4K monitor upgrade: 27'' or 32''?

[MC23]

Hey everyone! I’m considering upgrading my monitor and I’m torn between a 27” and a 32” screen. I’ll be also upgrading from 1440p to 4k. I’d love some advice on picking the right monitor, and I'm also looking for answers to my questions. My budget is ~600€, but I can spend a little extra if it’s worth it.

 

CURRENT SETUP / USAGE

I currently have the BENQ GW2765HT monitor (IPS/27”/1440p/60Hz), which is a decent monitor from what I read. I primarily use it for coding, consuming media, and gaming in that order. The distance between me and the display is about ~60cm. it I have two problems with it:

1. I feel like that when gaming and watching movies, the blacks aren’t deep enough: I usually do these activities in a dark room because I don’t like having any light around and sometimes it's hard to see what’s happening if it's a dark scene.  I read that this is a limitation of IPS, does Mini-LED technology help with this?
2. when I’m working, I sometimes need to place two windows side by side—like Visual Studio Code and Chrome with DevTools on—but they often feel too cramped, making debugging harder. I don’t want a multi-screen setup since I don’t have the space, and with VR, I can easily emulate multiple screens when needed.

DESIRED SPECS

• Screen Shape: I'm kind of scared to change to a curved screen, does it take a lot to get used to it? How does it perform with office use?

• Aspect ratio: 16:9 (despite the aforementioned side-by-side problem I don't think I'd ever get used to a 21:9) 

• Size: 27” to 34”, I think that 32" might be a good solution

• Resolution: 4K

• Panel Type: I was thinking about IPS + Mini-LED as it seems to fit my needs better than OLED, which I would exclude due to a lot of static content, also I read about a new promising technology (QDEL) that might replace OLED in the next years and at that point I'd go with that

• Refresh Rate:  144Hz or higher (minimum value required for FreeSync)

• Adaptive Sync: I use an NVIDIA GPU, so G-Sync support (or at least FreeSync) is a nice-to-have feature

• Response time: I don't care about this too much, I play mostly SP games

• HDR: I think it would be good to have, I didn't understand if it helps with the black depth

• Extra features: Built-in speakers and/or a USB hub would be a big plus! I don’t need a KVM switch. I might buy a console in the future, so HDMI 2.1 would be cool to have.

POSSIBLE OPTIONS

I used DS as recommended on Reddit to filter the monitors, and I also checked this rtings table

I've compared some of them and read rtings reviews too but I can't really understand what features I should prioritize for my use case. I think that these are the top ones that piqued my interest:

• Benq EX321UX  - looks really promising, but is it worth 1100€?
• Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx - I can't find it for less than 800€
• Acer Predator X32 - I can't find it anywhere
• Samsung Odyssey G7 for curved option - I'm not sure I'm gonna get used to it 

tl;dr

 

My current monitor, the BENQ GW2765HT, has issues with black levels in dark rooms, making it hard to see details in dark scenes. I also need a monitor that can handle side-by-side windows for coding tasks without them becoming too small. I'm considering a 27” to 32” 4K monitor with Mini-LED technology, a high refresh rate, and adaptive sync support. Unsure about HDR. Additional features like built-in speakers, HDMI 2.1 or a USB hub would be beneficial.

Thanks in advance!

[xg32]

i'm going off this review the benq is better than the x32 if u go with unclamped colors, and respond time is also better (it's noticeable in all games since the x32 panel is slow.

 

Having used both a 27inch and a 32inch mini-led monitor, i actually recommend a 27inch if u can afford to sit a bit closer to the monitor, otherwise 32inch is fine, but 27inch options are usually alot cheaper.

 

It's between the benq and this ktc, or the 27/32m2v(i think ktc is available in EU), i would not try to save 100usd and get the x32.

 

https://www.amazon.com/KTC-Monitor-HDR1000-Speakers-Vertical/dp/B0CSKNXG4C?th=1

 

 

[MC23]

5 hours ago, xg32 said:

Having used both a 27inch and a 32inch mini-led monitor, i actually recommend a 27inch if u can afford to sit a bit closer to the monitor, otherwise 32inch is fine, but 27inch options are usually alot cheaper.

 

It's between the benq and this ktc, or the 27/32m2v(i think ktc is available in EU), i would not try to save 100usd and get the x32.

 

 

Well I sit about ~30cm from the screen. I was wondering if upgrading to a 4K monitor on a 27" screen would make a noticeable difference compared to a 32" screen, especially for watching movies and possibly coding / side by side. I can spend more if it's worth it  

Also, I wish the X32 was cheaper, the starting price where I live is 1200€ o.o

[MC23]

I just had a look at some 27" monitors and this caught my attention: Acer Nitro XV275K P3 Unfortunately it's not available for less than 900€ where I live, which doesn't seem very convenient.

[xg32]

4 hours ago, MC23 said:

.

at that distance 32inch is likely better, the cheapest option i can think of is the 32m2v (if it's available) 

[MC23]

10 hours ago, xg32 said:

at that distance 32inch is likely better, the cheapest option i can think of is the 32m2v (if it's available) 

Okay thanks for the insight, I'l look into that. I don't understand something: with the same 4K resolution, does the available screen space (I believe the term is "real screen estate") change between 27 and 32 inches? In other words, if I place two windows side by side, what will the difference be? I’m not sure if this matters much since I can scale the size as I wish. I know that aspect ratio influences this, but I just don't understand if screen size does as well :s

[xg32]

23 minutes ago, MC23 said:

Okay thanks for the insight, I'l look into that. I don't understand something: with the same 4K resolution, does the available screen space (I believe the term is "real screen estate") change between 27 and 32 inches? In other words, if I place two windows side by side, what will the difference be? I’m not sure if this matters much since I can scale the size as I wish. I know that aspect ratio influences this, but I just don't understand if screen size does as well :s

the number of pixels doesn't change, the screen size is bigger for 32inch, it's the size of the pixels that change, the 27inch just has smaller pixels.  

 

Another thing to keep in mind is the default scaling in windows, i should say i sit about 20cm from my monitor and at that distance i can barely use 100% scaling on a 27inch, everything looks sharper than a 32inch, but the 27inch is too small for me to not see my second monitor with my peripheral vision.

 

With the 32inch (only cause the 27inch broke) the default scaling of windows text is comfortably visible , and i can roll forward with my yoga ball toward the screen a bit to not see my second monitor if i choose not to.

 

There are minor annoyances with larger text scaling if you cannot read the text at 100%, some windowed app will also be scaled up even if you don't want it to be, i recommend staying at 100% scaling.

 

TLDR: the 27inch is sharper but a bit too small, smaller pixels. The 32inch is larger, more immersive, less sharp but not none of the things mentioned are deal-breaking for me. 

 

 

[MC23]

I see, I'm also making some desk arrangments since I have a new library next to it, and in its current position (which might be the definitive one), the distance between me and my screen is ~60cm, so the 32" choice is increasily becoming the more probable. Although I just found the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx screen at 500€ which might be just too good of a deal to let it slip away >.<