamer, but personally I will be waiting a few months to get one of the new crop of 6K 32" 60 Hz productivity monitors, which work with both Macs and PCs. I'm not sure how well gaming would work on one of those though, even if you feed it a 4K signal - not sure of input lag.

Text on macOS with a 32" 4K from a 22" seating distance looks terrible IMO, based on my experience with an Asus ProArt 4K monitor (US$600). How far do you sit from it? For that 138 ppi pixel density, the minimum I would recommend is 25".

 

[maflynn]

new crop of 6K 32" 60 Hz productivity monitors

I'm thinking the pricing will be such that it will exceed my budget for this class of monitors.

For that 138 ppi pixel density, the minimum I would recommend is 25".

Are you saying the smaller monitor, which will drive up the DPI and thus be better overall? What resolution are you using with your 4k?

I'm about 25" from my monitor, btw.

Edit. Let me just add I have a 34” ultra wide 1440p monitor, so the 4k being nearly the same size will offer higher dpi

 

[Genelec8341]

I have an LG 27MD5KL that I got from the Apple Store back when they were available. It's been reliable with no problems at it's maximum 5120x2880 resolution, though I never use auto brightness, keep it at ~20% brightness in a dark room and I've never used the USB-C dock. It's pixel density is 218ppi.

Do you happen to know the pixel density of the monitors you listed? I am curious to know. Thanks.

 

[EugW]

I have an LG 27MD5KL that I got from the Apple Store back when they were available. It's been reliable with no problems at it's maximum 5120x2880 resolution, though I never use auto brightness, keep it at ~20% brightness in a dark room and I've never used the USB-C dock. It's pixel density is 218ppi.

Do you happen to know the pixel density of the monitors you listed? I am curious to know. Thanks.

Aside from the Apple Studio Display, all the other monitors in his post are 4K 32", which translates to 138 ppi. That makes for poor text quality in macOS at seating distances less than 25 inches.

The next step up for pixel density is 4K 27", which is 163 ppi, which means a minimum seating distance of 21" for Retina.

Going up from there is 4K 24", which is 184 ppi, which means a minimum seating distance of 19" for Retina.