Monitor traits and features

marktourigny

What should I look for in a new monitor that will primarily be used for content creation?  I have a 2080ti, 8700 cpu and 40gb RAM.  I will also use the monitor for games but that will be a small proportion of its overall use and I don't play any shooter style games so refresh rate is probably not overly important.  I don't have an unlimited budget after buying the other parts and am looking to stay at $600 or below ideally.  I do have a current 27 inch 1080p monitor that can be used as a second screen.  Any specific suggestions or general things to look for or avoid would be much appreciated. 

Richard Haseltine

Although this is focussed on a few models it does cover quite a lot of general stuff https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/416781/suggestions-for-a-27-or-32-inch-monitor-to-work-with-daz/p1

marktourigny

Thanks Richard I did look through that thread before posting my question.  It was useful but doesn't fully address the issue.  Is there any concensus on whether 4k is trully better than 1440 for creative work?  And the same question for IPS vs TN and VA.  I'm guessing 60hz wouldn't make a difference using programs like Daz but I really don't know for sure.  Are there other aspects like contrast, colour or brightness that don't really matter for FPS gamers but that creative folk do care about?  What about the aspect ratio?  Just trying to find the right points of comparison that I can use.

Velldune

If this is your personal hobby, then you do not care about specific color calibration. But you definitely dont want to be forced into a monitor that has "movie mode" and "gaming mode" where colors are saturated. Anyway, for content creation, you want a monitor that has wide color gamut. Most likely that would be IPS screen type (not TN or VA), preferably 27" or 30" (no less than 27).
If you are not gaming then you do not need to worry about "response rate" (10ms - 20ms is fine) nor "frequency rate" (60Hz - 120Hz is fine)
4K resolution is up to you.

A brief article with some examples: 
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/amp/computers/hands-on-review/5-top-monitor-features-for-creative-professionals

A quick recommendation for something simple (but not super cheap) would be Dell "Ultrasharp" with the letter U before product id, like  Dell UltraSharp UP3216Q.

Report back and let us know what you did get :)

nonesuch00

1) IPS

2) Flickerfree

3) DisplayPort & HDMI available

4) LED not LCD

5) 27" - 28"

Sevrin

If you've got six hundred bucks and want to use it for creative work, I'd look for an HDR monitor in the 1440p range for 27" or 4k if 32".  The HDR part isn't a big deal for Daz Studio, but it's worth getting for compositing EXR Iray canvasses, RAW photo editing, etc.  Maybe check out the BenQ EW3270U.  Something like that would work well.

marktourigny

I appreciate all of the advice.  Dell ultrasharp and BenQ are two brands that I've been seeing recommended so good to see there is agreement here.  

Sevrin that specific BenQ model is VA and that made me a little reluctant.  Is that a true drawback?  Someone is selling a used one near me and I was thinking of taking it.

I have not had luck finding a 4k Ultrasharp for a good price new or used.

Does anyone have both a 4k and 1440 that can really describe the difference it makes?

And yes this is for hobby use only and primarily just Daz game creation.  My real job just requires spreadsheets which run fine on any 1980's monitor. 

Daventaki

From what I have read it seems that many people have trouble with the 4k causing headaches and other issues from eye strain. Ive decided to stay away from those for the time being and have begun looking for one in the 1440p range.  I did stop in Best Buy today and looked at the displays. They had the LG ultrawide 1080p  right above a 27" 4k and the ultrawide had a better picture to me.  Of course those are displays so take that with the grain of salt its worth.  Also seems like most sites recommend the IPS over VA or TN and for color the sRBG.

Ive been considering this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YGZL8XF/ref=crt_ewc_title_dp_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1

I don't do a whole lot of gaming either but the specs look good to me and the 144hz would be a bonus. It also has an adjustable stand which I really do need for my limited desk space.

This is the one that I was looking at Best Buy:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-34wl500-b-34-ips-led-ultrawide-fhd-freesync-monitor-with-hdr-black/6329954.p?skuId=6329954

This I am sure is probably one of those models thats specific to Best Buy but im sure Amazon or other sites have other options with the same specs or better.  I did like the wide screen aspect but I will look for one 1440p.

nonesuch00

marktourigny said:

I appreciate all of the advice.  Dell ultrasharp and BenQ are two brands that I've been seeing recommended so good to see there is agreement here.  

Sevrin that specific BenQ model is VA and that made me a little reluctant.  Is that a true drawback?  Someone is selling a used one near me and I was thinking of taking it.

I have not had luck finding a 4k Ultrasharp for a good price new or used.

Does anyone have both a 4k and 1440 that can really describe the difference it makes?

And yes this is for hobby use only and primarily just Daz game creation.  My real job just requires spreadsheets which run fine on any 1980's monitor. 

If you had looked for 27" 4K 6 months ago two or three brands (Philips, Spectre, Acer, & Asus) were going for $225 - $250. They were IPS & FreeSync as well if I remember right. Now the cheapest you find them are $270 Used (although they might actually be New but resellers hoarding and reselling are forced to mark them as Used).