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Need help finding the right Monitor

Sdahe

Sdahe

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Hello,

I own a Macbook Pro M4 PRO and I'm in need of a monitor for my graphic art and photography work. I don't want to spend $1,599 for the Studio Display so Im looking for an alternative that would work good for my type of work. Any recommendations?. Thank you!
 
"I don't want to spend $1,599 for the Studio Display"

Then tell us what you are WILLING to spend.

You should look for 27".
You should look for either 4k or 5k.
4k -- plenty of choices at all prices
5k -- not as many choices and will cost more.
 
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I would recommend a BenQ 5K 27" monitor, the PD27305S. Not necessarily cheap since it costs around $1,000, but it's designed for the type of work you do. You can read the its specifications, and pay attention at the standard monitor's stand that comes in the package, plus how much you would pay for an optional stand. The monitor comes from BenQ calibrated out of the box, but you can readjust the calibration to your liking using the free software you can download from the BenQ website. I left mine alone since it comes perfectly calibrated right out of the box. The monitor comes with a puck, but I seldom use it.

The glass is not anti-reflective; it has some king of antireflective and thick film layer. The manual shows how to clean it without scratching it using the recommended screen washing fluids. I haven had the need to wipe it clean. Just use a tick microfiber cloth (like the automobile yellow color detail clothes sold my Costco). Don't rub, just very lightly run the cloth side to side only to remove the cloth. I haven't cleaned it since I bought it early this year, and I can't see any traces of dust on it. I treat it like a do with my camera lenses (always dust the glass first, and wet-clean only when needed)... to remove smudges or perhaps liquid splashes from the surf and things like that).

It takes less than a minute or two to attach the removable stand. I placed a towel in the table making sure that there weren't any hard objects in the table, lifted the monitor and placed on the towel back side up. Once that was done it took me a few seconds to mount the stand to the monitor. I also purchased from Amazon a BenQ ScreenBar Halo II. The screen bar comes with a gray color Hotkey Puck with a glass top where the lighting controls are located. Once you have set it up to your liking it turns off the screen bar light off within a few minutes after leaving you desk or work area, then it turns the light back on (it has sensor) when you approach your desk.
(Edited above)

www.benq.com

BenQ Creative Pro PD2730S｜27" 5K Thunderbolt 4 Monitor, 98% P3 & Retina-like 218 PPI for Designers

Experience pixel-level precision with the BenQ PD2730S 27" 5K monitor. With Retina-like 218 PPI, 98% P3, 2000:1 contrast, and accurate dark tones, it’s Mac-compatible with Thunderbolt 4—perfect for 3D artists, VFX animators, and game designers.
www.benq.com
 
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I just got a refurbished studio display (2022) from best buy for $1,000. It was in excellent condition and i do not see any cosmetic issues and it works like new. I was skeptical of the price tag but after using it for a few minutes I was blown away by the screen. Even my windows work laptop looks a million times better than it did on my dell 4k monitor.
 
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I'll second BenQ. I've had a PD2700U for years now and it's a fantastic display for graphics work and video editing. Their newer 5K monitors have had great reviews. Look for refurb units direct from BenQ if you're trying to save a few bucks.
 
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elemenohme said:
I'll second BenQ. I've had a PD2700U for years now and it's a fantastic display for graphics work and video editing. Their newer 5K monitors have had great reviews. Look for refurb units direct from BenQ if you're trying to save a few bucks.
Click to expand...
Another thing that I like about the BenQ 27" 5K monitor is the stand. One can tilt the monitor up or down, lift or lower it, or just move move each end left to right to adjust the angle without moving the stand's base on the desk, and even rotate the monitor from a horizontal to a vertical position (this is a very useful feature for those who are viewing very long databases or lists). However, before rotating the monitor in such a fashion one has to first select the new position in the Settings folder.

BenQ has an optional stand (arms, really) with more features that are relatively inexpensive. The I looked at the price for it around January this year, and the price was around $140.00 for the basic arm. I just don't need an arm for it.
 
Hello everybody..thanks for the suggestions. I got today the Dell S2725QC to try it out. Seems like a good option without breaking the bank
 
So the only thing I can see is that when I connect this Monitor to my MacBook Pro and setup the resolution to 2650 x 1440 I get a message that says "Using a scaled resolution may affect performance".
 
Sdahe said:
So the only thing I can see is that when I connect this Monitor to my MacBook Pro and setup the resolution to 2650 x 1440 I get a message that says "Using a scaled resolution may affect performance".
Click to expand...
2560x1440 is 1/4 of 5K. Your Dell monitor is 4K so 1/4 would be 1080p. This is the reason for the message. If the monitor was 5K you wouldn’t get this message at 2560x1440.
 
PBG4 Dude said:
2560x1440 is 1/4 of 5K. Your Dell monitor is 4K so 1/4 would be 1080p. This is the reason for the message. If the monitor was 5K you wouldn’t get this message at 2560x1440.
Click to expand...
If I go lower than that everything gets big and there is no point of having a 27” monitor.
 
OP:

Re the "scaled resolution" message...
It's a standard warning (as Dude mentioned above).
If you don't notice any hit in overall performance, don't worry about it.
Just use it...!

I would also suggest trying "BetterDisplay".
Runs in both a "free" version and a paid upgrade (BetterDisplay Pro).
It can improve the overall experience of using 3rd-party displays with the Mac...
(I liked the free version, and paid for the upgrade)
 
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