32" 4K, or 27" 4K - Can't decide

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Peat Moss

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I need a new monitor for work (and occasional movie watching). I don't game at all. I'm coming from a 22" 1080p screen, and I need more real estate. I should mention I'm over 60 and my vision isn't what it used to be.

If I get a 27" 4K, the PPI will be 163, so text (on a good IPS screen anyway) should be super sharp at native resolution. Possible downside is having to increase the Windows scaling up to perhaps 150% ? And 1080p movies may not map properly on a 1440p screen? (not sure).

If I get a 32" 4k, the PPI will be 137, and text will still be fairly sharp. I won't have to increase Windows scaling as much, maybe 125%?

I guess my questions are: Does increasing the Windows scaling affect text sharpness at all? And does it affect exact resolution of movies?
 
Scaling has no effect on movies or most games. Scaling improves text rendering at the expense of desktop space.

For 27-28" I would use 150% scaling and at 32" it's up to you if 125 or 150% works best.
 
improwise said:
Sounds like you should aim for 32" which is noticeable bigger than a 27".
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Yeah, I'm starting to lean towards a 32". It just seems like a humungous monitor to have on my desk. I'm also a little worried about panel uniformity on a monitor that size.
 
You may end up pushing the 32" further back on your table to have everything in your view and better viewing angles towards the sides. In that case the 32" allows you to do that, but may also need you to do that if you don't like moving your eyes/head so much to see all content.

On the other hand the 27" may allow you to sit closer without having to push text to 150% anyway, just because the monitor is closer. This is more work for the eyes to focus on something closer, so using glasses can be beneficial for your eyes to stay more relaxed even if you don't need them.

If you are old enough to experience presbyopia then having a larger screen further away can help (32" preferred). That is unless you are using stronger reading glasses, then the screen being too far away get you into trouble again (27" preferred). Stronger glasses will either blur the further away screen then or weaker glasses will help less with the keyboard and any prints (or mobile screen) you need to read in between.
 
27" 4k is garbage for text work and as a main monitor. And, no, scaling isnt a good option and presents alot of other issues.
 
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tongshadow said:
27" 4k is garbage for text work and as a main monitor. And, no, scaling isnt a good option and presents alot of other issues.
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Of course that depends on how close you are sitting to your monitor, if resolution is the same.
 
tongshadow said:
27" 4k is garbage for text work and as a main monitor. And, no, scaling isnt a good option and presents alot of other issues.
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Scaling works fine and has for most of the past decade in windows 10. I use a 28" 4k panel currently and have been on 4k60 since 2014. Text and desktop apps look amazing, as do games.
 
Text and elements just become too small and some programs dont work well with windows scaling.
32" 4k works a lot better and you'll notice the improved DPI without sacrificing usability.
 
tongshadow said:
Text and elements just become too small and some programs dont work well with windows scaling.
32" 4k works a lot better and you'll notice the improved DPI without sacrificing usability.
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That seems more like a you problem than a 4K 27" problem. It probably isn't the best screen for you though.
 
I have both (a 32 inch and 27 inch FALD).

I bought my 32 inch to replace my 27 inch for gaming and general /work use, but I work at an office so mostly for the first two.

A 32 inch is enormous compared to the 27 inch sitting on your desk: I had to adjust to the size and honestly sit further back, which may not be ideal for work. If sitting close up it easily fills your peripheral vision, which is nice for gaming but not necessarily for work, depending on what you do. The biggest consideration I found was as much as I love my 32 incher, it makes me more prone to dizziness and disorientation. Granted, I have a medical condition that makes me susceptible to that, but I was surprised at the difference b/t the two.When that happens, I actually revert back to the 27! I have them setup as a dual-monitor setup.

Aside from this, text clarity on both is excellent and I never found readability to be an issue. I am 47 and have bad vision, and use reading glasses or contacts.

One other thing to note is the high PPI lends the 27 incher to what I call a more “painterly” quality: it literally looks like I am staring at a painting and often times a 3D effect. The 32 incher also has this albeit to a slightly lesser degree.

The 32 incher will be more immersive when consuming media.
 
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Peat Moss said:
Just out of curiosity, how is 4K OLED for text clarity?
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Based on the LG CX 48", DPI scaling it helps mitigate the problems of the pixel structure. I used the CX 48" for two years as a desktop display at 125% scaling and 1m viewing distance and it was quite alright.

I've skipped all the 1440p models because DPI scaling is just not a viable option on them. I think the 32" 4K OLEDs coming in 2024/2025 will be a good sweet spot, provided that HDR brightness doesn't go out of the window at that size/res.
 
Peat Moss said:
Just out of curiosity, how is 4K OLED for text clarity?
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Depending on size & viewing distance (PPI) and what type of OLED panel it is. Still have not found anything better in this regard than 42" C2/C3 on which text is OK but not great. Almost unlimited viewing angles and glossy (no grain) makes a lot of difference as well though.
 
improwise said:
That seems more like a you problem than a 4K 27" problem. It probably isn't the best screen for you though.
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Not the ideal screen for anyone who uses the display for multiple tasks, specially text. It's you that want others to have your specific preferences. There's ZERO advantage to using a 4k 27" over a 32" one and you get drawbacks.
 
tongshadow said:
Not the ideal screen for anyone who uses the display for multiple tasks, specially text. It's you that want others to have your specific preferences. There's ZERO advantage to using a 4k 27" over a 32" one and you get drawbacks.
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Again you seem to be confusing your opinions with facts for everyone. I have no problem with you or anyone else wanting 32" and thinking that PPI is to high on a 27" 4K for you to comfortably using it without scaling, but that does not make it so for everyone else and it also does not make 27" 4K a bad choice. I find 4K 32" pointless as it only takes up more space on my desk without offering any advantages over a 27" 4K monitor, but that is just my personal opinion and does not make it a bad choice for someone else.
 
I've got the original Acer Predator X27 at home and the Gigabyte FI32U at work and use them at native resolution, both are great and don't have issues with text on either one. Mine I keep about the same distance (I keep my 13" apple laptop in between my KB and the monitor) but if you have space you can move it forward or backward to adjust for the size difference. If this bothers you and you have an enormous desk then the 32" would be better most likely. I use enormous 8" monitor speakers so the 27" does give me more side to side space which for me is nice, at work I have tiny 5" ones instead.

For reference at my normal sitting distance at home my screen is about 70 cm from my eyes.

Peat Moss said:
Yeah, I'm starting to lean towards a 32". It just seems like a humungous monitor to have on my desk. I'm also a little worried about panel uniformity on a monitor that size.
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I would say this is probably going to be an issue for both sizes.
 
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I would recommend against a 27 4k with windows (IMHO) unless there’s a huge price gap for your selected 27 and 32” choice.
None of the scaling options looked just right to me with my first 27 4k and I ended up trading up to a 32” for work which is just more usable. I keep it at the same distance as the 27 was and just have more usable real estate at a smaller zoom factor. At home I use a 42” + 27 for a second monitor.
 
sethk said:
I would recommend against a 27 4k with windows (IMHO) unless there’s a huge price gap for your selected 27 and 32” choice.
None of the scaling options looked just right to me with my first 27 4k and I ended up trading up to a 32” for work which is just more usable. I keep it at the same distance as the 27 was and just have more usable real estate at a smaller zoom factor. At home I use a 42” + 27 for a second monitor.
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Why would a 32" 4K monitor have better scaling than a 27" 4K monitor? I belive it all comes down to eye sight and viewing distance which of the two are "better", perhaps with some added personal preference.
 
It's also worth mentioning that you can set custom scaling percentage, not just use the predefined coarse steps.
 
Go BIG, or go home, hehehe :D

I have a 48" 1440@125% as my main (center) screen, with a 32" 1440 to the left & right of it @100%, and for me, this is an ideal set-up, as I do both work & personal stuff from home, and while working, can have as many as 10 apps running at once, so I can place their windows across the 3 screens as needed and multitask back & forth between them, all without any eye strain at all. I do a fair amount of word, excel, & pdf work as well as CAD & image manipulation,and sit approx. 40" away from the screens, nottaproblemo.....And at my age, my eyes aren't as good as they used to be either (but the recent cataract surgery helped alot)
 
Since LCDs have a fixed DPI and you have to choose big steps for scaling in windows - 125%, 150% etc. you may find one scale size too small and the other too large which was my particular experience with 27”. I had to use a larger scale size which effectively reduced the amount of readable text at 4k to about the same as at 1440p just a little sharper. The 32” just showed more text overall-ie more usable real estate even though both are 4k res. You on the other hand may be able to live with 125% scaling on a 27” 4k but it didn’t work for me.
 
If you want to simply set it up and start working, this is the one:

32QP880-B - No scaling tweaks needed since it is one step below 4k.
Is use it as a sidemonitor.

I suggest you reset your preceived values and simply buy a 48 inch LG OLED or a 48 inch Samsung LCD QN90B.

Screen real estate should be the main and almost only concern for old men like us.

Anybody in know of has figured out the rest after the TV was setup - and so will you ;)
 
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If you're a gamer, your own field of view is important. So, it can depend upon distance your are from the monitor. You may find yourself "backing up" from the bigger display (for example).

Of course, the resolution bump might not be felt at that point.

So, sadly, in short, YMMV.
 
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