Question Should I replace my $3K Dell 4K monitor?

[Harry_Wild]

I was one of the 1st buyers to buy a 4K monitor when it 1st came out! Dell had my model 2715 or 2750 (with a letter after it or two)monitor listed at $4K but for Black Friday drop the price by $1K and I jump on it! It still working faultlessly but the look is old with 3/4"-1" bezels and the totally black trim. The new PC monitors have 1/8" bezels and have a more modern look to them. I like the 27" size display. With the same specs, Dell 27" monitor is $400. My current monitor is 5-6 years old. I was going to put my current monitor as a backup. $400 is so cheap for a nice looking 4K monitor.

Should I go and buy it or suffer looking at an older style display chassis?

 

[Pohemi]

I have a hard time believing that a Dell 4K display that cost $3k five or six years ago is going to be matched or out-done by a current $400 4K display, even a Dell with the same paper specs.

Six years wasn't that far back in the PC world, and displays don't change and get better as quickly as GPUs, CPUs, etc. While the tech HAS gotten cheaper, the prices don't drop THAT fast for same-same tech.

I'd say to ask yourself if the $400 price tag for the newer display is worth the thinner bezels, because you aren't likely to get much else for the money, and might end up with a worse display image.

Just my two cents.

 

[Harry_Wild]

I have a hard time believing that a Dell 4K display that cost $3k five or six years ago is going to be matched or out-done by a current $400 4K display, even a Dell with the same paper specs.

Six years wasn't that far back in the PC world, and displays don't change and get better as quickly as GPUs, CPUs, etc. While the tech HAS gotten cheaper, the prices don't drop THAT fast for same-same tech.

I'd say to ask yourself if the $400 price tag for the newer display is worth the thinner bezels, because you aren't likely to get much else for the money, and might end up with a worse display image.

Just my two cents.

Thanks for your thoughts! Since it Black Friday/CyberMonday coming up, if the Dell monitor I am looking at goes down $100, I pulling the trigger and buying it! I really like the bezel less look of the new displays!

 

[sdifox]

Your current diplay probably has FALD while I doubt the BF special has micro led light source. Probably one of those horrible edge lit dohickeys.

 

[mindless1]

Thanks for senselessly adding to landfills to get some newer "look".

27" 4K though, I wouldn't bother as it's too small for 4K in the first place unless you need a (larger) desk upgrade more than a new monitor.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Dell 27 4K UHD USB-C Monitor - S2722QC Work of art!

 

[Harry_Wild]

Thanks for senselessly adding to landfills to get some newer "look".

27" 4K though, I wouldn't bother as it's too small for 4K in the first place unless you need a (larger) desk upgrade more than a new monitor.

I am nearsighted and can see very, very fine type size like 1/84”

 

[mindless1]

^ Even then, larger screen area back further on a desk, regains more desk real estate, work area with the same visible monitor pixel size due to larger distance away. Then again if you want TWO 4K monitors, desk width divided by two could make sense unless you're okay with them hanging off the side or the feet allow it or you use a 2x stand.

 

[sdifox]

Dell S2721QS Review

The Dell S2721QS is a budget-friendly 27-inch, 4k monitor meant for everyday and office use. Part of Dell's S Series lineup, it sits below the Dell S2722QC, whic...

www.rtings.com

Edge lit, poor contrast

 

[OlyAR15]

Dell 27 4K UHD USB-C Monitor - S2722QC Work of art!

that’s the one I have. Nice monitor, but nothing spectacular.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Dell S2721QS Review

The Dell S2721QS is a budget-friendly 27-inch, 4k monitor meant for everyday and office use. Part of Dell's S Series lineup, it sits below the Dell S2722QC, whic...

www.rtings.com

Edge lit, poor contrast

"The Dell S2721QS is a great budget 4k monitor that's suitable for a wide range of uses. It has a large screen with plenty of space for multitasking, and its high pixel density results in sharp images and text. The stand allows for a good amount of ergonomic adjustments, and its IPS panel has wide viewing angles, so you can easily share your screen with colleagues. It has a fast response time, low input lag, and supports variable refresh rate (VRR) technology to reduce screen tearing when gaming. The refresh rate is limited to 60hz, but it shouldn't be an issue for most people as gaming in 4k is still quite demanding. Like most IPS panel monitors, the contrast ratio is mediocre, which results in blacks looking grayish in the dark. Additionally, while it gets bright enough to fight glare, it isn't enough to deliver a satisfying HDR experience.".

"The Dell S2721QS is a great monitor overall."

Overall, 8.1 rating is very good!

 

[OlyAR15]

The Dell S2721QS is a great monitor overal

It's probably no better than the monitor you have right now, though. Not really an upgrade, so why throw good money for, at best, a sidegrade?

 

[OlyAR15]

27" 4K though, I wouldn't bother as it's too small for 4K in the first place

It's not. Text looks sharper on it than a 2560x1440 monitor of the same size. Not a huge difference, but if you work with text a lot, 4k is nicer to have.

 

[mindless1]

^ I didn't mean not have 4K but rather a bigger monitor that's 4K. 27" seems like an antiquated small size unless you live in a shed next to railroad tracks, or need to fit a 2nd monitor on same desk.

You wrote sharper text but I suspect you really mean less sharp, rather smoother text.

I do work with text a lot, and larger pixels that are just as sharp are easier on the eyes, as long as the larger screen does not produce too much light, so you turn the brightness down to compensate, and lower the color temperature.

 

[OlyAR15]

You wrote sharper text but I suspect you really mean less sharp, rather smoother text.

Nope, I meant sharper text. Remember that Windows (and I assume Macs) do a form of anti-aliasing to the text. This removes the "jaggies" but makes the text a bit blurry. Higher resolution tends to mask this effect more, and as a result the text looks sharper, while still not showing the jaggies.

 

[mindless1]

^ If you must use anti-aliasing, and you can't see it because the pixels are so small it blurs together, it is less sharp for your eye to be unable to focus on details that fine. If you mean you are using larger font sizes to have more points then I'd agree, except that then you lose screen real estate doing so, which IMO is almost as bad as moving down in resolution to lose the effective work space.

Either way, I could never go back to a single little 27" screen. Even if I had no use for the desk space so had it much closer than a larger screen, it would cause more eye strain being so close.

 

[OlyAR15]

Windows does anti-aliasing automatically to the text. Bottom line, more pixels allow finer detail on the text, which increases it's sharpness. Not sure how you can argue against that. So a 4k 27" monitor shows the same amount of text as a WQHD monitor. Only the text is clearer and more sharply defined, and easier on the eyes. It's not a huge difference, but it is nicer and, IMO worth the extra cost vs just a regular WQHD monitor.

I guess you have eyestrain using a smartphone too, huh? Or a laptop?

 

[mindless1]

^ Sorry you can't accept the obvious and try to argue it away. The eyestrain of your config is far worse then even back in the days of DOS on a CRT.

You seem to be one of those people who are their own worst enemy, creating a problem then trying to argue it away.

The worst thing possible is what you suggest for text, shrinking it down due to a small display then arguing that you must anti-alias that.

If you find this such a problem, maybe abandon your false delusions and accept what works well for others.

 

[Harry_Wild]

ProArt Display PA279CV

I think this is a best looking 27” I come across. More expensive too!

 

[OlyAR15]

There is nothing sharp about not being able to focus because it's so small.

I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. The text is not small on the display. So again, sorry you don't understand the basics of resolution, but I stand by my experience. The text is sharper on my 27" 4k display than an equivalent WQHD 27" display.

 

[mindless1]

^ I'm okay with you being crippled by your own bad choices. If you resist reality, you just have to be happy with your own delusions.

At the same time, you're delusional if you think you can process as much text on a 27" 4K as I can on a larger 4K. You have some kind of metal defect to pretend otherwise, unless as already stated, you sacrifice your desk to put your nose close to the monitor every day which is the worst possible work day including worse eye strain.

Hint: You will look back later and realize i was right, that it wasn't good for your eyes to focus so long on a smaller, closer display. I told you.



Your continued insults of the members are not appreciated nor allowed.


esquared
Anandtech Forum Director

 

[Harry_Wild]

Samsung Business FT872 32 inch 4K UHD
I going all out and probably buy this corporate executive monitor.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Dells UltraSharp Top Of Line PC Monitor

 

[Harry_Wild]

Just read reviews on PC monitors used for business and a lot of people are choosing 27-28" high end gaming monitors for their office even if they are not gamers. So I expanded my range to include gaming 4K PC monitor too but I have a ceiling of $2K! Many like to watch sports on it's 144 Hz refresh rate, HDR and 1 ms response! They get a big kick out of it! Got to have a high end game graphics card too.

Look at the cheap looking Alienware PC gaming monitors, they look so terrible! Who designed theses?

Not sure about the 34"-38" ultrawide screen monitors. Appeals to narrow for web browsing but I could see gaming and movie watching on them.

 

[Harry_Wild]

For right now, I going to think about it since my monitor is still fine but ended up buying an expensive Benq light bar for it! LOL! I think it is expensive still after looking at theses silly gaming desktop monitors. They even have a RGB light bar that light up at the back while offering monitor lighting. Errrrrr!