External monitor for laptop - clueless

[Thrust Augmentation]

I'm on the market for a monitor to run from my laptop, but I'm thoroughly confused with what's best suited, other that a 27" IPS panel I don't know much.


The hope is to get a larger display that will be easier on the eye than the laptop's 17" @ 1920x1080 & give enough real estate to have multiple windows open / visible at the same time. This is for work "stuff", so refresh rate isn't crucial, but text clarity is important & colour accuracy comes a close second. The monitor will be used by itself (laptop closed), the Quadro graphics card should run most resolutions without difficulty & I have outputs for all the current breed of connections. The monitor will be desktop, so usual viewing distance will be 3 to 6 feet.


My first thought was to go with a 1920x1080 1080P FHD monitor, but I've seen more than a few comments that 1080P can look pretty blocky at 27", so I'm now considering 2560 x 1440.


I'm struggling to see how a screen with the same aspect ratio as the laptop (16:9) is going to give me more real estate though as it's just a "magnification" of what I've got - or can this be tweaked to suit with Windows scaling?

Any advice, words of wisdom or monitor recommendations would be appreciated as I'm thoroughly confused with res, dpi, ratio, scaling & so on.

[G0ULI]

The number of dots per inch that your computer graphics card can generate needs to be matched to the number of dots per inch your external monitor can display. More dots per inch (dpi) equals more fine detail or more information being displayed on the screen, e.g. you can physically read more cells of a speadsheet at once.

Strange though it may seem, it is possible to have too big a monitor. If the pixel size is very small, you may need to have the minitor mounted closer so you can see the fine detail. That then leads to constant head movement to take in all the screen. Then there is the varying distance between your eyes and the edges and centre of the screen. Your eyes will be constantly refocusing as you scan across the screen causing tiredness and headaches.

A 17" laptop display is pretty much as large as you want to go at the distances laptops are viewed at. If you want more screen real estate for video editing or similar, consider a second monitor mounted side by side with your existing laptop screen. Programs can be slid sideways from one screen to the other, or one screen can show the work in progress while the other contains editing tools and the like. Ideally the two monitor displays (laptop and external) would have the same dpi settings.

My son used this sort of set up on his university studies. One screen contained his coursework, the other set to display music, games, videos and social media. He did get a couple of degrees, so it worked for him, although I am at a loss how he ever managed to concentrate with all that stuff going on!

The two monitors don't have to be the same size or necessarily the same resolution, but it does make it a bit harder switching your attention between the two if they are not.

Monitors can be mounted one above the other rather than side by side if that suits your purposes better.

Finally, I note your age as 47. Do get your eyes checked by an optician and consider wearing corrective lenses just for computer work if necessary. That is the age that many people start to struggle switching between near and far focus. Just physiological changes in the eye because of age. Computer screens can be very demanding of your vision when you work with them for long periods. As I mentioned above, there is a constant micro refocussing going on as you scan across the screens, unless you have wraparound type screens. That is the source of many people's computer headaches and migranes, even though they are not consciously aware of any problem, because there isn't one technically speaking.

[DeRated]

Take your laptop into a computer store and plug it in!

Buy what works for you.

I use a 24"" 1920x 1200 monitor because I can carry it around - too big might be an issue.

[Heathrow Harry]

DeRated is correct - depends if you want mobility or not - tho I knew a guy who carried a 40inch TV monitor in his car when he went around clients......................

Also make sure they will connect - there is a bewildering variety of input/output combinations around

[cyclic35]

I'm on the market for a monitor to run from my laptop, but I'm thoroughly confused with what's best suited, other that a 27" IPS panel I don't know much.


The hope is to get a larger display that will be easier on the eye than the laptop's 17" @ 1920x1080 & give enough real estate to have multiple windows open / visible at the same time. This is for work "stuff", so refresh rate isn't crucial, but text clarity is important & colour accuracy comes a close second. The monitor will be used by itself (laptop closed), the Quadro graphics card should run most resolutions without difficulty & I have outputs for all the current breed of connections. The monitor will be desktop, so usual viewing distance will be 3 to 6 feet.


My first thought was to go with a 1920x1080 1080P FHD monitor, but I've seen more than a few comments that 1080P can look pretty blocky at 27", so I'm now considering 2560 x 1440.


I'm struggling to see how a screen with the same aspect ratio as the laptop (16:9) is going to give me more real estate though as it's just a "magnification" of what I've got - or can this be tweaked to suit with Windows scaling?

Any advice, words of wisdom or monitor recommendations would be appreciated as I'm thoroughly confused with res, dpi, ratio, scaling & so on.




https://youtu.be/pfxS2Z8PAUQ :)

[jimtherev]

Here's another vote for side-by-side. I find it useful to have a 24" monitor in front of me as main display, which is also useful for graphics etc. to one side is a 15", which is mostly for emails and stuff to cut-and-paste. I agree also with the comments about a too-big monitor. For text, even the 24" is too big, at the distance I have it on my desk. More eye movement; more eyestrain. So I tend to have documents I'm working with in a smaller window in front of me. Horses for courses, however...

[Thrust Augmentation]

Thanks for the replies peeps;


G0ULI - I'm starting to perceive a slight deterioration in my sight, but a recent test suggests that there isn't an issue. Never really though about the benefit's of a curved screen / constant focusing distance - good to know.

DeRated - back of beyond here, so not an option...


HH - It's going to be static, so moving it isn't an issue.

cyclic35 - very useful!


jimtherev - My set up unfortunately doesn't really lend itself to laptop & monitor or multiple monitors.




The more I read I'm starting to thing that a 27" QHD or possibly a 21:9 WQHD monitor may be best suited, possibly curved. I've been a long time Iiyama guy, but some of the Dell Ultrasharp's look quite decent - anyone have any experience with something along the line of this?

Thanks :ok:

[Tech Guy]

Dell Ultrasharp are exceptionally good for the money.

[cyclic35]

Thanks for the replies peeps;


G0ULI - I'm starting to perceive a slight deterioration in my sight, but a recent test suggests that there isn't an issue. Never really though about the benefit's of a curved screen / constant focusing distance - good to know.

DeRated - back of beyond here, so not an option...


HH - It's going to be static, so moving it isn't an issue.

cyclic35 - very useful!


jimtherev - My set up unfortunately doesn't really lend itself to laptop & monitor or multiple monitors.




The more I read I'm starting to thing that a 27" QHD or possibly a 21:9 WQHD monitor may be best suited, possibly curved. I've been a long time Iiyama guy, but some of the Dell Ultrasharp's look quite decent - anyone have any experience with something along the line of this?

Thanks :ok:

Recent experience with this model suggests a closer look. Good luck with your eventual choice.

HP EliteDisplay E272q Quad HD IPS Monitor (27" ) - HP Store UK (http://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=M1P04AT&opt=ABU&sel=MTO)

[Heathrow Harry]

I run a couple of HP monitors side by side and I have to say they are first class

[jimjim1]

If you have a vaguely modern telly is might be worth trying that out with your computer.

[Thrust Augmentation]

I though I would share my experience, should it be of use to anyone else;

After a surreal amount of review reading I decided to plump for the Dell U3415W which is a WQHD 34" panel @ 3440x1440, this model has largely been replaced by the apparently not so good U3417W. The few places that still have stock of the U3415W are generally charging a premium for it, but a bit of searching finds it at a reasonable price.


The monitor is QHD, the same as the laptop I'm using, but is obviously considerably larger so pixel density isn't as high which was a concern, but in reality isn't a problem & text is more that sharp enough at the distance I'm using the monitor at 2>3 feet. 3440x1440 is absolutely fine with standard Windows scaling, no adjustment being required.

Many of the reviews that I've read suggest that a 34" 21:9 monitor will comfortably allow 3 applications / Windows to be on screen, side by side concurrently, but things start to get uncomfortably narrow at native resolution / no scaling. The monitor is however quite usable with 4 windows open in a 2 x 2 stacked arrangement.

The integrated power supply also keeps thing neat & avoids another power brick to hide / place conveniently:ok: