Please recommend a computer monitor

Ferm Sheller

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I have a MacBook Pro (2018) with Thunderbird 3 ports, and I have ~$150 work allowance for a monitor. Anyone have any recommendations at that price point?

Also, with regard to connectivity, I assume I need only a USB-C to HMDI adapter and an HDMI cable. Am I correct?
 

The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa

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I have a MacBook Pro (2018) with Thunderbird 3 ports, and I have ~$150 work allowance for a monitor. Anyone have any recommendations at that price point?

Also, with regard to connectivity, I assume I need only a USB-C to HMDI adapter and an HDMI cable. Am I correct?
What's your primary use for it? Text, or graphics, etc.?
 

The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa

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Text, I'd say. I'd use it mostly for email, MS Word, PP, etc.
I like IPS panels. It gets a little tricky, because at this price point, you're looking at 27" IPS at 1080p, which isn't particularly great looking for text. It's not terrible by any means, but kind of meh if you're used to 4k on the neighboring laptop.

Lenovo gets good marks. There is this one right around your price point if it is on sale:
Lenovo


and this one from LG:
https://www.costco.com/lg-27"-class-fhd-ips-freesync-monitor.product.100676476.html

To get more sharpness you can drop down to a 21 or 24" screen. But the extra few inches here makes a big difference.
 

Ferm Sheller

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Thank you. That Lenovo looks very nice.

I looked at a bunch of different ~$150 monitors on Amazon, but the reviews were kind of spotty. The reviews on that Lenovo are outstanding.
 

Nick Kaufman

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With your budget and your needs, I would look for an IPS panel and either look for a 1440p 24'' monitor or a 21''' 1080p monitor. Be careful to steer clear of gaming monitors. Do note that some companies have product lines specifically called business monitors which eschew the gamery stuff and have features suck pivot, swivel, tilt, etc.

I recently discovered a website called is this retina?

https://www.designcompaniesranked.com/resources/is-this-retina/

You input the monitor's resolution and screen size and tells you the distance under which the image looks like retina in your eyes. That's why I would prefer a 21'' inch 1080p monitor rather than a 27'' one.
 

Nick Kaufman

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I should add. Samsung calls their IPS panels PLS, but it's the same thing. Also, to be fair, the trend is for bigger monitors; I can personally see the need if you write code or edit videos or play games in which immersion is the no 1 # priority. But if you use your computer to browse webpages and peruse word & PP docs, then it looks a bit of a stretch to me, unless you want to multitask and look a couple of docs and webpage at the same time.

In my ripe old age, I am more averse at doing things differently and since i grew up with 14'' VGA monitors, 1080p ones look more than fine to me.

I would say this. If you want to splurge and get the best image quality, you can also look for 4k 27''' monitors. At that size and that resolution, you would need to scale up the objects on your screen, otherwise they will look tiny. Windows 10 is far better at this than the Win 7 I am using and in all likelihood you won't have a problem unless you re using an old unsupported program or something.
 

Bowhemian

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When I got sent home from work last March for the quarantine, I searched for monitors, but there wasn't much to be found. I figured lockdown would only be a few months, and I didn't really have any other need for a monitor, so I didn't want to spend a ton of $$. I ended up finding a 24" ViewSonic on Amazon for $125. It suited my needs (writing documents, MS Word, MS Excel, Outlook) perfectly. I have no clue what any of the specs are, but it connected to my laptop via HDMI. Easy peasy.
I don't know if it was this exact one, but it is quite similar.
 

BlackJack

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I also got a ViewSonic last year and while looking through my history saw that they have a used ‘like new’ one that is being sold directly from ViewSonic.

It’s $83 which is an amazing deal for this monitor. It’s IPS, frameless and I could not be happier with it. It is very low profile and the image is fantastic.

Assuming it’s not a reimbursement situation the price will save you a few bucks. I think I paid about $140 for a new one last fall when I got it.
 

Zososoxfan

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I use a 27' Dynex TV as my monitor. Great for text-based work, but I think it's an ergonomic challenge. Very cheap solution (had it laying around).
 

Ferm Sheller

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I don't have a TV that I'm not using, but I haven't considered using one as a monitor. I'll look into it, thanks.
 

Bowhemian

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I tried using a TV as a monitor the first day of WFH. Complete fail, I couldn't figure out the resolution or if I could even adjust it. Text was ginormous
 

dcdrew10

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I upgraded my home monitor last summer. I originally went with a 32" 4k that had great reviews and was terribly disappointed. I returned it after a day. I have a 2017 15" MBP and am a web developer/project manager. I could not find the resolution sweet spot and had to fight between either having the resolution set so entire monitor space usable and the text and icons scaled so I could read things without having to increase the font size. I ended up going with a 27" 2560 x 1440 pixels (aka WQHD) Asus ProArt monitor that is popular with my graphic design team. It was perfect; no color calibration needed, the resolution was close enough to the MBP's resolution that things didn't look weird and the height and angle had a lot of range for adjustment without being too much of a pain. The 27" is double your work allowance, but worth it and the 24" is about $200.
 

Ferm Sheller

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Thanks, dc. I've been looking at a couple of the Asus's. I actually have a $250 allowance, but want to buy an Apple wireless keyboard (for $100). Maybe I'll look into finding a cheaper keyboard so I can buy a more expensive monitor, or will just eat the overspend myself.
 

dcdrew10

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Thanks, dc. I've been looking at a couple of the Asus's. I actually have a $250 allowance, but want to buy an Apple wireless keyboard (for $100). Maybe I'll look into finding a cheaper keyboard so I can buy a more expensive monitor, or will just eat the overspend myself.
I use the Logitech K750 at home and in the office. It's the solar Logitech Mac keyboard that is full size, with a number pad, which is a must for me. My home office is in the basement and I have never had an issue with it losing power, so the lights are sufficient to charge. The only downside is that you need to use an USB IR dongle. Its around $55
 

JakeRae

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It won’t fit your budget, but the convenience of a USB-C monitor that supports charging is really an amazing convenience. It means our laptop chargers can live in the living room/work bags because they aren’t needed in the office and that makes moving around the house with laptops frictionless. It seems like a really minor convenience, but it is absolutely worth it.
 

Twalk

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It won’t fit your budget, but the convenience of a USB-C monitor that supports charging is really an amazing convenience. It means our laptop chargers can live in the living room/work bags because they aren’t needed in the office and that makes moving around the house with laptops frictionless. It seems like a really minor convenience, but it is absolutely worth it.
Any recommendations on a USB-C Monitor? In the same boat as the original poster, same text use but can probably push my company to go slightly higher. Lets say $500 and under.
 

The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa

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A lot of the USB-C monitors out there (and there aren't as many as you would think) have limited wattage for charging. Most max out at 60w, which would not be enough for a Macbook Pro 16" (it will still work, but it might still drain while using it). I am personally using an LG 32" Ultrafine 4k IPS monitor w/ Ergostand (radial arm) with 60w USB-C port (also 2 USB 3 ports and Displayport) from Costco when it was on sale for about 500 (it used to go on sale every few months, so it might be due to go on sale soon though who knows). Despite being in the Ultrafine line, it is not their absolute premium monitor, also called Ultrafine (which they build in partnership with Apple), but it is very good overall. There is a version of the one I have, but with a standard stand, for a bit less at Amazon.

Regular Stand

Ergo Stand
 
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JakeRae

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Any recommendations on a USB-C Monitor? In the same boat as the original poster, same text use but can probably push my company to go slightly higher. Lets say $500 and under.
We have a Dell P2721Q and an LG whose model I cannot recall but that is the 27 inch 4-k monitor with USB-C (used for separate work spaces). Both are great and are around the price point you mention, or at least were.
 

Sidearmer

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Was hoping to piggy back on this thread - I'm using a Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon bought in 2019 primarily for fairly basic tasks like MS office, internet, the occasional but infrequent streaming, and occasionally for medical diagnostic imaging (but I'm not a radiologist so it doesn't need to be high end). I was hoping to keep it under $200 (I do have a Costco membership since it seems like they are a good source of reasonably priced mointors), and probably aiming for 27". Reading through, seems like the USB-C feature is nice but not imperative, and probably not in my budget (seems like it would be cheaper to just buy an extra charger to leave on my desk anyways?). I've never really understood scaling and resolution issues (I'm not tech illiterate but I'm no expert) which I've seen mentioned in some posts as well. Post #4 seems to have a couple options that at first glance seem to fit my need, but any reason they wouldn't or there are better options?
 

NDBoston

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I'm looking for an Ultrawide monitor. No gaming- Just Endless Zoom meetings, Work and the occasional TV event on YouTubeTV. Any recommendations? I go back and forth between Samsung and LG.
 
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Senator Donut

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Work has given me another stipend for the home office. I'm willing to go well over/under their budget though for the perfect fit. I'm currently working with two 24" 1080p IPS Philips monitors that I bought in a hurry when I started working from home. The only wrinkle I have is that I run some ancient applications that scale horribly in Windows, so I think I have to have at least one monitor running at its native resolution (maybe a mounted 24" on its side can accomplish this). USB-C is a cool feature, but those models are pretty pricey and I'm OK with using a dock solution to take advantage of charging/display from a single cord.

I also want to use it with my personal 2013 MacBook Pro, but I expect to be moving on from it soon for something new. I'll also play XBox on it, but I'm not much of a gamer.

Should I do something crazy like buy a 48" LG C1 OLED?
 

canderson

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Buuuump.

I’m going to be the new Mac Studio and need a monitor. The thing is I’m blind as a bat so 5k is a waste on me as I have to downscale to actually use the damn thing (fun story - I’m a professional graphic designer!). The new Mac Studio seems like wasted money.

I also have a work PC laptop I would plug into occasionally (it has DisplayPort). What monitor is best for this - a LG 4K?
 

Scott Cooper's Grand Slam

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Boy, that Studio Display looks like a GREAT monitor. My work isn’t graphically intense enough to warrant a 5K display, but the Center Stage webcam and the Spatial Audio speakers are features that I would use all day, every day.
 

Omar's Wacky Neighbor

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Leaving in a bit to the studio :)
Can someone please explain to me why this rather uninspiring (spec wise) 27" monitor is $279-350 everywhere. Is it the USB guts?
  • 1 x SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps (USB3.2 Gen 1) upstream
  • 4 x SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps (USB3.2 Gen 1)

:

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-27-monitor-p2722h/apd/210-bbck/monitors-monitor-accessories

View: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-27-Monitor-Technology-Response/dp/B096W49KBL


https://www.newegg.com/dell-p2722h-27-full-hd/p/N82E16824260786

I found one today in AWD in Like New for $90, and ordered it with delayed shipping for my wife , who's going back to school online for her masters, on the chance that I'm missing something in the specs/description. (if nothing else, it'll replace the low res 19" square PoS in my son's room that he no longer uses but that I still do our taxes on)

TIA.
 

cgori

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It does seem weirdly expensive, but $90 for like-new is a great deal.

I would say it looks like the cost is because it has all the ports (HDMI, DP, VGA - plus the USB hub functionality), nothing was stripped out to reduce cost - I suspect the target buyer is corporate IT, to reduce the number of devices needed to deploy to someone's cube, and maybe a little less cost-concerned.

The main issue I see in the reviews is that the pixel density is low (it's a 27" FHD monitor, it's kinda what happens by definition, you wouldn't get good density until going to 1440p), and maybe the refresh rate is only 60hz - but for what you are talking about that refresh is fine/no-big-deal. It should blow away the 19" you referred to.
 

Omar's Wacky Neighbor

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Leaving in a bit to the studio :)
The main issue I see in the reviews is that the pixel density is low (it's a 27" FHD monitor, it's kinda what happens by definition, you wouldn't get good density until going to 1440p), and maybe the refresh rate is only 60hz - but for what you are talking about that refresh is fine/no-big-deal. It should blow away the 19" you referred to.
The box was beat up, but everything inside was ALMOST still in the original wrapping.

Let's see how it looks.