To 4K or not to 4K?

[farrah]

I'm editing today and notice as I'm painting a single color across my screen, that it's not solid.  So I pull up a white background to fill my screen, and sure enough, I have a huge cloud of orange in the center of my main editing monitor (no idea what is causing it).  I assume it's time for a new one, and I haven't looked in years...

So, everything seems to be leaning toward 4K these days.  While I can think of some pros and cons off the top of my head, I'd love to hear your thoughts (and anyone else's who might like the chime in).  Should I aim for 4K?  If I go 4k, I probably have to buy two monitors, because i have 2 24s and having two different sized monitors will drive me insane.

Also, I was looking at some BenQs that keep coming up at the top of the "best monitors for photo editing" lists.  They seem to be getting great reviews.  I saw another post on here mentioning you thought they were a PITA.  Mind sharing why?  I like the idea of hardware calibration.  I've hated my Dell US2410 since I bought the thing.  I won't be sad to see it (and its scorching hot CCFL backlight) go...

[Brian]

First, what video cable are you using? The traditional 15-pin / Blue VGA cable or something better, like DVI, HDMI or DisplayPort? 

[farrah]

DVI

Edited October 1, 2018 by farrah

[farrah]

I will add that my current video card will need an upgrade if I go 4K which is probably just a good excuse for me to finally upgrade my machine (I’ve been saying I need an upgrade for a couple years now).  Let’s assume for now that those aren’t limiting factors.  One thing that is - I don’t  want to buy a monitor with an older connection that is no longer supported on newer video cards, so when I do finally upgrade I can’t use my new monitor(s). 

[Brian]

Oh good  it still could be a cable issue, but most flaky cables are the older VGA style cables  I can tell you I’ve replaced a dozen or so over the last few years  

If you are going to go 4K, do yourself a favor and go straight to DisplayPort instead of HDMI. Oh, if you get a beefy video card, make sure your power supply has enough watts to support it.

Also, I’d look for a video card that has 8GB of dedicated video memory. As for which one, I’m in the market myself. LOL. 

Whatever display you get, make sure it has a IPS Display panel and try to get one that has a Matte Coating  or isn’t Glossy. 

To 4K or not to 4K, that is the question. I’d look to a larger display of around 27” or more; I’ve found that cramming more resolution in a smaller physical area just makes things like icons, a bit small. 

BenQ displays, they are decent monitors for what they are, but have a history of difficult to calibrate. The ones I’ve come across in the field, tend to fail a bit more than other displays. Though this is more of a personal experience than a hard-and-fast rule.

I approach things from a repair perspective; computer equipment is awesome and can have amazing reviews...but what happens when it breaks? How easy is it to get repaired? That’s why I usually suggest starting with Dell Monitors, sure there are better models / brands, l...but I recommend things for the masses and like to keep things simple. The main problem I have is that there are so many choices today! 

 

[farrah]

Thank you for all of the info.

Since you mention the possibility of a cable issue, and that could potentially save me from  having to make a quick decision...

Does this look familiar to you?  What is shown is a pure white image.  The color difference here is very exaggerated since I took it from the side to capture the effect (it's subtle from the correct viewing angle, but enough to throw off editing for sure).

[Brian]

You could try a new cable first but I'd say you are in the market for a new display. Heck, even if you had the blue VGA cable laying around to just check things. You aren't editing, just looking at a white screen.