Fitting Monitors For a 27" Landscape, and XX" Portrait Setup.

[Davidh373]

I'm looking at buying two Ultrasharp monitors for my Gaming Rig. I have a 32" 1080p TV, but the pixel density isn't cutting it as a monitor. I'm thinking of having a 27" be my primary monitor.

While the GTX660Ti isn't going to be great for powering games in 2k, I'd rather downscale to 1200p in the newer games for now and have higher pixel density for video playback in the future, and for reading text especially.

The 27" is going to likely be a U2713hm, but I may go with the older U2711, or the newer and more color accurate U2713h. Then I would like to get a monitor to arrange in portrait that matches up with the bezels. This is mostly due to desk size, but also because I mostly have skype or facebook up on the second monitor. You may question a 60Hz monitor for gaming, I know it isn't ideal, but gaming experience is becoming less important to me, while durability and reliability is becoming far more important. I have two U2413 plugged into my workstation downstairs and LOVE them. I do a lot of vfx and 3D modelling work and I can't imagine a better monitor for that purpose.

I don't have the desk space now, but I also have a GTX670 in my workstation. I'd like to use those 24" monitors with the 27" wall mounted above the other two when I get my own place in a year or so. Then I'll buy another identical smaller monitor or even two for use with the gaming rig. That's why I may ultimately be getting the $800 U2713h, because it has a similar appearance, technology, performance, and color accuracy to the U2413. I won't feel like I'm losing quality when I throw something on there to get higher resolution, and have to keep swapping between screens for color work, and until I need it to it will reside (hopefully) well in the current configuration I'm striving for.

While I highly welcome any feedback on my situation, mainly I'm wondering what size would match up with a 27" in this configuration. I've been looking at the 22" 2212hm, or the 23" 2312hm. Would either of these match up, or do I need to graduate to the 30" screens and spend an extra $500?

To clean this up:

Current setup wanted:

Gaming Rig: U27XXx (Landscape) + U23XXx or U22XXx (Portrait)

Future Setup Possible:

Workstation: U2413 x2 (Landscape) + U27XXx (Landscape) AND Gaming Rig: U2XXXx x2 (Landscape)

Thank you to everyone in advance. I have found this forum has been really helpful with all of my questions in the past.

 

[_Rick_]

What do you mean by "match up" with regards to size and bezel?

An ideal companion would be a screen with 1440 pixels in the horizontal.
You can find 19" diagonal screens (16:10) with that resolution, that should match up roughly with the 27", when in portrait mode, but they'll be cheap TN+film panels. Dell P1913 is probably the pick of the bunch.
Due to the lower DPI, the screen will be slightly taller.
The Samsung s19a450bw is being sold as an 18.5" display, which in theory should be a better match, but whether there is a real life difference or just a labeling difference is hard to say.

 

[Davidh373]

Mainly, I want the height of the 27" to match the width of the smaller monitor, so I can have it in portrait. Like a "PLP Surround" monitor setup, but this would be a "PL" setup. Something like the Dell U1909W would be perfect if it were still readily available. Unfortunately, it looks like I may be out of luck. I was hoping I could get the 22" or 23" so a year down the road I could find another easily. I can't stand having mismatching bezel widths and brands on my desk, so I was looking at another Dell Ultrasharp. I'm now considering getting a 30" so it might physically fit with a larger monitor, but I'm having a hard time justifying $800 as is, yet alone $1200 - $1500 for a monitor, then spending an extra $250 for the secondary monitor.

So a 19" would fit with a 27". Would a 21.5" fit a 30"?

EDIT: I just now realized. All 27" Ultrasharps currently on the market are 16:9 at 2560 x 1440. All the 30" are 16:10 at 2560 x 1600. That is also unfortunate. I prefer 16:10...

 

[_Rick_]

With a 30", I matched a 20" 4:3. But I suppose a 21.5 1600x900 might also work, and would probably much cheaper. I went with two NECs and ended up paying around 2k euro for both screens.
Still cheaper per pixel than my previous Eizos, but not exactly a budget proposition.

The 20" matches the 30" to within half a centimeter (larger by around 2mm top and bottom each)

 

[Davidh373]

I think I'll probably end up getting a 22"-24" The U2412 and U2312HM are great monitors for the price. I'll have the top flush with the 27", and let the bottom hang a little lower. I'd really like to conserve desk space and have a more modern monitor to be able to double up on later. Unfortunately I just can't justify the spending on the larger more expensive monitor YET, nor can I invest in an older monitor as the secondary.

Thank you for all the help, Rick. If anyone wants to chime in with second opinions, I welcome them.

 

[Davidh373]

Oh! I was just looking around again, and I found this gem. It's a current model from Dell. It's not an Ultrasharp, but it is a professional monitor with swivel!

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...e_bnrank=1&baynote_irrank=0&~ck=baynoteSearch

 

[_Rick_]

That'S the P1913 I recommended in my first post
Unlikely to be brilliant for color accurate work, especially at angles, but as "tools and mail" screen, it should be fine.

 

[Davidh373]

Unlikely to be brilliant for color accurate work, especially at angles, but as "tools and mail" screen, it should be fine.

Yeah, it's just going to be a secondary monitor. It shall all be purchased next month!