Monitors!

[chorky]

Any tech super-users here?

I am in need of 3 monitors for home. 2 27" and a 35"-50" ultra wide.

For work I am a Esri ArcPro super user. Basically I make maps and do all sorts of analysis over 2,000,000 acres (over 3,000 sq mi) of national forest. Since I can justify working from home a significant amount, I am working on upgrading the home office. However, on my personal time I would like to use 2 of these monitors for personal mapping (on my MacBook Pro with the M1 Max chipset) and edit photos via Lightroom and photoshop. So two monitors need to have great resolution, and one needs to be ultra wide (so basically 2 27" monitors in one) for easier use of Arc.

There is a TON of options these days, and specifications that don't seem to match prices accordingly. Since it has been years since I left the custom computer world I am in need of advice.

This 27" LG monitor (https://www.amazon.com/LG-Ultrafine...-CTM/dp/B0BDTVYDBV?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1) keeps popping up at me. It looks to have 2000:1 contrast ratio, although I dont know what the amount of colors are. I also don't understand this 400 'nits' terminology. What is more confusing is this is almost twice the cost at about $600 compared to another option of the same contrast ratio and same 'nits'. I think one was LED and the other LCD possibly? But the specs available from LG are pretty sub-par

An Apple tech told me the other day that so long as I find a quality 4K monitor, it will be decently close to the MacBook Pro monitor - realizing apple is particularly good with their display quality with 1 billion colors and a crazy contrast ratio. But I dont want to spend $5K just for one monitor!

Switching gears, a third monitor in ultra wide is more confusing. LG also has several options but they seem to be lower in quality (which would be fine for ArcPro use). However, more acronyms like QHD+ or DQHD don't make sense. Further, why is the vertical pixel amount so terrible and so varied. For example one is 5120x1440 (https://www.amazon.com/LG-49WQ95C-W...ncTM/dp/B0B5K851GV?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1) and another is 3840x1600 (https://www.amazon.com/LG-38WN95C-W-Inch-Curved-Connectivity/dp/B0892MHG9H?ref_=ast_sto_dp)?

I currently am using 2 27" Samsung monitors from the office for home (only for use with work stuff), and 2 Asus monitors at the office - the display is fine for work related tasks, colors are far from calibrated though as they are pretty cheap - only in the high 100 dollar range. I mention LG above only because their explanations seem to represent a better display than what Samsung offers - but that could just be more monies put toward the marketing department than LG budgets - I am not partial to any particular brand.

Anywho. I'm confused and this is too much money to be making a mistake. Anyone able to offer suggestions or insight? I could study up and figure it out but could also use that time for Jeep stuff haha.

And dont worry tax payers this is coming out of my own pocket since I will be using it a good amount on my personal time - you already paid for a very expensive computer, thank you.

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[chorky]

Oh and this is under consideration as well. since its almost 50% off!

 

[MPMB]

And dont worry tax payers this is coming out of my own pocket since I will be using it a good amount on my personal time - you already paid for a very expensive computer, thank you.

We already paid for your salary, so we are buying your monitors.

I would go with any monitor IPS & 4k or 8k that's in your budget.

I'm a value-focused non-techy buyer when it comes to monitors. IPS is as technical as I get. And since the past few years I've been getting tech-company hand-me-downs, I've relished not having to buy monitors.

However, I'm building a new office in the basement, and I'm looking at mounting monitors to the wall (it's narrow, and I don't want monitors, stands, or arms taking up desk space).

Currently I'm running a BenQ (https://www.benq.com/en-us/monitor/home/el2870u.html) 28" display and Surface Laptop as my second. A couple Dell 27" monitors are sitting in the closet.

I would love an ultra-widescreen, but the ones I've seen and/or in my price range are pretty short. I haven't looked lately. I really like the height of a 27" and bigger monitors. I spend most of my time in Adobe CC and other window-based apps, nothing that needs a large, unbroken span.

 

[chorky]

I would go with any monitor IPS & 4k or 8k that's in your budget.

I'm a value-focused non-techy buyer when it comes to monitors. IPS is as technical as I get. And since the past few years I've been getting tech-company hand-me-downs, I've relished not having to buy monitors.

However, I'm building a new office in the basement, and I'm looking at mounting monitors to the wall (it's narrow, and I don't want monitors, stands, or arms taking up desk space).

Currently I'm running a BenQ (https://www.benq.com/en-us/monitor/home/el2870u.html) 28" display and Surface Laptop as my second. A couple Dell 27" monitors are sitting in the closet.

I would love an ultra-widescreen, but the ones I've seen and/or in my price range are pretty short. I haven't looked lately. I really like the height of a 27" and bigger

Lol. Well I could justify using gov funds but that is not the right thing to do and I wouldn't sleep being sleepy like that. I agree that stands and arms can look funky but my desk is a sit/stand one so a wall mount wouldnt really work wall - although I did consider that idea.

 

[dajudge]

We use Dell's Ultrasharp models at work. They have been really good monitors.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Too bad that the places where I used to work would trash things no longer in use. PFG told us "to the crusher" and with the state - it was often donated, trashed or sold on some government auction site.
It's really sad the stuff I saw tossed - some of it not all that old, good working order, simply was replaced during mass replacement times.

 

[chorky]

Too bad that the places where I used to work would trash things no longer in use. PFG told us "to the crusher" and with the state - it was often donated, trashed or sold on some government auction site.
It's really sad the stuff I saw tossed - some of it not all that old, good working order, simply was replaced during mass replacement times.

Yeah no doubt! I hate to see it too. We spent, just my department, about $500K last year in consumables alone! Things that, I think, are totally unnecessary - but the 'higher up's' require it knowing full well how expensive and toxic the substances are. I always say, if the general public really knew the specific details of some things there would be a lot of upset people. Technology changes happen so fast too that we have to upgrade in order to stay current and productive. It's a strange combination.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Yeah no doubt! I hate to see it too. We spent, just my department, about $500K last year in consumables alone! Things that, I think, are totally unnecessary - but the 'higher up's' require it knowing full well how expensive and toxic the substances are. I always say, if the general public really knew the specific details of some things there would be a lot of upset people. Technology changes happen so fast too that we have to upgrade in order to stay current and productive. It's a strange combination.

You would have loved what we called "the fish bowl" at PFG. It was their IT support center - where first-line helpdesk calls went, and where every web server was monitored, the financials were monitored, and world news of importance was monitored. The back wall was glass between that room and the hallway. The opposite wall was nothing but huge monitors on the wall - it was literally a wall of monitors, from about 36" up to the ceiling, and maybe 20' across (been a while). I worked on that top floor of the headquarters building in IT - we were "the buck stops here" group. Things got kicked up to us and we were it - no kicking it anywhere once it hit us.
I recall a big commotion several years ago, second week of September, the date was the 11th.
People were chattering away across the whole floor and some of us got up and walked around the corner to look at the monitors in "the fish bowl". The wall was lit up with the news - people frantic. Then it got REALLY quiet as everyone realized what was going on.
I will forever remember that room, that big glass wall, and that wall of monitors - it's burned into my memory. We all stood and stared in near silence as that big wall of monitors showed what was happening.
When I hear anything about big monitors - I think back to that room.

Then a few years later when I moved to government IT - I had 2 computers each set up with 2 monitors, and often another on another part of my desk.
The network admin (who retired forcing me into that position) had a neat stand on his desk where he ran a computer with 4 monitors, each watching different areas of our network security - firewalls, intrusion prevention software and more. Then his main working computer had two large monitors. But that monitor rack was neat - 4 monitors, a row of two on top, a row of two below that, all held on this articulating stand on his desk (with that weight, of course it was secured)

 

[chorky]

You would have loved what we called "the fish bowl" at PFG. It was their IT support center - where first-line helpdesk calls went, and where every web server was monitored, the financials were monitored, and world news of importance was monitored. The back wall was glass between that room and the hallway. The opposite wall was nothing but huge monitors on the wall - it was literally a wall of monitors, from about 36" up to the ceiling, and maybe 20' across (been a while). I worked on that top floor of the headquarters building in IT - we were "the buck stops here" group. Things got kicked up to us and we were it - no kicking it anywhere once it hit us.
I recall a big commotion several years ago, second week of September, the date was the 11th.
People were chattering away across the whole floor and some of us got up and walked around the corner to look at the monitors in "the fish bowl". The wall was lit up with the news - people frantic. Then it got REALLY quiet as everyone realized what was going on.
I will forever remember that room, that big glass wall, and that wall of monitors - it's burned into my memory. We all stood and stared in near silence as that big wall of monitors showed what was happening.
When I hear anything about big monitors - I think back to that room.

Then a few years later when I moved to government IT - I had 2 computers each set up with 2 monitors, and often another on another part of my desk.
The network admin (who retired forcing me into that position) had a neat stand on his desk where he ran a computer with 4 monitors, each watching different areas of our network security - firewalls, intrusion prevention software and more. Then his main working computer had two large monitors. But that monitor rack was neat - 4 monitors, a row of two on top, a row of two below that, all held on this articulating stand on his desk (with that weight, of course it was secured)

Oh man I can't imagine seeing that on the big screen - or in real life. Definitely a life long memory. I only saw it on a little tv screen. Never forget. Sounds like it was a great workspace though. It is nice to have multiple screens. I often have hundreds of lines of data one one screen with maps on another, correspondence on another, and wish I had 2 more screens to use. But, it begs the question at what point is it too much.... I'm working on getting a large 65" screen, probably a TV since you can get one for like 200 bucks now, just for big meetings where theres a dozen people all looking at data and things together to make decisions. It does help quite a lot and allows for real time editing rather than taking notes and hoping notes dont get lost or misread.

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