Recommend a Monitor for Photo and Video Editing (Not gaming)

[threat]

I have zero gaming plans! I am assembling a computer for editing photos and video. I am looking for the best monitor option to pair with a 2060 graphics card (most I could afford).

Is a 4K monitor with the 2060 a bad idea?
I really like the Asus Pro Art 32 inch but the 1700$ tag is heavy. Do I have to spend that to get something solid?

The processor is a 9700k on a z390 board if that info helps. 32GB Ram. Have not purchased PSU yet.

Would love to stay around the 3-500$ budget so I guess I am looking for the best bang for the buck like everyone.
I am not against Ultra Wide, just seems resolution drops a ton if you dont pay!

 

[k1114]

You do not want a 2060. You need a quadro for 10 bit support in photo and video editing software. Your budget does allow for a 10 bit monitor and it wouldn't make sense to limit yourself to 8 bit color of lower end monitors. If you want that, then save money on an even cheaper monitor. You will get lower gpu performance for the price with quadro and some opt for cheaper quadros just for 10 bit support and have a second gaming card for added rendering speed (if you are using a gpu accelerated renderer). You don't need to spend $1700, that's just a higher end pro monitor and you aren't getting higher end 9900k/quadro rtx 6000.

A 4k monitor wouldn't be a bad idea for the usage. Weaker gpus can handle 4k perfectly fine for these uses. Even an intel igpu can. I would prefer a larger screen for 4k but your budget doesn't allow much more than 27" 4k with good color.
https://www.amazon.com/DELL-Screen-LED-Lit-Monitor-U2718Q/dp/B073VYVX5S
https://www.amazon.com/LG-27UK650-W-Monitor-FreeSync-Technology/dp/B078GRM2MV/

 

[threat]

You do not want a 2060. You need a quadro for 10 bit support in photo and video editing software. Your budget does allow for a 10 bit monitor and it wouldn't make sense to limit yourself to 8 bit color of lower end monitors. If you want that, then save money on an even cheaper monitor. You will get lower gpu performance for the price with quadro and some opt for cheaper quadros just for 10 bit support and have a second gaming card for added rendering speed (if you are using a gpu accelerated renderer). You don't need to spend $1700, that's just a higher end pro monitor and you aren't getting higher end 9900k/quadro rtx 6000.

A 4k monitor wouldn't be a bad idea for the usage. Weaker gpus can handle 4k perfectly fine for these uses. Even an intel igpu can. I would prefer a larger screen for 4k but your budget doesn't allow much more than 27" 4k with good color.
https://www.amazon.com/DELL-Screen-LED-Lit-Monitor-U2718Q/dp/B073VYVX5S
https://www.amazon.com/LG-27UK650-W-Monitor-FreeSync-Technology/dp/B078GRM2MV/

I appreciate this feedback. I am so new to this it has taken me some research to understand it all! Lets just say you had 1000 dollars to invest in a monitor and GPU, what would you pick? I already purchased the 9700k and z390 designare board with 32gb of ram. Keep in mind I wont be gaming, just editing photos and video content captured in 4k and non 4k.

 

[threat]

MERGED QUESTION
Question from threat : "Making a Monitor Selection in 2019 is confusing"

I cannot make a monitor decision for the life of me. I have read endless threads and varying info on monitors, the specs, the LCD vs LED comparisons, VA vs IPS panels, Samsung vs LG, Someone said dont get a 2060, get a quadro- Im not even sure how that all works being very new to a custom PC build ( Ive worked off a laptop for 6 years) and now I almost wish I didnt care so much! I want to ensure I make the right purchase but feel lost in the specs of refresh rates, resolutions, and so on. What monitor is old and what is current, whats with the extra 200$ just for a usb-c port!?

ANY ADVICE ON A MONITOR GEARED TOWARDS EDITING, NOT GAMING, IS APPRECIATED. And no I dont have $1800 to spend on a monitor, I would love to stay under the $500 price point.

Any info I failed to provide, please ask and I will quickly respond. Hoping to make this purchase by the end of the weekend.

1. What Is Your Country Of Origin?
USA

2. What do you plan to do with this monitor? (ex. Games, Movie Watching, Photo Editing, etc.)
Photo Editing, Video Editing, Zero Gaming, Some basic internet searching

3. What resolution and screen size do you want?
Would like to stay over 27 inch, I like the ultra wide options but seems price is very high for anything quality in that format

4. What refresh rate do you want? (ex. 60 hz , 70 hz.)
not sure

5. How much are you looking to spend?
would like to stay under 500, but would go above if the value is there

6. Brands Preferred (ex. Samsung, Acer, Asus, AOC, HP, Viewsonic, etc. )
Samsung or LG seem to be the most consistent from my experience

7. Brands Not Preferred (state reason why)
none

8. Are You Buying More Than One Monitor?
I wouldnt be against it if not ultra wide

9. How Many Displays Can Your GPU Support Maximum? And what GPU and driver version are you using if applicable?
I have not purchased a GPU yet, I wanted to ensure my monitor and GPU were suited to one another before pulling the trigger

10. What Port Do You Want To Connect To (ex. DVI-D, HDMI, etc).
Direct Port or HDMI 2.0

11. Is This Monitor A Primary Display Or A Secondary Display?
Primary

12. Is This A Secondary Display For A Laptop?
I wouldnt be against it but its main purpose is connected to a PC.

 

[k1114]

I merged the threads since it's the same issue.

I would have saved $100 on the mobo and put it towards better performance but it's not the question here. Photo and video can have different needs. Video editing is preferably done on multiple monitors but photo is preferable on a larger 16:9. Photo needs next to no gpu performance while video exporting can be a whole lot faster depending on what is gpu accelerated in the video. It also depends on the software. It may help to know what you are using. Photo would benefit from quadro since you can get 10 bit while most video viewing is done on normal monitors so a faster geforce could be better. Many still opt for a 10 bit monitor and quadro but it depends on your use. It may help to know that as well.

You could go with a previous suggestion, still fit in your 2060 and get a cheap quadro like a p400. You could squeeze in a 32" 4k monitor like a BenQ PD3200U or LG 32UD99-W with a quadro p620. There are multiple solutions for the same problem. Others may suggest other options as well.

To answer some of your other questions:

All modern lcds are led. (Except oled but you don't see that with pcs because of burn in issues.) This is referring to the backlight rather than actual led monitors. Marketing likes to confuse people.

Panel type is mostly irrelevant, rather you should look at how a specific monitor model performs. Advances in tech has caused a lot of overlap in capabilities but people still want to generalize to simplify things when it's wrong info which does the opposite.

I think it's a rather useless point to buy a specific brand. There are even fewer lcd panel manufacturers than companies who sell them. As long as it's good, then it won't matter who's name is on it.

I can understand how it may seem daunting with all the different factors but some of these are simple problems that don't need endless threads for comparison. Feel free to ask more.

 

[threat]

I merged the threads since it's the same issue.

I would have saved $100 on the mobo and put it towards better performance but it's not the question here. Photo and video can have different needs. Video editing is preferably done on multiple monitors but photo is preferable on a larger 16:9. Photo needs next to no gpu performance while video exporting can be a whole lot faster depending on what is gpu accelerated in the video. It also depends on the software. It may help to know what you are using. Photo would benefit from quadro since you can get 10 bit while most video viewing is done on normal monitors so a faster geforce could be better. Many still opt for a 10 bit monitor and quadro but it depends on your use. It may help to know that as well.

You could go with a previous suggestion, still fit in your 2060 and get a cheap quadro like a p400. You could squeeze in a 32" 4k monitor like a BenQ PD3200U or LG 32UD99-W with a quadro p620. There are multiple solutions for the same problem. Others may suggest other options as well.

To answer some of your other questions:

All modern lcds are led. (Except oled but you don't see that with pcs because of burn in issues.) This is referring to the backlight rather than actual led monitors. Marketing likes to confuse people.

Panel type is mostly irrelevant, rather you should look at how a specific monitor model performs. Advances in tech has caused a lot of overlap in capabilities but people still want to generalize to simplify things when it's wrong info which does the opposite.

I think it's a rather useless point to buy a specific brand. There are even fewer lcd panel manufacturers than companies who sell them. As long as it's good, then it won't matter who's name is on it.

I can understand how it may seem daunting with all the different factors but some of these are simple problems that don't need endless threads for comparison. Feel free to ask more.

Very hard to tell how they perform when I am relying on online referrals and opinions basically. I went to Micro center, they only have junk or really high end on display to view. Best buy and PC Richards was a waste of time with both having minimal monitors on display.

I did not realize that HDR10 within a program was different than gaming. I am lost because a lot of the info online is geared towards fast action gaming. Realizing that I need a quadro card sure does take this a bit further.

I guess I am learning why this route is far less taken and most people just buy a Mac and call it a day!
I spend 100$ extra on a mobo ( was originally going to get the z390 tomahawk) and now your advice says the opposite lol. It just seems like a endless circle of info or just personal opinions.


I just wanted to see what other photo and video editors were using. I dont know if I "need" HDR10 or 4k, it just seemed like the smart option so I was at least up to pace rather than purchasing something a few steps back already. I have no idea what I am doing which is why I am making posts on random forums looking for random peoples advice!

Is there a specific section for people who do not game to get build info/advice?


I appreciate your advice and help even if it has just confused me even more. Maybe I do not need all this fancy shit in the first place as I have been working off an old samsung laptop with basic radeon graphics and it works good enough.

 

[k1114]

The problem with a lot of non computer people is they get caught up in tech specs or discussions of in depth differences and techs and it does nothing but confuse them. Unless you want to learn about pcs, it'll just complicate things when trying to build a pc. Then you also run into issues of people trying to talk about things they only know a little about or confuse facts because it was on the internet/youtube so it must be true. The internet is unfortunately filled with lots of info, both right and wrong, and you can't tell unless you know the info.

The other part of the issue is the wide selection of parts and you could have completely different parts and still end up with a similar pc as far as working on it goes. And of course the different paths you could choose on part selection. I value performance and quality. If a $100 mobo has what I need and lasts 10 years, I'm not going to get that $300 mobo just because I have the budget for it. It may help others because of the features it has but it doesn't help everyone. Part of that is not having a clear idea of what you need when someone is helping you and it could be hard to say for a non tech person. In some cases, just like cars or any product, they think the more expensive it is, the better it is when that's not true.

You could still look at any monitor (junk or high end) in person to see the difference that resolution makes. Just ignore the differences in color accuracy or other aspects. Size and res is important for this work and nearly everyone who talks about photo/video will say the same. You want the biggest size and highest res you want. Part of that is more workspace but it can also be achieved with multiple monitors and those extra monitors can be cheap just for the extra space.

People may say mac is overpriced but if you compare prices to hp, dell, etc, workstations, it's similarly priced. You still end up with a better value if building yourself and that's the benefit here. I'm not one against mac (pick your poison) and those in this industry know how widely used they are.

Hdr is only important if you're working on hdr content. It was a not a factor for me when looking because you never mentioned you hdr work. As long as the monitor has a wide color gamut that covers the hdr range, then stating hdr is just a marketing tactic. It could have local dimming depending on the hdr support but that is not necessarily connected to hdr. Not all hdr capability is the same even if it is hdr10 labeled.

There is no specific section here for certain purposes (not even for gaming builds) but you may get more posts in the system section rather than displays. It would be a better choice when they see a full pc budget than a budget for a specific part because it ends up in spending money in places you don't need it. Whatever you get will likely be a lot better than that laptop and I think it's more of an issue of getting in over your head in tech info. It may help to have others pick parts and say why they chose it rather than you finding parts. That's usually the path for people who just want a good pc and be over it.

 

[threat]

The problem with a lot of non computer people is they get caught up in tech specs or discussions of in depth differences and techs and it does nothing but confuse them. Unless you want to learn about pcs, it'll just complicate things when trying to build a pc. Then you also run into issues of people trying to talk about things they only know a little about or confuse facts because it was on the internet/youtube so it must be true. The internet is unfortunately filled with lots of info, both right and wrong, and you can't tell unless you know the info.

The other part of the issue is the wide selection of parts and you could have completely different parts and still end up with a similar pc as far as working on it goes. And of course the different paths you could choose on part selection. I value performance and quality. If a $100 mobo has what I need and lasts 10 years, I'm not going to get that $300 mobo just because I have the budget for it. It may help others because of the features it has but it doesn't help everyone. Part of that is not having a clear idea of what you need when someone is helping you and it could be hard to say for a non tech person. In some cases, just like cars or any product, they think the more expensive it is, the better it is when that's not true.

You could still look at any monitor (junk or high end) in person to see the difference that resolution makes. Just ignore the differences in color accuracy or other aspects. Size and res is important for this work and nearly everyone who talks about photo/video will say the same. You want the biggest size and highest res you want. Part of that is more workspace but it can also be achieved with multiple monitors and those extra monitors can be cheap just for the extra space.

People may say mac is overpriced but if you compare prices to hp, dell, etc, workstations, it's similarly priced. You still end up with a better value if building yourself and that's the benefit here. I'm not one against mac (pick your poison) and those in this industry know how widely used they are.

Hdr is only important if you're working on hdr content. It was a not a factor for me when looking because you never mentioned you hdr work. As long as the monitor has a wide color gamut that covers the hdr range, then stating hdr is just a marketing tactic. It could have local dimming depending on the hdr support but that is not necessarily connected to hdr. Not all hdr capability is the same even if it is hdr10 labeled.

There is no specific section here for certain purposes (not even for gaming builds) but you may get more posts in the system section rather than displays. It would be a better choice when they see a full pc budget than a budget for a specific part because it ends up in spending money in places you don't need it. Whatever you get will likely be a lot better than that laptop and I think it's more of an issue of getting in over your head in tech info. It may help to have others pick parts and say why they chose it rather than you finding parts. That's usually the path for people who just want a good pc and be over it.

I really appreciate all your feedback and time spent helping me make an informed decision.


I am between spending more and getting the 4k res 27 inch u2718q or spending the same price roughly ($430) and getting two u2415 which are 24 inch 1920x1200 and in 16:10 ratio - 16:10 seems a little odd but the bump in resolution is nicer than the 1080 options. Last choice was the newest LG model u2419H - but it is very new so not much feedback on its actual performance and no one has it in a store on display yet.
Do you see any issues using 16:10 monitors versus the industry norm 16:9

I am trying to find a good day to go to BHphoto in NYC. Every local store I have tried did not have much that I was interested in.

 

[k1114]

I wouldn't go that low res. Why not 1440p?