Can't make up my mind on monitors
Discussion
I'm soon to start a fully remote job, so I'm getting my home office sorted. I have one now but it's not very comfortable.
On my shopping list is:
180x80cm Standing Desk (want the extra depth rather than a 60cm) (£800)
Logitech MX Keyboard and Mouse (total £180)
Jabra headset (£180ish)
I'd also like a Herman Miller chair but want to just take it easy on the spending
The Job and Use Case
Cyber Security work, Incident Response and Digital Forensics. Possibly some scripting too. So screen real estate is extra important to me.
100% remote so likely lots of teams call - I will get a nice new HD camera and maybe an external microphone
I barely ever play games so just discount this for now
Monitors
I currently have 2x 27" Benq monitors, both landscape, with one directly in front and one to the side at an angle - it's OK but nowhere near perfect
I was tempted by the 49" Samsung one. I have the desk space but some say it's too overwhelming. I also know some say there are issues with screen sharing as it's just so big.
Some recommend a 34" ultrawide and I could use one of my 27" in portrait mode too
My question is can you tell me what you use for WFH? What layout works for you, any bad experiences?
Thanks
On my shopping list is:
180x80cm Standing Desk (want the extra depth rather than a 60cm) (£800)
Logitech MX Keyboard and Mouse (total £180)
Jabra headset (£180ish)
I'd also like a Herman Miller chair but want to just take it easy on the spending
The Job and Use Case
Cyber Security work, Incident Response and Digital Forensics. Possibly some scripting too. So screen real estate is extra important to me.
100% remote so likely lots of teams call - I will get a nice new HD camera and maybe an external microphone
I barely ever play games so just discount this for now
Monitors
I currently have 2x 27" Benq monitors, both landscape, with one directly in front and one to the side at an angle - it's OK but nowhere near perfect
I was tempted by the 49" Samsung one. I have the desk space but some say it's too overwhelming. I also know some say there are issues with screen sharing as it's just so big.
Some recommend a 34" ultrawide and I could use one of my 27" in portrait mode too
My question is can you tell me what you use for WFH? What layout works for you, any bad experiences?
Thanks
I have my 2x monitors set up exactly like yours, although they're 24" not 27". I think it's a great solution.
Depending on your overall situation I fear you may be risking what I call "front row in the cinema" effect if you go any plarger. i.e. so much screen you can't see the full picture and have to keep turning your head. You get the same effect when people shove a 75" TV in a standard UK living room and only sit ten feet away.
Depending on your overall situation I fear you may be risking what I call "front row in the cinema" effect if you go any plarger. i.e. so much screen you can't see the full picture and have to keep turning your head. You get the same effect when people shove a 75" TV in a standard UK living room and only sit ten feet away.
i recently swapped out two monitors for this one:
https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/dell-ultrasharp-34...
lovely bit of kit, I'm well pleased.
https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/dell-ultrasharp-34...
lovely bit of kit, I'm well pleased.
I've got a 27 main screen and use laptop for stuff, I could probably do with a smaller second option for reading documents in portrait.
I struggle a bit with sharing sometimes but remind folk they can zoom in on TEAMS (rather than me)...it's always good to see who the lazy ones are that don't know!
800 quid for a standing desk...that feels like a lot, the flexispot one I've got is really sturdy.
I struggle a bit with sharing sometimes but remind folk they can zoom in on TEAMS (rather than me)...it's always good to see who the lazy ones are that don't know!
800 quid for a standing desk...that feels like a lot, the flexispot one I've got is really sturdy.
I have a 38” ultra wide. It is 1600px high x 3840px wide which, when you have two documents/programs side by side gives a bit extra vertical real estate.
If you are screen sharing on teams from an ultra wide monitor, it doesn’t handle the wide aspect ratio very well. If your colleagues are using 16:9 displays, your window gets shown as a letterbox on their screen, rather than filling their screen. I imagine this effect would be horrendous on the 49” displays!
If you are screen sharing on teams from an ultra wide monitor, it doesn’t handle the wide aspect ratio very well. If your colleagues are using 16:9 displays, your window gets shown as a letterbox on their screen, rather than filling their screen. I imagine this effect would be horrendous on the 49” displays!
fourstardan said:
800 quid for a standing desk...that feels like a lot, the flexispot one I've got is really sturdy.
The Flexispot E8 is around £650 in the size I want - 180cm x 80cm. Their colour options are limited though.The one I am looking at is the YoYo Pro 2 which is about £800 but has the colour I prefer
It is a fair bit although a bit like a chair, it will be used at least 40 hours a week so seems worth the investment long term. My current desk is not a worktop but is only 60cm in depth which means the monitors feel really close, so I'd like a bit more space.
My home shopping list was largely the same as yours but built up over 12 years of working from home in IT.
I have the big desk that is height adjustable, mines an Ikea one but lacks the set height buttons that would be really useful, certainly something I would look for in a modern setup.
For a chair I didn’t rate herman millers and went with a secret lab Titan, after 3 years it’s been great.
Monitor wise I have a Samsung 34 inch widescreen that acts as a dock to charge my macbook, connect my ethernet and charge my Jabra headset. I then have another 27 inch monitor in portrait next to it and this setup is by far my favourite.
I put my webcam on top of the 34 inch so I’m in the middle of the camera.
I have the big desk that is height adjustable, mines an Ikea one but lacks the set height buttons that would be really useful, certainly something I would look for in a modern setup.
For a chair I didn’t rate herman millers and went with a secret lab Titan, after 3 years it’s been great.
Monitor wise I have a Samsung 34 inch widescreen that acts as a dock to charge my macbook, connect my ethernet and charge my Jabra headset. I then have another 27 inch monitor in portrait next to it and this setup is by far my favourite.
I put my webcam on top of the 34 inch so I’m in the middle of the camera.
redrabbit29 said:
. I also know some say there are issues with screen sharing as it's just so big.
34" (3440 x 1440) curved ultrawide in the middle, 24" 1920 x 1200 on the right for screen sharing so other people don't hate me, and a 27" 2560 x 1440 in portrait on the left for tall windows.In an ideal world the centre screen would be 1600 high, but it isn't a terrible setup.
Another option instead of the headset / mic is a small speakerphone unit. I've got the Jabra 510
https://www.jabra.co.uk/business/speakerphones/jab...
Being able to mute / un-mute directly from the unit is very handy, especially when you need to say something but would be scrabbling to find which monitor your mouse is on and where the Teams window is!
https://www.jabra.co.uk/business/speakerphones/jab...
Being able to mute / un-mute directly from the unit is very handy, especially when you need to say something but would be scrabbling to find which monitor your mouse is on and where the Teams window is!
Harpoon said:
Another option instead of the headset / mic is a small speakerphone unit. I've got the Jabra 510
https://www.jabra.co.uk/business/speakerphones/jab...
Being able to mute / un-mute directly from the unit is very handy, especially when you need to say something but would be scrabbling to find which monitor your mouse is on and where the Teams window is!
+1https://www.jabra.co.uk/business/speakerphones/jab...
Being able to mute / un-mute directly from the unit is very handy, especially when you need to say something but would be scrabbling to find which monitor your mouse is on and where the Teams window is!
I acquired a “hockey puck” from work a few years back and it beats a headset hands down, more comfortable for long meetings and easy to mute controls.
And you don’t look like air traffic control when on camera
somouk said:
For a chair I didn’t rate herman millers and went with a secret lab Titan, after 3 years it’s been great.
What makes you prefer the Titan to the Herman Miller? I currently have the Ikea Markus which I really don't like, it is really slim, quite hard, doesn't really make you feel like you're settled and just feels like I am perched in position.
Years ago I used to quite like the generic "luxury leather executive chairs" which are usually around £200. That was a different time and not when I was properly working so maybe not a good option right now.
redrabbit29 said:
What makes you prefer the Titan to the Herman Miller?
I find the herman millers uncomfortable, I can’t settle in to them and feel comfortable.The Secretlab is quite firm but not so much that it bothers me, I sit for long periods of time and have no issues at all. Lots of others in my friendship group and work have them now too following the lock downs.
redrabbit29 said:
The Flexispot E8 is around £650 in the size I want - 180cm x 80cm. Their colour options are limited though.
The one I am looking at is the YoYo Pro 2 which is about £800 but has the colour I prefer
I bought a flexidesk and put my own worktop on it, size that worked for me. The one I am looking at is the YoYo Pro 2 which is about £800 but has the colour I prefer
It was considerably cheaper than the top they offered and allowed for a size and style that was much more palatable on the wallet.
Unfortunately I've looked into this - will look again but it's really not that much cheaper.
The size I want is 180x80. Depth I'm not too fussed on but Flexispot is 1.9cm.
I had a quote from worktop-express for £565 just for the wood (note this was for a slightly bigger size and deeper but it gives a ballpark figure)
I'll look again though, but I did want a desk which looked nice and was smooth to the touch without any treatment such as oiling or sanding.
Out of interest where did you get your top from? The biggest issue I've had is the depth. All IKEA ones and many others are all shallow desks around 60cm
The size I want is 180x80. Depth I'm not too fussed on but Flexispot is 1.9cm.
I had a quote from worktop-express for £565 just for the wood (note this was for a slightly bigger size and deeper but it gives a ballpark figure)
I'll look again though, but I did want a desk which looked nice and was smooth to the touch without any treatment such as oiling or sanding.
Out of interest where did you get your top from? The biggest issue I've had is the depth. All IKEA ones and many others are all shallow desks around 60cm
I agree.
On an 80cm deep desk, 3 x 27” is optimal for using 3 actual screens usefully imo.
I currently have 2 x 32” (one middle one to side) and the far end of the side screen is way too far out to be comfy in constant use.
Plus these wide screens will not play nice with Windows and retaining layouts of stuff.
I have one screen that sometimes won’t wake up cleanly, which is fine, but as soon as I turn it off and on again, all the contents get shoved into the main screen.
Or screen sharing.
Possibly a pain remoting in?
Apps not always playing nice.
DPI/scaling over a few screens of varying spec.
On an 80cm deep desk, 3 x 27” is optimal for using 3 actual screens usefully imo.
I currently have 2 x 32” (one middle one to side) and the far end of the side screen is way too far out to be comfy in constant use.
Plus these wide screens will not play nice with Windows and retaining layouts of stuff.
I have one screen that sometimes won’t wake up cleanly, which is fine, but as soon as I turn it off and on again, all the contents get shoved into the main screen.
Or screen sharing.
Possibly a pain remoting in?
Apps not always playing nice.
DPI/scaling over a few screens of varying spec.
redrabbit29 said:
Out of interest where did you get your top from? The biggest issue I've had is the depth. All IKEA ones and many others are all shallow desks around 60cm
TBH it is a kitchen worktop.It is not the best, but I had plans to get a 'river desk' made up, but at £1k I decided to not progress with that idea.
Instead I am using the worktop and with all the stuff on the desk, it is fine.
Many places tend to have cut offs that they bin. Mine came from a joiner who was not going to use the bit and I got it for a case of beer ....
Desktop or laptop?
I've got a 40" 5K Ultrawide at home, in the office we have a mix of single 38" Ultrawide or 2x 27".
Screensharing etc. I've become so used to just doing it from the laptop to avoid the constant 'I can't see, it's too small, how do I adjust etc.'.
Personally, I prefer single ultrawide now. I've got my Webcam and ethernet plugged directly into the monitor and via USB-C it'll be both dock and charger to my device.
I've got a 40" 5K Ultrawide at home, in the office we have a mix of single 38" Ultrawide or 2x 27".
Screensharing etc. I've become so used to just doing it from the laptop to avoid the constant 'I can't see, it's too small, how do I adjust etc.'.
Personally, I prefer single ultrawide now. I've got my Webcam and ethernet plugged directly into the monitor and via USB-C it'll be both dock and charger to my device.
Thanks for all the useful replies above, some of those things I hadn't even considered. I may just keep my 2x 27" until I start and just see how I get on. Particularly as I will have a new desk which is bigger so may find the monitors are completely fine.
In my current role I never screen share - only window share, so I've never had any issues.
Another reason to wait is just to see how many teams calls there are, how many are video ones or just audio, what the general routine is etc. Some of that would impact on what I decide to buy
GuyW said:
Desktop or laptop?
I've got a 40" 5K Ultrawide at home, in the office we have a mix of single 38" Ultrawide or 2x 27".
Screensharing etc. I've become so used to just doing it from the laptop to avoid the constant 'I can't see, it's too small, how do I adjust etc.'.
Personally, I prefer single ultrawide now. I've got my Webcam and ethernet plugged directly into the monitor and via USB-C it'll be both dock and charger to my device.
My personal computer is a Desktop but the work one is a laptop - unsure of spec. Not sure if I'll get a choice or get their usual Lenovo type ones. I may wait until I start just to see if there are any hardware limitations.I've got a 40" 5K Ultrawide at home, in the office we have a mix of single 38" Ultrawide or 2x 27".
Screensharing etc. I've become so used to just doing it from the laptop to avoid the constant 'I can't see, it's too small, how do I adjust etc.'.
Personally, I prefer single ultrawide now. I've got my Webcam and ethernet plugged directly into the monitor and via USB-C it'll be both dock and charger to my device.
In my current role I never screen share - only window share, so I've never had any issues.
Another reason to wait is just to see how many teams calls there are, how many are video ones or just audio, what the general routine is etc. Some of that would impact on what I decide to buy
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