Really torn between 34" or 38" (for productivity)

lorna1983

lorna1983

lorna1983

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15
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Farnborough
Hi All,

I have searched for tons of videos and reviews, and unfortunately almost all are gaming orientated. I am not a gamer and so a lot of the information just isn't relevant.

Current Setup and use
2x Standard 27" Benq monitors
WFH in Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity
A lot of looking at data, spreadsheets, some code, report writing, outlook, Teams calls etc.

Options
I have ruled out a 49" as it just seems too wide and just not a good fit for me personally
34" looks reasonable although I keep wondering if the £400-£500 would feel worthwhile based on the size gain
38" looks brilliant however the cost is really high, about the £1000 mark I think. Although I could in theory afford this, I don't think I could justify that high a cost
I would retain one of my 27" monitors, most likely turning it into a portrait orientation to the side
I have read that a 4k monitor for my kind of work would be a good move

My questions therefore are:

  1. Have you looked or considered these two sizes before and if so, what were your conclusions?
  2. In relation to my use (data/work - no gaming), any particular thoughts on what would be best?
  3. Any recommendations on brands or particular models?
  4. Finally, anything else I should look out for? Although I am very technical in knowledge, I completely glaze over when looking at monitor specs and things like refresh rates, panel types, resolutions, etc. I therefore struggle to understand what it really means for me and what is/isn't important.

Thank you
Lorna
 
A few months ago I moved from 34" to 38" (X34 Predator to X38 Predator) and the extra screen size and resolution is most useful in productivity situations.

The 34" was 3440x1440 and the 38" is 3840x1600 so not a massive increase in resolution, the vertical resolution being the most important increase. A vertical resolution of 1440 is just too restrictive I find.

You don't mention if a curved screen is desired or not, they can be a bit weird at first as the curve can look a bit "bowtie" especially with spreadsheets or other productivity programs. You get used to it though.

Seeing as you have no interest in games or high refresh rates I'd say a 4K 40" or larger with a resolution of 3840x2160 and no curve would suit you as long as you have the desk space for it. There's a few of these on OCUK for less than £700.
 
Slogan said:
What is the resolution of your current 27" monitors?
Click to expand...

Resolution of these are both 2560x1440 with 100% scaling

Mysterae_ said:
A few months ago I moved from 34" to 38" (X34 Predator to X38 Predator) and the extra screen size and resolution is most useful in productivity situations.

The 34" was 3440x1440 and the 38" is 3840x1600 so not a massive increase in resolution, the vertical resolution being the most important increase. A vertical resolution of 1440 is just too restrictive I find.

You don't mention if a curved screen is desired or not, they can be a bit weird at first as the curve can look a bit "bowtie" especially with spreadsheets or other productivity programs. You get used to it though.

Seeing as you have no interest in games or high refresh rates I'd say a 4K 40" or larger with a resolution of 3840x2160 and no curve would suit you as long as you have the desk space for it. There's a few of these on OCUK for less than £700.
Click to expand...

Interesting... I do have a very large desk so may have the space for a big TV.

I just tried my laptop on my 55" TV which is near my computer set up. It came up with 3840 x 2160 recommended resolution but 300% scaling. Lowering this down to 200% made it look quite blurry and 100% was just tiny. This was via a USB-C connection from laptop to HDMI 2.1 on TV.

My laptop uses an Nvidia GTX A2000 8GB graphics card which apparently has a max resolution of 7680 x 4320 at 120 Hz. My laptop has 64gb RAM and is an Intel i9 if that is of relevance here.
 
I massively prefer my 38" 3840 x 1600 over my old 34" 3440x1440 feels a lot more spacious and it's easy to have multiple windows open at the same time. It's not my only screen though, I also have a 24" spun vertically that I use.
 
lorna1983 said:
Resolution of these are both 2560x1440 with 100% scaling
Click to expand...

The reason I asked is that a single 34" 3440x1440 monitor is a significant drop in terms of the pixels available, compared to dual 2560x1440 monitors. It is about 32% less pixels. A 38" 3840*1600 is still a decrease in available pixels but only 16% less than the duals, which may be a worthwhile sacrifice for the aesthetic / simplicity of a single monitor.

I would recommend putting one of your current 27" in portrait mode and seeing if it fits your use case. Whilst portrait mode does have its benefits for certain applications, I know from personal experience than it practically doesn't really suit everyone. I found the 1440p width a bit too restrictive and didn't like the aesthetic of the overhang, compared to the main landscape monitor.

An alternative could be to get an ultrawide and mount one of your 27" monitors above it as a secondary. Some people say they don't like the "cut down height" of the 34 3440x1440 displays but that can have a physical benefit, if you were mounting a monitor above it.
 
For brands try LG or Dell.

I've got a 32" Iiyama VA panel and whilst it is fine, I initially thought it might be too bright for me, but it's ok if I turn the brightness right down. This might mean an IPS panel might be better for lower brightness but I don't know if this is the case.
 
Was all set to throw another vote in for a 38" display, especially as there are some deals to be had on the B grade panels already, and NIK might also cut a deal as per this thread

I think if you aren't a gamer though a 32" 4K panel would be a better pick for your use case. Focus would be on sharp text rendering, which makes it an easy choice - then when you can't stand how your current 27" looks in comparison you could get another one later.

Panel wise - I would go for IPS. My experience of VA panels scrolling a lot of text isn't a great experience, that could just be the cheaper panels though.

For a specific product I would recommend the G3223Q (can't say the name as _technically_ they're a competitor) - their warranty is great (advanced replace next business day too). but I would be inclined to take a look at the B-Grade section. There are a few IPS 4K panels in there, so you could look at the reviews for those.
 
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