# Questions on possible monitor upgrade



## Replytoken (Sep 16, 2014)

I currently have two NEC 20" IPS monitors (1600x1200 and 1680x1050), and am considering replacing one of them as it is starting to ghost.  I suspect that a possible replacement would be 1920x1080 as it is a common resolution in larger monitors.  I need to spend a bit more time looking at the various NEC options (my preferred choice) as they have several lines (E, EA, P and PA) available.  And, I need to consider what sizes I might purchase and can fit on to my already tight desk.  Since the resolution would most likely be the same, I was wondering what are people's experiences with the various sized monitors that display 1920x1080.  They range from 22" to at least 27", and while I work at a 22" HP at work, I am not certain how large I want to consider since the resolution is the same.  Any thoughts?  And any thought about the different NEC lines?  My budget is not endless, so I am pretty certain that the PA line is off the table, and the P line may be a stretch.

Thanks,

--Ken


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## camner (Sep 16, 2014)

About 6 months ago I moved to twin 24" NEC PA series monitors.  My desk space simply doesn't permit dual 27", though a number of people here have spoken eloquently about how much more they appreciated the extra space available in a 27".  Although when I first moved to dual monitors I found myself not using the 2nd monitor very often, the more time goes by the more I use both monitors steadily.

Before purchasing the (pricey!) PA series I had tried a less expensive ASUS model (I don't remember which one, though I could look it up if you'd like).  They were OK, but the power supply emitted a very high pitched whine that drove me nuts!  The NEC P series monitors I have read also have a power supply whine (this info is from Amazon reviews...take that for what it is worth).  The gamut on the P series is sRGB, and the PA series is wide-gamut (Adobe RGB, or aRGB).  For images destined only for the web, the smaller gamut probably doesn't matter, since web pix are sRGB anyway.  I haven't personally done much printing (locally or through a service) yet, but the folks here have said that when one prints, the wider gamut is helpful to get the most out of the picture.

I knew as soon as I opened the box (well, and looked at what was inside!) that the NEC PA series monitor had a build quality unlike what I had ever experienced before in cheaper monitors.  I haven't looked back (though they did set me back a pretty penny!).


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## clee01l (Sep 16, 2014)

I think that you will find that 1920X1080 is becoming a legacy standard.  Soon 4K monitors will be readily available and HiDPI monitors are now common place.  QHD (2560X1440) monitors are now fairly prevalent with the 16:9 aspect ratio
Here is one of 5 NEC models: http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-monitors/ea274wmi-bk

I use dual 27" QHD monitors.  One is my 27" iMac and the other is an ASUS that I'm told mirrors the iMac in technology.  I'm very happy with the size and both brands.


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## Replytoken (Sep 16, 2014)

camner said:


> About 6 months ago I moved to twin 24" NEC PA series monitors.  My desk space simply doesn't permit dual 27", though a number of people here have spoken eloquently about how much more they appreciated the extra space available in a 27".  Although when I first moved to dual monitors I found myself not using the 2nd monitor very often, the more time goes by the more I use both monitors steadily.
> 
> Before purchasing the (pricey!) PA series I had tried a less expensive ASUS model (I don't remember which one, though I could look it up if you'd like).  They were OK, but the power supply emitted a very high pitched whine that drove me nuts!  The NEC P series monitors I have read also have a power supply whine (this info is from Amazon reviews...take that for what it is worth).  The gamut on the P series is sRGB, and the PA series is wide-gamut (Adobe RGB, or aRGB).  For images destined only for the web, the smaller gamut probably doesn't matter, since web pix are sRGB anyway.  I haven't personally done much printing (locally or through a service) yet, but the folks here have said that when one prints, the wider gamut is helpful to get the most out of the picture.
> 
> I knew as soon as I opened the box (well, and looked at what was inside!) that the NEC PA series monitor had a build quality unlike what I had ever experienced before in cheaper monitors.  I haven't looked back (though they did set me back a pretty penny!).



Very helpful.  I send most of my work out to print, and just defaulted to sRGB over the years, that I had not fully considered an Adobe RGB monitor as a (hopefully) affordable option.  When you did purchase your monitors, did you purchase locally, or by mail order (since we live in the same corner of the world)?

Thanks,

--Ken


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## Replytoken (Sep 16, 2014)

clee01l said:


> I think that you will find that 1920X1080 is becoming a legacy standard.  Soon 4K monitors will be readily available and HiDPI monitors are now common place.  QHD (2560X1440) monitors are now fairly prevalent with the 16:9 aspect ratio
> Here is one of 5 NEC models: http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-monitors/ea274wmi-bk
> 
> I use dual 27" QHD monitors.  One is my 27" iMac and the other is an ASUS that I'm told mirrors the iMac in technology.  I'm very happy with the size and both brands.



I will reconsider higher resolution options, but I am still curious as to what folks think about the same resolution on different screen sizes.  Is 22" too small for 1920x1080, for instance, or is 27" too big for that resolution?  Sometimes certain resolutions just work better on certain size screens.

Thanks,

--Ken


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## Jim Wilde (Sep 16, 2014)

Ken, personally I'd think a 27" monitor would need 2560 long side. I've got a pair of 24" monitors as 1920x1200, which is about right, so I'd think 27" would need more. Not sure about 1920 on a 22", but it may be OK.


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## Replytoken (Sep 16, 2014)

Jim Wilde said:


> Ken, personally I'd think a 27" monitor would need 2560 long side. I've got a pair of 24" monitors as 1920x1200, which is about right, so I'd think 27" would need more. Not sure about 1920 on a 22", but it may be OK.



Thanks, Jim.  I use a 22" at 1920 at work, but do not have LR installed on it, and am fine with the size of things.  I suspect that 24, and maybe 23, is the sweet spot for 1920x1080.  Thankfully, I am in no hurry to upgrade, so I may mull the idea of a higher resolution monitor.  Then again, desk space is somewhat at a premium, so 24 may be the practical limit.  Now there is the joy of figuring out the meaningful differences of all of the different types of IPS panels.  It seems like there is too much marketing hype injected into each types' description to separate the wheat from the chaff.  And good, current monitor reviews are few and far between.

--Ken


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## Jim Wilde (Sep 16, 2014)

Ken, did you ever come across this site: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews.htm


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## clee01l (Sep 16, 2014)

Yes Ken, it is all marketing hype.  No one mentioned theirs was a better TFT when there was no IPS. IPS proved superior and everyone Jumped to announce their IPS was better.  There are reviews and consumer reports on most monitors.  Do your research there first then worry about ppi. There is much to be said in favor of HiDPI (Retina) displays.


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## Replytoken (Sep 16, 2014)

clee01l said:


> Yes Ken, it is all marketing hype.  No one mentioned theirs was a better TFT when there was no IPS. IPS proved superior and everyone Jumped to announce their IPS was better.  There are reviews and consumer reports on most monitors.  Do your research there first then worry about ppi. There is much to be said in favor of HiDPI (Retina) displays.



Very true, Cletus, although we had CRT's before TFT monitors.  My older NEC is getting a bit long on tooth, but it still is a pleasure to use.  Some of the things that I am trying to determine are how much better/different are e-IPD, S-IPS and AH-IPS from my current monitors.  Also, there is the question of bit depth.  Soem are 6+2.  Others are true 8.  And now we have 8+2 as well.  Add in wide gamut (Adobe RGB) monitors and QD resolution, and there are a lot of variables to consider on a productthat I do not like to upgrade often.  I am sure that allof them are a cut above consumer grade, but what I get as I move up the ladder is what I want to know.  In the audio world, and in the world of exotic lenses, you pay quite a premium for that last ounce of improvement.  Thankfully, NEC's P and PA monitors are not an order of magnitude higher in price than many mid-grade monitors.  While I am still mulling things over, and I could wait a bit and time a new monitor purchase with a hardware upgrade in the next year or two, I am leaning towards a 24" screen with full sRBG gamut.  I need to know more about any potential issues of working with a wide gamut and/or QD resolution monitor before committing.  Not everything I do is related to LR, and I do not want to be worrying about color issues for things that are never going to see the light of anything other than sRGB or squinting when I am browsing on the web.

Thanks,

--Ken


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## Replytoken (Sep 16, 2014)

Jim Wilde said:


> Ken, did you ever come across this site: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews.htm



It is is a great site, as is prad.de, allthough the latter has not been updated in a while.  Thanks for the suggestion.

--Ken


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## camner (Sep 17, 2014)

Replytoken said:


> Very helpful.  I send most of my work out to print, and just defaulted to sRGB over the years, that I had not fully considered an Adobe RGB monitor as a (hopefully) affordable option.  When you did purchase your monitors, did you purchase locally, or by mail order (since we live in the same corner of the world)?



No, I didn't buy locally.  I bought them from B&H Video in NYC via the web.  I originally thought about buying from Amazon because their return policy is excellent (I'm not saying that B&H doesn't have a good return policy, I've just never needed to test it).  My prior experiences with B&H over the years had always been good.  At the time I was purchasing, the price difference between B&H and Amazon was several hundred dollars (x 2!).

I, too, don't think of monitors as a "frequent upgrade."  Good monitors are expensive and should last a long time.


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