Display for both coding & graphic design/video editing

[patent10021]

I think for your case, a 32" 4K IPS monitor would be a good balance between screen real-estate for coding, text sharpness and light graphic design work. Unless you plan on doing some gaming on it or editing HDR content, you don't need a monitor with high refresh rate or HDR 600/1,000 or mini-LED. That will save you money on features that you don't need.

Back when I was researching monitors for creative work since I was looking to upgrade, the ProArt Display PA329CV was one of the better value purchases that you could get for a 32" 4K IPS monitor. A couple other solid 32" 4K IPS options include the BenQ PD3200U and ViewSonic VP3256-4K. All of these monitors are matte so you won't have to worry about glare.

A 34" or 38" Ultrawide could also be an option but most of them have a PPI or 109. If that's sharp enough for you, those could work but if you can't stand the fuzzier text for coding, then you'll have to look for something sharper.

You're saying I (do not) need HDR 600/1000 or mini-led and that 60 Hz refresh rates are fine.

Most of the ultra wide have a PPI of 109 so they could be a bit fuzzy.

Any more fuzzy that what I'm seeing with this older Sony smart TV?

I uploaded a photo of the Sony display. Why do cheap monitors have that old school digital LCD look to them compared with a same age MBP display that doesn't have that. The MBP is all smooth solid colors. Is that simply because of the resolution?

Lastly, since my eyes are not what they used to be, I'm not even sure I would notice text fuzziness on any cheaper monitors. I mean the Sony I'm using is probably a bit fuzzy but since it's just IDE text, it seems somewhat normal. Others might complain.

I noticed settings is selected at 1360x768. A single IDE took up the entire screen so I switched it to 1080. Now I have more real estate but will have to increase the IDE font. I guess that's the best solution. I'm not sure what people normally do.

I'm thinking of a 27" for portrait notebooks and a 32" for wide IDEs.

I've been playing around and realized 1080 is still not enough real estate. For two IDEs side by side it looks like I need 1440??

 

[JaredJenkinsDesign]

You're saying I (do not) need HDR 600/1000 or mini-led and that 60 Hz refresh rates are fine.

Correct, 60 hz is fine but if you want to reduce eye strain and keep things easier on your eyes, then perhaps a higher refresh rate might be better for you.

Any more fuzzy that what I'm seeing with this older Sony smart TV?

I uploaded a photo of the Sony display. Why do cheap monitors have that old school digital LCD look to them compared with a same age MBP display that doesn't have that. The MBP is all smooth solid colors. Is that simply because of the resolution?

Lastly, since my eyes are not what they used to be, I'm not even sure I would notice text fuzziness on any cheaper monitors. I mean the Sony I'm using is probably a bit fuzzy but since it's just IDE text, it seems somewhat normal. Others might complain.

I noticed settings is selected at 1360x768. A single IDE took up the entire screen so I switched it to 1080. Now I have more real estate but will have to increase the IDE font. I guess that's the best solution. I'm not sure what people normally do.

That TV has a PPI of about 49, so any monitor is going to be considerably sharper than that TV. It's going to come down to personal preference when it comes to sharpness. Some are perfectly fine with 109 ppi like a 27" 2560x1440 monitor while others need something sharper like a 27" 4K or 27" 5K. It sounds like you should be fine with any 109 PPI monitor such as a 27" QHD or 34" ultrawide monitor.

One potential option for you then is to run a 34" high refresh rate ultrawide monitor and have a vertical portrait monitor off to the side. The ASUS ProArt PA348CGV is a 34" 120hz IPS Ultrawide Monitor that is color accurate and a monitor I considered before going with a different option. It is a flat monitor though and I'm not sure if you would want a curved monitor if you went the Ultrawide direction.

You can find 32" 4K 144 hz IPS monitors although most seem to be marketed towards gamers. A 32" 4K could still be a good option, the only concern might be text size if you don't use any scaling.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

I'd say that 60Hz on an IPS panel is fine for development etc. On an LCD it isn't about the eye strain so much it is about how smooth the mouse, and windows and other objects can move and redraw. That is why HDMI isn't great as too often it will get limited across the connection chain to 30Hz and that is notable when moving windows around. If you do canvas development or any other kind of pixel movements or website movement then you also get benefit.

We did a test the other day as a colleague was complaining the canvas was only refreshing at 30Hz, I explained to him it is his HDMI connection and dongle. Wouldn't believe me ofcourse So I showed it running with USBC and boom instantly the browser picked it up and now was at 60Hz. Then the internal display did the same back to 30Hz on his windows Dell XPS and I showed it on my MBP 16" and boom at 120Hz.

So yes depending on what you do, higher refresh rates can be useful for development as well. But in my opinion whatever you do keep the connections to usb-c or dp. If you go for a multi-monitor setup then DP with MST for daisy chaining can provide a nice simple connectivity solution.

 

[gshocked]

What about this LG 28MQ780?