Help with a monitor purchase, and a cable question

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hi! My company is supporting people who are working from home with up to $300 in home office equipment. So, I’m thinking of getting a new computer monitor.

Currently, I have two 23-inch 1920x1080 monitors. I’ll probably replace one of them with the new one, and I’m looking to get a 4k monitor, for office work and gaming.

My CPU is a Core i7-9700k. My GPU is only a GTX 970, so many games will have to remain at 1080 rather than 4k, I imagine. That’s OK – I’ll enjoy the additional screen real estate for my work anyway.

I want to get something larger than 23 inches, but still be in the $300 range – maybe up to $400? Any suggestions?

Also, if I play games at 1080 on a 4k monitor, will they look worse than if I stuck with a 1080 monitor?

Finally, my cable question – I’m thinking of putting my old monitor at a place that we rent out, to provide some work space for people staying there. Is there some combination cable that will work with most computers, PCs and Macs, old and new? Like DVI, HDMI, mini HDMI, VGA, whatever Macs use, etc., to HDMI or DVI or something?

Thanks!

2

  1. When I was researching monitors to buy one a year or so ago, Dell monitors got good reviews. That’s what I purchased.

  2. You can get adapters for cables. But don’t expect them to be there when your renters leave… Check out https://www.monoprice.com/

3

Can I “fight the hypothetical” a bit? It seems like you see the choice as between 1080 and 4k. There’s also 2560 x 1440p which a GTX 970 should be able to handle if you turn down some graphical options.

There are also ultrawide monitors with 21:9 aspect ratio.

For office work, I’m not sure there’s much point to getting 4k unless the office work in question is graphic design or something similar. Or if the monitor is really big.

Here are a few options: Computer parts, laptops, electronics, and more - Newegg United States
For cables, I’d look at the outputs of your GTX 970 and the specifications of the monitor you choose and (if the cable isn’t already included with the monitor) order what you need from Amazon or Newegg. I think you can count on HDMI or DisplayPort cables being standard for a GTX 970 and any recent monitor.

4

Thanks! I was thinking 4k for more screen real estate for work. Maybe a 28" monitor, 4k? How do games deal with an ultra-wide? In any case, I’ll have a second monitor, so an ultra-wide will get in the way.

For the cable adapter, it’s not for me, it’s for a place we rent out. I was thinking of getting this:

https://www.amazon.com/Digitalinx-DL-AR-Universal-Complete-Adapters/dp/B00JAQDRMS?th=1

5

Try sitting down and using a 28" screen before you buy. With really large screens you begin to need to move your head to see all of the screen comfortably.

6

I have no idea how I could accomplish that, with the lock down.

I currently have 23" screens – do you think 27" would make more sense than 28"?

7

Just another thing to note, from the guy with 2 27 inch 1080p monitors in his home office:

If you use a 4K monitor for work, don’t present/screen share from it. Those of us with 1080 monitors can’t see shit when someone presents a screen with 4x the real estate that you’re showing :slight_smile: