Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by yangl1996 1990 days ago
One thing to notice is that 1440p at 27" (one main criteria set by the author) is ideal for non-Retina macOS UI. For Retina UI, stick to 5k at 27" or 4k at 21.5" (or, look for a DPI of around 218 PPI).
6 comments

I’ve never noticed any UI issues with my 27” 4k monitor on macOS. I also usually notice little issues like that. So while 5k is probably better, I personally don’t think I’m missing out on much. At least, I wouldn’t say 5k is an absolute requirement to enjoy higher DPI. The price difference is pretty big too, with solid 27” 4k monitors around half the price of 5k.
Are there even 5K 27" aside from the LG ones? I think Dell stopped producing theirs, really sad that current landscape of 5K options many years after Apple introduced their iMacs 5K.
For what it’s worth, if you’re on a 27@4k you can use interface scaling to get it to “looks like 1440” and it’s a reasonable approximation. The scaling renders everything at double the “looks like” resolution then scales it down, which sounds like it would hurt perf and look fuzzy but it’s really not that bad in either category.
This inch-measuing business is very misguided

I now have a 32inch 4k monitor, and I sit further away from ot than i did with previous 24inch screen. Get a large screen, as large as your work setuo allows, your back and posture will thank you.

Right. 1440p at 27" isn't retina but it scales perfectly, which is all you need for programming imo. Not to mention it's great for gaming. I'm using it now and loving it.
> 4k at 21.5"

Does that exist? I have never seek a 4k (or better) display smaller than 24", and I'd love to buy one.

Well the 21.5" Retina iMac has it.

And LG has a standalone.