Ultrawide Monitor for Developer 49"

[jesusbuiltmycar]

Looking at changing my current setup of Macbook Pro + 2 external monitors (27" Philips & 24" Philips) and considering a 49" ultrawide monitor. I cannot find any proper dimensions for it and I am concerned it may feel out of place in my office. I am considering the monitors below, primarily because they have the resolution I require (5120px X 1440px) - at lower resolutions I would be better off with 2 separate screens...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Odyssey-LC49G95TS...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-EI491CURSbmiipphx-Ul...

Is there anything else I should consider?

Amazon state the dimensions of the Samsung G9 as 13.77 x 47.22 x 20.59 cm; 14.6 Kilograms which is odd - I assume they are using a mix of imperial and metric which gives a size of 120cm x 35cm x 20.59cm. I assume that is the size of the screen (including the curve) without the stand, am I correct?

For the Acer Nitro the dimensions are stated as a ridiculous ‎1 x 1 x 1 cm; 11.45 Kilograms

Ideally I would like to mount it on a Vesa arm - would it be too heavy?

[768]

I'd look at the LG 5k2k screens too.

[redrabbit29]

768 said:

I'd look at the LG 5k2k screens too.

I agree. The LG 40" one looks brilliant.

[mmm-five]

I'd be using the manufacturer's websites to get dimensions, rather than the shoddily-populated info on a Amazon page.

Samsung LS49AG950NUXXU (gaming version)
https://www.samsung.com/uk/monitors/gaming/odyssey...

Samsung LS49A950UIUXXU (non-gaming version)
https://www.samsung.com/uk/monitors/high-resolutio...

Acer EI491CR
https://www.acer.com/gb-en/monitors/entertainment/...

LG 49WL96C
https://www.lg.com/uk/monitors/lg-49wl95c-we

Edited by mmm-five on Monday 30th January 10:05

[somouk]

I find the massive ultrawides too much money for what they offer. I opted for a cheaper 34" ultrawide and then a vertical display next to it which I prefer for chat conversations or long documents.

Worked out a fraction of the cost.

[jesusbuiltmycar]

This looks like a good option space wise: https://www.lg.com/uk/monitors/lg-40wp95c-w#pdp_sp...

My old 27" iMac had that resolution but it wasn't usable for editing so had to be scaled. At 40" hopefully that wouldn't be an issue. Idealy it is something I would like to see/try before I buy but by the looks of things high end monitors are online only.

[OutInTheShed]

Developers should not be allowed ultrawide screens, it encourages them to develop stuff which doesn't work on normal screens.

[jesusbuiltmycar]

OutInTheShed said:

Developers should not be allowed Ultrawide screens, it encourages them to develop stuff which doesn't work on normal screens.

Not sure how monitor resolution / screen dimensions effects software developed for systems that have no graphics or UI.

The reason for a single ultra wide monitor is so I can see multiple source files at once; multiple monitors doesn't work as the editor i use (GVIM) is limited to a single screen which is about 4 source files max. An ultrawide monitor will allow 6+ files side by side.

Edited by jesusbuiltmycar on Monday 30th January 11:27

[xeny]

jesusbuiltmycar said:

The reason for a single ultra wide monitor is so I can see multiple source files at once; multiple monitors doesn't work as the editor i use (GVIM) is limited to a single screen which is about 4 source files max. An ultrawide monitor will allow 6+ files side by side.
]

You can't live with vim and terminal windows scattered across as many screens as you have desk space for?

[JohnnyUK]

I've been using this for a number of years - excellent!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Double-FreeSync-M...

I split the screen into three main work areas.

I'm not sure about the more acute curve on the 1800R models, but this is a good compromise.

There are quite a few on eBay for around £5 - 600.

HTH

[annodomini2]

I have the older version of this (at home admittedly):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-498P9Z-UltraWide-...

It's awesome, would never go back.

For developing you can double and triple stack screens for various different tools. The curved screen means no shifting focus when changing between sides and there's obviously no join line.

Main issue is mainly sharing screens on whatever meeting sw you use, you have to share a reduced window and that makes switching between tools awkward.

[dxg]

redrabbit29 said:

768 said:

I'd look at the LG 5k2k screens too.

I agree. The LG 40" one looks brilliant.

100% this.

I've just swapped out an ultrawide for a 4k 32" (also an LG) and it's just brilliant. I think it's more about pixel density for text clarity - esp. if you're going to be coding. I wordprocess all day...

I tried a 42" LG C2 as an external 4k screen but I was moving my head too much...

[xeny]

annodomini2 said:

I

Main issue is mainly sharing screens on whatever meeting sw you use, you have to share a reduced window and that makes switching between tools awkward.

An extra 1920 x 1080 screen off to one side which can be used for screen sharing in meetings or things like spotify the rest of the time is pretty cheap at this point and ever so convenient.

[TameRacingDriver]

OutInTheShed said:

Developers should not be allowed ultrawide screens, it encourages them to develop stuff which doesn't work on normal screens.

A good developer would know not to develop a UI for a screen ratio that virtually nobody owns.

OP - a 49" ultrawide is basically the exact same size as 2x 27" screens so if you can fit that on your desk then you can fit an ultrawide.

I would like one but they're a bit spendy for me at the moment and my 34" + laptop screen off the size is plenty for me to be getting on with for now. The laptop screen also solves the issue of screen sharing on meetings.

If the 49" screen supports dual inputs, where it can be used as though it was 2 seperate screens, then you wouldn't have that particular issue at all, and you could still, presumably, use a window full screen if you had to without the bezel in the middle.

Edited by TameRacingDriver on Monday 30th January 21:32

[un1eash]

I'm a web app software dev and use a Acer 49" 1800r super wide, it's only 1080p but was gifted me and does the job of 2 27" monitors. I use to run 3 screens in the office but since WFH switched to 2. I've been tempted to upgrade to 1440p and if I do I think I'll just buy 2 separate monitors due to cost.

[Lucas Ayde]

jesusbuiltmycar said:

Looking at changing my current setup of Macbook Pro + 2 external monitors (27" Philips & 24" Philips) and considering a 49" ultrawide monitor. I cannot find any proper dimensions for it and I am concerned it may feel out of place in my office. I am considering the monitors below, primarily because they have the resolution I require (5120px X 1440px) - at lower resolutions I would be better off with 2 separate screens...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Odyssey-LC49G95TS...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-EI491CURSbmiipphx-Ul...

Is there anything else I should consider?

Amazon state the dimensions of the Samsung G9 as 13.77 x 47.22 x 20.59 cm; 14.6 Kilograms which is odd - I assume they are using a mix of imperial and metric which gives a size of 120cm x 35cm x 20.59cm. I assume that is the size of the screen (including the curve) without the stand, am I correct?

For the Acer Nitro the dimensions are stated as a ridiculous ?1 x 1 x 1 cm; 11.45 Kilograms

Ideally I would like to mount it on a Vesa arm - would it be too heavy?

Just be aware that with the G9 there are known issues with some Macs. I've got a 2018 MBP as a work laptop and it does NOT detect my G9 as an external screen after a cold boot, so won't use it.

The solution is to hook it up to a different external monitor that it will detect - you can unplug the other monitor and swap with the G9 and from that point on, the Mac will use it as normal. But if the Mac is cold-booted again, the G9 disappears. You can warm-boot just fine however. I've even went through full OS upgrades and the monitor stays recognised so long as the machine is not actually powered off between boots.

Prior to Big Sur it was just an occasional thing, solved by plugging/unplugging the monitor cable or just rebooting again, but since that OS update (I'm now currently on Monterey) it never detects the G9 upon cold boot or no matter how much plugging/unplugging I do and you have to do the trick of booting it with a different monitor attached to cajole it into working with the G9. I've tried it with different USB-C video adaptors/cables as well as trying HDMI and DP connections - makes no difference. It 'loses' the ability to see the monitor on a cold boot.

[Lucas Ayde]

jesusbuiltmycar said:

Not sure how monitor resolution / screen dimensions effects software developed for systems that have no graphics or UI.

The reason for a single ultra wide monitor is so I can see multiple source files at once; multiple monitors doesn't work as the editor i use (GVIM) is limited to a single screen which is about 4 source files max. An ultrawide monitor will allow 6+ files side by side.

Edited by jesusbuiltmycar on Monday 30th January 11:27

Yes - for desktop use they are absolutely fantastic. The G9 is essentially 2x 27" 1440p monitors without the bezel. You can even hook up two video inputs and use it as if it literally was two monitors side by side, if you find that to be useful.

For my work laptop even with that desktop real estate I still use virtual screens and I find them easier to use with the single display than as if I had dual monitors.

For games - a bit hit and miss as to whether they make use of aspect ratios wider than 16:9. There is surprisingly quite a bit of support for the full 32:9 ratio. Remember that pixel count is ~90% of a 4K display so to use it to full potential you will need a beefy GPU for modern games.

[annodomini2]

xeny said:

annodomini2 said:

I

Main issue is mainly sharing screens on whatever meeting sw you use, you have to share a reduced window and that makes switching between tools awkward.

An extra 1920 x 1080 screen off to one side which can be used for screen sharing in meetings or things like spotify the rest of the time is pretty cheap at this point and ever so convenient.

Fine if you have the space, I don't.

[xeny]

annodomini2 said:

Fine if you have the space, I don't.

Vertically above works pretty well as long as you're not already at the stacked 49" monitor stage.

[Teddy Lop]

jesusbuiltmycar said:

Not sure how monitor resolution / screen dimensions effects software developed for systems that have no graphics or UI.

The reason for a single ultra wide monitor is so I can see multiple source files at once; multiple monitors doesn't work as the editor i use (GVIM) is limited to a single screen which is about 4 source files max. An ultrawide monitor will allow 6+ files side by side.

Edited by jesusbuiltmycar on Monday 30th January 11:27

I'd give some thought to more vertical resolution.. I've just got a 3k8x2k2 32" and what attracted me over 2monitors was that, you can have a document in long format almost as you'd see it on paper. Or you could have 2 rows of 3 mini windows or one big+4 small or many other permutations. And leaves room for a side monitor/laptop screen too. And cost a third!