Is there any reason to choose 4K and downscale it to 1440 instead of buying QHD and running it natively? It's a U2723QE vs. U2724DE question. The 1440 version also has 120Hz and a Thunderbolt hub as a bonus.
I'm a coder, so I work mainly with text, and sharpness is my key factor. Your thoughts would be helpful
Okay, if I understand your question you're asking about this scenario:
1.) A 1440 resolution monitor run at 1440.
2.) A 4K resolution monitor run at 1440.
You want to know whether there is any advantage to choosing 2.) over 1.), given that 2.) is likely more expensive, or you might be able to get a 1440 monitor with a higher refresh rate so it could double as a gaming monitor, etc...
Yes, if my understanding of the reading I've been doing on monitors lately is accurate, there is indeed.
When you run a 4K monitor at 1440, that monitor doesn't really run at 1440.
What the monitor does is resize the screen elements (e.g.: icons, text) so they present on your screen at the same size they would appear to you
if you were running a 1440 display (instead of a 4K display where everything looks tiny).
But despite offering screen elements in the size they'd look at 1440, the 4K monitor continues to actually depict the output in 4K resolution. So, the icons and text may look the same size they'd look on a 1440 display, but they are higher resolution and sharper because it's a 4K display.
I hope I got all that right and explained clearly. Discussions about monitors and Macs, what scaling means and doesn't mean, etc..., make my head swim sometimes. You asked on Friday, it's Monday evening and I didn't see where anyone else took a direct crack at your question, so hope I helped.
