[SOLVED] Monitor with high refresh rate good for reading?

[vns2k177]

Hi,

I am not a gamer. I want to buy a 4K monitor (in India) that will cause less eye fatigue. I do work with computers a lot (software architect). So, a monitor with higher refresh rate (75 Hz or more) is less straining than, say, a monitor with 60 Hz? Also, a TUV Rhineland certified monitor is less fatiguing?

Is it possible to suggest top 3 monitors available in India (https://www.amazon.in/)?

Thanks

 

[FlameHazeist]

Refresh rate does not matter for static applications such as programming. A bigger monitor is going to cause less eye fatigue than a small one, as well as provide more effective working space. Reducing the brightness according to the ambient light and also reducing the blue color spectrum via monitor or gpu settings (most monitors have too much blue saturation by default) should also help. I recommend the free program DimScreen to quickly change the screen's brightness. I can highly recommend the TCL 108 cm 4K TV if you're going to sit less than 1.2 m away from the screen.

 

[Karadjgne]

Most ppl go the cheap route, there's 'blue-light' glasses specifically designed for long hours reading pc screens. Also, use standard incandescent or soft-white lighting, preferably not led/bright white or daylight and especially not florescent lighting as those will amplify eye-strain because of the 50/60Hz flicker and high blue light concentrations.

Higher Hz monitors are actually better suited for longer hours viewing, standard 60Hz while cheap, is the worst on eyes. Anything 75Hz and up is recommended.

 

[vns2k177]

According to this article, higher refresh rate does help. Also the flux software. I have been using it and dark mode for years now. Still, there is great strain after prolonged use.

https://www.commonwealth.com/insights/sitting-in-front-of-a-computer-all-day-go-easy-on-the-eyes

 

[Karadjgne]

59/60Hz for 99% of the populace is at the maximum range of discernable refresh, meaning subconsciously your eyes are trying to refocus 60x a second. That's what leads to eyestrain, headaches etc. In the past, due to hardware restrictions, refresh frequencies as high as 72/75Hz were more common for office use pc's for just that reason.

That and getting rid of blue light, by using warmer tones, blue light glasses, dark mode etc helps. As does having a monitor with smaller pixels (max 24" for 1080p, 28" for 1440p etc).

 

[vns2k177]

I have read about pixel size and it's impact long time back. Thanks very much for bringing that to my attention.

Pixel size not part of tech spec in Amazon/Flipkart. Is there a way to get that info from any site? What should be the max pixel size for best eye comfort?

 

[Karadjgne]

Smaller pixels are better, better clarity, better sharpness, better edges and a cleaner overall picture.

Resolution is resolution, size doesn't affect it at all. A 24" 1080p monitor is exactly the same 1920x1080 pixels as a 70" monster 1080p TV. Considering the dimensions of that TV, the pixels are massive compared to a 24" monitor. What that means for you is if you sit arms length from the monitor, you get a clear picture, but sit arms length away from the TV and all you get is a really grainy, pixelated picture, which according to every Mom on the planet, will 'ruin your eyesight'. Go Mom...

To see that 70" as clear as you see the 24", you need to sit @ 12 feet away, just to get those massive pixels to blur and become non-visible.


For 1080p, 23.6/24" is the top end of the small pixels. A 27/28" 1080p moves up to bigger pixels. At 27/28" best resolution is 1440p. 4k pixels are so tiny in comparison (3840x2160) that size of the screen doesn't really matter much, but is best used on 32" and up. All these being a standard 16:9 ratio wide-screen. Theory still apples to ultra wide and super wide screen monitors, (21:9 and 32:9) as the pixels remain the same size, there's just more of them on the horizontal axis.

Don't bother with Amazon, look up the specs at places like DisplayNinja, Hardware Unboxed etc, they do in depth reviews of what's good, what's accurate, how well the screen is built etc.

 

[vns2k177]

Thanks for suggesting those sites. They are awesome. Btw, my PC has AMD Ryzen 5700G and ASUS TUF B550 plus. The mobo supports HDMI 2.1 and 4K@60 Hz only. Any idea if this set up will support 2k at 144 Hz?

 

[Karadjgne]

Yep. HDMI 2.1 will support 1440p @ 144Hz.

 

[vns2k177]

Thank you very much. Two final clarifications (dumb questions).

1. Is there anyway to find out what max refresh rate / resolution that a laptop supports? This is a laptop with I7 10th gen processor.
2. If a monitor is AMD Free Sync or NVidia G-Sync compatible, it is not mandatory that a PC or laptop uses AMD or NVidia GPU right.

 

[vns2k177]

59/60Hz for 99% of the populace is at the maximum range of discernable refresh, meaning subconsciously your eyes are trying to refocus 60x a second. That's what leads to eyestrain, headaches etc. In the past, due to hardware restrictions, refresh frequencies as high as 72/75Hz were more common for office use pc's for just that reason.

That and getting rid of blue light, by using warmer tones, blue light glasses, dark mode etc helps. As does having a monitor with smaller pixels (max 24" for 1080p, 28" for 1440p etc).

Hey,

Finally I found these articles useful:

1. This one talks about reading I believe:

https://www.commonwealth.com/insights/sitting-in-front-of-a-computer-all-day-go-easy-on-the-eyes#:~:text=So%2C%20if%20you're%20trying,120%20Hz%20and%20anything%20higher

.

2. This one talks about refresh rate in general. Not sure they meant it for gamers or readers. But this is a highly authentic source:

3. This quora forum has both suggestions:
https://www.quora.com/Does-144Hz-reduce-eye-strain

I will post my experience if I decide to buy a high refresh rate monitor.

 

[juxwillx]

Hi,

I am not a gamer. I want to buy a 4K monitor (in India) that will cause less eye fatigue. I do work with computers a lot (software architect). So, a monitor with higher refresh rate (75 Hz or more) is less straining than, say, a monitor with 60 Hz? Also, a TUV Rhineland certified monitor is less fatiguing?

Is it possible to suggest top 3 monitors available in India (https://www.amazon.in/)?

Thanks

Dude..refresh rate has nothing to do with reading or doing such static tasks and using static apps. For the eye fatigue, just get a bigger screen, set the montor's lights as per yoou comfort and buy a computer glass if you can.