Help me choose one of these monitors for productivity (No gaming)

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  • #75475
    Jaspin4241

      This will be for my home office. I do NOT play games. I mostly work with Google Chrome and Gmail with 2-3 windows open. I do care about reducing eye fatigue and value good eye care technology. All of these have USB-C power delivery option which I need.

      ASUS ROG Strix XG49WCR
      This one is 49 inch ultrawide. I like that it gives me a bit more resolution since it’s the “wider” option — but I’m worried that it’s a VA panel instead of IPS. Is that a concern? They do advertise it as “extremely low motion blur” and 1 ms response time. On sale for $799.

      ASUS PA348CGV
      Smaller 34 inch option, but IPS panel. Almost the same price. $712.

      Dell U2724D
      The last option would be going with two (2) of these 27 inch Dell U2724D which are IPS and seem to have the highest “eye care” ratings. But having two monitors on the desk is a little more clutter than just one. About $720.

      All are similar in cost. I just want to choose the best option.

      #75484
      PCM2

        Hi Jaspin4241,

        Bit of an apples to oranges to bananas choice there and it really depends on your own personal preferences. When it comes to viewing comfort it’s a very individual thing and there’s a lot to consider. As with misleading manufacturing marketing on the XG49WCR (it is not a fast monitor – and “extremely low motion blur” = ELMB = flickering strobe backlight setting which is not good for viewing comfort) any claims or lack of in that department carry little weight.

        Based on the budget of the models you’ve selected and being open to larger screens, I feel you’d be better off considering the MSI MPG321UR-QD. It’s a similar price but you get much more screen for your money. It’s not the absolute fastest 144Hz model out there by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s significantly faster than the XG49WCR with fewer potentially annoying issues even on the desktop. It also offers exceptional ‘desktop real estate’ potential with its 32″ 3840 x 2160 ‘4K’ UHD resolution. It also has a QD LED backlight solution which gives a balanced light spectrum (something mentioned in the article I linked to earlier), is flicker-free and can be set to a warmer colour temperature which some would find more relaxing on the eyes. The only issue I see with it, and it’s common amongst gaming monitors, is the 15W PD via USB-C which may be insufficient for your uses? You could consider the MAG 323UPF instead as it offers 90W PD for USB-C. It’s also a well-rounded monitor with good responsiveness and includes a less energetic blue light peak (TÜV Rheinland certified Low Blue Light Hardware Solution).

        Of the models you’ve selected I think the PA348CGV is pretty well-balanced and reasonably priced. It offers a decent level of 120Hz pixel responsiveness and hopefully you’d find it comfortable on the eyes. The BOE IPS-ADS panel it uses is usually one people find pretty good in that respect. The Dell U2724D is frankly difficult to recommend for the price and it doesn’t perform particularly well for a 120Hz monitor in terms of pixel responsiveness, though elsewhere it’s pretty good and you do get a bit of a contrast boost. There’s some recent user feedback on it here – they questioned its value, including how noticeable the boost in contrast was (this depends on lighting and expectations – it’s still very much an IPS panel) and had a few other issues with it. As you say, a single monitor can be less cumbersome than multiple monitors as well.

        #75490
        Jaspin4241

          How does the MSI MAG401QR 40″ compare to the MSI MPG321UR-QD that you mentioned above? I noticed the one you mentioned is not Ultrawide 21:9. I prefer Ultrawide to efficiently show two or three windows side by side while working.

          Maybe you can help me find the best option? Here’s what I’m looking for:

          Preferably 38 inch or more. (Minimum 32 inch)
          Preferably 3840 x 1600 or more. (Minimum 3440 x 1440)
          Preferably IPS – Ultrawide 21:9
          Preferably USB-C power delivery 65W or more (If not, I guess I could use a USB-hub)
          MUST be 120 Hz or greater
          MUST have some eye care like blue light filtering
          Preferably $1,100 or less

          I would like to have USB hub, RJ45, etc. But since that limits my choices too much — I better use a USB hub for those so I’m not restricted on choosing a monitor.

          The new Dell’s coming out in February seem to match my requirements, but also seem very over priced?
          https://www.dell.com/en-us/blog/meet-the-new-five-star-certified-monitors-for-eye-comfort/

          #75494
          PCM2

            Given the excellent pixel density and decent physical size, you shouldn’t find 32″ ‘4K’ UHD models restrictive for displaying 2 windows side by side. I demonstrate this in various reviews of such models (example). Purely having a larger screen without increasing resolution isn’t necessarily going to be helpful, relevant when comparing the MAG401QR with 34″ sharing the 3440 x 1440 resolution for example. I agree these ultrawides (whether 34″ or larger) are better suited to displaying 3 windows side by side. The MAG401QR, specifically, doesn’t have a QD LED backlight. And I haven’t received any feedback on it directly, but it’s again a BOE IPS-ADS panel which is like a larger version of the PA348GCV’s panel. So you might find it fine, though given the size I feel a curve to the screen would be more practical. But it depends on your viewing distance as well.

            I wouldn’t get too concerned about “blue light filtering”, there are multiple ways that can be achieved and whether marketed in an obvious way or not the vast majority of monitors have such a setting. All a typical LBL filter (monitor preset or setting) does is reduces the blue colour channel (which you can do yourself) and sometimes makes changes to the red and green channels. Quite often the manufacturer will implement it in a way that gives an annoying greenish yellow tint, whereas those same models might have an equally effective or potentially more effective mode such as a ‘4000K’ or ‘Warm’ colour temperature setting that gives a visually more pleasing amber look. This same look can be achieved using Windows Night Light, incidentally. Though having it done on the monitor side may have less of a negative impact on the image – this is usually a secondary concern when using such a setting, though, both will do the job. Relevant thread.

            The new Dell Ultrasharps certainly have a premium attached to them. In fact I think the U4025QW is so overpriced that it has boxed itself into a small niche box. I decided not to even ‘promote’ its existence with a news piece. The U3425WE is more interesting because it has an IPS Black panel with enhanced contrast, but it still comes at a significant premium and it can be expected to be just like a 34″ version of the U2724D.

            #75496
            Jaspin4241

              What would you recommend if I insisted on an Ultrawide? My office and desk are quite large — I feel that a 32 inch 16:9 might feel a bit small in the large office.

              #75498
              PCM2

                If you visualise them together, perhaps you wouldn’t feel a 34″ ultrawide is much wider or better able to fill up the desk and space than a 32″ 16:9 model? Still, there’s a few extra inches of width there and given your requirements I feel the ASUS PA348CGV you identified would be a good choice.

                #75499
                Jaspin4241

                  Thank you for your detailed insight!

                  Is it worth considering the MSI MAG 323UPF 32″ 4K ? It looks similar to the one you recommended, but has higher USB-C power delivery output. Is it an inferior panel compared to the MSI MPG321UR-QD you mentioned?

                  #75501
                  PCM2

                    Yes it is certainly worth considering – I actually mentioned this in my initial reply to you. I edited the reply and added a few things shortly after posting, perhaps you just read the version in the email notification (original version) or this version was cached for you. 🙂

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