New Monitor for WFH, Non Gaming but what specs?

Adredocto on 11/10/2025 - 12:33

I'm looking to upgrade my shitty WFH monitor bought during COVID, but am not really sure what specs it should have.

Non gaming, mostly MS Office suite and some basic visuals. Bigger screen size and decent colour matching would be good. Current connection is HDMI into dock, but looks like it supports USB C as well

There's been a bunch of deals lately with a wide price range.

I'm after best value option for my use case, bigger screen and decent enough without overspending on premium specs I won't need.

Budget around $300-$500

34" gaming for $500

27" under $200

Computing Computer Peripheral LCD Monitor

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 11/10/2025 - 13:15
    +6

    For work the only specs you need to be aware of is the resolution (higher, the better) and the quality of the stand. Refresh rate irrelevant / not a consideration. Make sure the monitor has the adjustments you want, e.g height adjust, pivot and rotate (rotation only neccessary if you want a portrait mode) but otherwise a cheap North Bayou monitor vesa arm can be bought seperately to upgrade the basic stands. Nice-to-haves include Thunderbolt / USB-C power delivery for laptop or tablet fast charging and KVM but those have price premium too.

    VA panels have deeper blacks and better contrast ratio but might exhibit color and gamma shift when viewed from an angle. 34 inch Ultra-wide VA monitors are usually curved to help alleviate that problem.

    IPS monitors don't have that issue with color shift, but have poorer contrast ratio. Commonly have a backlight bleed issue called IPS glow that can only be seen when background is dark or black. This is not a defect, it's just a characteristic of IPS panels. IPS in ultrawide format is not common nowadays and they are not curved.

    OLED panels - best of both worlds, has the best color reproduction and best-looking HDR (mainly important for entertainment / gaming, zero benefits for work, unless your work has something to do with film or games). downside: expensive, OLEDs can also wear out because their organic compounds degrade over time, a process that can lead to permanent "burn-in". Modern panels can last several years before any burn-in is apparent though.

  • Adredocto on 11/10/2025 - 18:44

    Wow, this is perfect, really appreciate the detailed answer.

  • Boop Doucha on 11/10/2025 - 21:25
    +2

    Personally, if I were in your situation I'd just pick up a 27inch 1440p IPS monitor (medium sized desk) or 32inch 4k - probably have to be VA though to stay within budget (large desk). Higher refresh rates are not essential for your use case but still a bonus if at a similar price point to standard 60hz display. For example:

    https://www.centrecom.com.au/msi-pro-mp275qpg-27-2k-1440p-ip…
    Or
    https://www.centrecom.com.au/dell-p2723d-27-qhd-ips-60hz-mon…
    Or
    https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/monitors/27-33-inch/1162…

  • Adredocto on 11/10/2025 - 22:20

    That last one looks good. Is there much good ones around for next size up? 34" the high end?

  • ssfps on 12/10/2025 - 04:35

    Any cheap IPS is going to suck for office work on dark/night themes due to the glow/backlight bleed.
    A good IPS will be better than other panel types for such work.

    Ultra-wide and dual monitors are IMO useless compared to a single ~30" high quality monitor and proper window management keyboard shortcuts.

  • jonkvh on 12/10/2025 - 07:35
    -2

    "Refresh rate irrelevant / not a consideration" Blah!

    Refresh rate is the first thing I'd consider over anything else first. Have an AOC 27" VA curved 280Hz monitor via DP, built in power supply. Cost was $330. Your eyes will thank you.

    • sareth on 12/10/2025 - 08:20
      +2

      Your eyes won't notice a difference between a 60hz and 280hz monitor when you're tapping away at a word document lol

      • jonkvh on 12/10/2025 - 09:37
        -2

        Total horseshit. Non gamer. Spend 60/40 video text.

  • Leiothrix on 12/10/2025 - 08:14
    +4

    I have dual 27" 1440p Dell Ultrasharps. You also want an IPS panel not a TN or VA. Refresh is irrelevant, everything on the screen is basically static anyway.

    I don't like the idea of 4k screens, I would prefer to run at the native resolution instead of scale back to the same size anyway. And not all applications handle scaling.

    I have always found that multiple monitors work better than single very large screens. I split my screens in half so I usually have one full screen and one split screen so I can see three windows at once.

    • cfuse on 12/10/2025 - 19:45

      As someone with garbage vision the fix for native 4k screens is buying bigger screens. Bigger pixels means easier to see.

  • Adredocto on 12/10/2025 - 09:59
    +4

    Thanks all. Ended up getting Dell 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor - S2725DC
    From Dell direct for $350 (inc. $40 off with Google search Dell coupon code DNCPAU11%)

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