【Monitor】A 31.5-inch 4K PC monitor is a good choice

In a nutshell

1. The mainstream for 4K PC monitors is 27 inches, but the screen is too small at the native 4K scale.
2. I recommend 31.5 inches. This is because a quarter of the screen is almost Full HD.
3. Viewsonic (an American budget monitor brand) is a hidden gem.

The mainstream for 4K PC monitors is 27 inches, but it's too detailed

Most of you at work are probably using monitors provided by your company, but the size of the monitor is the size of your desk, and bigger is always better.

There is a function called multi-desktop that allows you to switch screens, but since it lacks listability, I recommend increasing the resolution of the monitor. Especially for those who only use Excel, the size of the monitor is the amount of information that can be put into the brain, so it is important. I think it would be a big problem if you made a mistake in your decision-making because you overlooked something while looking at financial reports for multiple years.

So, the conclusion is, why not introduce a 4K monitor? However, you need to be careful when choosing a 4K monitor. If you introduce the current mainstream 27-inch monitor and display it in 4K, the resolution will be too high and the characters will be too small, resulting in a disappointing experience that is happening all over the world.

So, gonjitti's recommendation is 31.5 inches, and I will write about why in the following chapters.

A 31.5-inch monitor can be used at 100% scale, and the screen is almost four times the size of a Full HD monitor.

Why 31.5 inches? This can be understood by considering the pixel density, which is an indicator of resolution, or ppi (pixels per inch).

This is an indicator of how many pixels are included per inch, and the official Windows OS display is designed assuming a standard pixel density of 96 ppi. This is a guideline for when viewing from 50 cm away from the monitor. Now, let's compare the display dpi of 27-inch and 31.5-inch monitors, also taking into account scaling display.

Scaling display is a display setting that lowers the pixel density in order to use a 4K monitor as a WQHD monitor or a Full HD monitor. Lowering the pixel density makes the display more vivid, but of course, the amount of information that can be displayed decreases.

Considering the above, a 27-inch 4K monitor has a ppi of 163, which greatly deviates from the Windows standard of 96 ppi. Since the human resolution is said to be 300 ppi, there is still some leeway, but it will be quite difficult to distinguish characters. Therefore, even if you purchase a 27-inch 4K monitor, you will end up using it at 125% display.

On the other hand, a 31.5-inch monitor has a ppi of 139, and although the pixel density is somewhat high, the display is not so fine as to be difficult to see. It can be said to be an exquisite value that allows you to enjoy both the readability of the characters and the vividness of the image brought about by the high ppi. Of course, if it is difficult to see, you can use 125% display, which is considered to be a very easy-to-use value of 104 ppi.

Also, in the case of a 31.5-inch monitor, being able to display at 100% means that a quarter of the screen is Full HD, and you will be able to get the feeling that your work desk has simply quadrupled compared to a Full HD monitor that is generally provided by a company.

Viewsonic (an American budget monitor brand) is a hidden gem

From here on, it's just a product introduction corner, but for various reasons, the following conditions are good for a 4K monitor.

• 31.5 inches
• Has a Displayport terminal (because the transmission speed is faster than HDMI and it is strong for moving images)
• VA panel or IPS panel (TN panel has a narrow viewing angle and is likely to be disappointing, so it's a matter of preference)','VA panel has strong black and white expression (contrast ratio)','IPS panel has a wide viewing angle (wider than VA panel)
• VESA mount','If you can move the monitor freely with a monitor arm such as Ergotron, you can expand the range of use, such as enjoying movies while reclining.

Under the above conditions, if you also thoroughly compare the price, gonjitti recommends the Viewsonic VX3211-4K-MHD-7. The parrot mark is a nice touch.

Viewsonic is an American budget monitor manufacturer, and you can't be sure to get it at a Japanese electronics store. The only place that sometimes carries their products is Dospara. gonjitti went out of his way to buy it by name at Dospara in Yokohama. At that time, the actual price was 40,000 yen, and I was able to purchase it for 10,000 to 30,000 yen cheaper than other companies. I am still using it and am satisfied with its stable behavior.

When it comes to monitor manufacturers, I have the impression that LG Electronics is the one now, but from my personal experience, the risk of dead pixels and breakdowns was high, so I excluded them from my purchase conditions. However, it seems that LG's monitor manufacturing has become stable recently, and since it's on sale on Amazon, I wonder if I should just buy it.

Aside (Recommended Book)

A recommended design book. It's packed with design tips that you can use forever. I use it often myself.