[Closed] New Monitor. 32" too big for general use on a desk?

Currently working (and on STW...) using a 32" monitor plus an accompanying 20" secondary monitor. I'd have been fine with slightly smaller, but 32" working well for having big spreadsheets open alongside a document etc.

32" Manages special TV as a monitor with a laptop. Works just fine. Can get it far enough away to be manageable and not too big and in your face.

I'd say regarding size you'll be fine. We normally have 2x28" monitors for work, but my WFH set-up doesn't work with that so down to 1 main monitor. It's a great size, but 32" would be even betterer.

Regarding this:

With a 32″ unit on the PC, we could happily lose the 40″ telly on the wall and run a Roku into the monitor.

The monitor probably won't have speakers (or they'll be puny), so you'll need some kind of add-on speaker option as well as just the monitor if you want to use as a TV I would have thought.

32" curved, did have two 24's previously. Find the single screen easier to work with as less messing about shuffling applications about.

If working at home becomes a permanent thing, I'd go wider again.

2 x 24" + 15" laptop screen here. The 2 x 24" are inherited from an ex employee and are getting on a bit and thinking a 32 would be a good replacement for the 2 of them. A bit curve monitor curious and also ultrawide curious, but do a lot of graphics work - interested in SirHC's curve monitor expereince?

Speakers, we currently run a Dell usb sound bar, which sounds better than the cheap Technika telly does anyway, but if this goes to plan, might go for the Roku Streambar or similar if monitor speakers not good enough, but it's a secondary telly, doesn't need to be loud.

Engineering for me, so mix of excel/powerpoint/data analysis tools. Recently tried using a flat 32 and seemed odd, find that my eyes don't suffer/strain over a day, with the flat and twin monitors, constantly re-focusing.

Are curved screens the new 3D of tellyworld?

One friend has 3x32" 4k monitors for his home office, another has a 49" widescreen curved monitor, both love them but do completely different jobs, ones and engineer the other a full stack developer. Both however do game on them. I used to use 2x27" monitors at work, now I'm down to a single 24" and really struggling tbh, made even worse by a slow ass laptop 🙁

34" ultrawide here. I love it. As far as monitors are concerned, bigger (well, more pixels) = better IMO. OTOH, my wife thinks it's too big, make of that what you will.

Oh, and width is more useful than height for me.

Depends what your're doing with it, I find 27" a good size personaly, but if your watching films or using more as a telly, 32" might be better.

'Proper' gaming is probably out as despite what Sony and xbox say, running a 'tripple A' game at 4k, at over 60hz, preferably 144hz, and stable over 60FPS, preferably over 100fps is prohibitively expensive, and that's assuming you can afford the best graphics cards on the market (and find one actually in stock).

Oh, and width is more useful than height for me.

That's what your wife tells you 😉

I've a 40, a 22 and a 13 in front of me in my spare room nervecentre. Is great. Big'un runs at 3840/2160 - is that 4K ?

31.5inch 4K Acer monitor, with a Roku Streambar to take care of audio duties here.

Hi Russell96, assuming watching telly is sorted with the streambar, but when wanting sounds form PC, is it straight USB connection?

Big’un runs at 3840/2160 – is that 4K ?

Yes

As for OP - 32" 4k would be fine as a monitor (I'd argue a 34" ultrawide QHD would be better for work stuff but as you want to watch TV on it to then 32" 4k would be better)

We're not "working from home" in the conventional sense so not trying to replicate an office desk setup, this is more as a dual PC/TV device and kick another telly into touch.

I've just got a 34" super wide screen monitor for work use and it's great. The 21:9 format is much better and makes the need for 2 screens redundant so alot less clutter on the desk top. It's next to my own 27" iMac which has an awesome screen and vertically the height is the same but much wider, so more than enough real estate to work with.

34inch QHD curved ultrawide for me at home. I work mostly on long landscape images so the ultrawide works for me. It’s also good for having say 2 spreadsheets or ppts side by side without a join. The curved also make it much more comfortable if you don’t have a huge depth to your desk. It feels immersive rather than in your face.

I used 2x 30 inch in the office which always bugged me with the join down the middle, and 1x regular 30 again felt quite in your face.

Also, the ultra-wide is quite good for films, as they fill the whole screen without the black bars at the top and bottom if using as a TV

I have one of these 34" curved screens and I rate it very highly.

Was a real step up from the 32" TV that I was previously working with.

For work you're watching the application in the part of the screen you put it and at a window size appropriate to the job and controllable by you.

For gaming / telly you're essentially watching the whole screen so size + distance are more important.

Depending on your job / requirements you might find two screens for two tasks is more amenable.

34 ultra wide here. It’s brilliant. All the benefits of 2 screens but much more flexibility how you divide the space up between apps. I will have to see if I can persuade work to buy me one once I’m back in the office

I'm sat in front of 4 monitors here, one of which is an LG 34 ultrawide, the others 32, plus a large macbook and a security cam. Can you get irradiated from this ?

It does mean you have build your own desks and take over a bedroom from a fledgling thats been pushed out - but its great for work.

Once you go large, its hard to go back.

40” 4K TV here. It’s great. You don’t use anything maximised, it just gives a lot of screen to play with - a bit like 4x20” 1080p monitors, or a 34” ultra wide with extra vertical space too.

It might be a bit much for FPS gaming, but I don’t do that. For strategy stuff the extra size is a benefit.

I personally find more screens are more useful than fewer larger screens, so currently running 2x27" + 1x15" screens. total width is over 150cm which is somewhere north of a 65" screen. I find it absolutely fine, although the separate monitors allow for me to have the side ones angled in - I don't think I'd want a single massive flat (non curved) screen as the stuff that's in the corners would be tiny compared to the stuff in front of me.

I've gone from 2x24 inch monitors to one 32in curved jobbie. Much prefer it, I used to spend half my time moving applications between the two screens. Personally I wouldn't go bigger than 32 as it starts getting a bit daft, but then I'm sure I thought that when I first got the samsung out the box.

Its also awesome for iRacing and Farm Simulator...

Curved makes a bit of sense if you're sitting in position A, but how does it go when you have a few people around the room looking at it?

Curved tv’z are the silliest idea ever but a curved monitor is good. The ultra wide one I’ve just got is not curved and the edges to seem to fall away from you. If I’d have known that before I’d probably have stumped up the extra £150 or so for a curved one. But it’s a real overly minor gripe. I don’t get the same sensation with my 27” iMac screen so only an ultra wide format thing.

Did yer Maw no tell ye sitting too close to the tv would ruin your eyes ?

32" 2k monitor main monitor at home with a 19" laptop screen to the side.

Really like the 32"... Makes my work 27 & 2 x 24" monitors seem too tiny!

@midlifecrashes

the Acer I'm using has one Display Port and two HDMI inputs, I'm using the DP from the PC for the HDR/colour range and variable refresh rate, with optical from the PC motherboard soundcard to the Roku for audio. As whilst the monitor has speakers they are pretty weedy and it doesn't support HDMI ARC. So HDMI is used for the Roku for streaming as annoyingly Amazon Prime for example doesn't allow 4K streaming on PC.

Thanks @Russell96, I guessed it might be something like that. A bit frustrating when aiming for a nice clean desk to have to faff with extra wiring and adapters etc. I might pester the IT guys at mrsmidlife's office to bring over a few sizes of monitor to play with before committing. The ideal would be a monitor with decent sound I suppose, but who makes one? Kind of frustrating that thirty years on a 1991 NICAM stereo tv sounds so much better than we can have today.

My Acer has a four port USB3 hub in it, for another cable back to the PC! however rather than one large bulcky leg its got a pair of slim silver legs that aren't too bad.

https://www.acer.com/ac/en/GB/content/model/UM.JE2EE.C01

Oh and the Roku streambar hasn't got the latest and greatest CPU in it that Roku do in other models, it supports all the current features with no lag, and it fits perfectly between the Acer monitor legs.

I didn't want a massive soundbar for my office PC, just something that put out decent sound when I'm not using headphones. Well a bit better than decent, as I'm using a USB DAC with my headphones, and I can't complain about the sound that the streambar puts out.

Yes, that's on my shortlist. I see none of the marketing pics show it plumbed in, I'm aiming for just the monitor visible when not in use, so USB ports are useful, an SD reader even better. The PC is a tiny USFF box tucked away. I assume with a peg for headphones the headphone jack is somewhere sensible and not tucked underneath at the back with the HDMIs.

Cables come down just to left of left leg, USB a bit further off to the left. Headphone peg is top left rear, controls are all bottom right rear. I bought as a all singing type of monitor rather than perfect in one area. I've a 2080ti so happy with 60p and freesync, with an okay colour rendition, rather than 1 femotsec response xyz etc...

Good site to look at for reviews is rtings.com