Computers & Electronics

Monitor upgrade really? 2K vs 4K

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Nov 18, 2006
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Monitor upgrade really? 2K vs 4K

I currently have the 2K ET322QU that I bought from Staples last fall (280$)
- WQHD 2560 x 1440@75Hz
- Contrast Ratio 1,200:1
- Response time 4 ms GTG
- Backlight LED
-250 cd/m²

I've picked up this curved monitor: LU32R590CWNXZA for 325$
- 4K@60Hz
- Contrast Ratio 2500:1
- Response time 4 ms GTG
- Backlight LED
-250 cd/m²

How big of an upgrade is it? I watched mostly YT 2K/4K videos. No gaming. Most of the bad reviews comes with the lack of VESA mounts. I don't really care about VESA.
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typer100 wrote: I currently have the 2K
1440p is not 2k.
If you have good vision the clarity of 4k videos should be pretty evident compared to 1080p.
.
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shabby wrote: 1440p is not 2k.
If you have good vision the clarity of 4k videos should be pretty evident compared to 1080p.
1440p is also called QHD (quad high definition) or WQHD (wide quad high definition) and is a display resolution that measures 2560 x 1440 pixels. This resolution is also commonly referred to as 2K.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/wh ... ,5755.html
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typer100 wrote: 1440p is also called QHD (quad high definition) or WQHD (wide quad high definition) and is a display resolution that measures 2560 x 1440 pixels. This resolution is also commonly referred to as 2K.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/wh ... ,5755.html
Weird. I hadn’t heard anyone call 1440p 2K. That is incredibly confusing, since it’s significantly higher than 2K. 2K is a standard that usually refers to 2048x1080, which is roughly the same as 1080p (and that is 1920x1080).

I wouldn’t upgrade from 1440p to 4K just for YouTube videos. For YouTube, other factors are arguably much more important, such as colour bit depth, real contrast ratio, black levels, and viewing angles. Note that some of these factors are very difficult to get a handle on just by looking at paper specs.
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Your 1440p monitor was IPS, the Samsung is a VA panel.

VA should have a better contrast ratio, while IPS is for color accuracy and viewing angles. If you watch mostly movies and dont do color sensitive work it may not matter to you, neither is factory calibrated anyway.

I would not call it an upgrade, unless you wanted more resolution.
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Jun 27, 2004
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Regardless of what is common or general, wrong is wrong. If you think about it ...

4K is actually 4096x2160, but ignorant people use it to mean UHD, 3840x2160.
2K is half of 4K, right?
So half of 4096x2160 is 2048x1080 or half of UHD would be FHD, 1920x1080.
QHD, 2560x1440 would be closer to 2.5K.
So stick with using UHD and (W)QHD. It may not sound as cool, but being wrong is never cool. And with 16:10 making a comeback, and 3:2 trickling in, using precise terms will take out any guesswork.

For football fans, here's another one to consider: When isn't a legal kick-off onside?
Answer: Never. All the players on the kicking team are behind the ball on a kick-off or the team is flagged for being offside.
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typer100 wrote: I currently have the 2K ET322QU that I bought from Staples last fall (280$)
- WQHD 2560 x 1440@75Hz
- Contrast Ratio 1,200:1
- Response time 4 ms GTG
- Backlight LED
-250 cd/m²

I've picked up this curved monitor: LU32R590CWNXZA for 325$
- 4K@60Hz
- Contrast Ratio 2500:1
- Response time 4 ms GTG
- Backlight LED
-250 cd/m²

How big of an upgrade is it? I watched mostly YT 2K/4K videos. No gaming. Most of the bad reviews comes with the lack of VESA mounts. I don't really care about VESA.
While upgrading 32 to 32 and from IPS to VA is questionable, it's only you can answer your own question by comparing them side by side. Some like what IPS delivers and others what VA does. 4K will help with some limited 4K youtube content. Is it worth the $325? Would not to me personally. Since you are not gaming, 60vs75hz is useless too you. Well, you can see that in mouse movement too,but it's ok. GTG is questionable. 4ms GTG has to be verified. Many can claim but some can go up to 10.
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I'll take IPS over VA any day. OP, you are downgrading.
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DarekP84312 wrote: I'll take IPS over VA any day. OP, you are downgrading.
No they aren't. For just watching videos the VA should give the better experience with the higher contrast ratio and deeper blacks. Plus the upgrade to 4K.

Whether it's worth the price for the upgrade is up to them.
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For watching video, I would take VA over IPS.
IPS = space grey
VA = black
OLED = black AF

But like the guy above commented, whether it's worth the money is another question. For work, I wouldn't mind UHD over QHD, but for watching videos, especially (free) YouTube content, I wouldn't bother. For that matter, for YouTube content, IPS versus VA probably isn't a worth considering.
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Going from 2k to 4k on the same size monitor will make things smaller. Good if you need the resolution, can be problematic in others: text, etc.
Pourquoi pas?

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