external monitor

[JTToft]

Might try this one I think.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-U2515H...8&qid=1453231159&sr=8-1&keywords=2560+monitor

Got the right resolution, but need to measure footprint as still worried may look too big.

- A very nice choice.
If you want, I can send various pictures of it to put you at ease. Don't have a rMB to compare, though. But I know there have been posted some picture on the forums of that monitor with a rMB.

That's a very nice monitor, and while I'm a huge proponent of buying the highest resolution monitor you can afford, I'm not sure that one meets the sweet spot of price vs. value. The monitor I originally linked earlier in the thread is 1920x1200 at 24" vs. this one at 2560x1440 at 27". Yes, it's higher resolution, but it's also much larger which negates some of that advantage, and it costs 3x as much.

- It's a 25", not 27". So it's a way way higher PPI than 1920x1200 at 24".

 

[BenTrovato]

That's a very nice monitor, and while I'm a huge proponent of buying the highest resolution monitor you can afford, I'm not sure that one meets the sweet spot of price vs. value. The monitor I originally linked earlier in the thread is 1920x1200 at 24" vs. this one at 2560x1440 at 27". Yes, it's higher resolution, but it's also much larger which negates some of that advantage, and it costs 3x as much.

Don't forget, he has a retina macbook. So the 1920 x 1200 will look very fuzzy compared to his macbook screen while the Dell will look just as sharp as his laptop screen. This is the problem I have now. I have a nice Dell external monitor at 1920 x 1080 that looks great with Windows but the fonts are fuzzy on OS X compared to a retina screen so I'm looking for a 2560 x 1440 monitor as well.

 

[JTToft]

Don't forget, he has a retina macbook. So the 1920 x 1200 will look very fuzzy compared to his macbook screen while the Dell will look just as sharp as his laptop screen.

- While your broader point is a good one, that is a bit of an overstatement. The Retina screen will still be sharper.

 

[punio75]

Yep, just want a good picture, doesn't have to be quite as good as my macbook.

Any pics would be great!

 

[JTToft]

Any pics would be great!

- Anything in particular you're looking for?
Here are a few I threw together of my workspace, with a few size comparisons with the Apple Wireless Keyboard. The machine is a non-Retina 15".

 

[BenTrovato]

- While your broader point is a good one, that is a bit of an overstatement. The Retina screen will still be sharper.

I agree, the macbook will be sharper. However the 1920 x 1200 will be horribly bad compared to the 2560 x 1440.

 

[punio75]

Lovely pics mate.
It looks a bit big for my desk (maybe its because I'm so used to an old Samsung 20"!!!!!!!)

Another option...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BenQ-BL2420...3234352&sr=1-2&keywords=2560x1440+ips+monitor

 

[BenTrovato]

Here is a Dell 21.5" IPS w/LED at 1920 x 1080 on the left and a retina screen on the right. I'm not sure if the picture does it justice but on the left, all the fonts are blurry while on the right every word is crisp.

 

[punio75]

Yep, thanks.
NEED the 2560 x 1440 then.

 

[xDKP]

- While it is pretty cheap, 2560x1080 monitors have never made sense to me. When 2560x1440 monitors are readily available, there's no point to the ultrawide aspect ratio, which just means you'd be losing real estate compared to 1440p.

Well it sort of depends on what size screen you want. I don't want a massive screen, but the facts that it's extra wide makes me able to have several documents side by side... I'm also a bit limited in height space on my desk do to a wall and a window

 

[JTToft]

the facts that it's extra wide makes me able to have several documents side by side...

- No, it precisely doesn't. You can have just as many documents side by side on a 1440p monitor. The ability to do that has nothing to do with wide or not wide aspect ratios. It has to do with the number of horizontal pixels - and both have 2560. With a 2560x1440 you can have longer documents open and just as many side by side.

I suppose your space constraint point makes a little sense. Though, for that particular LG monitor vs. the Dell I suggested, I'm willing to bet they'd be very nearly exactly equally tall, given that the Dell has height adjustment (and so can go further down) and the LG doesn't; but that's really a different point.

 

[punio75]

Does this seem a good price to you guys?

http://www.dabs.com/products/dell-p...nitor-210-aeog-BG64.html?refs=460500000&src=2

 

[JTToft]

Does this seem a good price to you guys?

http://www.dabs.com/products/dell-p...nitor-210-aeog-BG64.html?refs=460500000&src=2

- Seems fine. Good monitor. But to be perfectly honest, I would spend the extra 60-70 quid for the more versatile connectivity including MST support, audio out, USB 3.0 ports (and more of them) of the U2515H, as well as for its UltraSharp status and more attractive design.

But that looks like a really good monitor. I'm sure you'll be happy with it. Just comes down to whether or not those extra features are worth £60 to you.

EDIT: There's one thing which might ruin it for you. From some quick Googling, it seems that monitor can't utilize the full 1440p via HDMI (which would be the most likely connection from your rMB), but only via DisplayPort.
More litterature. Even more, disputing the other two... Hm...
Tomshardware claims to know it's HDMI 1.4, which does support 2560x1440. This is all very confusing.
Alright, the actual manual confirms it's 1.4 and supports the full resolution. Case closed.

EDIT 2: Despite the 24", it's actually very very nearly as large physically as the 25" due to its larger bezels. Worth considering also if physical size is of concern to you.

[Please excuse the rather disheveled appearance and multiple edits of this post.]

 

[punio75]

Yep, physical size is something I need to consider.

 

[unixphone]

Since i spent so much on the silly apple hdmi adapter, i spent $100 on the external monitor

https://slickdeals.net/coupons/amazon/

 

[Alexappleusa]

Wow this looks pretty damn nice! Not a massive fan of the glossy plastic finish though, but never mind. Could make this a good combo when in the office for full days.

- While it is pretty cheap, 2560x1080 monitors have never made sense to me. When 2560x1440 monitors are readily available, there's no point to the ultrawide aspect ratio, which just means you'd be losing real estate compared to 1440p.

I've had the monitor for a week now and after some settings tweaking love it. The bezel is thin so the gloss doesn't bother me. Yes 2560x1440 would be nicer, but for the price point 1080 vs 1440 is not bad, I can still have two windows open at the same time on the monitor.

I picked up mine refurbished for $125 on Amazon

UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-25UM57-U...ie=UTF8&qid=1452613616&sr=8-1&keywords=25um57
US
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V8FAWC2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00

 

[punio75]

Took the plunge on the
Dell U2515H 25-Inch LCD Monitor

 

[BenTrovato]

Took the plunge on the
Dell U2515H 25-Inch LCD Monitor

Post some pics / review when you get it.

 

[jfriedman8]

I've been using my Samsung SyncMaster SA850 for almost 3 years now and never had an issue.

 

[BenTrovato]

Took the plunge on the
Dell U2515H 25-Inch LCD Monitor

I took the plunge on the U2515H too. Really nice monitor although it's not quite retina. The menu and title fonts associated with programs are a bit too small for my liking. I can't figure out how to fix it.

 

[JTToft]

I took the plunge on the U2515H too. Really nice monitor although it's not quite retina. The menu and title fonts associated with programs are a bit too small for my liking. I can't figure out how to fix it.

- That's a function of PPI. You'll have to set a lower resolution to get larger UI elements.

 

[BenTrovato]

- That's a function of PPI. You'll have to set a lower resolution to get larger UI elements.

At 2048 x 1152 everything is proportionate and the right size but then of course, the fonts are all fuzzy. I downloaded SwitchResX but it already seems too complicated to just get system wide fonts to be a little bit bigger. It's tough to get it right! I'm not sure if I should return the U2515H; I got such a great deal on it that I'm tempted to keep it.

 

[hArrisburger]

I have the 2015 rMB and I am using the HDMI connector to an LG Flatiron IPS235. I occasionally have issues connecting in clamshell, but for the most part it has worked well.

Would a 2560x1440 be that much of a different? The retina screen is obviously better and I'd like to be able to replicate that as much as possible.

I haven't bought a monitor in years, so any advice is appreciated!

 

[BenTrovato]

I have the 2015 rMB and I am using the HDMI connector to an LG Flatiron IPS235. I occasionally have issues connecting in clamshell, but for the most part it has worked well.

Would a 2560x1440 be that much of a different? The retina screen is obviously better and I'd like to be able to replicate that as much as possible.

I haven't bought a monitor in years, so any advice is appreciated!

2560 x 1440 will be noticeably better than the LG monitor you have. However it still won't compare to your retina panel. If you want the clarity of your rMBP you'll need to save up for a 4k monitor.

 

[Unrealmac1988]

What I am really interested in is the performance of the rMB when plugged into another monitor:

Are 2k youtube videos playing smooth (for example) ?
How about Netflix or big Power Point presentations?
General scrolling in Chrome with many tabs open?