retina display on desktop monitor?

Discussion in 'Mac Accessories' started by msim20, Aug 28, 2013.

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  1. msim20, Aug 28, 2013

    msim20 macrumors member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2008
    #1
    I have toyed with the idea of getting a high resolution 27" monitor for my MB Pro - 2560 x 1600 display.

    But my worry is that using that monitor will simply decrease the size of my text and the screen will just accommodate more stuff. My intent is to create a setup where the text is clearer because of pixel density - kind of like what retina display does - 4 pixels (I believe) making one pixel to view or something like that.

    So my question is whether there is any monitor setup where I can create a retina display like behavior - more clarity of text and not just more text on the screen?

    Thanks for your ideas!
     
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  2. theluggage, Aug 29, 2013

    theluggage macrumors 68030

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2011
    #2
    The PPI of a 27" 2560x1440 display (2560x1600 would be 30") is about the same as a classic, standard-res MacBook Pro - so there's not much difference in standard font size.

    Switch to a bigger font and sit further away from the screen.

    Unfortunately, one of the weak spots of OS X is that much of it is still bitmap-based and you can't easily change the standard "screen furniture" size and default font size - but many applications will let you increase the zoom factor/font size of their content.

    Seriously. You typically view a 27" from further away than the 15" display on your laptop. Allowing for this, the angular resolution of a 27", 1440p display (which is what matters) is almost 90% of "retina":

    http://www.tuaw.com/2012/03/01/retina-display-macs-ipads-and-hidpi-doing-the-math/

    Apart from that, you won't get much higher pixel density (and hence clarity) than a 2650x1440 27" display until 4K displays become affordable (and until MacBook Pros support them).
     
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  3. msim20, Sep 3, 2013

    msim20 thread starter macrumors member

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    Feb 4, 2008
    #3
    Your comment was spot on. Thanks for the detailed response and also for the link. I did not reply the first day that I read the response in my email because I could not read the linked article that day.

    Just did.

    And I guess what that means is that I should plan on getting a 27" display as soon as they are more reasonably priced. Till then my 30" Hanns.G monitor will do the trick.

    Thanks again!
     
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