Absolute best display for lawyer (price irrelevant)

Xytech

n00b
Joined
Nov 5, 2018
Messages
4
Hello

I am a lawyer who spends more time than I care to admit to staring at documents on a screen. All I really use my display for is word documents text PDFs. I am looking to purchase a screen that is 27-32 inches (still narrowing that range down), and would be very grateful for your thoughts on what would be the absolute best screen to buy within those parameters. I've seen for example the ASUS PA279Q and PA328Q and the DELL UP2716 and DUP3216Q. I'm not looking for any kind of value proposition but rather am just looking for what (if anything) would be the hands down best option assuming money was no object.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
 
I'd say any Dell UltraSharp monitor with an IPS panel will be excellent for your choice. Even consider going Ultrawide if you would like to put basically two 27" screens side by side in one look.
 
I do multi documents on an older Dell U2711 (2560x1440) no problem. Ultrawides are better for three documents or work panes, but some 4k 40"~ ballpark screens are even better, you can fit four documents with even more space and read everything clearly at once without zooming...

Horses for courses. My next screen will be 4k 40" range when they make one that also has the specifications I desire for occasional gaming (VRR and 120HZ+).

Edit: if money was no object for business use, because it's the highest resolution panel I know of that would probably be great, a 65" 60Hz 8k VA with a custom Vx1 driver + input boards etc.
 
Last edited:
Do they make paperwhite type screens like the ones used in the Amazon Kindles? When I have a bunch of drafts / legislation / policy crap to grind through, I'd wish for one of those.

Even IPS doesn't help when you have walls of text to deal with hours on end. Right now my office setup is my Dell 3011 (IPS) on my left, my Acer 24" (TN) in the middle and my Lenovo 27" IPS all in one on my right all at slightly different distances. My utility stuff is on the center / 24" display and what I'm working on is on the 30" and email or calendar (Outlook) on the 27" so I can swivel around and also change my viewing angle / distance from the 30 to the 27 to let my eyes refocus from time to time and not locked on one screen all day long.

Despite being old as crap - the Dell IPS still works fine. If I ever find a e-ink/digital paper type display, I'll definitely try to get one just for reading purposes.
 
I constantly review contracts for my work and don't know how anybody can
tolerate 60hz displays for work productivity.

For me 4k + high refresh is a must.
Currently the only two monitors for that are:

Predator X27 4k144hz (or Asus variant) 27" if you prefer small.

If you want large, then the 43" Mango 4k120 is AMAZING for work productivity.
Its AG coating is very light and whites are white (not that yellowish crap on old dells)
Currently it is DIRT cheap IMHO

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Big-Sale-U...e:g:BeEAAOSwPAtbcXaK:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true
 
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I agree. 4K would work here, higher refresh is definitely better. 27" is probably the sweet spot for productivity.

I've done 40" before and it can be harder to read and you might have to turn your head to see everything.
 
Thanks everyone for your thoughts so far. I must admit that I hadn't put any weight on higher refresh - I had thought that was only relevant for gaming. What kind of impact does higher refresh have on viewing documents etc?

Otherwise I had a look at the Predator & Asus variants - my only concerns is that they look quite "gamery" and I regularly have clients coming into the office etc so probably need something a little more conservative... does anything else tick all (or most of) the boxes?
 
On static pages, high-refresh won't make a difference. But when you're moving things around, or scrolling on a long document, it will help reduce the motion blur of 60Hz screens. I wouldn't say it's essential, but it's definitely better.

Though the high-refresh sets are usually gamer themed, so may not be the best choice in terms of aesthetics.

I actually think the Dell UP2716D looks pretty good for you. 27" is nice in this case, and 1440p is a good resolution for the size (with 4K you may need Window scaling).
 
Hello

I am a lawyer who spends more time than I care to admit to staring at documents on a screen. All I really use my display for is word documents text PDFs. I am looking to purchase a screen that is 27-32 inches (still narrowing that range down), and would be very grateful for your thoughts on what would be the absolute best screen to buy within those parameters. I've seen for example the ASUS PA279Q and PA328Q and the DELL UP2716 and DUP3216Q. I'm not looking for any kind of value proposition but rather am just looking for what (if anything) would be the hands down best option assuming money was no object.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
I edit docs all day long. I have an older Samsung JS9000 48" TV as a display. If you have the room, do it. I can put up 3 text documents side by side and have huge vertical pixel length for editing. If you want to stay small, go with three 27" screens in portrait mode.
 
I have a big screen TV as a monitor and I like it a lot, but I wouldn't want to do work on it (yes, I've tried coding, it was less than ideal). Multi-monitor in portrait sounds like a good idea though.
 
If cost is really, absolutely no object, why not get a Dell UP3218K? Some apps may have trouble scaling, but that's not a problem for documents, and you can always run a secondary monitor.

Depending on how much you scroll and move around while reading (which I tend to do a lot), high refresh is definitely a plus. But it's not essential, especially when high refresh monitors tend to look gamey.
 
I would value PPI (definitely related to resolutions but not exactly the same thing) over refresh rate for documents. Get the largest screen your comfortable using in your work environment, then max out PPI at that size on something with good brightness and color reproduction (probably an IPS panel). You don’t necessarily need color calibration, but pro monitors that support it tend to have higher quality panels in the first place.

The Dell UP321K AlphaAtlas mentions would be one of my top pics. I currently run dual 27” 4K Dell panels on my PC. It’s a work flow I’m comfortable with and the PPI is extremely noticeable and helpful coming from 24” 1920x1200

If your looking for presentation quality - LG OLED all the way, Samsung QLED a consideration. Those could be a bit large for desktop use though. They do make smaller QLED monitors, but none 8k like the Dell that I am aware of.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ors
like this
If you're going to run, unscaled (as scaling can present issues for certain programs), at 4K, do not go 27".
It's just this side of unreadably small.
If you're going 27", go 1440p.
If you want 4K, go 32" or larger.
 
For documents high PPI is a must. After that IPS or VA will be better than a TN, even more so at above 24 inches. High refresh is wasted money for documents in my opinion...
 
I'd probably get one of the 4k high refresh monitors and use 200% scaling on it.

IPS + high refresh just feels so good. Even if you're just scrolling through pdfs
 
Otherwise I had a look at the Predator & Asus variants - my only concerns is that they look quite "gamery" and I regularly have clients coming into the office etc so probably need something a little more conservative... does anything else tick all (or most of) the boxes?

I agree; stay away from "gamery" displays. You want professional and classy.

Check out Dell's 43" multi client monitor, the P4317Q.

It's 4K, 43" (a nice size for unscaled native 4K, coming in at 103 PPI). The 10bit display will give you good color representation, and according to the specs it can even be set at 75Hz using Displayport. It's actually on sale right now for $899 direct from Dell, which is pretty damn good. If money is no object, then I'd seriously consider getting a few of these and putting them up in portrait orientation on your office wall for some excellent PDF viewing.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/sho...17q/apd/210-ahsq/monitors-monitor-accessories

OriginalPng
 
Last edited:
Stay away from the gamer monitors. I have the Predator at my desk at home, it's great for gaming, but it is not great for documents. My Dell Ultrasharp Ultrawide 34" is 100x better for documents and the sharpness.
 
The 43" 4K UHD430 Mango at 120 Hz is the best work productivity display. Large size, decent PPI (push it back a little for a nice open desktop), 120 Hz and low input lag for smooth snappy mouse aiming and scrolling.
 
I agree; stay away from "gamery" displays. You want professional and classy.

Check out Dell's 43" multi client monitor, the P4317Q.

It's 4K, 43" (a nice size for unscaled native 4K, coming in at 103 PPI). The 10bit display will give you good color representation, and according to the specs it can even be set at 75Hz using Displayport. It's actually on sale right now for $899 direct from Dell, which is pretty damn good. If money is no object, then I'd seriously consider getting a few of these and putting them up in portrait orientation on your office wall for some excellent PDF viewing.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/sho...17q/apd/210-ahsq/monitors-monitor-accessories

dell-monitor-p4317q-pdp-01.jpg

It's a bit outside the specs he was asking for, which is why I didn't suggest it.

But, if price isn't a problem, and he's okay with a monitor that big, it'd be an excellent option for him.
 
The cheapest fairest one you can get. You're a lawyer, not a spoiled millionaire kid.
 
When I was in law school I loved reading text on my Retina MacBook Pro. It was just easy on the eyes for me with the way they scaled things. Now I am a public servant stuck using two ancient Lenovo screens.

Has anyone tried a 5K iMac for document review? I wonder if still has better scaling over Windows.
 
Take a look at this review
LG 5k ultrawide, about $1400 or so



I just saw the same monitor in a different review and thought of this thread as well:

https://9to5mac.com/2018/11/06/buy-lg-5k-ultrawide-34wk95u-thunderbolt-3-display/


When I was in law school I loved reading text on my Retina MacBook Pro. It was just easy on the eyes for me with the way they scaled things. Now I am a public servant stuck using two ancient Lenovo screens.

Has anyone tried a 5K iMac for document review? I wonder if still has better scaling over Windows.

Windows main problem is that it’s inconsistent. Not all apps scale properly, and even some OS dialogs don’t scale properly either. Not saying OSX is immune to any scaling issues, but I do agree that overall it’s a much better experience and most of my work is done either on a Retina MBP, or a 4K monitor hooked up to a MBP with OSX scaling.

That being said, I would still take a 4K on Windows (or higher resolution) no matter what the screen size is and deal with crappy scaling on Control Panel (but proper scaling in Acrobat and Office) over downgrading to a 1440 or less.

Retina is no small part why I believe DPI is king for documents, spreadsheets, etc.
 
Hello

I am a lawyer who spends more time than I care to admit to staring at documents on a screen. All I really use my display for is word documents text PDFs. I am looking to purchase a screen that is 27-32 inches (still narrowing that range down), and would be very grateful for your thoughts on what would be the absolute best screen to buy within those parameters. I've seen for example the ASUS PA279Q and PA328Q and the DELL UP2716 and DUP3216Q. I'm not looking for any kind of value proposition but rather am just looking for what (if anything) would be the hands down best option assuming money was no object.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.


Absolute best for document reading all day? Well ok, you asked for it. I doubt youll really want it though. lol


Grab one of these:
https://shopkits.eink.com/product/lvds-tcon-driving-kit/
along with one of these:
https://shopkits.eink.com/product/31-2˝-monochrome-epaper-display-ed312tt2/
https://shopkits.eink.com/product/31-2˝-color-epaper-display-ec312tt2/

Then have someone build an enclosure to mount it all in with the proper cutouts for your 12v DC power plug and HDMI. Possibly contact Cirthix with ZiSWorks and find out who he used for the display cases. They make some very good ones.



That will keep you from getting eye strain that all computer monitors will cause, and is hands down the absolute best you could possibly get for document reading all day long on a computer.
If you want a normal monitor instead, just make sure you get something with a DC backlight, no PWM, and it must have extremely good color calibration. Part of the eye strain issue comes from the backlight being bright and flickering of PWM, but part of it is also bad balance of text of document backgrounds. You dont want the white backgrounds to be blinding, you want them balanced nicely and not harsh.
 
Dell UP3218K is easily the best option, but you need 2 DisplayPort 1.3 outputs to drive it. 280 ppi and a bonded cover glass with anti-reflective coating will make text look way crisper than on monitors with paltry pixel density or a clarity ruining matte surface.
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Unfortunately that vid is 2 years old, and the monitor was released 2 years before that.
It's not commonly available ANYWHERE.
And if Eizo still sells it, direct, it's probably going to be ludicrously expensive.

Yeah. Seeing prices on Google Shopping of $1100-1500...

I like it. But I don't $1500 like it...

If they made a low input lag G-Sync version of it, I'd already own it.
 
I'd recommend a Dell U2715h. It's a 4k monitor, that I use with 150% scaling in Windows 10 for my work, which is heavily text based. You get good pixel density, and very legible text on screen.
 
I'd recommend a Dell U2715h. It's a 4k monitor, that I use with 150% scaling in Windows 10 for my work, which is heavily text based. You get good pixel density, and very legible text on screen.

I'm using the U2718Q, a sibling to that monitor.
The problem is, if you're going to go to 150% resolution, why not simply get a decent 1440p monitor?
 
Dell Ultrasharp Monitors are the ticket.

My Dell 3014 was the best monitor I’ve ever used for productivity work.

Pixel size and looked perfect with native 100% windows scaling. It was a fantastic display. If it was re-released with gsync or freesync for gaming I’d buy it again. I just use my home monitor more for gaming than for productivity. I do not personally like the ultrawides as much for productivity - but they are better for gaming and so I’m running an ultrawide Dell AW3014DW now since gaming is my primary use.

Dell 3014
2560x1600, 30”, IPS, professional calibration out of the box from the factory, no dead pixels guaranteed.

60hz is not a problem for office work. Not even in the slightest. My gaming display is 120hz and I don’t get bothered at all going back to 60hz for my day job at the office. Can i tell the difference? Yes... does it matter reading and writing in word or browsing the web? Not one iota.

You know what the high refresh rate guys always quote as being the clear reason they can tell a monitor is > 60 Hz? They move the mouse cursor around in little circles as fast as they can while dragging a small window and see if they can detect skipping. Yeah. That works as a test, but you tell me how often you need to do that during your normal office day? Super fluid fast mouse movement is important for precision gaming, but not an issue with Office apps.

Looks like they replaced my old 3014 model with the 3017.

https://www.dell.com/ae/business/p/dell-up3017-monitor/pd
 
Last edited:
I'm using the U2718Q, a sibling to that monitor.
The problem is, if you're going to go to 150% resolution, why not simply get a decent 1440p monitor?

For me, the higher pixel density. Opinions differ on whether the higher pixel density is noticeable. But I feel like it makes a difference.


(Also, while not a benefit to the OP looking for a text monitor, the higher res gives you a chance to try out gaming and media on 4K.)
 
Higher pixel density makes text much clearer and easier to read. Also helps with antialias in games (you can turn it off or to a much lower setting).
Try putting text on a high pixel and low pixel density screen side by side and you will immediately see the difference.
 
Last edited:
The new Dell 1440p 32:9 screen
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...e8LPiQKp5Bdt62Gd1i1vhuAMBhoCIdwQAvD_BwE&smp=y

You can have a shit ton of pages opened side by side with this screen

B&H has it on Pre Order, but it looks like Dell already has them ready to ship, but at list price of $1699
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/del...9dw/apd/210-arnw/monitors-monitor-accessories
That is a niche aspect ratio to be sure. Talk about gun slot window. Maybe designed by the canned modern Camaro engineers? ;)
 
That is a niche aspect ratio to be sure. Talk about gun slot window. Maybe designed by the canned modern Camaro engineers? ;)

It's the same as running a pair of 27" 1440p monitors, but without a bezel in the middle.
 
Back
Top