Widescreen really worth it for productivity?

[venomtail]

I've been considering my next monitor upgrade being this LG ultrawide. I know I need a minimum of 1440p and a minimum size of 27'' and maybe no bigger than  32''~.

Just starting to think if the ultrawide screen real estate is worth it. Most productivity software rely on vertical space rather than horizontal, be that programming, Office or most other software. Even video editing needs vertical timeline space for all the layers.

 

Can anyone say if an ultrawide is worth it over two 1440p monitors when it comes to productivity? I bet 99% of the time I'll just have the windows split in the middle. Windows 10 doesn't do 3 equally split windows does it?

Maybe even over one normal and one turned vertically for the extra vertical space similar to how diehard programmers have their monitors laid out...

 

If you guys are recommending a 1440p/4k panel for productivity, any suggestions? I'd like a monitor to cost no more than £800~

[BetteBalterZen]

My own monitor at home is the CRG9 from Samsung, with a 5120x1440p resolution and it is great to work on. At my job, I use the 439P from Philips, which has a 3840x1200p resolution. It is also great for working with multiple windows etc but the 5120x1440p is still much better. 

Personally, I love having a 32:9 for work and I will always chose a 32:9 over two 16:9 but that is a personal preference of course. 

If you are worried about 3 equal split windows, Windows 11 have a new window snap feature built in which does this and if you're on Windows 10, you can use FancyZones from PowerToys. 

[cmndr]

In my general experience overall size and pixel count matter more than specific aspect ratios, assuming you're not going too crazy (three "wide screen" or two ultra-wide monitors is probably too wide)

My current set up is a 55" 4K display (have a 35" ultrawide that I need to plug in). It took a while to get used to and I have to sit back. I move my eyes around a lot. It's equivalent to a 2x2 grid of 27" 1080p displays but I can on the fly change what I see (so I can do 2x 1920x2160 for vertical res OR 2x 3840x1080p for horizontal res if desired). I find myself less tempted to maximize windows (and I pretty much ALWAYS did this in the past).
 

I also used 2x 27" 1440p displays at my last job before COVID had me basically never setting foot in the office again. I also personally used 3x 27" 1440p displays (I found it was hard to use THREE  because it was too wide and mainly used 2 in practice). I later got a 35" ultra-wide. It and a 27" display worked fairly well.

At my first job I had something like 5ish 1080p displays.

 

[venomtail]

27 minutes ago, BetteBalterZen said:

on Windows 10, you can use FancyZones from PowerToys. 

I see, thank you both. So in a sense widescreen is nicer to use for productivity but too big is a no go. I'll have a go at those app that separate windows.

 

Is 4k worth it? Or should I stick to 1440p? I remember trying a 1440p and the difference was very noticeable. Would 27'' 1080p -> 27-32'' 4k be worth it or is there a negligible difference from 1440p. No stores around that I could go to and have live monitors on display where I can compare the two.

Still on 4k, how bad is running games on smaller resolutions on a 4k monitor? Lets say I do wok at 4k ultrawide but play games at 1440p ultrawide, maybe even 1080p upscaled to 1440p because I'll be running this all on a 5600XT, maybe a 6800XT in a few years or equivalent.

[BetteBalterZen]

5 minutes ago, venomtail said:

I see, thank you both. So in a sense widescreen is nicer to use for productivity but too big is a no go. I'll have a go at those app that separate windows.

 

Is 4k worth it? Or should I stick to 1440p? I remember trying a 1440p and the difference was very noticeable. Would 27'' 1080p -> 27-32'' 4k be worth it or is there a negligible difference from 1440p. No stores around that I could go to and have live monitors on display where I can compare the two.

Still on 4k, how bad is running games on smaller resolutions on a 4k monitor? Lets say I do wok at 4k ultrawide but play games at 1440p ultrawide, maybe even 1080p upscaled to 1440p because I'll be running this all on a 5600XT, maybe a 6800XT in a few years or equivalent.

4K for working is always worth it because you can view more on the monitor without having to scroll either up or down, left or right, in what ever you are working in. Yeah, when it comes to working, productivity, high the res, the better IMO. 

When it comes to gaming, I'd say 1440p is preferable, because it is much easier to run than 2160p. Sure, games can look great in 2160p but most games that actually look great, and sharp, those look great in 1440p also. To be honest, mostly it's about the game and how it handles aliasing. Because a game that handles aliasing like crap, 2160p really won't help at all compared to 1440p. Would still look aliased in 2160p 

[Andrewtst]

I suggest go for 34" Ultrawide which is 21:9 aspect ratio and in 3440 x 1440 resolution. It is very awesome for productivity and I will said it is better than having two monitor. This is like one 27" 1440p + another 1/2 screen of 27".

 

If you need 2x 27" screen size in 1440p, then you need to go for even wider like 49" Super Ultrawide which is 32:9 aspect ratio and in 5120 x 1440 resolution. This is exact of 2 units 27" monitor, it is not became 54" due to how the way monitor count the screen size.

 

I always prefer 1440p as it is the sweet spot of resolution in Windows. As for 4K off course you get even bigger working space but that is if only you use it as 100%, but this is way too tiny everything in 27" or even 32" monitor. If you enlarge it to like 125% or 150% then the working space is already reduce and similar to 1440p. Off course the great of 4K is the font is extremely sharp thanks to it higher PPI.

[cmndr]

I'm not familiar with the prices on EVERYTHING right now. My general understanding is that ultra-wide displays have a cost premium associated with them.


Assuming you're not doing graphic design, TVs work PRETTY well for productivity, with the only real caveat being that they don't "time out" and there's a few other small quality of life things that they're lacking.

My general take is that the jump from 1080p to 1440p is smaller than the jump from 1440p to 4K in terms of benefit, at least holding screen size constant.

As far as ultra-wide vs 4K. In a lot of cases an ultra-wide screen ends up being about as wide as a large 4K display and has similar horizontal resolution... but you end up paying MORE to have the top part basically cut off and removed. Ultra-wide can be nice for immersion if you're gaming but even then you can still achieve a similar effect by having a bigger display and letter boxing.

[Stahlmann]

I'm personally a big fan of ultrawide, but for productivity i'd always prefer 2 16:9 displays compared to only 1 ultrawide.

 

If you're just buying it for productivity, i'd recommend to go 4K 60Hz rather than a gaming-focused ultrawide. And for that budget you could get 2 27" 4K monitors like the LG 27UL650-W.

 

Or if you really want a lot of screen real estate get 2 32" 4K monitors like the LG 27UN650-W. For that you're gonna need to strech the budget a bit though.

[venomtail]

Just now, Stahlmann said:

I'm personally a big fan of ultrawide, but for productivity i'd always prefer 2 16:9 displays compared to only 1 ultrawide.

 

If you're just buying it for productivity, i'd recommend to go 4K 60Hz rather than a gaming-focused ultrawide. And for that budget you could get 2 27" 4K monitors like the LG 27UL650-W.

 

Or if you really want a lot of screen real estate get 2 32" 4K monitors like the LG 27UN650-W. For that you're gonna need to strech the budget a bit though.

I can't go back to 60hz, if I have a choice that is. I can settle for 120hz. Even productivity feels way better at higher refreshrate. 240hz has ruined me I don't recommend, you'll never go back. I still want to play a game from time to time.

 

So from the comments it seems like 4k is the better alternative. When I do play games I can downscale them and get more fps. It seems like I have to bump up my budget to about £1100~ when looking at monitors that peak my interest on PCPartPicker.

This BenQ one seems like a treat that will go well. It's just big enough, is 4k, has a higher refreshrate than 120hz and is IPS so colours will be better? I'm still on the fence about widescreen. Found this LG and is similar price. Anyone know if this is a good monitor?

[Stahlmann]

11 minutes ago, venomtail said:

I can't go back to 60hz, if I have a choice that is. I can settle for 120hz. Even productivity feels way better at higher refreshrate. 240hz has ruined me I don't recommend, you'll never go back. I still want to play a game from time to time.

 

So from the comments it seems like 4k is the better alternative. When I do play games I can downscale them and get more fps. It seems like I have to bump up my budget to about £1100~ when looking at monitors that peak my interest on PCPartPicker.

This BenQ one seems like a treat that will go well. It's just big enough, is 4k, has a higher refreshrate than 120hz and is IPS so colours will be better? I'm still on the fence about widescreen. Found this LG and is similar price. Anyone know if this is a good monitor?

Have a look at the Gigabyte M32U, so far it looks like the best overall package when it comes to 4K 144Hz monitors.

 

This might also help: The 5 Best 4k Gaming Monitors - Spring 2022: Reviews - RTINGS.com

[jones177]

2 hours ago, venomtail said:

I've been considering my next monitor upgrade being this LG ultrawide. I know I need a minimum of 1440p and a minimum size of 27'' and maybe no bigger than  32''~.

Just starting to think if the ultrawide screen real estate is worth it. Most productivity software rely on vertical space rather than horizontal, be that programming, Office or most other software. Even video editing needs vertical timeline space for all the layers.

 

Can anyone say if an ultrawide is worth it over two 1440p monitors when it comes to productivity? I bet 99% of the time I'll just have the windows split in the middle. Windows 10 doesn't do 3 equally split windows does it?

Maybe even over one normal and one turned vertically for the extra vertical space similar to how diehard programmers have their monitors laid out...

 

If you guys are recommending a 1440p/4k panel for productivity, any suggestions? I'd like a monitor to cost no more than £800~

They are not and 2X 4k monitors is ideal.

The only ultrawide that I consider usable are the 38" 3840 X 1600 IPS versions. I am using one now. 

I have a 3440 X 1440 VA monitor that is not in use since it has bad text. My VA 1440p 144hz monitor also had bad text.   

 

 

I like ASUS monitors for productivity since the have versions that pivot in the Tuf and ProArt lines.

If I was buying now it would be the ASUS ProArt PA329CV. 

For pro image editing I would use ASUS ProArt PA329C. It is 10 bit, not 8 bit +FRC. 

 

A ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q 28" monitor rotated to 90% is a great second monitor.

[venomtail]

33 minutes ago, jones177 said:

They are not and 2X 4k monitors is ideal.

The only ultrawide that I consider usable are the 38" 3840 X 1600 IPS versions. I am using one now. 

I have a 3440 X 1440 VA monitor that is not in use since it has bad text. My VA 1440p 144hz monitor also had bad text.   

 

 

I like ASUS monitors for productivity since the have versions that pivot in the Tuf and ProArt lines.

If I was buying now it would be the ASUS ProArt PA329CV. 

For pro image editing I would use ASUS ProArt PA329C. It is 10 bit, not 8 bit +FRC. 

 

A ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q 28" monitor rotated to 90% is a great second monitor.

ProArt monitors would be very convincing, just a shame about the 60hz limit. There's a 144hz variant one which is more than the minimum I'd settle for but it's 4x as much as the other 2 monitors I just found. But your suggestion is good, I could go with double 4k or a 4k and one rotated as a second monitor.

 

I also gotta remember that I need a monitor arm as well. I've been told not to trust cheap £70 amazon ones, that I should go for arms that cost £150-£300 so that I wouldn't regret my decision to save money in the short-term and have to fiddle with the arm every other day if it's cheap. How the HM Ollin monitor arm like? Seems well build for £200.

[Andrewtst]

I will not go for 2x 4K, one display vs 2 unit is different. You need to turn your head more when using 2x 16:9 monitor but this is not the case for 1x 21:9 or even 1x 32:9 because the curved make you much easier to view all.

 

Beside this, for image editing and video creation is something two screen can't make it but only Ultrawide or Super Ultrawide give you real workspace. 

 

Also if your GPU cannot handle gaming in 4K but need set as 1080p will impact the quality. 

 

Once you use the Ultrawide then you will know it is different than joining two wide monitor.

 

Ultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio (3440x1440) or 21:10 (3840x1600) is the best option for productivity, gaming and entertainment.

 

32:9 wise might not for everyone, so I will not recommended on this very long screen. 

 

For panel wise, either go for IPS, or very high grade VA (cheap VA is not good and not that sharp in text).

 

For QD-OLED is not a good choice if main usage is for productivity as the text is not that sharp with purple frigging.

[cmndr]

TIL you need 120Hz to write code.

4K 120Hz is doable with a single cable with HDMI 2.1 and DP 1.4. It's also possible on older standards with compression but that makes text awful.

[venomtail]

35 minutes ago, cmndr said:

TIL you need 120Hz to write code.

4K 120Hz is doable with a single cable with HDMI 2.1 and DP 1.4. It's also possible on older standards with compression but that makes text awful.

Sounds funny how I wrote it. I guess I'm looking for a monitor that has a much higher resolution than 1080p, is 27'' at a minimum and when I decide to play games, has at least 120hz.

 

God so many points here I'm torn on what to choose. Maybe that BenQ monitor is overkill and I should settle for 1440p but I do a lot of programming, I feel like 4k would be way more handy.

[venomtail]

Maybe I'm reading in too much where it's not that deep but I'm starting to get the idea that low delay puts lots of strain on the eyes? That you'll get these horizonal flicker lines that I've noticed with my current BenQ 27'' 240hz. Is that true? What are the technical parameters I need to look out for for long term eye health, or at least doing as little damage as possible.

 

In that case, I've found this Asus monitor. Seens great just a shame I can't find anywhere as it seems sold out, the one newer available for £4000 which is far too much, and then there's these BenQ monitors. BenQ again coming in swinging. They aren't ideal as they're rated 60hz but maybe I can OC them to at least 90hz if I drop down the resolution to 1440p or even 1080p. How do these monitors stack up, are they good?

Edited June 10, 2022 by venomtail

[e22big]

I think it's great for media consumption (seletively even at that) but not really for productivity. A dual 16:9 will always be better for works or even a single large monitor like 32 inch and up. 

 

Ultrawide's only good for some game or movies with wide aspect ratio

[cmndr]

high refresh rate and low input lag won't cause eye strain.

Also a good chunk of newer 4K displays can do 4K 120Hz with Chroma subsampling over HDMI 2.0 if you don't have a newer card with HDMI 2.1 (or your display doesn't have DP 1.4). 4K 120Hz with Chroma subsampling is fine.

You have enough budget that pretty much all the options are on the table. Ultrawide is generally better for media consumption. It costs more for what you get though.

2x 1440p 16:9 screens that are reasonably sized work reasonably well overall though not great for media consumption. Good productivity choices.
1x LARGE 4K screen can simulate 4x 1080p displays as well as an ultrawide. 

I would make a table and weight how much you value certain things across a range of options.

                         Ultrawide     2x1440p     Huge 4K
Media               A                  B                 A
Productivity    B                  A                 A-
Functionality  ....

For what it's worth if you're going the HUGE SCREEN route - https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/best/by-size/48-49-50-inch

TVs can work and they're reasonably well priced. The QN90A for example does 4K 120Hz