A third 24" screen or a 40" 4k screen?

Bluecube

Bluecube

Bluecube

Soldato
Joined
20 Feb 2011
Posts
4,325
I've currently got two 24" 1080p monitors running from a 660GTX. I need some more screen estate for my work and was considering a third 24" screen. However, I'm having problems finding a decent tri monitor stand at a decent price and so was considering a 40" (or thereabouts) 4k screen to replace my current setup as that would give me more desktop space than even three 1080p monitors. Opinions?

More info - I sit about two feet away from my monitors. The monitor(s) will be used mainly for work purposes - multiple spreadsheets open at the same time, multiple scheduling apps open at the same time - all need to be onscreen at once. I'd also do some light gaming though obviously not at 4k resolution.
 
Personally I would certainly prefer a big 40" over 3 small 24"... it's a personal thing more than anything else I'd say, depending on how you like to work and lay things out etc. As you say though, gaming is not really a viable option. I can't even imagine what kind of pathetic FPS you'd get at 4K with a 660GTX lol! You'd have to downscale really.
 
I'm seriously tempted to get a Hisense 49" 4K screen. You can get them for only £350 these days but I do think that's just a tad too big.
 
I am running 3 x 27" and tried a 40" but it was too big with additional monitors so I have gone back to 3 x 27" for now.

If I had been using 2 x 27" it may have been different, but three screens works well and at 27" that's a lot of real estate without getting too many issues with colour shift or IPS glow. It depends on use though, I don't game so overall screen space is key as the various software I use all fits well on 27" but I do need several applications visible at once.

For mounts I simply use three Ergotron LX - this gives more range of movement as well as higher total load capability for future upgrades.
 
i moved from 3 x 27" monitors to 1 x 40"..

the physical space saved was great and the reduction in cables was nice.

now hows youre eyesight ??

40" @ 4k made for a super sharp desktop but my eyes are not the best so scaling upped to 125% to make it comfortable for use.

how do i find it..

will never go back to 3 monitors but on the other hand i will go to a bigger single monitor if they hit 45-47 inch.

i would love one the same height but 25% wider....
 
I was wondering about the font size actually! I use OSX which apparently plays well with >HD displays. As I said previously, I've been checking out 49" 4K TVs so it shouldn't be an issue. I think this will be the way to go due to space saved.
 
also fiddling with the colours on multiple monitors to make them all look the same was bringing out the inner ocd in me.

and also the sticky mouse pointer, every now and then this would rear its ugly head, i would move the mouse in a normal way and my eyes knew where it should be but it was stuck at the edge on a screen and you sort of had to ram it past to the next monitor, a restart always cured it but i dont miss that.
 
wakadoo said:
also fiddling with the colours on multiple monitors to make them all look the same was bringing out the inner ocd in me.
Click to expand...

I had that from the moment I moved up from one monitor years ago. A hardware calibrator is the fix and I've got good results even with different monitor and panel types. Sadly I've had two good quality calibrators only last 3 to 4 years so its not a cheap option.

My preference for monitors would be one really big curved screen, around the height of current 34 - 40" but very wide format. However judging by issues with many current 40" - 43" screens and also very widescreen units generally (consistency across the screen etc) I may have a bit of a wait yet.
 
Going by various online reviews there's little to no lag. Folks have been using consoles without any issues. Unlikely to be great for twitch shooters but decent enough. In my case it'd be for office apps only so not too much of an issue.

I'm putting this upgrade on hold at the moment. Getting 4K working with my current graphics card would involve jumping through several hoops with no guarantee of success. And I've faced the grim reality that there's no space on my desk for a third monitor. Currently I'm just going to wait for the next gen AMD cards before getting this TV.
 
I've got a 40" 4K monitor and love it. Wouldn't go back to two smaller screens now. If they ever do an ultra wide version then I'd be all over it.
 
I have the 40 inch phillips and it's absolutely brilliant, looked huge at first but that just makes it so immersive. I did look at the ultrawides but there were too many issues (streaming and recording) for me. The phillips can do the same superwide aspect with borders anyway if you want.
 
I'm using a triple monitor stand that clamps to the back of the desk, so you don't actually need desk space to use it really. Might be worth looking into? The issue will be if the area on either side of the desk is limited though, as with three 24'' screens it does spread out rather! My main gripe with it is that it brings the screens quite far in to the desk, so you need to either have a deep desk to make it bearable, or figure out a way of extending the back of your desk to mount the screens further back.

Cost me £75 from a competitor of this place, as OcUK just didn't have what I was after. Sturdy thing and simple to set up.
 
I've got 1 system with 3 X 27" and one with a 40". For desktop usage and doing multiple things at the time like playing a game and watching a netflix the surround setup wins. Just playing a game the immersion of the 40" is pretty compelling.
 
Bluecube said:
I'm seriously tempted to get a Hisense 49" 4K screen. You can get them for only £350 these days but I do think that's just a tad too big.
Click to expand...

I was looking to purchase a 43" philips bdm4350uc but it turned out to have burn in issues. So I started looking at the dell p4317q, turned out to have the same problem. I was then going to buy a 43" hisense when i spotted a 48" Panasonic 48CX400B to be precise in Tesco.

The hardest part about buying a TV for a monitor is apart from Samsung models, very few have been tested by users or companies and have data online regarding input lag, chroma support etc.so Tesco with their return policy seemed a good idea. Please note: different products can have different return policies!

So it looks like I hit jackpot! I took the chance because it was 3D 4k. I decided that being 3D it would need to be pretty responsive and support 4k@60hz (some may only be 50hz for example.)

On opening I found something most companies do not include anymore and I applaud panasonic for this:. A system schema of the driver board. Smack bang written on it:4k@60hz in 4:4:4.

Input lag was abysmal though until i put it in game mode. A few tests so far find it to be about 20ms which is very acceptable to everyone except possibly the twitchiest of competitve players.

The size however does present one problem and it's why i will recommend not exceeding 43". At 2-3'away a handful - and i mean maybe 6 pixels - on each side are bored at such an angle they diffract slightly through the glass. It kind of gives it a samsung galaxy edge look, which is no bad thing but you may not like it. It's either scroll bars or nothing of interest drifting in these 6 pixels so not often a problem but for some it will be annoying.

Apart from that i am loving it. I use display fusion and have set profiles for a 2x2 1920*1080 arrangement, a full 4k screen and a bordered ultra wide 3440*1440.

Genuinely, the versatility to do all of this surpasses all other offerings and is far far cheaper than a reasonable ultrawide. On reddit there seems to be a love affair with ultrawides, many sneering at 40"+ 4k. They have no idea what they are missing, especially if you use process like Excel, SQL studio, Visual Studio etc. Like i do
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom