2x 32" 2K vs 1x 48" 4K?

[etherealfocus]

Time to upgrade monitors. I'll be running whatever I get off the desktop in my sig. My workload is a pretty even mix of text (Python, Word, Excel, Chrome), light Photoshop/Illustrator, light gaming (mostly Starcraft II), and the occasional movie. Good text clarity is an absolute must, but I also value image quality and smooth gaming even though I'm not a twitchy FPS person.

I have a 32q right now and it's perfect... runs 70Hz out of the box without overclocking, beautiful image, no backlight bleed. It's so perfect wifey wants one too, so I can either get one for her and a second one for myself, or give her mine and snag myself a 4K.

Option 1: 2x HP 32q (going for 32q over the Omen bc Omen is $60 extra and I don't have a Radeon for Freesync anyway)
32" 1440p 70Hz

Option 2: 1x Acer EB490QK
48.5" 4K 60Hz

Option 3: ???

I'd like the 4K all else being equal but have some concerns with it... both the Acer brand and the idea of cheap 4K screens are at least yellow flags to me.

Can I expect except similar image quality on the Acer vs the HP? Any reliability issues/QC concerns?

Dropping from 70Hz to 60Hz is noticeable but no biggie on the 32q; will the sluggishness of 60Hz be amplified on the 4K screen?

Considering the limits of my 1060, how well can I expect the Acer to perform in games at 144p? Will it be noticeable/ugly?

Edited to remove 2K/1440 semantics BS.

 

[JujuFish]

A 32" 1080p screen sounds horrendous.

 

[etherealfocus]

2K = 1440p, not 1080p.

Edit: looks like there's some debate about it. Not interested in debating the merits of the terminology; when I say it I mean 1440.

 

[JujuFish]

2K = 2048x1080.

 

[mnewsham]

2K = 2048x1080.

In the professional film industry, sure.

As it stands for consumers though, many 1440p monitors advertise themselves as 2k, and as such most consumers who aren't particularly aware of the DCI film resolutions would use 2k to refer to 1440p.

 

[repoman0]

How far away do you sit from your monitor? That will basically answer it. Personally I find 2x32" screens way too big (using it now temporarily, will be swapping one 32 for a 27 4k). 4k is nice but high refresh rate is unbeatable for gaming. I went from 1 Dell UP3216Q (4k/60) to a 32" 1440p/165Hz and am happy with the swap. 4k looks noticeably nicer for everything but gaming so I'll be adding the 27/4k as a secondary.

 

[JujuFish]

In the professional film industry, sure.

As it stands for consumers though, many 1440p monitors advertise themselves as 2k, and as such most consumers who aren't particularly aware of the DCI film resolutions would use 2k to refer to 1440p.

That's absurd (the fact that they do so, I'm not saying your statement is absurd). Still, that doesn't make them 2K. No need to continue to spread ignorance.

 

[etherealfocus]

repoman0 - I sit about 2' away from my 32" right now but I keep my desk mostly empty, could easily push back another 18" or so. I am a little concerned about the height of a 48"... right now the top of the 32" is maybe 4-6" above my eyes so going to 48 may be sacrificing ergonomics a bit. And my chair is already at max height. I'll probably remove the stand and just brace it against the wall to mitigate.

I'm not too concerned with refresh rate since again I mostly just play Starcraft (and I'm Silver league lol, hardly twitchy)... long as it'll render games more or less as nicely as my 32q at 1440p I'll be happy. And in any case productivity > entertainment

 

[etherealfocus]

That's absurd (the fact that they do so, I'm not saying your statement is absurd). Still, that doesn't make them 2K. No need to continue to spread ignorance.

I wish you well on your quest to spread the semantics gospel. May you find much joy and success in a thread on that topic.

 

[mnewsham]

If it's an option, look into wall mounting the 48" so the bottom edge is AT desk height.

 

[etherealfocus]

'Tis indeed. My biggest concern is just whether it'll artifact or lag at 1440p, plus general QC concerns.

 

[Viper GTS]

Big 4K is vastly superior in every way. I've been on a 49" for over three years now, it's easily the best tech purchase I have made in the last decade.

I really cannot overstate how much of a change in workflow it is vs multiple smaller displays. I have used multi-monitor setups for many years with over ten years on triple LCD setups (big setups like 4960x1600 and 4320x2560).

Viper GTS