Need help deciding on a monitor for my MBP and a work computer.

[modernmoments]

I'm looking for a monitor mostly for work. I'm looking for a 34-38" monitor. I want to hook into my work HP laptop and my MacBook Pro.

I'm looking between either the BenQ PD3200U or the Asus Designo Curve MX38VC.

Any suggestions between the two? Or maybe something else? I don't use it for gaming.

 

[Fishrrman]

I'm not a fan of super-wide curved displays, but I guess that's just me.

The BenQ looks ok, but be aware that with 4k on a 32" panel, you're probably going to want to run it "in scaled mode" (such as "looks like 1440p").
That could result in higher GPU/CPU usage, more heat, fans running, etc.
Running in HiDPI mode ("looks like 1080p") will result in text that may be "too large".

As an alternative, you might consider a 32" display that has a NATIVE RESOLUTION of 1440p.
This will yield text that is "readable" at normal font sizes, and enough screen real estate for large graphics.
In terms of clarity, it may not be quite as sharp as the retina display of the MacBook Pro, but will still be pretty good (this really depends on your age, eyesight, etc.).
And because it's running in native resolution, there should be no performance penalties on either the Mac or HP...

 

[xraydoc]

I'm not a fan of super-wide curved displays, but I guess that's just me.

The BenQ looks ok, but be aware that with 4k on a 32" panel, you're probably going to want to run it "in scaled mode" (such as "looks like 1440p").
That could result in higher GPU/CPU usage, more heat, fans running, etc.
Running in HiDPI mode ("looks like 1080p") will result in text that may be "too large".

As an alternative, you might consider a 32" display that has a NATIVE RESOLUTION of 1440p.
This will yield text that is "readable" at normal font sizes, and enough screen real estate for large graphics.
In terms of clarity, it may not be quite as sharp as the retina display of the MacBook Pro, but will still be pretty good (this really depends on your age, eyesight, etc.).
And because it's running in native resolution, there should be no performance penalties on either the Mac or HP...

A 1440p 32" monitor (native; not 4K scaled) would, IMHO, would not look good for text. Fine for games, but not for text-based usage. On a 27" display, 1440p is only just adequate.

While 4K scaled resolutions may impart some performance hit on macOS, I think any machine from the past 2-3 years should be able to handle it quite well.

But for the OP, if you're going 34-38", I presume you're looking at ultrawide. Dell and Samsung make some good ones with vertical resolutions up to 1600 pixels. There are some ultrawide 5K2K displays, but not sure what your price range is. Otherwise, with ultrawides, you'll be looking at a non-HiDPI display.

My personal advice is a 32" 4K display. Best balance of size, price and HiDPI "retina" display modes for sharpest text. I personally don't think running a scaled resolution impacts performance significantly on any recent machines. Heat and battery isn't really going to be an issue tethered to a desk, monitor and power supply.

 

[Fishrrman]

xray wrote:
"A 1440p 32" monitor (native; not 4K scaled) would, IMHO, would not look good for text. Fine for games, but not for text-based usage. On a 27" display, 1440p is only just adequate."

That depends on one's age and eyesight.
I'm in my seventies, and my eyesight isn't what it once was.
I'm using a 27" native 1080p display, and text looks about right to me.
I've found that (for me), it's not "the clarity" of text.
Rather, it's THE SIZE of text that makes the difference.
Thus, a 4k display won't help, because if the text is too small, I'd have to enlarge it anyway.

I'd like a 32" 1440p display, but haven't yet bought one because I'm worried that text on it might actually be TOO SMALL for me to read at normal font sizes.

This is why... when I see someone asking for advice to wit, "I need a display or Mac for my parents"... I always ask "how's their eyesight" ???

 

[sdz]

What would be a nice wide screen monitor for a macbook pro 2018, that is capable of Retina, so that when I move windows around, it does not change in scale and text is nearly as sharp as printed paper?