Computer monitors & eye strain
Discussion
Just to add that my friend gave me a 10% code (after I placed my order of course!) so I have now tried to cancel the order from last night and bought another one using the code for £580. Hopefully I can get cashback on the transaction but don't think they'll let me get both.
This time tomorrow I may end up with 2 UltraSharp monitors
edit: can't cancel the order from last night so am trying to figure out a solution with customer support to apply 10% to old order and cancel the new order so 2 screens don't arrive.
This time tomorrow I may end up with 2 UltraSharp monitors
edit: can't cancel the order from last night so am trying to figure out a solution with customer support to apply 10% to old order and cancel the new order so 2 screens don't arrive.
Edited by g4ry13 on Wednesday 29th March 11:07
The monitor arrived today and there's good news and bad news.
Good news: the monitor didn't arrive with any damage or any dead pixels which I have initially seen.
On to the bad news....I hooked up my laptop - for background information - it's closing in on being ~10 years old. It was dying a death last year and I swapped out the hard drive for a flash drive and upgraded the OS from Windows 7 to Windows 10. It seemed to improve things although my computer fans often spin up and it's noisy.
In any case, I connect the monitor to laptop via HDMI and go to display settings. 2048 x 1152 is the recommended resolution. I can go one higher but there is nothing close to 3840 x 2160. So I guess that answers the question about whether my computer does 4K. I checked with my partner's work computer (nothing super fancy in terms of specs) and I have the option to select 3840 x 2160. Prior to buying this screen, I had tested her ultrawide monitor on my laptop and was able to select some large resolutions (although probably not 4K I assume).
I'll have a look on Google whether there's any way to be able to select a resolution which Windows doesn't offer but it seems that I have 2 options:
1) Return the screen and get a 1440p, or something which my laptop can display on.
2) Look to upgrade my laptop which in honesty is probably overdue as the tech is pretty old, case is breaking, fans seem to struggle with Windows 10. Although the computer does a fairly decent job in running my applications and the screen / keyboard is nice.
Good news: the monitor didn't arrive with any damage or any dead pixels which I have initially seen.
On to the bad news....I hooked up my laptop - for background information - it's closing in on being ~10 years old. It was dying a death last year and I swapped out the hard drive for a flash drive and upgraded the OS from Windows 7 to Windows 10. It seemed to improve things although my computer fans often spin up and it's noisy.
In any case, I connect the monitor to laptop via HDMI and go to display settings. 2048 x 1152 is the recommended resolution. I can go one higher but there is nothing close to 3840 x 2160. So I guess that answers the question about whether my computer does 4K. I checked with my partner's work computer (nothing super fancy in terms of specs) and I have the option to select 3840 x 2160. Prior to buying this screen, I had tested her ultrawide monitor on my laptop and was able to select some large resolutions (although probably not 4K I assume).
I'll have a look on Google whether there's any way to be able to select a resolution which Windows doesn't offer but it seems that I have 2 options:
1) Return the screen and get a 1440p, or something which my laptop can display on.
2) Look to upgrade my laptop which in honesty is probably overdue as the tech is pretty old, case is breaking, fans seem to struggle with Windows 10. Although the computer does a fairly decent job in running my applications and the screen / keyboard is nice.
RizzoTheRat said:
Did you set it to be an extended screen or were you mirroring your laptop screen? If the latter it won't ley you go higher than the laptop screens resolution. If you have a separate mouse and keyboard try it with the laptop closed as well so it's only driving one screen.
It is set to extended display in the settings. I have also checked the graphic card drivers and they appear to be the latest.Closed laptop screen, hooked monitor up and max resolution available is 2048 x 1280.
I will hunt around a bit more on Google / YouTube but it's not looking good
A tiny update from me.
I have finally set up the screen. I was rather lazy about doing it over Easter and it ended up sitting on the floor doing nothing for a while.
Initial thoughts are that 27 inches does seem to be the right size for me. 32 inches would probably be a bit too big so I don't regret that. It's a nice picture, I haven't bothered to play any Poker on it but am using it for my work.
One thing which I was a little surprised about was that it had a slight glossy finish to it. It can throw a bit of reflections up and cause some glare.
In my recent journey I learned about PWM and have been shocked to see how much my laptop flickers and my other screen which I thought was good. The UltraSharp fortunately has no flicker. Although I believe only about 10% of people are actually affected by PWM. Not sure whether i'm one of them but maybe it helps that this screen doesn't have it.
I went down the path of researching screen bars (previously mentioned here) in a lot of detail. The Xiaomi had very good reviews and was a reasonable £50 or so. After further research, some users reported it failed after a very short time. I ordered up the BenQ Plus (extortionately expensive) to see if it would fit on my monitor. The bezels on my screen are very thin so i'm a bit concerned it may put pressure on the display and cause damage. The screen bar is currently on trial as far as i'm concerned and may get returned. I find it slightly distracting to have something on top of my screen and now that we're approaching summer I feel there's enough natural light to warrant the bar redundant. I thought the bar would cut out the reflections and not sure it does 100%.
As for my personal laptop not being compatible with 4K: that's a whole other thread as some of you may have seen
Excuse the messy desk picture!
I have finally set up the screen. I was rather lazy about doing it over Easter and it ended up sitting on the floor doing nothing for a while.
Initial thoughts are that 27 inches does seem to be the right size for me. 32 inches would probably be a bit too big so I don't regret that. It's a nice picture, I haven't bothered to play any Poker on it but am using it for my work.
One thing which I was a little surprised about was that it had a slight glossy finish to it. It can throw a bit of reflections up and cause some glare.
In my recent journey I learned about PWM and have been shocked to see how much my laptop flickers and my other screen which I thought was good. The UltraSharp fortunately has no flicker. Although I believe only about 10% of people are actually affected by PWM. Not sure whether i'm one of them but maybe it helps that this screen doesn't have it.
I went down the path of researching screen bars (previously mentioned here) in a lot of detail. The Xiaomi had very good reviews and was a reasonable £50 or so. After further research, some users reported it failed after a very short time. I ordered up the BenQ Plus (extortionately expensive) to see if it would fit on my monitor. The bezels on my screen are very thin so i'm a bit concerned it may put pressure on the display and cause damage. The screen bar is currently on trial as far as i'm concerned and may get returned. I find it slightly distracting to have something on top of my screen and now that we're approaching summer I feel there's enough natural light to warrant the bar redundant. I thought the bar would cut out the reflections and not sure it does 100%.
As for my personal laptop not being compatible with 4K: that's a whole other thread as some of you may have seen
Excuse the messy desk picture!
TameRacingDriver said:
I thought the purpose of those bars was not to eliminate reflections and glare, but simply to light up your desk without causing additional glare?
To be honest though I haven't used any monitor yet that doesn't glare to some degree when there's bright sunlight or whatever.
Looks good though
The BenQ advertising information claims: "[No Screen Glare & USB Powered] With the asymmetrical optical design, our monitor light can completely prevent screen reflections and direct glare, offering a comfortable screen reading experience."To be honest though I haven't used any monitor yet that doesn't glare to some degree when there's bright sunlight or whatever.
Looks good though
It would light up the desk too, although i'm not really working in a dark environment (maybe once we get to winter) and generally i'm looking at the screen, not the keyboard or writing on a pad.
There's a lot of positive comments about them. I'm not totally convinced about the benefits yet and a little concerned it could damage the screen as there aren't any thick plastic bezels on the display. There's a black border around the screen and from first attempts the bar does not seem to be squeezing / putting pressure on the display.
I've seen that some people use bias lighting behind their screens to help with the contrast. It can get rather complicated with smart bulbs and apps if you want to go down that road.
BenQ have a monitor bar (Halo) which is even more expensive and combines some bias lighting. You're probably better off getting a dedicated bias light if it's of interest.
BenQ have a monitor bar (Halo) which is even more expensive and combines some bias lighting. You're probably better off getting a dedicated bias light if it's of interest.
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