Monitor choice...

Hi all,

On Monday, I return to the office after working from home for the past few months. However, I will now be working split, spending 60% of my work week at home. Right now, I am using a 40" TV as my monitor, but I am setting up two different spots to work from: One in the library where the main PC will go, and I will set up my surface as my work PC.

For my work setup, is it better to use two smaller monitors? If so, what is the ideal size? As I type on this 40" TV, it feels too big for the distance I am sitting away.

Also, what brands / models would you all suggest I look into?

Actually this all depends on what you do .

If its word processing why are you even considering two monitors , usually the two or more monitors setups are ideal for multimedia creators and graphics designers , and even most of those can manage with one monitor .

And here is a hint people neglect to mention , multi monitors can get iffy when you are using your mouse , it requires a lot of arm movement to get back and forth and eventually will subliminally lead you to use one of them all the time and neglect the rest .

Now that 40" monitors seems too big to you then the next bus stop is to try out the 32" in some shop but you cant go any less than 24" now a days .

As for brands my personal favorite is View Sonic , they are usually rich in colors , easy on the eyes and give you less need for support other monitors tend to require lately .

Next in line is usually LG , Lenovo , Samsung , Benq , Asus in order of giving you troubles from least to more sever .

Monitors come in good old 60 Hz versions (Capable of displaying 60 frames / second) and the GSync ones (Capable of displaying 120 / 144 + frames per second)

60 Hz monitors are usually trouble-less , the have been around for 20 years .

GSync monitors are known to have a tinkering curve at first but since they are mainly directed at gamers , these usually have no problems in tinkering but when it comes to word processing time usually matters so try to avoid these , except if you work with multimedia / graphics then these give you a better visual experience worth the tinkering .

Good Luck there .

I typically like 23" to 27" monitors. And a pair of them is great.

I'm not a hardcore gamer, only an occasional gamer. Therefore I stick with IPS panels for best viewing angles and more accurate color.

Typically I buy the Dell UltraSharp series myself. They have very thin bezels, and the stand has high adjustment, tilt, pivot, etc. With that said, I just picked up an Asus ProArt 27" display PA278QV for about $275 from Amazon. It's highly accurate for color, and is 2560x1440 resolution which is what I prefer. It has similar stand to Dell ultrasharp, as it has high adjustment, tilt, pivot, etc. Very small bezels.
https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PA278QV-...s%2C202&sr=8-2

Decide early on if you want speakers.

There's at least 3 types of monitor connectors on current PCs. You need to be sure your chosen monitor will match up with that connector on the PC. There are adapter cables, but I'd try to avoid them if possible.

If you intend to be no more than 30 inches from it, I'd doubt you'd want anything larger than 27. Maybe even 23 or 24, unless you don't mind swiveling your head to pick up the edges of the screen. I guess some people really do prefer to sit in the front row of a movie theater, but it would drive me nuts.

The aspect ratio has to be considered. I think 16 x 9 is the most common, but I haven't kept up.

I use Dell, but you can have a horrid experience with any of them, so pay attention to your return privileges and warranty fine print. I think manufacturers differ on return policies for bad pixels and I would hate to be caught up in that.

Until recently, I used a pair of ACER 27 inch monitors and they worked great for the three years I used them. I just upgraded to a Samsung 32 inch. I love it, but I sure miss my second screen. I also find that 27 inches was the optimal size for how far I sit from the screen. Of course, your mileage may vary.

One other thing: If you aren't gaming, a 1080p (1920 x 1080) monitor will do you fine. Higher resolutions make the type smaller, in my experience. There may be a way to mitigate this, but I haven't tried to figure it out. I simply run my monitor at 1080p and all is good.

After reading the replies (thanks all!), I realised that I didn't give enough detail at all....

Actually this all depends on what you do

I am looking for monitors for my work. My work involves (but not limited to):

• Writing documents
• Reading standards / long pdfs
• Writing code
• Dealing with email
• Touching up pictures

Normally, I have two monitors at my workstation; one in landscape, and the other in portrait. I use the portrait monitor to write code and use for keeping my email open. Since working at home and only having access to one monitor, I've been using virtual desktops to the same effect (utilising AutoHotkey to quickly switch between the different desktops). Since working remotely for the past 4-5ish months, I don't know if I want to replicate this setup (hence the idea of two screens).

Now that I've been given the green light to work two days in the office and three remotely, I wanted to make the most optimum setup for what I do.

If its word processing why are you even considering two monitors

Having the ability to keep more than one program visible at a time is extremely advantageous when it comes to efficiency. I have a script that also reads in the dimensions of the monitor that the active program is currently on and can resize the program into a window that can go into any corner or take up half a screen, either horizontally or vertically. With the increased size of this TV / monitor, that script has come in quite handy!

it requires a lot of arm movement to get back and forth

I use a gaming mouse and I switch the DPI between 100, 4000 and 9000 (depending on the task), so navigating around two monitors is fairly quick. The issue becomes the head swivel on a big screen, that's for sure.

try out the 32"

That's the size I ended up at as well; it seems to be the sweet spot. My wife and I finished setting up two desks in the library, which means that I can use my PC for home stuff in there and use the office with my Surface Go for work. Interestingly, my wife pointed out that I only really say the screen is "too big" when doing personal things, not work. Perhaps a single 32" for home is fine and sticking with the 40" for work will suffice? Keen to hear what others do, as I may be missing aspects to consider.

GSync monitors are known to have a tinkering curve

I do a little bit of gaming, but nothing serious (not multiplayer, online FPS anyway), so I will steer clear, thanks.

I typically like 23" to 27" monitors. And a pair of them is great.

@pparks1 if you had a pair of 32", do you think it would be too large? Especially if I had one as landscape and the other as portrait? I just measured it, and it would only just fit on my desk, so I think maybe 27" would work if I did go for two monitors.

Decide early on if you want speakers.

Very good point. I do listen to music on this PC, and the speakers on the TV I am using are okay at best. Do I need amazing speakers? Hmm, I could get external speakers...when working, I only use speakers when listening to spotify or having teams calls. I wonder how the speaker options compare for TVs...

If you intend to be no more than 30 inches from it

I just measured, I'd be over 30 inches away, around 34 - 38. Right now I am using the 40" screen and I am around 32" away, the monitor is much too big at this distance.

There may be a way to mitigate this

@Gurn Blanston there is; if you go to your desktop and right-click, you can select the magnification of text and icons on your screen to make them larger on higher resolution displays.

At this point, I'm thinking of the following:

• Use a 32" monitor mounted on the wall in the library as my main monitor
• Keeping the 40" in the office to use as my work monitor

Thoughts?

I have 3 x 24" monitors on stands at work. My son has 3 x 24" monitors on his desktop gaming setup.

I think 2 x 32" would be a bit large for home use. 2 x 27" would be ideal for me.