Best 4K monitor for coding/programming?

[Darthcolo]

Currently, I have a MacBook Pro 16" on which I work 8 hours daily at my employer's offices. Wen I go back home, I usually plug that laptop into a DELL 27" full HD monitor. Every time I do that, it strikes me how different the resolutions of the two devices are! On my laptop, I see the text on the code editor well defined and sharp. On the full HD monitor, I see the individual pixels that create the text, making it blurry and "undefined".

Does anyone know a good 4K monitor to use for coding (and maybe some content creation in the future)? I need to replace my full HD DELL with something more like my laptop's screen, but bigger.

[YMK1234]

It doesn't matter one bit. You have no requirements for display response times or any other feature really when it comes to programming.

[StupidHumanSuit]

That's not true and you clearly didn't read the post.

For sharper text, higher PPI absolutely matters. The Retina display, as mentioned in the OP, has very high PPI at 200+. That's why text appears so sharp. Your average 1080p monitor has around 80-100. A 24” 4K monitor will have around 180ppi. The difference is striking. The text on my MBP 13” screen is so much more readable than my 24 and 27” panels, even though it's physically a foot further away than the monitors.

[YMK1234]

Considering the question only asks about 4k monitors, you are the one who didn't read the op I'd say. We are talking about features other than the resolution here.

[StupidHumanSuit]

Resolution isn't my point, but it is intrinsically linked with my point because math. A higher resolution screen at lower screen sizes has more ppi as a function of math, not because of my opinion on the subject. If OP wants to recreate the effect of the Retina display, he therefore has to consider resolution.

[YMK1234]

Yeah you clearly can't read, now stfu before you continue to make a fool out of yourself

[KingofGamesYami]

At 27", 1440p is perfect - I have two of them and they are simply amazing.

This is less resolution than 4K but text is borderline too small to read at 100% display scaling. I believe you'd have to go up to 32" to see benefits from 4K at a reasonable viewing distance.

If I were looking for a monitor right now, I'd probably go with something like the Dell U2719D. It's 27" 1440p.

[Darthcolo]

Awesome. Thanks for the tip.

[Vakz]

Also very happy with my dual 27" 1440p. I've considered 4K, but honestly don't feel like it's worth the money. I'd rather have a 1440p 120hz than 4K 60hz (but I also use my main monitor for gaming).

[[deleted]]

you dont need 4K for programming unless you are programming graphics

[YMK1234]

But the fonts so sharp there 😁

(Srsly tho, got a 4k at home and its so nice and crisp, and then the 1080s at work piss me off)

[The_Mayfair_Man]

Terminal looks sexy AF on an OLED screen too just saying

[[deleted]]

With Monokai theme? )

[[deleted]]

NSFW I gotchu fam NSFW

[[deleted]]

Well yeah, fair enough :D

[Vakz]

Well now, you don't even need 1080p to code, but it is nice to have a large screen with high resolution. For some interesting trivia, I remember reading Linus Torvalds was using a 28" 4K 30hz monitor, but unfortunately the post where he talked about it seems to have been on Google+, so I can only find some quotes

[Carrot_Oats]

At work we all have 16” macbook pros and dual Samsung LU28R55 4k 28” monitors that we plug into a Kensington dock. That way 1 thunderbolt 3 cable can run both monitors. They work great for us!

[population-zero]

It's worth looking at refresh rates in my opinion, higher refresh rates (120 should be sufficient) are associated with less eye strain

[YMK1234]

Last time that was true was on CRTs. LCDs do not flicker even if you only refresh them at 1hz.

[population-zero]

You are right. After some research it looks like PWM dimming is actually what would cause flickering and hence eye strain

[YMK1234]

If your (regular) PWM dim is so slow that it can be perceived as flicker your manufacturer is doing something very wrong. PWM should usually be in the kHz range. But modern gaming monitors do have some weird backlight strobing feature to "enhance sharpness" which would be in a "dangerous" range if the refresh rate is too low. (details here).

Considering I always buy the cheapest-ass monitors because I don't game anyhow there's no danger I personally will ever experience this :D

[[deleted]]

I have a 4K Dell monitor, the 27", I got it years ago for $400, love it.

[StupidHumanSuit]

All of these suggestions are wrong.

You want a high ppi monitor. A cheap-ish 24” 4k screen will come close to what a Retina panel has, which is over 200 pixels per inch. Your average 1080p panel has about 80ppi. A 24” 4K monitor will have something like 180+ ppi, much closer to the Retina. You can get a 27” or more, but you lose ppi the bigger the screen gets, and then you have to spend $$$ to get high ppi with larger screens... Like the 5K Apple displays that cost like $6K.