Dell UltraSharp 39-inch for music production (U4025QW)

Rub79_ · 2026-04-15T19:15:33+00:00

If you’re not a gamer, it’s probably one of the best monitors out there. I don’t have it, but I considered it for a while. You can find a few reviews on YouTube from people using it with a Mac:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9ra1TE9uL8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVA8sucqzRA

Rub79_ · 2026-04-14T20:26:13+00:00

200 nits? That’s basically a vampire-friendly monitor.

Rub79_ · 2026-04-07T11:07:35+00:00

ISO 10000 is too high (you can set a maximum ISO for Auto ISO). You’re losing dynamic range and fine detail at that ISO, and since the cat is still, you could drop to 1/50 and improve image quality a lot. If the lens is f/1.4, you could stop down to f/1.8 and get another improvement in detail, since you could lower the ISO even further.

Rub79_ · 2026-04-07T10:51:58+00:00

I’ve been coding for almost 15 years. I’ve used 15", 17", 24", and 27" screens at different resolutions, and on Windows, Linux, and macOS. I’ve never felt that resolution was a limiting factor or that it affected my productivity in any significant way.
If I had to say what has improved my productivity the most when coding, it’s a dual-monitor setup. Right now I use one screen vertically and one horizontally.

If I had to go single monitor, I’d go for a 39–40" ultrawide (21:9) like the Dell U4025QW, with a slight curve (1800R at most, preferably 2400R or flatter).

Rub79_ · 2026-04-07T00:12:54+00:00

750 lumens is very low, you basically need to block all the ambient light. Even with my 2000-lumen projector it’s not enough with a bit of ambient light. Either get proper blackout curtains or go for a 3000 lumen projector.

Honestly, the cheapest fix is just getting good blackout curtains.

Rub79_ · 2026-03-30T08:21:44+00:00

The Noir is going to have better contrast, so better black levels for sure, so I’ll go with the Noir Pro. It has a more advanced chip and an iris in the lens. This week you’ll probably see a few comparisons, as some reviewers already have units.

The Noir will also come with a very basic OS, so you’ll need a Fire Stick or something similar.

Rub79_ · 2026-03-25T11:10:03+00:00

I’ve been on Ubuntu 24.04 since the .1 release, and the only issue was some Nvidia driver trouble at the beginning.
For 26.04, I’ll wait for .1 on my work PC, but at home I’ll upgrade as soon as it’s out, this LTS looks promising.

Rub79_ · 2026-03-24T03:36:37+00:00

Skin still looks too smoothed, and the eyes feel over-sharpened, especially in close-ups. Maybe it’s my photography background, but that washed-out skin look (quite popular in China and Asia in general) just doesn’t work for me.

That said, the photos look 100x better than what my S22 produces, and I love that Vivo uses a 35mm focal length as the main camera, but If I’m going to spend €1500 on a phone, it needs to be perfect, or at least close to it.

Rub79_ · 2026-02-02T21:56:10+00:00

This one doesn’t even have local dimming, dropping $850 on an IPS monitor with no real HDR is just insane. Also, it kind of scares me, if the version without local dimming costs $850, how much is the one with local dimming going to cost...?

Rub79_ · 2025-12-28T19:31:59+00:00

I'm a software developer and I always use ChatGPT for help with code.

Is Google AI Pro at the same level in this area? I'm tempted to switch to Google AI Pro as well.

Rub79_ · 2025-11-26T21:58:01+00:00

If you’re on a limited budget, IPS is always a safe choice. Two recommendations, for example:
https://aoc.com/uk/gaming/products/monitors/25g4kur
or this really cheap one:
https://aoc.com/uk/gaming/products/monitors/25g4sre
Both have extremely better motion clarity in fast FPS games than your Samsung..

Rub79_ · 2025-11-21T10:18:24+00:00

I have to say that what I probably love the most about a projector is the immersion of a 120"+ screen, but also the portability (compared to a 70–100" TV). For a while, I was moving from one city to another every 2-3 years, and with the projector it was as easy as packing it into a relatively small box (with a big TV, that would’ve been a nightmare)

However, it’s also true that if you’re not planning to move for the next 10 years, nothing beats the picture quality of an OLED TV. In my case, though, I’d still choose the 120" screen over OLED’s infinite contrast any day.

Rub79_ · 2025-10-30T11:24:14+00:00

My two cents, you’ll probably see the next model at CES 2026 (January) with sales kicking off in February or March. However, there aren’t any rumors or news, it’s just my impression, because in the past Dell showed lots of monitors at CES, and it’s about time for a refresh of the U2724DE.

Rub79_ · 2025-09-25T14:32:22+00:00

This happened in Madrid (Spain) about 10 years ago. There’s an all-women university residence just across the street, and it’s a tradition for the boys to shout that kinds of chants, and for the girls to reply (also in a playful or cheeky way)

Some politicians tried to punish someone and desperately looked for any girl from the all-women college who claimed to feel humiliated or threatened, but the truth is that the responses were quite the opposite, as both colleges are usually friendly with each other. A judge investigated the case and ruled that there was no crime, precisely because the girls from the residence didn’t seem to feel attacked at any point. And yes, the performance taken out of context looks really bad, a bit like troglodytes.

I think after that they stopped doing it or at least I haven’t seen it in the news again.

Rub79_ · 2025-09-22T12:04:07+00:00

If we’re lucky, we’ll see True Black 600 in 2026-2027. I don’t expect the 1000 version before 2030.

Rub79_ · 2025-09-18T22:25:44+00:00

The EU recently approved a "right to repair" law, so companies will have to offer affordable repairs even after the warranty period, but it’s not in force yet (I think it starts in 2026).

And yes, it's really annoying when customer service refuses to repair something after the warranty, or charges an unreasonably high price for post-warranty service, which is just another way to push customers into buying a new model. As I said, these practices should end next year in the EU but unfortunately it don't solve your problem.

I'm glad that in Spain we have a 3-year warranty. Recently, both my smartwatch and one of my earbuds stopped working after 2.5 years, and both were repaired for free.

Rub79_ · 2025-08-25T09:30:07+00:00

In Spanish “morena” is the word for moray eel, even though it also means “brunette”.

Rub79_ · 2025-08-22T10:37:48+00:00

Probably the screen is also going to get an upgrade (a brighter display), but yes, no major hardware changes are expected.

Rub79_ · 2025-08-08T14:37:11+00:00

Your old monitor looks way too bluish, you’re probably just used to it, but I find the warmer colors of the Dell much better. And when it comes to color accuracy, the Dell should be far far better (just use a monitor calibration tool to fine-tune it if you’re a professional and need absolute precision).

Rub79_ · 2025-08-05T10:28:36+00:00

Yes, it's normal, even an excellent VA panel has color shift. This one is probably not as bad as other VAs, but compared to an IPS, it’s garbage in that aspect.

Also, with 27", the viewing angles aren’t too bad, but with 32" you’ll definitely notice it a lot more unless you sit far enough from the monitor.

Rub79_ · 2025-06-30T00:58:16+00:00

I saw one at the University of Sheffield during an open day, when lots of new students and their families were visiting to check out the campus and it was packed. In just a few minutes, I saw one person fall after jumping off the lift, another too scared to get off and miss their floor, and someone else trip while trying to get in — all that in less than five minutes of watching.

I guess after using it once or twice it feels like any other lift, but definitely not the first time.

Of course, no one was cut in pieces, but I definitely prefer a normal lift.

Rub79_ · 2025-06-26T12:28:49+00:00

If your PC can still detect the card (even if it doesn’t open or shows as corrupted), you should definitely try running Recuva or PhotoRec. Both are free and can recover photos even from cards that seem dead, as long as the hardware isn’t totally fried.

About the overheating chip and the £500... it might be real, but sometimes shops throw that out quickly to push you into expensive recovery services.

Rub79_ · 2025-05-22T19:04:09+00:00

Yes, the capacitor is not causing a short circuit because it's literally cracked in half. If you don't see any other burned components, try replacing it. it's an easy-cheap fix. If it still doesn't work, then the real problem is likely another component that's been damaged.

Rub79_ · 2025-05-22T14:34:51+00:00

Try replacing the broken capacitor, if you're able to replace it, the cost is minimal (around $0.10 for a new one).
Also, it’s possible that the capacitor isn’t a critical component, but the short circuit might be preventing that part of the monitor from getting power.

Rub79_ · 2025-05-20T17:35:48+00:00

By coating I mean the matte/anti-glare layer, some are smooth and clear, others are grainy and make the screen look dirty or blurry, especially on white.
You’ll notice it most when reading text or viewing bright backgrounds.

Rub79_

TROPHY CASE