ok ill go for it. now cam amazon notify me when it is on sale like Best Buy can do?of not we can get it at Best Buy because I have the best buy total membership and I get a warranty. from my understanding is on amazon you have to buy it separately from the monitor right?
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Monitor recommendations
- Thread starter pspman71
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Lots of good commentary already. I suggest
1) Consider display quality/price as primary to determine value. Things like good speaker quality and additional ports can usually be better provided by external speakers, hubs, docks, etc.
2) Stick with ~32" size if that is what he likes. It certainly is my sweet spot for external display sizing.
3) I have been well served by Viewsonic VP3268-4K displays for years. A modern less expensive ~$500 version in your price range [not tested by me] is 31.5" Viewsonic, also via Amazon, 4.4 rating.
My father is passed now, but we talked ostensibly about computer issues almost daily when he was alive. Today I value all those chats.
1) Consider display quality/price as primary to determine value. Things like good speaker quality and additional ports can usually be better provided by external speakers, hubs, docks, etc.
2) Stick with ~32" size if that is what he likes. It certainly is my sweet spot for external display sizing.
3) I have been well served by Viewsonic VP3268-4K displays for years. A modern less expensive ~$500 version in your price range [not tested by me] is 31.5" Viewsonic, also via Amazon, 4.4 rating.
My father is passed now, but we talked ostensibly about computer issues almost daily when he was alive. Today I value all those chats.
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If you are pragmatic and realize how far even cheap displays have come in the last 20 years, even an entry level 32" 4k monitor will be a great choice. Three years ago, I got an M1 mini a couple weeks before the M2 launched. I went with an LG 32UL500. It's a great monitor and serves me well. I run at full 3820x2160 resolution and find that the pixel density is a great balance. I can tweak the settings in text-heavy apps to make reading easy on the eyes at my normal viewing distance ~24"-30". It looks pretty good at scaled resolutions down to 2560x1440. Full pixel doubled 1920x1080 looks awful at my distance, even though it is the 'magical hidpi resolution.' The only quibble I have with the monitor is that I wish it were IPS rather than VA, although I hardly notice slight color shift in my peripheral vision after years of use. Its speakers are comparable to an inexpensive TV and are serviceable, but sine I use the machine at work, I usually opt for headphones for audio. It goes for ~$300, but would look at a more current model if shopping today.
Over time I added a nice new old stock monitor arm from HP that is a rebranded Ergotron LX. It was about $80 at the time (Ergotron ~$200+). I also picked up a Thunderbolt 3 hub from Monoprice for about $80 to meet my needs for extra ports. The bonus is neither my screen adjustability nor port hub are tied to the monitor.
For additional context, I use the machine next to my work-issued 13" M1 MBP, have a 2019 27" iMac at home and plenty of other retina screens around. Yes 32" 4k is not as nice as an Apple display, but it certainly won't make your eyes bleed either. Text clarity is just fine unless you are pressing your nose to the screen and counting pixels. I'm quite happy with my purchase decisions.
Also for what it's worth, there's nothing magical about 5k and the Mac. The machine processes and scales images the same way regardless of the resolution. The only difference is that at 27" the number of pixels in a 5120x2880 display panel uses twice as many horizontal and vertical pixels as a 27" 2560x1440 display panel allowing the size of the screen elements to remain exactly the same size, yet be sharper in appearance.
You've been pointed toward some nice monitors. I just wanted to share my experience and satisfaction of shopping at the lower end of your father's budget.
Over time I added a nice new old stock monitor arm from HP that is a rebranded Ergotron LX. It was about $80 at the time (Ergotron ~$200+). I also picked up a Thunderbolt 3 hub from Monoprice for about $80 to meet my needs for extra ports. The bonus is neither my screen adjustability nor port hub are tied to the monitor.
For additional context, I use the machine next to my work-issued 13" M1 MBP, have a 2019 27" iMac at home and plenty of other retina screens around. Yes 32" 4k is not as nice as an Apple display, but it certainly won't make your eyes bleed either. Text clarity is just fine unless you are pressing your nose to the screen and counting pixels. I'm quite happy with my purchase decisions.
Also for what it's worth, there's nothing magical about 5k and the Mac. The machine processes and scales images the same way regardless of the resolution. The only difference is that at 27" the number of pixels in a 5120x2880 display panel uses twice as many horizontal and vertical pixels as a 27" 2560x1440 display panel allowing the size of the screen elements to remain exactly the same size, yet be sharper in appearance.
You've been pointed toward some nice monitors. I just wanted to share my experience and satisfaction of shopping at the lower end of your father's budget.
Unfortunately, I don't know the answer to any of those questions. I do know that my local computer store (Memory Express - I'm in Canada, Microcenter would be the closest thing to its equivalent in the US) tends to stock some of the higher-end monitors and has plenty on display (often there are a lot of ultrawide gaming monitors on display, since that seems to be the largest crowd going into those stores).
I haven't been to a Best Buy in a long time so don't know their warranty policy, but if it is like other extended warranties, you may be able to buy the monitor from one retailer (ie, Amazon) and still buy extended warranty from the other (Best Buy). Electronics stores love to sell their extended warranties to pretty much anyone they can.
100%!
I just got 2 of the 31.5" ones on Black Friday and love them. They're very clear, even being 4k @ 31.5". I would highly recommend them, at least for workflows if you don't need more than 60Hz.
I don't play games or need more than 60Hz, but for my needs these are excellent monitors. Great color, nice blacks and plenty of brightness. They have some HDR support, but I haven't really explored that yet so I can't comment on that part.
But I did spend months looking and deciding tirelessly for a monitor and finally pulled the trigger on 1 of these. After using it for 3 days, I ordered the second one. I now have them next to each other and could not be happier.
Whichever way you go, hope you find what you're looking for and that fits your needs.
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I forgot to mention:
- These do not have built in speakers, but I'd just recommend using some good external ones, there are even some <$30 pairs that sound pretty good. I actually bought a set of those Pebble v3 speakers from Creative for a family member at Christmas for some simple stereo sound. They actually sound pretty good for the price, which I got on sale but aren't too expensive (https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Minimalistic*************Bluetooth-Converter/dp/B08F57GSJ7). I use a 5.1 system for myself, and can't really compare those Pebble speakers to other good products out there, but just for a real world product that I've actually heard, they sound pretty good and fit on a desk nicely.
- Text clarity is very good on these, again - even with them being so big and only 4k. I am very happy with the clarity and do mostly programming type work all day long.
- These have multiple inputs, HDMI and DP if needed. Or you can run using USB-C (not Thunderbolt, but you you could use a TB cable if you wanted to, although it wouldn't provide any benefit).
These are my first 4k monitors, so I can't really compare. But I do also have an iMac with a 5K display, and while it's definitely nice and sharp, these are definitely still extremely sharp.
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You can put the monitor in your cart at Amazon and they'll notify you when there is a price drop. I do that regularly.
I just got the BenQ MA32. Love it.. I've got to scale it to see it (bad eyes) I do run it at native occasionally and it looks gorgeous in any view. Speakers are fine also. I went back and forth between the 27 and 32 and don't regret getting the 32.
32" UHD HDR Monitor - 32UN550-W | LG USA
Discover the 32" UHD HDR Monitor that features FreeSync™ and DCI-P3 90% Color Gamut with HDR10. Find reviews, specs, and more for 32UN550-W.
Great monitor for the price
Get the Dell, it’s honestly fantastic. If you can find it for 559 USD that’s a steal.
Between those two, I would go with the MA version personally. The higher maximum brightness will be welcome. I run my LG at max brightness and my MBP at about 50% to keep them similar in appearance, and sometimes wish I could go a bit brighter on the LG.
Unless you father has a need for the KVM switch built into the PD line to switch between two computers using the same keyboard and mouse attached to the monitor, the MA should be the clear winner.
ok I got that the ben MA in my amazon saved for later
I've been reading several "What monitor!?" threads around here recently, as I too have been looking for a new one. This thread was quite helpful 
So thanks to all who contributed. I opted for and received today a BenQ EW3270U 32" 4k monitor (£299 on Amazon UK)
I've not quite decided on what resolution I like to run it at yet, but it's a very nice quality display. Nice rich colours, and no fuzzy text issues or anything like that. My only gripe being that the speakers barely qualify as 'Meh' (little, if any better than the speaker built into a MacMini!). But they'll do at a pinch for casual use.
So far working very well on my MacMini M2 Pro 👍
So thanks to all who contributed. I opted for and received today a BenQ EW3270U 32" 4k monitor (£299 on Amazon UK)I've not quite decided on what resolution I like to run it at yet, but it's a very nice quality display. Nice rich colours, and no fuzzy text issues or anything like that. My only gripe being that the speakers barely qualify as 'Meh' (little, if any better than the speaker built into a MacMini!). But they'll do at a pinch for casual use.
So far working very well on my MacMini M2 Pro 👍
Same. And that's where MR shines. Getting input from others really helped with my new monitor choice too. Last week I took delivery of one of these:
Enjoy your new monitor!
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Luap, save up as little as about $100 and buy yourself some fantastic speakers for computer use. Example, example 2. There's actually PLENTY of (low cost) fish in that sea. They usually plug into a USB port and some come with a wireless sub for bass far better/lower than anyone can get out of any "thinner" speaker built into any monitor/TV. In general, speakers built into a monitor or TV are compromised by simply jamming them into very little space. Deep bass needs bigger spaces and naturally work better in a separate, dedicated case.
And if you can make that about $200, you can take another giant leap forward in sound quality... and even mix in a few soundbar-based options if you like.
And if you can make that about $200, you can take another giant leap forward in sound quality... and even mix in a few soundbar-based options if you like.
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I used a Bluetooth connection to an Amazon Echo 4 instead of monitor speakers, really awesome rich sound for not much money!
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HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
If you have any way to wire that one to your computer or from the monitor, you'll gain audio bandwidth. Bluetooth trades audio bandwidth for the convenience of wireless. If you listen closely, you may be able to detect the very fine difference. You would also dodge latency issues that sometimes pop up with Bluetooth, especially when watching video (audio gets out of sync with video). Wired will rarely have such problems.
I looked it up and Echo 4 apparently has a 3.5mm jack, so you could link it from computer or monitor and enjoy a few modest quality benefit gains if you want them.
I looked it up and Echo 4 apparently has a 3.5mm jack, so you could link it from computer or monitor and enjoy a few modest quality benefit gains if you want them.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Locate a nearby retailer carrying either or both, take the Mac to the store, connect and judge with your own eyes & ears. Or buy the one that seems most favorable to your Dad from somewhere with a return policy, give it a try, keep it if you like it or return and get the other if you don't.
Else, some are going to argue for Asus and some are going to argue for BenQ and some are going to argue for others like the Dell also offered in your other thread.
There is no definitive winner by consensus. Carefully compare features & benefits and go with the one you like best.
Else, some are going to argue for Asus and some are going to argue for BenQ and some are going to argue for others like the Dell also offered in your other thread.
There is no definitive winner by consensus. Carefully compare features & benefits and go with the one you like best.
I can't speak to the BenQ, but I took delivery of the ProArt PA34VCNV a week ago, and I've been very happy with it. The BenQ is bigger, 4K (the Asus is 3440 X 1440), has a more pronounced curve (if that matters to you; I wanted a milder curvature of the screen) and as you mentioned, has the built-in speaker system. It's also $250 USD more expensive. The biggest pluses for me with the Asus were the color calibration, milder curvature, and three year warranty. I run it at default resolution while sitting approximately 25" from the screen, and the text clarity is fine for my needs.
Hope this helps!
that's what I thought ya because in store is better then online especially because some YouTube videos that have monsters in them could be sponsored meaning they say what the compony wants them to say right?
now what happens if the screen is not color calibrated? because I know the bend isn't somewhere I was reading said that about the benq
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
YouTube videos, forum opinions, etc all have someone else playing judge... none of which have your Dad's eyes or ears. So whether YouTube or forum strangers are as objective as someone can be or not, they are still processing the comparison through their own filters/thoughts as judge. Thus, there's always a bias even among the most objective. Biases show in everything, such as very passionate opinions for anything vs. something else... countered by others swearing by the something else vs. the anything. All these threads here generally fill with biases more pro Apple in all things against all other things... but there's always some arguing for the latter.
If you leave this thread up for a few weeks, you'll get a crowd for ASUS, a crowd for Ben Q, a crowd suggesting something else (like the Dell), a crowd suggesting ASD and the one and only "good" monitor even if it is way over your Dad's budget, etc. There will be no unity or consensus settling on one... unless its one by Apple in spite of being way over your Dad's budget.
If you leave this thread up for a few weeks, you'll get a crowd for ASUS, a crowd for Ben Q, a crowd suggesting something else (like the Dell), a crowd suggesting ASD and the one and only "good" monitor even if it is way over your Dad's budget, etc. There will be no unity or consensus settling on one... unless its one by Apple in spite of being way over your Dad's budget.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
It's not even "sway." Judgements are influenced by perspective. And everyone's perspective is different. Nobody but your Dad can get in his shoes and see this as he would. So you get input based on seeing it as THEY do.
You have been offered some good choices that fit your budget in the other thread. I'd take the Mac to stores that carry them, hook it to demo models and spend some time seeing if your Dad likes what he sees & hears. If he leans towards one not on display anywhere nearby, buy that one from a store with easy returns, hook it up, judge it in his home and then return it for the other if it doesn't quite hit the target. Or buy both, head to head test both and return the one that falls short.
All other opinions are what OTHERS think.
You have been offered some good choices that fit your budget in the other thread. I'd take the Mac to stores that carry them, hook it to demo models and spend some time seeing if your Dad likes what he sees & hears. If he leans towards one not on display anywhere nearby, buy that one from a store with easy returns, hook it up, judge it in his home and then return it for the other if it doesn't quite hit the target. Or buy both, head to head test both and return the one that falls short.
All other opinions are what OTHERS think.
I plan on using mine for light to moderate photo editing, so it was a feature I wanted. But you can calibrate the color of the BenQ yourself if you're interested in doing that. I don't really have any expertise to offer you in that area, sorry.