Question Need monitor for web development (no gaming)

[frontendguy]

Hi, I am looking for a monitor to do web development work and take programming courses. I don't play videogames, I just need enough space to do my work. Need some advice and recommendations for monitors. Trying to keep my budget <$600. For web development and my programming classes, the important things are decent color accuracy and enough room to do my work. Things I usually have open - my code, website I'm currently working on in browser, Chrome dev tools, video course that I'm following along with, terminal, and OneNote to take notes. Sometimes I need to pull up documentation. I would prefer having one monitor, two monitors would distract me and I don't have enough room to have them side by side. I don't mind using multiple desktops on MacOS or occasionally alt-tabbing for other things like calendar and todo list, as long as I can see most of my work on one screen.

I am currently using a 2015 13 inch Macbook Pro, which supports Display Port 1.2. The HDMI ports on it would limit me to 30 Hz at 4K, so I need something with Display Port or mini Display Port.


IPS display without screen flickering is a must. Refresh rate doesn't matter as long as it's 60 Hz because I don't game. Not sure what screen size and resolution combo is good...I was looking into 27 inch 4K but people say the text gets super small unless you scale, which I don't want to do because it messes with the layout of the websites I'm working on. Also considering 1440p monitors if the text is more readable without text scaling (I have bad vision and wear glasses). Monitor would probably be around 2 feet away from me. Would also be interested in larger monitor sizes in the 31-34 inch range if they are quality and fit in my budget. Thanks!

 

[frontendguy]

I would recommend you to try Dell Ultra Monitor P2715Q. It will be a great option under $600.

Thanks! So I tried out a 27 inch 4K display in person, and felt that it was wayyy too small and would give me eye strain.

I am looking for a 1440p 60 Hz IPS monitor with good color accuracy and no screen flickering. Not sure if I should get a 27 inch or something with more screen real estate. If I went with a 4K, I would need at least a 32 inch display. I was looking at Dell but they are having a lot of compatibility issues with MacOS Catalina that haven't been fixed.

 

[mnewsham]

So I tried out a 27 inch 4K display in person

Most people run them at 200% or 150% GUI scale.

You're not really meant to use a 27"4k at 100% scale like you would a "normal" 1440p 27" or 1080p 24"

 

[frontendguy]

Most people run them at 200% or 150% GUI scale.

You're not really meant to use a 27"4k at 100% scale like you would a "normal" 1440p 27" or 1080p 24"

Hmm wouldn't that end up making things blurry or pixelated if you change the native resolution? Why not just get a 1440p monitor at that point and run it in the resolution it was designed for?

 

[mnewsham]

Hmm wouldn't that end up making things blurry or pixelated if you change the native resolution? Why not just get a 1440p monitor at that point and run it in the resolution it was designed for?

I personally agree, it doesn't make things blurry at 200% since that's 1080p which is literally just half of 4k. So it's easy enough to just double the pixels without any sort of blurring happening.

But yeah, I have a 43" 4k monitor since I can use it at 100% scale.

 

[frontendguy]

I personally agree, it doesn't make things blurry at 200% since that's 1080p which is literally just half of 4k. So it's easy enough to just double the pixels without any sort of blurring happening.

But yeah, I have a 43" 4k monitor since I can use it at 100% scale.

I am leaning towards a 27 inch 1440p or a 34 inch ultrawide 1440p since that size is comfortable for me to read for long hours. IPS display, good color accuracy, no screen flickering, 60 Hz, thin bezels is preferable. Any recommendations? Gonna avoid Dell because ongoing compatibility problems with MacOS Catalina.

 

[Muadib]

Here's a 32" 4k monitor that gets good reviews:

https://www.amazon.com/BenQ-PD3200U-Professionals-Technology-Reproduction/dp/B01MY142C0?SubscriptionId=AKIAJV4KMHBMUG36SMIQ&tag=p00935-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B01MY142C0&ascsubtag=02Naej2HBntBwuctbteTGVL

It's about $100 over your budget though.

 

[sdifox]

For 60hz duty non gaming 42" 4k tv could be the ticket

The 6 Best TVs For PC Monitors - Winter 2024: Reviews

The best TV for computer monitor use we've tested is the Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED. It delivers a fantastic desktop experience, with support for HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four HDMI ports, so you can enjoy 4k @ 120Hz (4k @ 144Hz on the 43 and 50-inch models) while still getting clear text with...

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[piokos]

I personally agree, it doesn't make things blurry at 200% since that's 1080p which is literally just half of 4k. So it's easy enough to just double the pixels without any sort of blurring happening.

Except it does, because Windows scaling isn't about stretching pixels.

Scaling is applied to elements that Windows can control, so pretty much: what's made using Microsoft's GUI APIs. And it's not stretching pixels. It's actually scaling the object properties that Windows can access, like font size.
In other words: software has to be written to support scaling.
On software that doesn't offer full scaling support (i.e. that doesn't let Windows impact the size of all GUI elements), this usually leads to a mess.

Of course 3D games aren't affected, so scaling is perfectly fine on PCs that aren't used for anything else.

 

[frontendguy]

How do you guys think 1440p looks at 32 inches on an IPS display? I don't have amazing vision so not sure if I even want to look at tiny 4K text.

 

[mikeford]

I'm fond of dual monitors, one for code and one for viewing results. Another suggestion for web work is that you should have a few basic monitors and both a Mac and a PC to check results on.

 

[ijava85]

I'm a little late to the post but if you haven't considered it, may I suggest a vertical display? I currently use a dual setup, my dell being primary and the secondary being an older 24inch display. I'm currently in the market for a new secondary display, specifically for use in programming and have been checking this display out.

Samsung S22E450B - SE450 Series - LED monitor - Full HD (1080p) - 21.5" - S22E450B - LCD / LED Monitors - CDW.com

Buy a Samsung S22E450B - SE450 Series - LED monitor - Full HD (1080p) - 21.5" at CDW.com

www.cdw.com

!

 

[Disrop]

In this case, you need to make a choice, spend more money and buy a high-quality monitor, or take a more budget-friendly one and save money. Depends on what result you want to achieve. If you want to immerse yourself in the web developing sphere indeed, you have to go for a more professional one. And my friend, I advise you to get a bigger one as when working with prototypes or designing schemes in general, it's better even for you to have this all clearly presented on the screen. I know that more about web development you can find about at G Squared. I had worked with them when I needed to develop my business project in the online industry. They divided my project into different milestones and were keeping me in the loop with all the updates. My project has been done successfully and now I’m looking forward to hiring them for my marketing needs.

 

[mikeford]

Once of the most pleasant monitors I've used for programming was a non color, greyscale portrait monitor. Very crisp, no flicker, and contrast just to suit my eyes and room.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Higher the resolution the better the text! You can double or triple the size of the text size if you have poor eye sight!