Best monitor for staring at code

[kmo19]

I know there are other monitor threads out there, but I want to ask specifically for my needs. I'm a programmer and I often spend 10-12 hours a day looking at code. I have a mid 2012 Retina MB Pro with NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1024 MB. I want the best external monitor possible for the main purpose of being easy on my eyes. I currently use a Dell U2412M but I feel like I could do better.

I've read about the new 28-inch 4K dell coming out, but people complain about the 30 Hz refresh rate. Does that matter for me? I don't care about gaming. Like I said I just need something that won't hurt my eyes after staring at it for 50+ hours a week.

Obviously the higher the resolution the better. I am willing to pay for something good. Maybe not $3500 but any reasonable cost.

 

[mikepj]

I've seen a 30Hz display in action. It feels a lot like controlling a Mac over a VNC connection, where the mouse lags behind you as you move it. If you are just editing code by using the keyboard for navigation, then it might be okay, but you would see a delay as soon as you tried to do anything with the mouse. As a developer myself it would drive me crazy.

I'm not sure, but I think the other new 28" 4K monitors by Asus and Lenovo will do 60Hz and are only $100 more than the Dell. You might want to look into one of those.

 

[a.coward]

As the previous poster said, you'd get a lot of jerkiness with 30Hz,
especially with the mouse. This can impact cursor accuracy. I tend
to use my mouse as a "guide" when reading code and a jerky cursor
would just drive me nuts.

But, as I understand it, a 4k monitor would not be an option for
you anyway: everything I've read points to the mid 2012 rMBPs
not being able to support 4k (I also own a 2012 rMBP and was
considering 4k myself -- ended up getting the U2713HM).
Correction: It looks like 4k support may have been enabled with
Mavericks.

I really don't have any monitors in mind, but I would look at getting
at matte display if you primary requirement is for it to be easy on
the eyes (there are some who complain about the anti-glare coating
on the Dell U-series monitors and sometimes I find the U2713HM
to be a bit too "bright" or "vivid" -- so while being nice to look at,
it can be hard on the eyes for too long a time).

As an alternative, I would recommend you look at getting another
monitor and going dual-head. You'd be amazed at how much
more productive you can be when coding/debugging with two
displays. Depending on your coding style, you may want to even
consider placing one of the screens in portrait mode for more
vertical space.

 

[glenthompson]

As an alternative, I would recommend you look at getting another
monitor and going dual-head. You'd be amazed at how much
more productive you can be when coding/debugging with two
displays. Depending on your coding style, you may want to even
consider placing one of the screens in portrait mode for more
vertical space.

This.

Before I retired our company did a SAP implementation. A lot of people on the project used 2 Lenovo wide screen monitors (company standard) with one in wide screen mode and the other vertical. The vertical monitor was for code and the horizontal one for anything else. The ability to see about two pages of code at a time was really helpful.

 

[kmo19]

I actually do use two externals. So I have my MB Pro screen, one horizontal, and one vertical external.

But back to the actual monitor selection. Sounds like the new Dell 4k 30 Hz is not a good option, although I'm not even sure why they would release something like that if there's a noticeable lag in mouse movement. Who would put up with that?

The 28" 4K monitors by Asus and Lenovo are still a few months away and may be good options if I can wait that long.

The Planar PXL2790MW looks nice, but very glossy. I'm curious about the matte display options. Any particular models to recommend?

 

[robgendreau]

I know there are other monitor threads out there, but I want to ask specifically for my needs. I'm a programmer and I often spend 10-12 hours a day looking at code. I have a mid 2012 Retina MB Pro with NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1024 MB. I want the best external monitor possible for the main purpose of being easy on my eyes. I currently use a Dell U2412M but I feel like I could do better.

I've read about the new 28-inch 4K dell coming out, but people complain about the 30 Hz refresh rate. Does that matter for me? I don't care about gaming. Like I said I just need something that won't hurt my eyes after staring at it for 50+ hours a week.

Obviously the higher the resolution the better. I am willing to pay for something good. Maybe not $3500 but any reasonable cost.

I've got a 2560x1440 running off the same card, in a hackintosh. I don't code, but do a lot of word processing. Aside from getting more space, you might try some anti-glare solutions. I thought that I needed higher resolution, but when I got my new glasses with a good anti-glare coating I found that my eyestrain lessened considerably. Might not work for you, but at least eliiminate glare or ergonomic problems first. The ergonomic guru at my work would tell you that no screen change is gonna help if you're staring at it for that long....

 

[mcarling]

Anyone have good results with a 4K monitor available for purchase today? It would be used with a Haswell 15" rMBP.

 

[bravenewmac]

a 4k monitor for webdesign is useless imo

 

[chfilm]

I actually do use two externals. So I have my MB Pro screen, one horizontal, and one vertical external.

But back to the actual monitor selection. Sounds like the new Dell 4k 30 Hz is not a good option, although I'm not even sure why they would release something like that if there's a noticeable lag in mouse movement. Who would put up with that?

The 28" 4K monitors by Asus and Lenovo are still a few months away and may be good options if I can wait that long.

The Planar PXL2790MW looks nice, but very glossy. I'm curious about the matte display options. Any particular models to recommend?

I've connected my projector over hdmi to my iMac to check out how bad 30hz looks like.
If you have a tv I would suggest you try the same.

It's not AS bad as I suspected but it's also not good looking how the mouse moves...

----------

In fact I would be more interested in seeing how small the text looks like on such a 4k monitor and how that would affect your ability to stare at it for 50+ hours a week.

 

[maflynn]

a 4k monitor for webdesign is useless imo

Agreed, why pay a premium for such a product that will be underutilized. I like the dell ultrasharp and I'm rocking with an Apple Cinema Display. I'd recommend either one

 

[mm201]

a 4k monitor for webdesign is useless imo

Not if you want to Retinafy your site.

Content and software creators need to make the jump to hiDPI now so that everyone else will have a compelling reason to go hiDPI later.

 

[mikepj]

Not if you want to Retinafy your site.

Content and software creators need to make the jump to hiDPI now so that everyone else will have a compelling reason to go hiDPI later.

This.

Any web developer not thinking of making the jump to a HiDPI display now or soon is going to be at a pretty big disadvantage in the market. There are already millions of HiDPI devices browsing the web right now.