Hi,
Firstly, apologies if this is a duplicate thread, I’ve a feeling there’s been a similar topic in the past.
I’m in need of monitor advice. I have a M2 Pro Mac Mini and I’m considering an ultra wide screen to pair with it. It’ll be mainly used for music (daw) with more generic use around the edges. No heavy photo or video editing, gaming or movie watching.
After a brief bit of Googling, I’ve realised I don’t even know what sort of things I should be worrying about. Screen type, resolution, connectivity, curve, brightness, compatibility, and so on… And there is a huge range of options.
I’d really welcome some guidance on how to make a decision, or outright recommendations. Budget is up to £300-400, but, as always, less would be ideal.
Many thanks!
Matt
Comments
I like a 32"but some people prefer 27".
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
32 inch 4K.
Image quality is lovely - I spend my days in Excel, living the dream - but they are regular widescreen.
Only 60hz refresh but with my gaming skills that isn't affecting my win rate!
Amazon have them for £431 at the moment.
I have a pair of them for work. Hopefully one day someone will do an ultrawide that is the same as a pair of 32inch screens. I need the height on the screen rather than things like the Samsung G9 that are really like a pair of 27 inch ones. But then again that would probably need a really stupid GPU to run it.
https://soundcertified.com/speaker-ohms-calculator/
My Mac Mini setup is dual,monitor, one standard and one ultrawide.. I can put tracks and timelines on the ultrawide and the rest on the main monitor..
Dual monitor always for me.
Id go for two 4K 16:9 monitors at that budget though,
I have a dock for my mini which adds a second HDMI out and holds an SSD work files drive as well as having a bunch of USB and SD slots.. loads more than a Mac Studio.
I'm using a vertical arrangement at the moment.
Bottom monitor is a Corsair Xeneon 32UHD144 and I have a Dell P2720DC on top.
The Dell is being replaced with a colour accurate monitor fairly soon though.
When working on video content I like to have the top display showing the image.
When doing audio it is often persistent plugins- master bus stuff, meters.
It is useful for being able to watch Youtube/Netflix when working too.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
I’ll give the vertical screen arrangement some thought. I’m leaning towards ultra wide for no bezel in the middle of my view whilst also having sufficient space for multiple windows.
I'll have a look at the 8k x 2k Samsung ultra wide when it comes out, but I suspect it'll be ruinously expensive. Plus there are advantages to two separate monitors for monitor splitting and window control - I use Display Fusion with lots of triggers to move windows where I want them based on what I'm doing.
Seems a shame not to go for at least 4k. And at least 32”. I say at least, but anything bigger is going to become a bit awkward so yes, 32”.
Last week I spent a couple of hours just editing samples.
It is laborious and boring work so I have things playing in the background.
Ultra wide are good but my issue wit them is they are often too wide for studio monitors to be in the optimal position, and usually not capable of 4k.
If these are not issues for you then it should be a great fit.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
- Dell
- flat £310 https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/dell-32-4k-uhd-monitor-se3223q/apd/210-begy/monitors-monitor-accessories
- or curved £380 https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/dell-32-curved-4k-uhd-monitor-s3221qsa/apd/210-bfvu/monitors-monitor-accessories
- Samsung
- ultrawide £300 (seems like a lot for the money, what am I missing?) Samsung LS34C500GAUXXU 34" WQHD Monitor - 3440x1440, 100Hz, VA, Displayport, HDMI, Freesync https://amzn.eu/d/76LooGX
- MSI
- curved £350 https://www.argos.co.uk/product/2062431
- flat £300 https://www.scan.co.uk/products/315-benq-ew3270u-4k-monitor-3840x2160-hdr-va-60hz-freesync-4ms-12m1-300cd-m-vesa-dp-hdmi-usb-type-c
- LG
- flat £350 https://www.scan.co.uk/products/315-lg-32un650p-w-uhd-monitor-ips-3840x2160-5ms-60hz-amd-freesync-10001-hdmi-dp
If I don’t care about curved, ultrawide or 32” vs 34”, which of these would you plump for? Same question if I did care about flat vs curved.
Thanks again!
Best 32”-34” 4k IPS monitor for £300-400. May or may not be wide or curved. Back to google. Other search engines are available.
Logic will split screen in the view menu… tracks on one, faders and Auxes on other… same with Final Cut.. etc. edit lines on one, the preview on other.
Even with Garageband, you can have Garageband on one and the amp sims and plug-ins on other.
Learning tunes… score/chords on one… YouTube or DAW on other.
Dock is 13 in 1 Mac mini dock with HD slot. I put a 2TB Samsung SSD in.. all worked plug and play from plugged in. Impressed.