1080p on a 27" monitor?

[Rcarvalho21]

So I've been thinking about getting a new monitor for my set up. I want to get a 27" monitor that's 1080p, specifically the Acer XB270H. However, I've been hearing from people that because the screen is slightly bigger than the usual size for 1080p which is 24 inches, that the pixel density will reduce the quality of the screen. Is this true? Can someone who has this screen leave me a review?

[TheNaitsyrk]

1 minute ago, Rcarvalho21 said:

So I've been thinking about getting a new monitor for my set up. I want to get a 27" monitor that's 1080p, specifically the Acer XB270H. However, I've been hearing from people that because the screen is slightly bigger than the usual size for 1080p which is 24 inches, that the pixel density will reduce the quality of the screen. Is this true? Can someone who has this screen leave me a review?

I dont have that screen but I do have AOC 27" 1080P and it looks great. It looks better than 4k screen down scaled to 1080p.

[aisle9]

My 32" 1080p TV looked fine for a few weeks I was using it as a monitor. It was about 3 feet from my face.

[JoostinOnline]

I don't recommend it.  It looks fine if you're using it as a TV, but if you are 1-2ft away from it, then there is very noticeable blur compared to 24".  My mother has one and I tried to talk a friend out of getting one.  He regrets it.

[Ertman]

I also can't speak specifically to that screen. I would suggest you take a look at the screen yourself to see if the lower density would bother you.

 

I wasn't a big fan of 1080 27" screens as I found the larger pixels could get to me from the distance I sit, it looks a little grainy.

 

I went with a 1440, but to some it doesn't bother them and that's why I recommend checking it out yourself.

[TheNaitsyrk]

Just now, Ertman said:

I also can't speak specifically to that screen. I would suggest you take a look at the screen yourself to see if the lower density would bother you.

 

I wasn't a big fan of 1080 27" screens as I found the larger pixels could get to me from the distance I sit, I went with a 1440, but to some it doesn't bother them.

Agreed, he should check it in action before he buys it.

[TheKDub]

Would not recommend it. I'd say around 24" is the cutoff for 24", anything larger than that should be along the lines of 1440p or 4k.

 

I have a 25" 144p monitor and it's fantastic, I don't struggle to read text on it even without using windows scaling. 27" would likely be ideal for 1440p though, since at times the 25" does seem to be a little small. (Still tolerable though)

[JoostinOnline]

Also agree on checking it yourself.

 

The thing is, it depends heavily on how far you sit away from it.  There are also other considerations.  If you sit too close, you'll have to turn your head to see the edges, which is very annoying.  If you go 1440p, keep in mind that it will be harder on your GPU.  You'll have to lower settings compared to 1080p if you aren't on a GTX 1070 or higher.

[Rcarvalho21]

Thanks for the help guys, I think I'm going to buy a 24" monitor instead.

[Princess Luna]

1920x1080p is a 24inch monitor resolution

[Guest]

I use a 27" monitor daily and have a 40" tv. The people that say it's "not dense enough" probably never used one. It's perfectly fine. It  looks really good and gives TONS of screenspace. There's still like 2 million pixels.

[ToBeHiFi]

Don't forget that you always have the option of using VSR/DSR for better quality visuals, if your card can handle it.

[Ertman]

On 4/22/2017 at 0:45 AM, fpo said:

I use a 27" monitor daily and have a 40" tv. The people that say it's "not dense enough" probably never used one. It's perfectly fine. It  looks really good and gives TONS of screenspace. There's still like 2 million pixels.

I disagree, and I have used a 27 at 1080p. I did find that much of the time it didn't bother me but often enough I found the larger pixels distracting or even irritating.

 

I currently have a 27" at 1440 and I find its pretty good.

[Phate.exe]

24in class 1080p monitors which most people consider to be a perfectly acceptable pixel density are ~91ppi.  Really it's a bit higher since most are 23 and change and not a full 24in.  With a viewing distance of 37 inches or greater, you cannot discern the individual pixels, and would be considered "Retina"

 

So if we aren't going to be changing the distance we sit from the screen:

 

A 27in 1080p monitor is only 81ppi (generally fine for gaming, but looks too pixelated for me most of the time, unless I sit way back in my chair).  "Retina" at 42in viewing distance

A 27in 1440p monitor is 108ppi, so even though it's bigger it will still look sharper than a 24in 1080p.  "Retina" at 32in viewing distance

A 32in 1440p monitor has the same 91ppi as a 24in 1080p display, and will look about the same, only bigger. "Retina" at 37in viewing distance.

 

My 48in 1080p TV looks amazing even though it's only 45ppi, because it's on the wall and I'm never watching it from less than 6-8 feet away, usually 10-12.  "Retina" at 75 inches.

 

My phone has a 5.2in 1440p display with 564ppi.  It's obscenely sharp, but phones need absurd pixel densities to not look pixelated because you regularly hold it less than a foot from your face.  "Retina" at 6 inches.

 

A 27in 4k monitor has 163ppi.  It will look stupidly sharp even if you get right up close to it.  Outside of a 21 inch viewing distance the human eye will not be able to discern individual pixels.

 

If you want a bit more space, but don't want to jump up to 1440p, I'd look at a 29 inch 1080p ultrawide.  It will have almost the exact same vertical height and pixel density as a 24in 1080p, but offer a ton more horizontal workspace.  Plus Ultrawide master race.

 

If you're just doing things that use the whole screen, it's pretty much a screen size vs viewing distance question.  If you're working on multiple things on the screen at once, you'll want the higher resolution.

 

Personally, I'm going 27in 4k (likely buying it when I get home from work tonight).  A 1440p monitor or 1080 ultrawide would both be a better fit for the gaming I do right now, but I'm planning on building a much more powerful computer in the near future. 4k scales perfectly down to 1080p, so if I can't run a game at full resolution I can run it at 1080p and still use pretty-looking settings.  1440p will be much easier to drive than 4k, but your only downscaling option is 720p, so you'll be turning down settings rather than resolution.