Which monitor wih Surace Dock

[rossds]

Hi folks

I need to buy a new monitor to use with a surface dock so the pro 4 can be my main desktop. I have an old Dell 108p DVI monitor that is cracked but it doesn't work with the dock (it works plugged in directly - seems to be a known issue). I know other monitors do work, but not sure what the recommendation is. I only want one just now but want the option to buy a second identical in a year or so. Am thinking Dell as that is what I have used for decades and they've been good. Two main uses - development (Visual Studio) and photo editing.

The two Dell monitors in my price range are the U2715H and the P2715Q. What I mainly want is a good picture and solid build to last years. Not bothered about features. Is 4K a good idea? I have no idea? They both seem about the same price - is the U model more robust? Will they both work with the Pro 4 dock? Will they both work as a pair with the pro dock - even if I use a lower resolution than 4K on both?

Haven't bought a monitor for ten years so no idea really - any advice appreciated!

Cheers

Ross

 

[unni_kmr]

I have been making notes based on comments from others in various forums so that I can get the right kind of monitor. For the time being, I have decided to wait and see if MS will fix the scaling and blurriness issues. I am posting those notes below hoping it would be useful for someone.

My notes after this line. Please note that there could be mistakes in these.
_____________

Monitor Requirements

• Shouldn't use MST. Should have SST?
• 4k @ 60 Hz - 2 4k monitors may work only at 30Hz
• Display port version - 1.2, 1.3 or greater
• Look for something with same scaling as Surface.

• QHD = 2560 x 1440
• 4K = 3840 x 2160
• Surface 4 resolution: 2736x1824
• Surface 4 aspect ratio: 3:2
• Surface 4 scaling: 200%

Observations
1. Ideal scaling for 27 inch 4k monitors is 125% or 150% because of its size.

• This makes it not suitable for Surface because of the 200% scaling.
• So better to get smaller monitors with resolution equal to or greater than Surface's.

You really want a monitor that looks great with the same desktop scaling as what you prefer on your SP4. That way, you don't have to sign out every time you hook up your external monitor to convert to its scaling. I personally prefer 175% scaling on my SP4.
Initially, I tried the Dell 27" 4k P2715Q monitor for the SP4 because I thought it would be a good match. It's a beautiful monitor but the resolution scaling doesn't quite match up. The ideal scaling for this monitor is 125% or 150% because of its size.
I found that the Dell 24" P2415Q (same 4k resolution) looks perfect at 175%, so that's what I'm using now. It also looks quite good at 150% if you're used to that.

2. Monitors with 2560x1440.

• Looks like scaling is a problem with these.
• Font blurriness doesn't seem to be an issue.

3. Monitors with 1920x1080.

• May have both scaling and font blurriness issues.

List of monitors that people have commented about