I get a lot of people asking me why the obsession with quad-HD or 4K PC monitors, when Full-HD 1080p screens are just fine.
Call me spoiled, but after using ultra-high resolution displays for some time (on smartphones and tablets), going back to regular HD or lower res feels like a major downgrade.
Of course, PC gamers may argue that 1080p is solid for gaming, and one would need an extremely high end rig and graphics card to power up a 4K monitor, but gaming isn’t my priority when it comes to using my desktop computer.
I’m looking at the benefits of quad-HD and 4K monitors from a productivity standpoint.
Ultra-high resolution monitors aren’t just about making everything look pin sharp on screen, but also allow the display to squeeze in more details to work on, especially when you have a larger PC monitor, thus boosting productivity.
You can have multiple apps or windows open, and you don’t have to set up a second monitor.
My current PC monitor for instance, is a 24-inch 1920 x 1200 resolution display (rather than the standard 1920 x 1080p), and those extra pixels vertical means I can see more of this article before I can even start scrolling down.
As an editor and writer, this is important to me. I can never be super productive on a smaller display.
And for my next PC monitor purchase, it has to be a signifcant upgrade, provided that I’ve the right GPU to support it.
So when I heard about LG’s new 42.5-inch UHD monitor, I had to put that in my wishlist (I’ve my eyes on another high-end monitor from Dell as well).
The 43UD79-B from LG got my attention because it’s not just a 4K PC monitor, but also a huge display panel to boot. At 42.5 inches, that’s as big as a standard living room HDTV.
And because it’s packing a lot more pixels than 1080p, LG’s new giant monitor is meant to be used at 3 feet away so you can get the most out of it.
Bigger is definitely better. Ultra-high resolution displays have the tendency to make things like text super tiny especially on a smaller screen, but on a monitor display this size, you’ll have no trouble seeing everything clearly in glorious 3840 x 2160 resolution.
The display is an IPS panel with 1000:1 contrast ratio, has a wide 179-degree viewing angle and support for over 1.07 billion colours. The 60 Hz refresh rate may not impress PC gamers, but this 42-inch PC monitor does have Game Mode, Black Stabiliser and Dynamic Action Sync mode for productivity users who do a little bit of gaming on the side.
PC gamers with Radeon graphic cards will also be delighted to know that the 43UD79-B is compatible with AMD’s FreeSync dynamic refresh rate technology to help eliminate screen tearing and stuttering.
Productivity is where LG’s new monitor shines. The 43UD79-B can act as a display for up to four different devices at once, thanks to the bevy of ports behind the unit. The panel has two HDMI 2.0 ports, two HDMI 1,4 ports, one DisplayPort 1.2a port with FreeSynch and a USB-C on the back.
The 43uD79-B is expected to go on sale in Japan later this month for around 83,000 yen (around B$1,040). Naturally, UHD monitors like this tend to be quite pricey compared to standard full-HD panels.
But here’s where the LG’s new 4K monitor seems like an attractive deal: the 43UD79-B can double as a lovely 42.5-inch 4K TV when it’s time to sit back and watch a 4K movie. It’s even a better experience because the 43UD79-B comes with two built-in Harman Kardon speakers.
How’s that for “getting two for the price of one”?
1 comment
where can i get one?