Ultra Wide Monitors – A pain in the neck? (2020)

https://www.learnergo.com/lifestyle-ergo/2020/7/5/ultra-wide-monitors-a-pain-in-the-neck

by siva7 • 5 years ago

60 88 5 years ago

Okkef3• 5 years ago

I'm using a 43" 16:9 4k monitor. It's the most screen real estate you can put in front of you without having to move your head.

I would love to see more 16:10 or even 3:2 monitors in bigger sizes (Huawei has started shipping a 32" 3:2 monitor recently, but they seem to be the only ones interested in that market).

The 43" monitor is too big for any single application, so I'm using xrandr to split it into two 4:3 displays at the top for development/browser/chat, and three terminals side-by-side at the bottom.

in3d4• 5 years ago

I only see a 28.3” monitor from Huawei listed for now: https://consumer.huawei.com/en/monitors/mateview/specs/. Not available in the U.S.

rbanffy3• 5 years ago

At 700 euros, I’ll pass.

My current setting is 3 screens, the laptop in front, a 1200x1980 vertical to the left for terminal work and a 1200x1920 to the right for IDE work. I can still use the peripheral vision to see if something happened in the terminal without turning my neck and, with the clever use of colours and wide characters (Apple’s Terminal app passes the VT100 torture test), I can even know what happened.

Okkef3• 5 years ago

Oops, you're right. I misremembered

fleaaa2• 5 years ago

Make 3:2 or hell 1:1 4k 32" not-too-expensive display, it definitely has a market. I'd buy three if it's a thing.

dharmaturtle2• 5 years ago

4k 39" 16:9 here, but it's a TV not a monitor. I'd also love more height, but I think we're stuck with 16:9's past 35" since monitors past this size aren't popular. While we're wishing, I'd also like curved please :)

I'm use Windows so AutoHotKey is my window manager: https://autohotkey.com/board/topic/79338-simple-window-posit...

Usually my main window is an IDE and it takes 50% of the center, and I'll have miscellaneous windows off to the left and right peeking out from behind it. Creating shortcuts to specific programs (also to minimize/maximize/close them) is also helpful as mousing to the taskbar is just not efficient.

rlam2x51• 5 years ago

I was looking for a 35"+ Monitor with additional height. I also wanted Curved, IPS Panel, 100 Hz+ and 90W+ USB-C Power Delivery.

I ended up buying an LG 38wn95c-w* which checks all the boxes. It has a resolution of resolution 3840 x 1600. Love it so far!

However, a tool like FancyZones ** is a must at this size.

* https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-38wn95c-w-ultrawide-monito...

** https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/fancyzone...

EveYoung• 5 years ago

How does this work with the placement of a webcam? Wouldn't such a large monitor put the webcam a bit too high?

alfiedotwtf• 5 years ago

40" here. I've never thought of using xrandr itself. That sounds handy for how I'm using bspwm... any example links with how this works?

Okkef3• 5 years ago

I use a script to switch between various splits.

https://gist.github.com/okke-formsma/60f3949492b51c48640884d...

https://imgur.com/a/etzCSlD

Some programs don't support this xrandr feature very well. (The problem is that they show popup-menus on the wrong submonitor if they were opened _after_ splitting the screen). My workaround is to start all programs before splitting the screen, and all menus etc seem to work properly then.

karmakaze• 5 years ago

Also using a 43" 16:9 4k monitor. I find that it's larger than I ever actually need, and something a bit larger than 28" 4k would be ideal. In particular the additional height is useful. I can get the monitor to do PinP or PbyP but tend to use a specific resolution/refresh rate that uses the middle area with a huge matte around it--I like how that eliminates visual distractions from view when working.

sumanthvepa• 5 years ago

I use a bank of 3 32 inch monitors but I don’t turn my head. I just slide and pivot my chair around to face the thing I want to work on. This work well for me because I’m often involved in multiple long running tasks and having all relevant documents be open in one corner of one monitor with other projects in other places allows me to context switch when necessary with relatively ease.

in3d4• 5 years ago

I have a similar layout with 3 30’’ 16:10 monitors (2560x1600 older Dells). I haven’t had any neck-related issues with this setup.

imagine99• 5 years ago

Are you aware of any modern alternatives to these old 30" 16:10 monitors? For me, these are the gold standard, the perfect size of monitor - but I wish they would create a modern version with slimmer or no bezels, as well as possibly updated display technologies and more energy efficiency.

devaler• 5 years ago

A: How long have you been doing this?

B: How old are you?

Not that you have to answer these questions in public, they’re just illustrative of at least two factors that may affect your experience.

jstimpfle2• 5 years ago

Virtual workspaces could be the perfect fit for you. Unless you want to drive the displays with different computers.

nerdponx• 5 years ago

Somehow having it all laid out on 3 physical screens significantly reduces the mental overhead. Maybe it's some silly psychological thing, knowing that they're there in my peripheral vision.

pastrami_panda• 5 years ago

Unless you want to drive the displays with different computers.

At which point a simple KVM switch is perfect fit.

I'm on a 34" ultra wide IPS and I'm probably getting something a few inches bigger next time with an even more extreme R-value and I think I'm set.

cpach• 5 years ago

To each their own but a single 27″ 4K monitor is my preference.

I would love to have something taller than 16:9 though, but I’m afraid that’s economically unfeasible to manufacture. 5:4 would be awesome (^_^)

corrigible2• 5 years ago

I'm happy with a high-refresh (>= 120) 1440p 27", both for gaming and coding

horrified3• 5 years ago

Which one do you use?

BoxOfRain• 5 years ago

Currently using a 27" 4K monitor and I've never been happier! I have my laptop as a second screen though for a chat window, music, and other things like that while I'll have a browser, IDE, and terminal open on their own virtual desktops on the big screen. Full screen side by side apps are pretty great in this setup too, especially when dealing with things like LaTeX.

flir• 5 years ago

That's the sweet spot I've settled on, too. Except two laptops because Reasons, one each side of the monitor, and a KVM switch to share the big screen between them.

zz8652• 5 years ago

For IPS there seems a big price difference between 27 and 32. I think 27 is good size.

bloopernova3• 5 years ago

I have 3 27" 4K monitors.

Left one is vertically/portrait aligned, so 2160x3840. Middle main one is standard landscape, as is the rightmost one.

Lefty is great for documentation and tall command line windows.

sgt2• 5 years ago

Also on 27". That's the minimum and the maximum for me, I guess. Has to be 4K and Displayport.

doubled112• 5 years ago

Also have a single 4K 28"

Can confirm that is has to be DisplayPort

"Oh cool, 4K@60Hz KVMs aren't expensive anymore," I thought.

And then about 120 dollars in cables and adapters later, I can even get the 4K@60Hz signal to the monitor!

Never had that issue with DP before. Never had it negotiate to a spec it couldn't transmit. Never had it drop out 30s in.

HDMI is a mess.

vtripolitakis• 5 years ago

I have a 30” HP 2K screen which is my main screen and a Dell 24” on the right. 90% of my time I use the main screen and have the secondary for debuggers and Slack. I think I could theoretically swap both with a 37” curved screen. Nevertheless, it felt a bit cumbersome when I tried a single 32” curved 4K screen. Any feedback on such changes?

Arcanum-XIII• 5 years ago

Got a 49 inch Samsung G9 monitor - very nice if you’re not stuck to it. In my case I use it in a simrig- nearly perfect. Haven’t tried it a lot for other stuff though. On a day to day basis I’ve elected for a Dell 40 inch, which is perfect - no more multiple monitor, no need to move my head much and lot of working space. My neck thanks me!

boomskats• 5 years ago

I've been through a ton of monitors, in neverending pursuit of ergonomic perfection. Currently typing this on a 38in 3840x1600 ultrawide.

Recently I've 'got over myself' and come to the conclusion that the single 27in 4k matte panel I have at the office is the least fatiguing & most productive and enjoyable setup.

As a side note, I also really enjoy coding on an OLED screen in complete darkness (with a 100% black background).

cblconfederate• 5 years ago

Agreed about 32, perfect size for me. But for one, you normally don't read things spanning the whole screen, the typical setup for reading is two windows side by side. And i also like to saccade / turn my head from time to time. Second, curvy screens, i just cant get used to them. Thrid, wobbling, i havent't seen monitors with two legs to avoid the wobble.

rbanffy3• 5 years ago

you normally don't read things spanning the whole screen

I absolutely hate when code crosses beyond column 80. I don’t want to read overly long lines of code.

altaltalt2• 5 years ago

Having dual monitor setup isn't the real issue. Also, turning your head occasionally can be a relaxing experience. The real problem is having a dual monitor setup and still using just one of them, which makes you keep your neck turned for a long time (assuming your monitors are positioned in an inverted V shape). If you have a dual monitor setup, keep the primary one straight in front of you, and place the secondary one away, dedicated for things that require less attention.

0x202020• 5 years ago

I have always seen the second monitor as “extra” space and not to be used equally. I previously used two 34” ultra wide (21:9) monitors with one centered and one off to the right. The left half of the extra monitor was basically reserved for slack and dashboards and the right half of the extra monitor was seldom ever used.

I still use that setup for gaming, but I use a single Pro Display XDR for work now and I think the only time I might miss the extra screen space is probably Zoom

zbuf• 5 years ago

I think the premise is flawed -- the idea that using our PC should be a static experience where we minimise movement of the body.

The same thing leads to keyboard fanatics trying to get all typing from the fingers without moving their wrists or arms; that seems likely to be a terrible recipe for RSI.

As a user of multiple large monitors for many years, I enjoy actually turning my neck, rotating my body and moving on the chair to orientate around different parts of the screen space. Probably I have to actually re-focus my eyes as well, as the screen edges are a little further away, too.

I heard this is similar to pianists, who say you should only play from the fingers if you can't move the wrist, and from the wrist if you can't move the arm.

Am I the only person who thinks a certain level of physical interaction when at the PC is actually a good thing?

altaltalt2• 5 years ago

You are not alone. See my comment.

jstimpfle2• 5 years ago

I bought a 27" UHD Monitor and was very happy with it. I got the same monitor for my workplace but now I'm back to the previous 24" one (only HD unfortunately). Not sure why but it was too big in that office / for the tasks that I do.

There can be such a thing as too much physical interaction. If I have to turn my head constantly, and more importantly find everything again with the eye, it's straining and it gets unproductive.

Even at home where I'm happy with the monitor, I often have these huuuuge blank areas on the screen (that emit a lot of light), for example while typing this comment. But other elements (such as the browser's tablist) extend uncomfortably to the right, and typically I'm switching between the rightmost tabs.

louthy4• 5 years ago

I use the Dell 49” Ultrawide [1]

Although, it must be noted, it is just two monitors stuck together, but without a middle frame getting in the way.

This does lead to a few issues with certain apps on Windows. For example, pop-up menus are designed to not span the middle, so things like auto-complete boxes either don’t appear or appear in weird places. This has been a bugbear of mine with Rider for example, which handles the middle of the screen very poorly.

Another thing is notifications. Which are usually to the right hand side of the desktop, they pop up right in your eye-line.

And finally, there’s the placement of windows in the middle - there’s no support in Windows for that. So I created an AutoHotKey script to place the current window to the left at 25% width when pressing Ctrl+1, the middle 50% when pressing Ctrl+2, and the right 25% when pressing Ctrl+3. This is super handy and allows me to maximise the use of the screen and easily tile. I have a few other keyboard shortcuts for other widths and placements.

Even with the issues, I’m not sure I’d ever go back to a multi monitor setup again. I love having my primary reading view centred in the monitor, with secondary stuff pushed to the sides, it’s much more ergonomic and natural imho

[1] https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/dell-ultrasharp-49-curved-mo...

TechSupportJosh• 5 years ago

Have a look at Microsoft's PowerToys Display zones. It allows you to split up your monitors into zones which you can then drag windows into to make them snap. I have a few zones configured for 3 windows and 2 windows and swap between them when appropriate.

louthy4• 5 years ago

Thanks for the suggestion, however I tried them all (screen zoning /tiling apps), and found every solution wanting. I can’t remember what my particular issue was with PoewrToys, but I know I gave it a try.

The solution I have is perfect for me, so that’s not something I’m looking to resolve.

My single biggest issue are apps that consider the middle of the screen an ‘edge’. Still, the benefits outweigh the pain points for me.

dharmaturtle2• 5 years ago

This [1] is a nice AHK window manager. Win+UpLeft moves the current window, Win+DownRight resizes it, and WinSpace centers. Makes it easy to compose resizing & moving to get exactly what you need. Vertical is 50% increments, horizontal has increments at 0%, 33%, 50%, 66%, and 100%, though ofc you can customize cause its AHK. Only works with 1 monitor though.

[1] https://autohotkey.com/board/topic/79338-simple-window-posit...

P.S. ty for LangExt :)

louthy4• 5 years ago

P.S. ty for LangExt :)

My pleasure :)

I’ll share my AHK script when I’m back in front of my PC.

TacticalCoder• 5 years ago

This looks like a really sweet monitor at a reasonable price but I'm very surprised it "only" does 1440 pixel vertically: I mean, for such a big screen it's not that much. I'm on a LG 38UC99 (curved, ultra wide, 21:9) since when they came out (a few years ago already by now) and I'm a happy camper. It does 3840x1600, so a bit more vertically, due to a slightly smaller pixel pitch than yours. Overall of course mine has way less pixels.

I love having my primary reading view centred in the monitor, with secondary stuff pushed to the sides, it’s much more ergonomic and natural imho

Others with ultra wide in this thread mentioned the same. It's how I do it too. The center area is used more than the rest. I often work in a "3 columns of 1280x1600 each" layout.

I'm on Linux so I use a tiling window manager to manage all the windows placement / type of layout / virtual desktops (for in addition to the 3840x1600 pixels I also use about 12 virtual desktops, each always arranged in the same consistent way).

gonzo412• 5 years ago

I use two HD 21 inch monitors. I got them cheap and they work great. The real pain is when I put a laptop to the side of one of them and i have to move my head beyond say 10 degree's. Any length of time looking at the small screen is a killer.

Aeolun2• 5 years ago

I recently had to move from my ultrawide and 4k screen back to 2 19” HD screens. I felt like I’d gone a decade back in time.

gonzo412• 5 years ago

For some of the systems I have to support at work, they are so old and have no budget for upgrades. It kinda helps having a crappy (not that crap) setup that really matches the vibe so I don't get too down on them. :P

Normal_gaussian• 5 years ago

This is very pseudo-scientific; and not just because of the unqualified health complaints.

So to meet psuedo-science with pseudo-science:

* I'm only talking about straight forwards adjacent alignment of screens.

* Having the head not-facing forwards causes physical accomodations, like twisting and side-slouching, which over time develop into pain and other problems.

* Any large screen is subdivided into multiple work areas, either user-intentionally by windowing, or unintentionally by formatting (ie. Hacker News' text box is on the upper left of the screen). These areas should be those considered, and not the whole screen, and henceforth shall be considered "screens" in their own right.

* It is OK to have some screen acreage outside the central FOV, so long as either: a. it is glanced at, and not worked on with the body facing another direction; or b. the user turns their entire setup to use the screen.

* An ultrawide monitor can be modelled as two, or three screens, depending on windowing modes.

* In a two screen setup, many people centre their body on the position between the screens. This causes all areas of interest to require rotations.

* In a three screen setup, there is a central "primary" screen and two "secondary" screens for glancing at. If the body position is able to be rotated it is possible to switch primary and secondary screens; the main concern is movement of keyboard and mouse.

* Rotating the body is hard, a traditional keyboard often results in one handed use that in turn results in side-slouching, whilst a split keyboard remedies the slouch by centering the body - preventing rotation, forcing the rotation to come from the desk area.

* In a two screen setup, if one screen is centred and the other screen is off centre then there is one primary work screen and one secondary screen. (ie. "missing third screen").

* An ultrawide monitor, modelled as two or three screens, needs accomocdations. Either off-centering the monitor or providing the ability to rotate the body.

proxycon• 5 years ago

I used to have three ~25" 1080p monitors side by side, but now switched to two monitors stacked vertically (1440p + 1080p). I think vertical stacking is probably better for my neck, also takes up less desk space.

phkahler• 5 years ago

I use a 55" curved 4k TV for my monitor and it fantastic. 1 or 2 windows right in/near the middle for what I'm working on. 2 terminals off to the left for building code or grepping. And whatever else to the right. I rarely use the top portion because its uncomfortable to look up, but the space is there. To watch full screen videos I just roll my chair back a little.

It really brings the desktop UI metaphor to life. Everything about Gnome is wrong for this setup but I use it anyway.

wilj• 5 years ago

I use the same setup with i3wm (Regolith desktop) and love it.

ashtonkem2• 5 years ago

i3 is probably the one thing I really miss when I moved from Linux to OSX.

d3nj4l• 5 years ago

Use a tiling WM, like i3 or bspwm!

Aeolun2• 5 years ago

What a weird post. It seems to assume that I need to see my entire 49inch screen at a time.

If half of my windows are on one side, and the other half on the other. I’m not moving between them all that much.

Besides, I tend to drag the windows that I currently need together. It’s still handy to have other information somewhere else on screen.

zz8652• 5 years ago

Where is my 27in OLED? its 2021 already.

bloopernova3• 5 years ago

One lesson I learned when getting new glasses, that I hope will save someone else the hassle: Be sure to measure the distance to each of the monitors you use, from your nose to the closest and farthest points!

My new close-work glasses have a very specific distance they seemed to be good at, about 18" / 45cm. But I work at about 24" from the closest point to my 3 screens, and 36" from the farthest point.

I have to go back to the ophthalmologist and get different glasses so I'm not squinting or moving my head all over the place.

hughrr• 5 years ago

27 inch here and even that’s too big and I only use the middle of it. I might go back to a 22 and virtual desktops. It worked better for me.

jgb1984• 5 years ago

Here I am, happily hacking away in vim on my 24inch 16:10 Dell UltraSharp 1920x1200.

out_of_protocol• 5 years ago

Article's calculations are meaningless since author didn't specify what each "xx inches" refers to - monitor width or diagonal, and aspect ratio for said diagonal - which vary widely, e.g 16:10 or 32:9

JustResign• 5 years ago

It's worse: the author took common diagonal sizes and then assumed those were _widths_. 34" and 49" are diagonal measurements for monitors.

dividedbyzero• 5 years ago

I bought a curved 34" 1440p last year. Pretty neat to have that much space, needed a bit of Hammerspoon scripting to put windows into predefined slots on hotkey presses, but afterwards, having everything in plain view at all times was pretty neat.

But after a while I noticed I was squinting a bit more than with my 27" 1440p Dell, and also tended to lean towards the display a bit more, which probably was because the display was a somewhat less sharp than the Dell and further away from my eyes on the left and right. I also found keeping all that real estate organized was quite a bit of overhead, and having everything in my field of view was subconsciously stressing me out, so I'm back on the 27" 1440p, with Hammerspoon placing windows in way fewer predefined slots, and the 34" has been relegated to gaming duty, where it absolutely shines despite its 60hz refresh; it's crazy what a bit of additional display left and right can do for immersion.

I guess my ideal display would be a 27" or 28" 16:9 5K display, but there are very few of those that all seem to have their share of issues and are priced above my budget anyway. Some people seem to be quite happy with 4K scaled to 150%, but that's probably not viable without a discrete GPU (which my Intel MBP 13" doesn't have.)

aenis• 5 years ago

As othere here, I tried a lot of configs. I now use two setups:

- a acer 27" 2k; the lower screen edge is just 3cm above the keyboard. Its the main screen I use for coding. - directly behind and above it a 43" 4k dell. Its lower edge is less than 1cm above the acer from my chair, but it sits 30 cm further spart. I use it to display debug logs and previews. - a laptop on left hand side, on a tall stand, close and aligned to the acer, for low level debug stuff - and an 27" 5k in portrait mode on the right for chat, browser and calendar.

The other setup I use in my other home swaps the acer for a 34" ultrawide alienware and is better overall.

I did once had an injury - i twisted my back to rapidly to use mbp's touchbar and flexed one of the muscles below the collarbone. Otheriwse great setup. I blame the stupid touchbar.

raihansaputra• 5 years ago

Can you share a photo of your setup? I'm running a ~similar setup (laptop screen instead for the foreground monitor), would like to see how others are doing it.

KingOfCoders• 5 years ago

Currently very happy with an Alienware 38.

TaupeRanger• 5 years ago

I like my curved non-ultrawide 32 inch 4k display. Not too wide, but tons of vertical space. At 125% scaling that's 3072x1728, which is even more vertical pixels than the 1600-height ultrawides give you. And the curve makes it easy to glance at the edges without as much neck movement. This is coming from someone who had chronic neck pain for 2 years and has tried very hard to prevent it in the future.

iambateman• 5 years ago

I’m all about desk ergonomics but this article seems off for one big reason:

People using a wide monitor create “zones”: The center is the “work zone” and the sides are for occasional reference.

Just because you have a 40” screen doesn’t mean you use all 40” equally.

sbuttgereit2• 5 years ago

Exactly. I have two 30"/2560x1600 monitors. One is dead center and is the "working screen" and the other is off to the right and is my "reference screen". Naturally that's not pure, but I'm not really turning my head all that often.

Having said that, what I do find problematic is that both are too high when it comes to looking at things at the towards the top of the screen... I really would love them recessed a bit below the level of the main desk surface. Some of this is my own damn fault since, being an old guy, I use progressive lens and I'm not smart enough (or maybe I'm too cheap) to get a pair of dedicated working glasses so I end up tilting my head even more to get stuff in the area of best focus.

guiambros• 5 years ago

Having said that, what I do find problematic is that both are too high when it comes to looking at things at the towards the top of the screen

Until recently I used a 30" (2560x1600) + 2x24" on the sides, and thought I'd never change to anything smaller. I loved the setup, but my trusted 3007WFP was 15+ years old and long due for a refresh, so I took the plunge and replaced everything by a single ultra-wide 40" (U4021QW). Despite having higher resolution and ppi (5120x2160, 140 ppi), it is actually shorter than my previous 30", and of course a lot less horizontal space.

In the end I couldn't be happier with it. I was surprised by the reduced neck strain of the up-down movement (I'm in the same boat of older eyes + progressive lens). I also got a decent monitor arm, which helps when I'm doing deep work reading/writing/coding, I can just bring the whole screen closer to my eyes, rather than increasing font size.

I do miss the extra horizontal space a bit, but some predefined zones and custom shortcuts solved most of it. And a nice bonus that I have a much cleaner desk, with no bezels and a lot less of those pesky DVI cables. Having multiple input ports + PIP was also useful during WFH, as I can easily switch between work laptop and personal computer without a KVM (although I still use a KVM for keyboard/mouse).

If you decide to get dedicated computer glasses, measure the exact focal distance between your eyes and the monitor. I think they use a certain default (probably for a newspaper/book/cell phone distance), which for me wasn't quite right. The monitor is a few inches too far from the focal point, so the progressive lens offer crisper/better image than my computer glasses.

zcw100• 5 years ago

I use dual monitors but in a stacked setup. I’ve found that you have to be very precise in the positioning which is why I have them on articulating arms. I also have them arranged so that one is placed directly in front and the other is tilted between the first and the keyboard. This required a keyboard tray and angling the second monitor off the edge of the desk. I do have to bend my neck to read the second monitor but it’s an up and down motion rather than a side to side which I find more natural. The position is similar to how you might read a book and I find it to be very comfortable.

sys_647382• 5 years ago

I have a lot to tabs open.

sys_647382• 5 years ago

How are people dealing with such setups on standing desks where they switch from sitting to standing regularly (several times per day)?

mellosouls• 5 years ago

For those on Windows, TaskView (built in) [1] and PowerToys Fancy Zones (Microsoft download) [2]

provide excellent free virtual desktop management for those without the finance/space/desire for the big monitors discussed in the article and comments.

[1] https://www.windowscentral.com/how-use-task-view-windows-10

[2] https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/fancyzone...

mithusingh32• 5 years ago

DisplayFusion is great alternative to those. I've been using for years on my setup.

tpoacher• 5 years ago

You're using it wrong.

Put it top to bottom instead, and use it for coding :p

Ultra Wide Monitors – A pain in the neck? (2020)

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