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.

 

[maflynn]

Option 2 - BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX. Mini-LED, 32" 4k display 144Hz. A bit on the higher end of things, but well received - $1,000

I picked up this, and it was delivered yesterday. I saw this go on sale, or maybe a pricing mistake? Not sure but I bought it for 750 on Amazon. I just checked the pricing this morning, and its back to 1049, so I'm happy I didn't hem and haw on this like I typically do

I'm still dialing in the configuration as I like my displays to run a bit cool but overall the color vibrancy, clarity, and now screen real estate looks fantastic. I could have gotten the Asus 5k proart for the same money, but from what I found, its one of those, you get what you pay for, and 800 is rather cheap for a 5k. I could have opted for a cheap 5k lacking in features and possibly quality or pay the same amount and got a higher end product with better features, and performance.

No buyers remorse, definitely an upgrade to my situation.

Text on macOS with a 32" 4K from a 22" seating distance looks terrible

No I can emphatically say at 1440p, at a distance about 25-28", this monitor looks fantastic. Its most certainly "retina" in that the pixels are not visible.

 

[EugW]

I picked up this, and it was delivered yesterday. I saw this go on sale, or maybe a pricing mistake? Not sure but I bought it for 750 on Amazon. I just checked the pricing this morning, and its back to 1049, so I'm happy I didn't hem and haw on this like I typically do

I'm still dialing in the configuration as I like my displays to run a bit cool but overall the color vibrancy, clarity, and now screen real estate looks fantastic. I could have gotten the Asus 5k proart for the same money, but from what I found, its one of those, you get what you pay for, and 800 is rather cheap for a 5k. I could have opted for a cheap 5k lacking in features and possibly quality or pay the same amount and got a higher end product with better features, and performance.

No buyers remorse, definitely an upgrade to my situation.


No I can emphatically say at 1440p, at a distance about 25-28", this monitor looks fantastic. Its most certainly "retina" in that the pixels are not visible.

I tried a true 2560x1440 32” Asus ProArt myself in my home. Text was poor at 22-25”. It was not even close to being Retina. In fact, a 1440p 92 ppi screen is not Retina until 37.5”.

However, if you’re talking about a 4K 32” screen run at 2560x1440, then yes it is Retina at 25”. However, as mentioned, I usually sit at about 22” and I could definitely see the pixels on a 4K 32” 138 ppi Asus ProArt at that distance. At a few more inches back, I couldn’t really see the pixels anymore, but the text didn’t look quite as good as on my 164 ppi screen. IOW, 4K 32” is technically Retina at about 25”, but to my eye it’s borderline. It would likely be better at 28” but I didn’t try that distance.

 

[Pezimak]

I picked up this, and it was delivered yesterday. I saw this go on sale, or maybe a pricing mistake? Not sure but I bought it for 750 on Amazon. I just checked the pricing this morning, and its back to 1049, so I'm happy I didn't hem and haw on this like I typically do

I'm still dialing in the configuration as I like my displays to run a bit cool but overall the color vibrancy, clarity, and now screen real estate looks fantastic. I could have gotten the Asus 5k proart for the same money, but from what I found, its one of those, you get what you pay for, and 800 is rather cheap for a 5k. I could have opted for a cheap 5k lacking in features and possibly quality or pay the same amount and got a higher end product with better features, and performance.

No buyers remorse, definitely an upgrade to my situation.


No I can emphatically say at 1440p, at a distance about 25-28", this monitor looks fantastic. Its most certainly "retina" in that the pixels are not visible.

That is a nice monitor and a good price. Sadly it lacks built in speakers and I want that to save on clutter on my desk. Also the stand wouldn’t fit on top of my riser, I checked lol. But a nice screen. Also only up for pre-order in a few places here in the UK, not even on Amazon, just states not available for sale on there. Then again the LG 32” 6K isn’t available for sale here either yet.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Have you considered the 40" Dell U4025QW? Same price as your #1 choice, and 5k2k, but you'll gain 120hz and the ultrawide aspect which you are used to. Also well supported on Windows.

 

[MilaM]

No I can emphatically say at 1440p, at a distance about 25-28", this monitor looks fantastic. Its most certainly "retina" in that the pixels are not visible.

Text rendering is definitely much better when using full retina resolutions. I have both a 5K 27 inch iMac and a 32 inch 4K display connected to a Mac mini on my desk. The 4K monitor is not bad, but the text rendering is a lot crisper on the 5K. But you can get used to anything. And price is of course also an important consideration.

There is a nice free tool to control the brightness of non-Apple monitors using the Apple keyboard. Maybe that could be useful for you.

GitHub - MonitorControl/MonitorControl: 🖥 Control your display's brightness & volume on your Mac as if it was a native Apple Display. Use Apple Keyboard keys or custom shortcuts. Shows the native macOS OSDs.

🖥 Control your display's brightness & volume on your Mac as if it was a native Apple Display. Use Apple Keyboard keys or custom shortcuts. Shows the native macOS OSDs. - MonitorControl/Moni...

github.com

 

[MacGizmo]

I've been using MonitorControl for years with my LG 5k/2k Ultrawide. It's unfortunate that an app like this is necessary, but it works great for adjusting the Sound/Volume of non-compliant displays.

 

[rb2112]

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?

If you are coming from 34" and like it, option 1 would definitely change your workflow/playflow due to large size difference. My (non LED) BenQ has performed very well. The Mini-LED looks awesome.