Which monitor should I get for illustration/photo/graph?

Sav

Sav

New Member
I have spent many hours researching monitors but still unsure. I am on my 2nd year at college and would like to upgrade from a small old monitor that doesn't show colours accurately to a bigger screen maybe 27 inch but no bigger. I am mainly using photoshop and illustrator- no games. I read that 4K wouldn't be great on a 27inch and that my pc may need a graphics upgrade if I did go 4K so I ruled it out but am open to feedback. I've read that I'll need to buy a colour colorimeter as well? Is this true? I do want the best colour possible. Also I'd like to invest in a touch tablet with pen to use instead of the mouse so any recommendations on that would be great. I have a Dell desktop which is about 3 years old with windows 10. Photoshop CC takes ages to open and lags sometimes while using so I'm worried about pc handling a bigger screen? As you can probably tell I'm not very techy :(

I have been looking at
BenQSW2700PT
Dell UP2716D
Dell P2715Q
Which are around the £400 £500 mark. I would defintely prefer to spend less if I could get a monitor with great colour accuracy.

Any advice appreciated
Many Thanks
Ps. Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place? First post.
 
Hi, thanks for replying my specs are. Let me know if i've missed anything crucial out. Sometimes I wonder if I should get a laptop for my work if the pc is going to get even slower.

intel core i5-4460 CPU 3.20GHz 3.20GHz
RAM 8GB
62 bit operating system
Avail physical memory 3.69
Avail virtual mem 11.6
 
my monitor is a Dell 1907FP(Digital) 1280x1024 60Hz
and when photoshop opens it gives this message

The monitor profile LCD color mgmt and conversions apprears to be defective.
Please rerun your monitor calibration software.

I have tried manually fixing but it doesnt seem to have made a difference.
Maybe if I bought a calibration device this monitor would be fine?
 
Not so sure about your monitor or spec's but if you're looking for a tablet then it might be worth trying an entry level Wacom.
It used to be a Bamboo but I'm not sure now.

The lower end ones shouldn't be underestimated as they're a fantastic bit of kit.
Not everyone gets on with them which is why I'd but a cheaper one but if you do like then you won't be able to live without one.
 
scotty said:
Not so sure about your monitor or spec's but if you're looking for a tablet then it might be worth trying an entry level Wacom.
It used to be a Bamboo but I'm not sure now.

The lower end ones shouldn't be underestimated as they're a fantastic bit of kit.
Not everyone gets on with them which is why I'd but a cheaper one but if you do like then you won't be able to live without one.
Click to expand...

Thanks heaps for that. Wacom has been jumping out at me in reviews. Reckon i'll go for one of them. Do you think size makes much difference?
 
Sav said:
Hi, thanks for replying my specs are. Let me know if i've missed anything crucial out. Sometimes I wonder if I should get a laptop for my work if the pc is going to get even slower.

intel core i5-4460 CPU 3.20GHz 3.20GHz
RAM 8GB
62 bit operating system
Avail physical memory 3.69
Avail virtual mem 11.6
Click to expand...
um... I'm guessing you mean 64bit not 62bit OS.
Is there no dedicated gpu, if there isn't you could grab something like a geforce 1050 or ati equivalent and it would help with 4k in adobe etc, it's not a 4k gaming card though. An SSD would help with performance of loading things etc too.

As to monitors, personally I'd pick the dell 2715Q if you can afford it, it is the 4K monitor though. It should work with built in gpu but it won't like heavy frame rate things like gaming etc but for normal photoshop it shouldn't be too much of an issue imo, although an upgrade like I said above would be a better option overall. The dell should come with a colour profile that windows can use to calibrate the screen and in my experience it isn't too far off the mark compared with my spyder 4 pro calibration tool.
 
Levi said:
um... I'm guessing you mean 64bit not 62bit OS.
Is there no dedicated gpu, if there isn't you could grab something like a geforce 1050 or ati equivalent and it would help with 4k in adobe etc, it's not a 4k gaming card though. An SSD would help with performance of loading things etc too.

As to monitors, personally I'd pick the dell 2715Q if you can afford it, it is the 4K monitor though. It should work with built in gpu but it won't like heavy frame rate things like gaming etc but for normal photoshop it shouldn't be too much of an issue imo, although an upgrade like I said above would be a better option overall. The dell should come with a colour profile that windows can use to calibrate the screen and in my experience it isn't too far off the mark compared with my spyder 4 pro calibration tool.
Click to expand...
erm yes 64bit :)
OK thanks for info. I think i have mostly figured out what you're talking about.
Cant see any info on GPU when i run the msinfo32.exe and not sure where else to look?
So I'm thinking of taking your advice and getting a SSD. There are different sized ones. Would something like this be ok?
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2 GB Mini Graphics Card - Black
Thanks again xx
 
Levi said:
um... I'm guessing you mean 64bit not 62bit OS.
Is there no dedicated gpu, if there isn't you could grab something like a geforce 1050 or ati equivalent and it would help with 4k in adobe etc, it's not a 4k gaming card though. An SSD would help with performance of loading things etc too.

As to monitors, personally I'd pick the dell 2715Q if you can afford it, it is the 4K monitor though. It should work with built in gpu but it won't like heavy frame rate things like gaming etc but for normal photoshop it shouldn't be too much of an issue imo, although an upgrade like I said above would be a better option overall. The dell should come with a colour profile that windows can use to calibrate the screen and in my experience it isn't too far off the mark compared with my spyder 4 pro calibration tool.
Click to expand...
some info i've read suggest that with 4k (unless your screen is huge) the text will be too small so you need to enlarge the view by 200% which defeats the purpose of having 4k? ...... i woudnt have a clue though
 
Sav said:
erm yes 64bit :)
OK thanks for info. I think i have mostly figured out what you're talking about.
Cant see any info on GPU when i run the msinfo32.exe and not sure where else to look?
So I'm thinking of taking your advice and getting a SSD. There are different sized ones. Would something like this be ok?
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2 GB Mini Graphics Card - Black
Thanks again xx
Click to expand...
um... that geforce gtx wouldn't work as a ssd :p

Look at back of pc, does the display cable connect to one of the pci slot backplanes or on the main motherboard panel, if it's the later then it's using the inbuilt one. I'd maybe try and stretch the extra (UK price) £20 for a Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mini 4GB GDDR5 Graphics Card, 768 Core, 1303MHz GPU, 1417MHz Boost , the extra ram will help more than anything. EDIT: it's £20 off (voucher) here - http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/zot...14-97-with-which-trial-laptops-direct-2587097

Any decent brand ssd will see a boost over a hard drive (you may need another sata cable by the way) although personally I'm using a samsung 850 evo 250GB as my os and program drive.

Note: as a caveat, I'm working on the assumption you have a fairly decent psu in your case.
 
ok thanks for SSD tip.

I cant see a sticker on back with PSU info. I found a free download which claims to measure your PSU but I dont know if its a scam or not? - Speedfan
 
Sav said:
erm yes 64bit :)
OK thanks for info. I think i have mostly figured out what you're talking about.
Cant see any info on GPU when i run the msinfo32.exe and not sure where else to look?
So I'm thinking of taking your advice and getting a SSD. There are different sized ones. Would something like this be ok?
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2 GB Mini Graphics Card - Black
Thanks again xx
Click to expand...
found the info
upload_2016-12-27_20-20-3.png
 
Speedfan is an perfectly legit piece of software (assuming you get it from the right place) although it has lost some of it's accuracy from time to time. Never tried it for psu info... usually I just look at it and it has info on it.

Well that image shows a geforce 705...which doesn't support the 4k resolution.... but it is a pcie slot so you'd just need to wipe the drivers and install a new card if you went that way and then reinstall clean drivers. Honestly I'd say the built in gpu on the cpu is likely as strong as that 705 lol...
 
Levi said:
Speedfan is an perfectly legit piece of software (assuming you get it from the right place) although it has lost some of it's accuracy from time to time. Never tried it for psu info... usually I just look at it and it has info on it.

Well that image shows a geforce 705...which doesn't support the 4k resolution.... but it is a pcie slot so you'd just need to wipe the drivers and install a new card if you went that way and then reinstall clean drivers. Honestly I'd say the built in gpu on the cpu is likely as strong as that 705 lol...
Click to expand...
Levi, cool thanks for that.
what does this mean tho?
"Honestly I'd say the built in gpu on the cpu is likely as strong as that 705 lol..."
 
Sav said:
"Honestly I'd say the built in gpu on the cpu is likely as strong as that 705 lol..."
Click to expand...
Basically the geforce 705 is a weak gpu, it's literally bottom of the 7 series range, according to the specs it can't support 4k while the built in gpu on your cpu is supposed to support 4k at 60fps.
 
Sav said:
Thanks heaps for that. Wacom has been jumping out at me in reviews. Reckon i'll go for one of them. Do you think size makes much difference?
Click to expand...


Wow... all that stuff above has just whistled over my head. o_O

Regarding size, that's just personal preference.
I had an Intuos which was about A3 with a working area of about A4-ish.
I found it WAY to big as I had to stretch over it to get to my keyboard.
When I was using it for long periods it was a pain.

When I started a new job they got me a Bamboo (I was horrified) which was probably less than half the size.
It was loads better and worked just as well as the Intuos which cost about five or six times as much.
I need to get a new one and that's pretty much what I'm going to buy.
 
I have one of these – Wacom Bamboo Create. It's an older model but it does me fine for what I require. The working area is around A5. the beauty of a digital tablet is you can zoom in, so a larger surface area isn't always necessary. If possible, I'd definitely recommend you visit a store and check sizes in real life. I bought a tablet in the past that was misleadingly advertised as being A5, but in fact the actual drawing areas is about A6, which is tiny. Be sure to double check the actual working/drawing area dimensions. It's worth having a hold of the pens too, just to check it feels comfortable in your hand.
 
Forgot about the wacom bit... first off wacom bamboo doesn't exist anymore it's now just intuos and intuos pro (yeah...) I personally have an intuos 3 a5 wide (limited edition one) and an intuos 4 xl (thats like a3 size) and the one I go to the most is the a5 one because one it matches my screen shape and two it actually fits on my desk....

I'd also suggest maybe trying to get one of the wireless ones, biggest annoyance I have is the cable to the tablet.
 
If i too could get some expert advice on monitor choice i would appreciate it.
The pc will be a new build with an i7 6700k SSD gtx1060 32ddr4 so think ill be ok for power.
So the mon choice ive narrowed down to is between
LG 27UD58 IPS 4k
Vs
Dell UP2516D IPS QHD HDMI

Using for Ai Psd and Indd.
Never be used for any games.

Logic tells me the Dell but the kid is being sucked in by the 27inch of the LG.
All help and advice greatly appreciated.

Oh, budget £350 / €400 tops
 
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