Hey Everybody,
Brandon here, back again with another video and Episode #2 of Coffee Break!
Since the Coffee Break Series is still new and I’m just working out the process and style I wanted to just give a quick summary/description of what it is again. Today’s post and video are part of a new series I’ll be doing on the Blog and Channel called Coffee Break! In each Episode (post) I’ll be highlighting and showcasing a product, gadget, etc.. from the perspective of a designer/engineer and how new technology can help us be more productive and better in our day to day work and life. If you haven’t seen Episode #1 yet, catch up here.
Coffee Break Backstory:
I wanted to find a way to organize tech content/reviews on the blog as well as branch out in a way that I hope will be helpful and interesting for you, my awesome readers! I’ve already reached out to a handful of companies/brands in our industry and have received great responses and a ton of products to review and showcase that are a perfect fit for us as designers, engineers, and creatives. I really hope you enjoy this episode (#2) of Coffee Break (Each episode will either be a blog post or a video/combination of the two). Let me know what you think as well as what other products you’d like to see in the comments!:)
In this episode (#2), I showcase and highlight a new Monitor! The Dell Ultrasharp 27″ Infinity Edge Monitor..(Quick disclaimer: I was sent this product on loan, for review and testing purposes and have since sent it back, I was not paid, or influenced in any way. All thoughts and impressions are my own ? )
When it comes to monitors and designers, I know many of us are die-hard dual-monitor users and enjoy having the extra screen space of two monitors, heck when I have to use just my laptop screen it really takes a while to adjust and get used to being more “creative” with my available screen space. However, I wanted to try out an alternative, which brings us to the Dell 27″ Ultrasharp. In the past, using large screen monitors for a cad/design office has been pretty cost prohibitive with these monitors, mostly 24″ and over being uncommon along with very expensive to outfit the office with. Many users including myself tended to go with a dual 22 or 24-inch monitor setup because of the cost savings and ease of convincing IT of the purchase (much harder to talk them into 27″+ monitors, let alone dual setups).
In recent years, however, these prices have come way down, for under $500 you can now get a quality, large widescreen monitor, that is ideal for CAD/CAM and design work in an office environment and possibly even get two of them (I still believe multi-monitor setups are the most productive for CAD) assuming you have the desk space.
By going with even a single larger format monitor like the Dell 27 Ultrasharp you have the benefit of only focusing on one screen along with having a much larger area for design and using CAD. Now I know you could just use 2 large monitors, and that will likely be my next upgrade after using this one for a few weeks, but a lot of people don’t have enough space or budget to have two and I think it comes down to personal preference on which way you choose to go.
To see a demo of the monitor as well as the styling and some more of my thoughts, check out the Overview Video for Coffee Break Ep#2 here:
Overal, in my time using the monitor I really liked the look of the LED Backlit LCD panel which provided more than enough brightness in my open desk area, never having any difficulty seeing my work even in bright midday light. The Panel provides a crisp looking QHD resolution of 2560 x 1440 at 60 Hz and 1000:1 contrast ratio. The small hardly visible bezel helps the screen and visuals pop even more giving the monitor a clean and modern look on the desk. It also makes it a great affordable option for dual/multi monitor setups helping keep the look between monitors seamless.
During my use of the monitor, I used it as a second screen with my HP ZBook G4 workstation laptop and was able to boost my productivity as well as enjoyment by having the larger screen to work with on top of the laptop screen. Using it with AutoCAD in particular as well as watching youtube and browsing the web was a joy and I look forward to hopefully picking this monitor up for my own use in the near future, possibly even 2 of them.
Or even better a Quad setup??
As for inputs/output to run and use the Dell monitor, all the usual options for newer monitors were available including:
- HDMI
- DisplayPort
- Mini DisplayPort
- USB 3.0 upstream
- 4 x USB 3.0 downstream
- Audio line-out
Note: Though most computers and current gen systems will work fine with these options, if you are still using DVI or VGA for your monitor connections, they are not included and you will need to pickup/find an adaptor or converter to use the Dell 27 Ultrasharp.
That’s all for todays episode of Coffee Break, I hope you enjoyed it and liked seeing a great option for your next CAD design monitor.
For More info and Full Specs visit Dell here.
To Shop for the Dell 27 Ultrasharp visit amazon here.
Let me know what you think in the comments below as well as any other products you’d like to see in the future!
Just in case you missed Coffee Break Episode #1 catch up here.
Cheers,
Brandon
Also published on Medium.
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