4k Monitors: For non gaming, worth it or not?

wunkley · 30 Nov 2016 at 13:18

Seanspeed said:
Insanely ironic given your next comment:

Except 'information' is such a loosely used term here.

You dont get more 'screen real estate' on a 4k monitor compared to a same-sized 1080p monitor. Both will display the EXACT same level of 'information'. One will just do it at a much higher fidelity. The only way 'information' could be increased by 4k is if you're detailing graphics work in professional sense.

People here seriously dont seem to understand resolution whatsoever and it's freakin embarrassing. It's at the point that I'd honestly recommend any potential consumers avoid this site completely due to the incredible level of ignorance the users here display with such laughable confidence.

You've got to be on the wind up, surely, but I'm bored so I'll play....

Below is a photo of a 32" '4k' monitor set to native resolution of 3840 x 2160.

Below is a photo of the same 32" '4k' monitor set to a resolution of 1920 x 1080.

I won't bother writing any more words as it's really not necessary, but what are you not comprehending about higher resolution = more screen 'real estate'?

Nexus18 · 30 Nov 2016 at 13:26

LOL! That is all

james.miller · 30 Nov 2016 at 13:28

I gather Sean is assuming that elements get drawn at the same size no matter what the resolution is.

Completely incorrect of course.

p4radox · 30 Nov 2016 at 13:33

james.miller said:
I gather Sean is assuming that elements get drawn at the same size no matter what the resolution is.

Completely incorrect of course.

I don't think he is - he has made other comments elsewhere about Windows scaling and how it's poor.

I'm going to be charitable and just assume he's never tried to work productively on a low-resolution monitor before. And to be fair, the word "resolution" really should mean "density" not "total pixel count". But it's been used in that way forever...

james.miller · 30 Nov 2016 at 13:44

Resolution is resolution. Density is the quotient of resolution / size. No need to redefine it.

p4radox · 30 Nov 2016 at 13:52

james.miller said:
Resolution is resolution. Density is the result of resolution / size. No need to redefine it.

Yeah I agree. I'm just trying to give him the benefit of the doubt (not sure why really)...

Jim99 · 30 Nov 2016 at 21:05

wunkley said:
You've got to be on the wind up, surely, but I'm bored so I'll play....

Below is a photo of a 32" '4k' monitor set to native resolution of 3840 x 2160.

http://i.imgur.com/0id5YZ8.jpg

Below is a photo of the same 32" '4k' monitor set to a resolution of 1920 x 1080.

http://i.imgur.com/UDCc3lv.jpg

I won't bother writing any more words as it's really not necessary, but what are you not comprehending about higher resolution = more screen 'real estate'?

I'd already abandoned this thread... kudos for actually going out and proving what we all knew.

Oh well.

Forums, eh?

Seanspeed · 30 Nov 2016 at 21:47

p4radox said:
2 pixels encode twice as much information as 1 pixel.
2000 pixels encode twice as much information as 1000 pixels.

Do you actually disagree with this? I don't know what definition you're using for "information" - but I'd suggest you revise it.

Let's take it to the extreme:
Imagine you have a 27" monitor with only 1 pixel. Does that display the same amount of information as a 27" monitor with 2560×1440 pixels?

This is such an extreme argument.

After a certain point with resolution, you're getting most all the information necessary and increasing it further is not 'adding' more information in any meaningful sense, just increasing the clarity of it(and even that has very hard diminishing returns after a point).

wunkley said:
You've got to be on the wind up, surely, but I'm bored so I'll play....

Below is a photo of a 32" '4k' monitor set to native resolution of 3840 x 2160.

Below is a photo of the same 32" '4k' monitor set to a resolution of 1920 x 1080.

I won't bother writing any more words as it's really not necessary, but what are you not comprehending about higher resolution = more screen 'real estate'?

Well my bad. I guess I thought PC enthusiasts would have known about Windows UI scaling, but I guess not.

I suppose the fact that you dont even know how to screenshot your images directly should be a giveaway.

wunkley · 30 Nov 2016 at 22:12

^ are you on drugs?

james.miller · 30 Nov 2016 at 22:28

I'm not sure what UI scaling has to do with anything.

Windows supports scaling yes, but it only makes things bigger, not smaller. So by switching it on, he could make a 4k display have the same 'realestate' as a 1080p display, but you'd only do that if the display was phyically too small in the first place. Either way, it doesnt support your argument, seanspeed, and your continued dishing of insults is rather puzzling. Perhaps take a step back and rethink what people are saying?

Seanspeed · 30 Nov 2016 at 22:29

wunkley said:
^ are you on drugs?

It would definitely make this discussion more bearable if I were.

But anyways, quick tip:

Print screen button will screenshot anything on-screen. You can then just paste it into something as simple as MS Paint and save it as an image. That way you dont have to get out the camera and then worry about transferring pics to the PC. Should save some hassle.

Seanspeed · 30 Nov 2016 at 22:37

james.miller said:
I'm not sure what UI scaling has to do with anything.

Windows supports scaling yes, but it only makes things bigger, not smaller. So by switching it on, he could make a 4k display have the same 'realestate' as a 1080p display, but you'd only do that if the display was phyically too small in the first place. Either way, it doesnt support your argument, seanspeed, and your continued dishing of insults is rather puzzling. Perhaps take a step back and rethink what people are saying?

Well I had to adjust Windows scaling to reduce text size and all.

But maybe that was just poor initial settings?

I did check in Windows 10, and that scaling starts at 100% and only goes up, not down.

So I stand corrected. But it's a very bizarre problem to have when you could very easily have the same level of 'information' through scaling on a lesser resolution screen. I'm actually pretty sure there's some way to resize UI/text with some keyboard command, but I dont remember what it is.

EDIT: I apologize to anyone I was talking smack to. lol I was definitely not informed enough about the scaling issues with Windows. My bad, dudes. Seriously. I feel bad about that.

Minstadave · 30 Nov 2016 at 23:55

If you use negative scaling text quickly becomes illegible because there's not enough resolution to clearly show letters - That's probably why it's not an option.

p4radox · 1 Dec 2016 at 08:54

Seanspeed said:
But it's a very bizarre problem to have when you could very easily have the same level of 'information' through scaling on a lesser resolution screen.

No - that wouldn't work. You don't have enough pixels to display legible text at lower resolutions.

In wunkley's photos of his 4k screen, if he zoomed out on his web browser at 1080p to fit on the same amount of text as he's able to see at 4k it would be barely legible.

wunkley · 1 Dec 2016 at 10:22

Seanspeed said:
It would definitely make this discussion more bearable if I were.

But anyways, quick tip:

Print screen button will screenshot anything on-screen. You can then just paste it into something as simple as MS Paint and save it as an image. That way you dont have to get out the camera and then worry about transferring pics to the PC. Should save some hassle.

Wow thanks for the top tip! Do you have any more nuggets of gold? Like how to put one foot in front of the other to change location perhaps, or maybe removing ones undercrackers before taking a dump? I'm all ears.

Ayahuasca · 1 Dec 2016 at 10:36

Well this thread was certainly entertaining

I'm thinking of ditching the ROG Swift myself and going for a 4k monitor or TV as my gaming days are getting more and more limited.

Quartz · 1 Dec 2016 at 11:01

james.miller said:
I'm not sure what UI scaling has to do with anything.

Windows supports scaling yes, but it only makes things bigger, not smaller. So by switching it on, he could make a 4k display have the same 'realestate' as a 1080p display, but you'd only do that if the display was phyically too small in the first place.

Because scaling of text makes the text look nicer and easier to read.

james.miller · 1 Dec 2016 at 11:36

only if the display is too small. and it only scales up, not down like seanspeed was suggesting, hense why UI scaling had nothing to do with his argument.

Hugest_UK · 1 Dec 2016 at 13:37

Oh wow glad I stumbled across this thread gave me a laugh at lunch time some comedy gold in here