In the Market for a 32" 4K Monitor
Nyghtfall3D
Posts: 786
I use a 27" 2K display and have $900 I can spend on a 32" 4K. Is such an upgrade worth the expense for 3D art?
EDIT: Keep in mind, I use Windows 10.
Post edited by Nyghtfall3D on
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4K will give you more screen "real estate", and will also make the text and menus smaller. Do you need more room on your screen? Are you OK with smaller text? I like mine, I use a 32 inch Cintiq that displays in 4K res, but it's just me... opinions will greatly vary.
Not particularly. I just realized I can afford the upgrade and was curious to know if it's worth doing so. I've read numerous articles and watched countless videos about the pros and cons and wanted some input from 3D artists.
Yes, it definitely can be worth it IF you have the room on your desk, as, besides all the benefits in image resolution, bigger screens means that it's a lot easier to make out a lot more finicky detail on things like parameter dials, and those who need reading glasses with a 27" often find (as I do) that they don't need them with a 32" as it sits just that much further away. That does mean that you need to have a deeper desk than you do with a 27", and you may also find that you have to modify the default size that your computer displays text, as DAZ's menus can get really tiny and hard to read at the higher resolutions. Once you get used to it, though, you really can't go back.
For what it's worth, I've been using twin 32" monitors for a number of years now, but upgraded to twin 32" 4K monitors about nine months ago and recommend buying one really good, calibrated 4K as a main workspace and then a second, cheap/basic 32" 4k as a secondary monitor as an workspace for dials, menus, email, and anything else where color accuracy isn't as important (though you could obviously keep using the 27 for the same purpose.) My current set up is the highly rated* and extremely feature laden BenQ PD3200U , which currently sells for $699.00 on Amazon and comes factory calibrated with a built-in KVM switch, and a "cheap" 32" 4K Samsung that I picked up on sale at Best Buy for $350, the UJ59, so I bought both for only a little over your budget. I really can't recommend the BenQ highly enough, as it's been a complete and total dream to work with since it came out of the box. As for the Samsung... it does a good job for what I use it for, which is as a second screen for both my main DAZ PC as well as for my Predator Gaming Laptop, though it's color is noticeably less accurate and consistant than the BenQ's... which is only natural given that I bought the BenQ after doing a LOT of research and viewing, while the Samsung purchase was made primarily on price.
*Tom's Hardware Editor's Choice, 2017, though it has to be noted that early shipping releases of the PD3200 had an occasional flicker problem that was subsequently corrected with a firmware update, so make sure you get a new model and not an early release that's been sitting in stock somewhere.
I used 2 32" 2K IPS (Philips), I got them for $299 each a couple years back. I looked at 4K, but the images/text/icons are just too small in 4K to be comfortable for me. oerhaps I need a 50" 4K
You can make all of those bigger while keeping the higher resolution just by going to the ease of access menu in windows and changing the settings. Takes about a minute.
I've read and seen a lot about that one. It's a popular choice among creative professionals wanting a feature-packed display for under $1000. At the moment, it's the only one I'm seriously considering.
How far do you sit from the monitor?
A 32" 4k monitor the ideal viewing range is 2 feet
A 32" 1440P monitor the ideal viewing range is 3.2 feet
So unless you sit unusually close to your screen a 1440p monitor is a better choice at 32"
About 2.5 feet.
Yes, I know that, but if I'm going to be using 1440p all the time, why spend triple just to get 2 4K and not use the 4K resolutions
I think Cybersox is saying there is a way to increase the size of your icons, texts, fonts etc. while keeping your 4K resolution.
If it's practicality you're after, I would go ultrawide. The extra room left/right is great to have and you won't need multiple monitors on your desk (if you have them). Mine is 43" but not true 4k (3840x1200). Bonus is that Aquarium screensaver looks absolutely amazing.
Those aren't ideal viewing distances, those are minimum recommended viewing distances. Higher resolution allows you to get closer to the screen but the dimensions of the screen are the limiting factor on getting farther away. As a reference, the BenQ knowledge center specifically recommends a viewing distance of 2 feet to 4.3 feet for a 32" 4K monitor, versus a range of 3.2 ft to 4.3 feet for a 1440 32" monitor https://www.benq.com/en-us/knowledge-center/knowledge/whats-the-best-viewing-distance-for-a-1440p-gaming-monitor.html
Practicality isn't a concern and ultrawides don't interest me. I'm just curious about how beneficial 32" 4K monitors are for 3D artists, especially among DS users.
Be aware the rendered picture size you use now will look smaller on a 4K monitor, which might tempt you to render to a larger size, which of course will take longer. Personally I don't see much benefit in 4K for DS.
Same, what's the point in using 4 times as much resources for 4K view and then use windows utilities to scale the UI elements big enough to see them = The workspace is not getting any bigger, but you are eating up the resources just for being able to say you have a 4K monitor.
The monitor resolution does not limit the size of renders.
Using multiple monitors is much better option, two is good, three is better.
I use 3 x 1440p monitors; 2 benq and a good dell; the Dell I keep calibrated.
I keep thinking about 4k, like you, but am dubious about the benefit outside of watching (better quality?) vids.
I'm a long way from convinced the upgrade is a requirement to produce good 3D art.
My own opinion is a good quality monitor, with acurate colour calibration because it is capable of being calibrated to a professional extent, is far more important. I'm a hobbiest, but at least knowing the image are produced are close to as accurate as I can get is important; many other's will see them differently, but that's down to them.
... I'll be keeping my eye on this thread.
I too was interested, but looking at the reviews on Amazon, it has since been removed from my list of possibles.
You don't?
Why?
I use Studio, but do my renders in Blender; irrespective of where you render, why don't you see the benefit of 4K images?
If you dont play videogames, then you dont really have to worry about refresh rate or latency.
if you have some extra money, the LG 38UC99-W 38-Inch 21:9 Curved UltraWide is apparently only $1000 on Amazon. Could be cheaper elsewhere. I had it for over a year and it was so good but i had to sell it when moving overseas. The in built speakers were suprisingly good also, which meant i could retire my speakers.
I purchased a 34" replacement after moving to UK, and it sucks so much in comparison.
I have 3 1080p at work and a single 4k at home. I much prefer my work setup. I really regret buying the 4k monitor and am saving up to replace it with a dual or triple 1440p setup.
I know people with ultrawides and some really like them and some don't. They lack the flexibility I want in a multi monitor setup, you can't put "one" in portrait.
If you are considering a multi monitor setup you should also give a lot of consideration to the monitor arm(s) and the mounts. You want to be able to position the monitors where you want them, and have them stay put.
I will keep an eye on this column. I am looking for a 4K 32" or 1440p 34" ultrawide. Minimum specs are:
Panel TYpe: VA or IPS
Cost <$700
Vertical Refresh >100hz
Color Depth - 10bit with HDR10 support
Picture-in-Picture capability.
I'd get two 27" 4K monitors. One for renders and the other for editing / tutorials. I can't afford that though so I'm getting two 27" FHD monitors instead. That's on a few months delay as I hold back to buy Marvelous Designer Perpetual License. Only thing I'm getting that's 4K before 2022 is a 4K 75" upto 85" TV. LOL, yes, 85" TV is absolute hugest I can hang on my living room wall unless they come out with OLED TV that I can unroll on my wall like wallpaper. Heck, that and a nVidia 3070 or 3080 all adds up so I'll see.
Speaking of OLED TV that unroll like wallpaper wouldn't it be great to have OLED TVs that you could unroll and wallpaper all the ceilings and walls of your house? At night you could play planetarium simulations synced to match your starry skies at your location or you could choose any location on earth. In the day play day time skies in different kinds of weather.
The walls could play different nature scenes or urban scenes according to your mood. That might be too much though so you could have fake OLED windows over the beaches of the world, green forests, urbans scenes, and so on.
I use a Dell 32" 4K display on my render box. The two places this display really shines is in Studio and Photoshop. I highly reccomend them if you have the space. Just be aware that less expensive 4K monitors are going to have slower grey-to-grey refresh rates and won't be so good for gaming (I game on a 1440p display on the gaming computer), but are just fine for rendereing and postwork. I would very much recommend a color calibrator if you are at all serious.
I use a 32" 4k IPS Acer Predator display and love it...but I also game. Keep in mind that your viewport is going to be bigger when using a 4k monitor, so you'll need more horsepower to drive your Iray preview.
You definitely need to go with an IPS panel, as at larger sizes, you'll need the higher quality to prevent what I call the color wonk when viewing at an angle (and the sides/top/bottom of the screen will be at an angle if you sit at a desk so you will totally notice...I initially bought a cheaper display and returned it because of the awful color wonk)
I use a 1080Ti so I don't imagine horsepower will be an issue. I understand the importance of IPS panels - that's what my 27" is.
I'm also looking for better color accuracy, as I'm studying to be a freelance artist and content creator. My 27" is an 8-bit panel. My research indicates I should look for a 10-bit panel.
I have a 1080TI and don't typically have problems, but I definitely did notice a difference when I moved to the higher resolution screen.
Here is the model I have...I've had it for a couple years now and am still very happy with it. I do see that Newegg has certified refurbished ones.
https://www.newegg.com/black-acer-predator-xb1-xb321hk-32/p/N82E16824009893?Description=acer predator 32 4k&cm_re=acer_predator 32 4k-_-24-009-893-_-Product&quicklink=true
In terms of color accuracy, I'm super picky about that as well as I come from a photography background. This was the first monitor I've ever owned where I didn't need to calibrate it constantly for color accuracy.
+1
I have three 1200p, both at home and at work, and I would never go back to a single or even double monitor setup.
In DS I have the Content library on one, the scene+Parameters+Surface on the second and the viewport on third.
My desk is a Realspace corner desk by Magellan and doesn't offer much functional room for a dual monitor setup. Nevertheless, I tried it with my 27" and an old 22" several years ago and immediately found the setup too impractical for my needs.
It is not simply "more horsepower". Using a 4K screen will also use more VRAM. That will subtract some precious VRAM resources that you could be using to render. So it is possible you may run into a situation where you run out of VRAM for a scene that you used to be able to render on GPU before on a lower res screen. And while the viewport may use the GPU, the Daz app itself is using CPU, and only one thread, so that will push the CPU a little harder as well if its single threaded performance is not strong enough. It will depend on how extensive your scenes are.
I like 1440p. To my eye, the difference is immediately obvious over 1080p. So that upgrade is well worth it in my opinion. Taking the additional step up from 1440p to 4K is not quite as big of a jump to me. Yes, I can see the difference between 1440p and 4K at 2+ feet, and my eyes are not that great. But it is really close, like I have to sort of squint to really see it. It is so close that moving to 4K feels completely unnecessary. I also play video games, so that effects other things, it is easier to run high frame rates at lower resolutions. But of course if you aren't gaming, that is not a concern.
Ultimately the decision is yours. If you have an opportunity, perhaps you can sample some screens at a local store. It will not be the same as being at home, certainly not with thousands of Watts of lighting above your head. But you should be able to get an idea of what the resolution might feel like if you can compare a 1440p screen to a 4K screen. That is really the only way to know for sure.
Good points. I hadn't considered them. Thanks.
The only game I play anymore is Star Wars: The Old Republic, which runs fine on my 27", so I'm shopping with the understanding that a similarly-specced 4K monitor will support it as well.
For additional context, my 27" is an ASUS MX27AQ.
There's a Microcenter near me I may pay a visit to.