Should I upgrade my graphics card? I am NOT a gamer, but have multiple monitors

[raphaelfreeman]

Okay, I need to first explain that my setup has evolved over the years, but I have been with the same graphics card for quite a few years. I am not a gamer but spend most of my day in Adobe InDesign.

InDesign is a very slow program and I’m trying to get it to run as fast possible within (fairly) reasonable budgets, having said that, if spending $1K on a new graphics card will improve my setup, I will do so!

So my setup is as follows:
i9-9900K
Z390 Aorus Pro-CF
G.SKILL Ripjaws V DDR4 3200 C16 2x16GB
1TB Samsung 970 Pro nvm.e
WD Red 4TB
Toshiba DT01ACA200 HDD 2TB
now for the graphics card:
saphire radeon 7850 series 2GB RAM 11200-07 (which is the specific model of this card that supports 4 displays)

I have four displays 🙂
Dell U3014 30inch 2560 × 1600
3 × Dell U2412M 1920 × 1200

The question is, bearing in mind that I’m not doing any gaming, no 3D rendering, hardly ever open Photoshop, in other words, I spend 99% of my day in InDesign, is there any value in upgrading my graphics card?

 

[raphaelfreeman]

Depends if you’d notice any ace ration differences.

Also you’d get more recent standards of HDMI and DP if you decided you’d like a nice shiney 4K monitor with HDR etc.

I’m a typesetter so I don’t need HDR. My 30" is already 4K. Most of the HDR 4K monitors (or perhaps all of them) are the wrong ratio for my needs since I want 16:10 and not 16:9.

 

[LordVile]

How about 8K 😉 or a new iPad XD

Question, how come you don’t have a mech keyboard?

Like the setup though

 

[raphaelfreeman]

How about 8K 😉 or a new iPad XD

Question, how come you don’t have a mech keyboard?

Like the setup though

I see no benefit of a mechanical keyboard for my use. I am happy with the Craft Keyboard from Logitech. It has the dial which can be very useful (I have reprogrammed it and use the streamdeck to reassign it’s uses) and I can switch between the iPad Pro and my PC.

Regarding an 8K screen. It has no benefit whatsoever to the work that I do and again, the screen ratio will be wrong! 🙂

 

[13thmonkey]

awesome setup.

 

[raphaelfreeman]

awesome setup.

Thank you!

 

[LordVile]

Price of an 8K monitor too 😉

Figured it’d be nicer to type on then a membrane XD plus you can get some with dials on.

Why’s the aspect ratio so important?

 

[raphaelfreeman]

Price of an 8K monitor too 😉
Figured it’d be nicer to type on then a membrane XD plus you can get some with dials on.

I don’t actually type that much. I set type, not actually type up manuscripts. Oh and the 30 inch Dell cost me around $2,000!

Why’s the aspect ratio so important?

Because a book page will be of a ratio of say 6:9. If I want to look at two pages side by side, if I’m looking at a 16:9 monitor then I have lots of wasted space on the right and left of that spread. If I’m looking at the page in portrait mode, then an ultrawide will have lots of wasted space above and below.

So a 27" monitor in a 16:9 ratio is like a 24" in 16:10 for my purposes. I know it sounds counterintuitive but it’s true.

 

[LordVile]

Suppose it’s worth it for work

Makes sense, that why an iMac is 16:10 then?

 

[raphaelfreeman]

Suppose it’s worth it for work

Makes sense, that why an iMac is 16:10 then?

I thought the iMac was 16:9.

 

[LordVile]

Ah they are now I’m stuck in like 2010 when I last used one. Changed it on me.