

Ask HN: Which Monitor should I buy for long hours coding? - jalan

Recently, I&#x27;ve been coding a lot on my 14&quot; Dell Vostro Notebook, and I find it straining on my eyes.<p>I am planning on purchasing at least 23&quot; Monitor, and I am having hard time deciding which one should I buy.<p>So please recommend which monitor should I buy, primarily for long hours coding.
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drill_sarge
I don't name a specific model, because if you buy a monitor which is not the
cheapest of the cheap it doesn't make that much of a difference, just a couple
of tips:

First make sure you have a monitor with a quality panel - no TN. If its IPS or
some S-PVA/P-MVA doesn't matter. Maybe take a look at different panels in a
shop. I am personally very happy with my MVA-Panel monitor because of the good
black levels. Try to avoid glare panels AND glare frames around the panel.

Next, make sure the monitor can be adjusted, not only in height but also tilt.
I found that really useful adjusting the monitor to my seating position.

Regarding eye strain, the most common cause of this is setting the monitor
backlight too high. Especially with LED backlights. Even in a normal lit room
I only have set the backlight to around 10%. You may need to get adjusted to
this first if you are used to normal settings (e.g. the default settings of
the monitor which are always way too high), but for me it helped great deal
with eye strain and headaches.

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ivank
Assuming your monitor is inside the range your eyes can focus on, if it's
straining your eyes, you can try turning the brightness down, as well as using
f.lux or redshift to reduce the color temperature from ~7500K to ~3500K. You
might appreciate the low color temperature even during the day, as it's less
blue light for your eyes to deal with.

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adandy
I'm not sure you are asking the right question. If you goal is to reduce eye
strain which can lead to terrible headaches simply getting a monitor is not
the total solution. I went through a few doctors and even an MRI only to
discover accidentally that my new vision prescription and new phone/computer
habits fixed it right up. You are getting older every day. This is what works
for me, try it and see if it helps:

1) keep ALL screens at arms length from your face 2) code at night with a lamp
on 3) 2x 27 inch displays (new toys!) 4) Look off into space here and there

I tried f.lux but I don't think it did anything for my sleep or eyes.

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fluxon
For eyestrain, don't forget enough sleep, hydration, breaks, maybe reading
glasses, f.lux, proper low glare ambient lighting, and astigmatism (get your
eyes checked at Costco - cheap & no membership required).

Craigslist is your friend for trying out monitors before you buy, then buying
one, of course. So, too, is taking your laptop to the local computer store and
testing (if they'll let you) several sizes and shapes. I'm comfortable
(sitting) with a Dell 24" appearing above my laptop screen. Standing, I
haven't made up my mind yet.

Given buying another monitor now, I'd go with IPS as others have advocated
here.

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FlyingAvatar
Honestly, I am fine with any IPS display.

I also have taken the somewhat crazy looking step of getting some
"prescription" (I have 20/20 vision normally.) glasses made with some light
magnification +0.5 to +1.0 and are tinted 40% yellow. That way you don't have
to mess with your monitor's color calibration, and it will filter the blues
from any outside lighting as well. Also, it's pretty cheap, as you can order
them for <$40 from most online eyewear places.

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michaelfdeberry
I recently got a pair of glasses with a slight tint and it does seem to make a
big different. I went with slight grey tint since they are my everyday
glasses, but I think any tint will probably help. I would also recommend an
anti-reflective coating.

I also agree about the IPS monitor, they are much easier to look at.

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prajjwal
This little app called f.lux
([http://justgetflux.com/](http://justgetflux.com/)) really helps with the eye
strain problem. Use redshift
([http://jonls.dk/redshift/](http://jonls.dk/redshift/)) if you're on linux.
Allows you to set the daytime color & can read from a config file.

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ScottWhigham
I tried the Dell Ultrasharp and sent it back - it wasn't crisp enough and I
found that my eyes hurt after long hours of coding. I moved to the Samsung
higher end model (which was $300ish at the time) and that was it - worked
great. I'm on an Acer G235H now and it's great - no eye trouble at all and I
have very sensitive eyes.

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sejje
Move the screen farther away from your face.

Also, get a pair of very low-power reading glasses (+0.75 or +1). I use
reading glasses while I work all day, despite not having any real "need" for
them...they just make things easier on your ciliary muscles.

FWIW that was recommended by a retired optometrist friend of mine.

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chris_va
I've had good success with the dell ultrasharp 27.

You can dock a retina to it and get full resolution.

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diorray
I don't know but don't buy DELL U2312HM, it was too bright even on low
settings so it hurts eyes. Buy something that have a sensor that auto adjusts
brightness.

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stomljen
Light your work area with full spectrum light bulbs. Simulating outdoor light
helps with eye strain. I can't code without them.

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Randgalt
Caveat: I'm an Apple Fanboi - but the 27" Cinema Display is like warm butter
for your eyes.

~~~
xwowsersx
I used the Cinema Display day in and day out for a long time, but then I got a
retina MBP and found that it was hard switching back to the Cinema.

~~~
Randgalt
I'm in the same boat. I had fingers crossed at the last Apple event for a 4K
Cinema Display.

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staunch
Dell Ultrasharp.

