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Old 8th March 2018, 16:07   #3151
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re: The Desktop Computer & Configuration Thread

Even the best monitors and for that matter most laptops give a better colour balance on calibration. Although most monitors come out calibrated out of factory, a professional calibration makes a world of difference. Of course, the better the initial raw material, the better the final result, but even laptops benefit. One can buy a calibration device or like me pay a professional around Rs. 2000-3000 to get it calibrated every 6-9 months.
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Old 8th March 2018, 16:12   #3152
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re: The Desktop Computer & Configuration Thread

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Originally Posted by mxx View Post
Is there any company that lets you configure laptops - like how Dell used to allow long back?
I want a laptop i5 HQ series, lot of ram and at least 512 ssd. I do NOT need high end graphics although some sort of dedicated graphics is a requirement. the per-configured options with lot of ram and large ssd are only with i7 HQ and very high end graphics (mostly gaming laptops), causing the prices to shoot up beyond my budget.
Any suggestions?

Sadly, very few worthwhile config options in laptops now. Only add ons that are largely external to the device. Plus fail to understand why we get second grade stuff at prices that are substantially higher than abroad.
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Old 8th March 2018, 16:27   #3153
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re: The Desktop Computer & Configuration Thread

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Originally Posted by Aroy View Post
If multiple monitors are supported in hardware then 3 monitors are cheaper that one comparable ultra wide monitor, and you get more real estate to boot.

http://www.lg.com/in/21-9-ultrawide-monitors
http://www.lg.com/in/ips-monitors

I find that bigger monitors can be a pain in viewing and for me a 27 inch 2560*1440 seems right. In fact, for a replacement in 2017, I bought a 27 inch QHD that I had earlier bought in 2014. More than that in terms of size (not in terms of resolution say 4k which is great) can be a pain in the neck.
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Old 8th March 2018, 20:07   #3154
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re: The Desktop Computer & Configuration Thread

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Originally Posted by vasudeva View Post
I find that bigger monitors can be a pain in viewing and for me a 27 inch 2560*1440 seems right. In fact, for a replacement in 2017, I bought a 27 inch QHD that I had earlier bought in 2014. More than that in terms of size (not in terms of resolution say 4k which is great) can be a pain in the neck.
I wonder what is the size of the browser window each member is reading this on, right now. Mine is about 18 inches diagonal. And I could work with smaller. If it was a WP document, it would be about the same size. I could browse contents such as forums on an ancient 15-inch device!

But, of course, I couldn't comfortably have two or more active windows happening. About a year ago I moved from a 22-inch to a 24-inch monitor. It is slightly more comfortable for multi-window working, but... well, it's a good thing I usually only do one thing at a time.

But, I don't do financials, or anything that requires wide tables, etc. I open a spreadsheet two or three times a year. And this is another reason why I dislike the common letter-box ratio. It is good for only two things: monitor manufacturers and big spreadsheet users!

I was tempted by 27 inches, but I don't physically have the space, and I think that, for me, it would be a pain in the neck. And in the eyes, as age renders them less able to accommodate focusing on text at different distances.

My Dell Ultrascan monitor is easy on the eyes: I like it very much. Even more, I like the Ergotron arm that I got for it a while ago. It is so easy to adjust the monitor to my various bad postures. It is so easy to push it back a little way for full-screen video watching. This arm is my best system upgrade ever!
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Old 8th March 2018, 21:38   #3155
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re: The Desktop Computer & Configuration Thread

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Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom View Post
I wonder what is the size of the browser window each member is reading this on, right now.

On my monitor, window is almost 24 inch (monitor's aspect ratio is not like movie projection screens).

This is how your post looks fullscreen.

The Desktop Computer & Configuration Thread-tbhp_24_inch.png

I usually use the screen in split mode, so same post looks like this : (I prefer this view)

The Desktop Computer & Configuration Thread-tbhp_12_inch.png
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Old 9th March 2018, 01:07   #3156
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re: The Desktop Computer & Configuration Thread

The first example... the lines are just far too long. Perhaps if I hadn't worked with type, I wouldn't know that brain and eyes are just not happy reading a line with that many words in it! .

The second example is comfortable. My wife full-screens everything. One, it looks bad, and two, well... wIndows! It's painful watching her copy files by opening one window, closing it, opening another and pasting. It is the sort of thing that my ex IT boss would have done!

But hey... visuals and work flow. Each to their own. Although I used to consider making helpful suggestions to be part of my job, and many were well received.
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Old 9th March 2018, 08:03   #3157
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re: The Desktop Computer & Configuration Thread

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Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom View Post
The first example... the lines are just far too long.
Yes, I prefer to split the monitor into two for this reason.

For me, only two things are not in split mode; Excel and Video timelines.
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Old 9th March 2018, 12:57   #3158
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re: The Desktop Computer & Configuration Thread

Yes one cannot read a very wide text comfortably, you will get a neck strain very soon. Fine for spread sheets, but useless other wise. Even when there is a requirement for very dense screens - 4k for image processing, I prefer the older 4:3 ratios to the 1:2 or 1:3 of the current screens. I have also tried bigger monitors, but feel comfortable only upto 24" at most 27". I find viewing on my son's 30" a big strain.

My 24", 1920x1200 monitors have an A3 sized visible area. Most of my texts are resized to A4 portrait mode - 2 pages per screen, for ease of reading. As I am writing this, my main text is A4 on the central monitor, Explorer and widgets on the left monitor and some Internet files on the right.

Last edited by Aroy : 9th March 2018 at 12:59.
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Old 9th March 2018, 14:25   #3159
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re: The Desktop Computer & Configuration Thread

Even on a 27 inch 1440p screen, I do have to resize browser horizontally to reduce it.
Where big screens and 1440p or higher resolution shine are in having 2 programs open side by side (eg word, excel, acrobat) and save time on clicking. That to me is the true benefit of having high resolution (1440p or 2160p) screens alongwith bigger size (25 would have been ideal for me but 27 is max I can live with now).



Sadly in India for laptops, we are still in the 720p era for most though more are in 1080p. In the meanwhile, the world has moved on to 2160p in even mid to high end laptops. I got a HP 17 inch 4K laptop from US in late 2016 and though it is no Eizo, 4K resolution makes text look a lot sharper (closer to printed page).
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Old 10th March 2018, 13:49   #3160
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Almost zeroed on LG Ultrawide, but very confused on 25" or 29". Any suggestion?
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Old 10th March 2018, 13:53   #3161
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Re: Dell XPS 15 Specs?

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Originally Posted by CaptainPrice View Post
It is price competitive. The CPU should be able to handle any IT Pro load you have. The RAM should be sufficient to test out multiple VMs in parallel. The Storage is super fast and you'll never be bottlenecked by it. But if you don't need(not want) so much storage, I'd advise you go for lesser capacity and reduce costs. Also, if you're not into designing you won't need the 4k screen in a 15" laptop because as it is, Display Scaling on Windows is still not optimized and you'll find text hard to read. If possible, opt for the 1080p panel, which is a solid performer and will also give you improved battery life, while again resulting in savings.

And with those savings, opt for Dell's ProSupport Plus warranty that includes Accidental Damage. This will give you peace of mind for a long time to come (max 5 years) and you will be able to work without worry. And if you have money left over, invest in an SSD-based external drive.

Cheers and good luck!
Thank You!

You have made me aware of that one issue which bogged me when I bought my current 1080P laptop(XPS 15). Earlier I had an Inspiron 6000(768P) and reading on that laptop was very comfortable and to get used to this 1080P screen took time. One of the main activities for me on laptop, is reading on forums like this and also work related documents. I had overlooked this factor when I did that above configuration. Hopefully, I can downgrade the display and keep the rest of the specs as it is.

Yes, As I will be having VM running on my laptop need a higher RAM. I hope 32GB should suffice for next 5+ years.
Storage, I was thinking of future needs. AFAIK, there are no laptops which allow dual HDD like one SSD for OS and another for storage.
I would look for extending the warranty as much as possible.
I did NOT know, that there are SSD external drives.

Thanks Again!
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Old 18th March 2018, 21:39   #3162
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re: The Desktop Computer & Configuration Thread

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Originally Posted by dre@ms View Post
Almost zeroed on LG Ultrawide, but very confused on 25" or 29". Any suggestion?
I am using a LG 29UB67, my honest suggestion is if you are in the market for an ultra-wide monitor dont look at anything less than 29". Reason if the ultra wide is to be used the way it should be it should be big enough to accomodate 2 screen side by side.
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Old 18th March 2018, 22:53   #3163
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Originally Posted by adi_sun View Post
I am using a LG 29UB67, my honest suggestion is if you are in the market for an ultra-wide monitor dont look at anything less than 29". Reason if the ultra wide is to be used the way it should be it should be big enough to accomodate 2 screen side by side.
Thanks. Ordered/received the 29 incher and man it's humongous even though it's smaller height wise. Once saw the screen, the same thought came to my mind too, how smaller would the 25 incher would be.

Pat on my back for a thorough research on what size to select 😁
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Old 19th March 2018, 13:18   #3164
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re: The Desktop Computer & Configuration Thread

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Thanks. Ordered/received the 29 incher and man it's humongous even though it's smaller height wise. Once saw the screen, the same thought came to my mind too, how smaller would the 25 incher would be.

Pat on my back for a thorough research on what size to select 😁
Enjoy the screen, love to watch a movie and work parallel in split screen mode. Also the extra width is brilliant for photo and video editing. Do post pictures of the desk.
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Old 19th March 2018, 13:33   #3165
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re: The Desktop Computer & Configuration Thread

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Enjoy the screen, love to watch a movie and work parallel in split screen mode. Also the extra width is brilliant for photo and video editing. Do post pictures of the desk.
Enjoying, work for now!!

Yet to use it for entertainment purposes due to lack of cable support with my MBP. Should receive the specifics this week and will post my initial impressions.

So far, youtube videos are boxed with black screen to its left and right.

Desk is a mess with all wired accessories. Will organize/make it photo friendly and post
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