Best Monitor for MS Office, Gaming? $300 range

[cpmackenzi]

I'm looking into upgrading my GPU soon (very likely a Radeon R9 390), and to go with it, I want to get a new monitor. I currently run a Samsung SyncMaster S22B310 at 1600x900 for the desktop. I usually run the same for games.

I edit books for my job, so I do a lot of work in Microsoft Office. More important than gaming is the quality of the appearance in Office (black type on white background, clarity of letters). I've seen some monitors in the past that don't look as good for displaying text, and I want to avoid that issue if I'm buying a monitor online. On top of specific recommendations, I'd appreciate any advice on specific things to look for in this regard.

As for the gaming aspect, with the R9 390 in my future, I assume it's worth it to go above 60Hz refresh? Games I will play the most in the near future are Alien: Isolation, Elite: Dangerous, and Fallout 4.

My current system: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/cpmackenzi/saved/M6sMnQ

1. What Is Your Country Of Origin? Florida, United States

2. What do you plan to do with this monitor? (1) MS Office, (2) Games

3. What resolution and screen size do you want? I run 1600x900 desktop now but would go to next step up with a bigger screen size. Probably 24-25" because 27" would be too large for my desk.

4. What refresh rate do you want? Whatever's best for my price range.

5. How much are you looking to spend? $200-350, max of $400 if there's a big jump in quality above $350.

6. Brands Preferred (ex. Samsung, Acer, Asus, AOC, HP, Viewsonic, etc.)? Have used Samsung in past but okay with anything.

7. Brands Not Preferred (state reason why)? None.

8. Are You Buying More Than One Monitor? No, but may use my old 21.5" as a secondary one.

9. How Many Displays Can Your GPU Support Maximum? And what GPU and driver version are you using if applicable? Have GeForce GTX 750 Ti now, looking to upgrade to Radeon R9 390 soon.

10. What Port Do You Want To Connect To (ex. DVI-D, HDMI, etc)? Use DVI now, but willing to upgrade.

11. Is This Monitor A Primary Display Or A Secondary Display? Primary display.

12. Is This A Secondary Display For A Laptop? No.

 

[yoshimania]

I have a $200 cheap 1440p monitor. This is it:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4JH2CA3490

If you are playing games like LoL or CS:GO, you can play on 4k with an R9 390, but NOT with the GTX 750 Ti.

Here is the cheapest 4k monitor I could find on Newegg right now:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009832

Hope this helped you.

 

[cpmackenzi]

I guess it boils down to whether monitors in the 1440p or 4K or UHD range -- really anything above the Best Buy level monitor I have now -- is more likely to display much sharper text in MS Office than something at the 1600x900 or 1920x1080 level. Bearing in mind that due to the higher resolution, even with a slightly larger monitor, I'm going to have to zoom in on text at the 150% or higher level in MS Office to do my work. If the fact that there's more pixels basically means that letters are sharply defined even when zoomed in, I'll consider paying for the 1440 or 4K level.

 

[cpmackenzi]

NewEgg has a good deal on the ASUS PB258Q right now, through the next week: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236453&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Although I may end up with the R9 390 in the near future, I'm not likely going to pump games above 60hz anyway because I'm not a hardcore gamer. There are a few bad reviews, but I've seen the monitor recommended a few times on this forum. Anyone think it's a good way to go for the price?

I was originally going to upgrade the GPU first, but my work from home would benefit from a larger display ASAP, and there's a solid deal on this monitor at 31% off. Plus, the MSI 390 isn't really decreasing in price yet, and I may need a new case to fit it.

 

[EdWinter377]

Which monitor did you end up choosing, and what change did that make compared to your previous 1600x900 monitor?

I'm presently using a 1680x1050 monitor, and I've been concerned that going to a significantly higher resolution is just going to leave me dealing with tiny characters in Word and Excel.

 

[cpmackenzi]

Which monitor did you end up choosing, and what change did that make compared to your previous 1600x900 monitor?

I'm presently using a 1680x1050 monitor, and I've been concerned that going to a significantly higher resolution is just going to leave me dealing with tiny characters in Word and Excel.

I went with the Asus PB258Q. The resolution is sharp, and the pixel density is much better: I went from about 85 PPI (1600x900 with 21.5" monitor) to 117 PPI (1440p, 25"). Icons were quite small, but I simply used the built-in Windows feature (under "Display Settings" when you right click on desktop in WIndows 10) to increase my apps, icons, and text to 125%, and it's enough for me -- they're smaller than they used to be but still give me more room on my desktop.

When I edit manuscripts in Microsoft Word, I simply increase my zoom on the page to a higher level, which is what I wanted to do to reduce eye strain. I feel like I'm reading Large Print books that people with bad eyesight use, but my long-term eye health is worth it. With the higher PPI, even zoomed in at 200%, the words are crisp. Plus, the monitor has the Blue Light Filter settings to allegedly reduce eye strain, and I use that as well. All told, I do feel that I get fewer headaches than I used to.

 

[EdWinter377]

Thanks - that's helpful!