New monitor recommendations?

philmar said:

I need a bigger monitor for photo processing RAW files with Lightroom. What is the best monitor for the money up to $800? I love my current NEC WGMX2 but it is about 10 years old and only 20 inches. I want 27 inch monitor. I have a serious backlog of photos that I need to submit to Getty images and my current monitor seems to lack the required real estate to do this quickly and efficiently. I do not game. I would use it for viewing netflix and youtube so speakers are good idea but NOT essential. I use Windows 10 and my mobo is the ASUSP8Z77-V PREMIUM .

Any recommendations are appreciated.

Click to expand...

philmar said:

Will I now need to buy a graphics card?

Click to expand...

philmar said:

Thanks!!

Impulsively I went online all of last night and in to the early morning and in a sleepy mindset I pulled the trigger on a BenQ SW2700PT. It was the best photo processing non-gaming monitor (based on the multiple reviews I read) that I could get at that price point in Canada.

When I awoke this morning I guess I realized that I'd neglected to consider whether my PC can handle it.

I don't have a graphics card - I use the onboard Intel® Z77 chipset graphics... My mobo is the ASUS P8Z77-V PREMIUM (external link). I think it is the Intel HD 4000 graphics.

From the mobo ASUS website it states:
Integrated Graphics Processor
Multi-VGA output support : HDMI/DisplayPort/Thunderbolt ports
- Supports HDMI with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
- Supports DisplayPort with max. resolution 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz
- Supports Thunderbolt with max. resolution 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz

Depending on desktop real estate I may run the NEC WGMX2 as a 2nd monitor...possibly using it for web browsing as I read the text may appear smaller on the new monitor.

Will I now need to buy a graphics card?

Click to expand...

philmar said:

note I am not all that fussed about getting the GPU advantages. I only have the last version of LR prior to CC. LR 5.6 perhaps. I am not at my home pc at the moment.

Click to expand...

philmar said:

I'm hoping my version of LR is pre-GPU acceleration and that my onboard graphics will still be enough.

Probably ill-informed optimism...we'll see.

Click to expand...

philmar said:

I'm hoping my version of LR is pre-GPU acceleration and that my onboard graphics will still be enough.

Probably ill-informed optimism...we'll see.

Click to expand...

dj_paige said:

philmar said:

I'm hoping my version of LR is pre-GPU acceleration and that my onboard graphics will still be enough.

Probably ill-informed optimism...we'll see.

Click to expand...

What is your CPU, anyway? If it's an older CPU, or a slower CPU, you will have problems with a large monitor and Lightroom 5.

Click to expand...

dj_paige said:

philmar said:

note I am not all that fussed about getting the GPU advantages. I only have the last version of LR prior to CC. LR 5.6 perhaps. I am not at my home pc at the moment.

Click to expand...

I am very skeptical that LR 5 will provide good performance with this monitor. I think this monitor with LR 5 is a mistake.

And I change my earlier statement, you don't need a new graphics card because LR 5 will not make use of it anyway.

--
Paige Miller

Click to expand...

philmar said:

dj_paige said:

philmar said:

note I am not all that fussed about getting the GPU advantages. I only have the last version of LR prior to CC. LR 5.6 perhaps. I am not at my home pc at the moment.

Click to expand...

I am very skeptical that LR 5 will provide good performance with this monitor. I think this monitor with LR 5 is a mistake.

And I change my earlier statement, you don't need a new graphics card because LR 5 will not make use of it anyway.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

dj_paige said:

philmar said:

dj_paige said:

philmar said:

note I am not all that fussed about getting the GPU advantages. I only have the last version of LR prior to CC. LR 5.6 perhaps. I am not at my home pc at the moment.

Click to expand...

I am very skeptical that LR 5 will provide good performance with this monitor. I think this monitor with LR 5 is a mistake.

And I change my earlier statement, you don't need a new graphics card because LR 5 will not make use of it anyway.

--
Paige Miller

Click to expand...

Thanks, I will get a GPU, if needed. money isn't an issue - just the down time. Guess I could spend more time with the wife....

Click to expand...

You don't get it, the GPU will not be used with LR 5. It is a waste of money to buy a powerful GPU for LR 5, it won't have any effect.

dj_paige said:

LR 5.x and my mobo/CPU work fine currently with the old NEC monitor. I had no idea the new monitor would be such a strain on the CPU/onboard GPU even thought the mobo specs state it "Supports DisplayPort with max. resolution 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz"

Click to expand...

The motherboard isn't the problem. The CPU is the problem, it has to work harder to generate all the pixels for a larger monitor. People have complained bitterly about the performance of LR 5 with a nearly 4K or larger monitor.

dj_paige said:

I guess all the extra bits and pixels taxes the CPU with overwhelming calculations...

Click to expand...

Yes

dj_paige said:

Either way I'll upgrade GPU if needed. Perhaps I'll take the opportunity to add another SS drive at the same time.

Click to expand...

Don't waste your money on a GPU, unless you also are willing to shell out for LR 6/LR CC 2015, and that requires a 64bit operating system.

--
Paige Miller

Click to expand...

ormdig said:

HI, get the monitor first and try it out. Display port should support 2560x1440 which is what the BenQ is (16x9).

Click to expand...