This is a 'want' not a 'need'. Why would anyone need a 4K monitor for Dev work? Even if he/she is developing games, doesn't make sense to me.
Also
> I have a Samsung 40inch 4k that I bought six months ago.
How far do you sit from the screen? What's it's effect on your eyes?
You are absolutely correct. Strictly speaking, he doesn't need a monitor at all. He has a new Macbook Pro. It's got a monitor attached which is just dandy.
As an overly privileged software developer, I like to have lots of stuff on the same screen. It's also a lot easier to navigate a giant SQL schema diagram when you can have a much larger chunk of it on the screen at once.
>How far do you sit from the screen? What's it's effect on your eyes?
I stand at a normal distance from the monitor. It's essentially like having 4 1080p monitors stacked 2x2. At that size the dpi is approximately the same. There isn't any difference in eye strain.
> It's essentially like having 4 1080p monitors stacked 2x2.
Is that right? So you are saying I'll be able to fit 4 screens in a 1 40-inch 4K monitor and it will be similar to 4 individual 1080p screens, at what physical size tho? 20" each??
> This is a 'want' not a 'need'.
So is indoor plumbing! Or, a roof over your head in a temperate climate.
While such a large monitor may look decadent, it should be easy to find more than $300 of increased productivity from a comfortable workspace. Also, even if it only lowers the risk of a workspace-related medical problem by a couple percent, the $300 wuold pay off there, too.
I don't sit btw. I use an IKEA standing desk that I hacked together using their table top and adjustable legs. Cost me < 100 as opposed to the motorized ones costing 1000s of $s.
This is probably subjective, but I at least feel much more productive when working with big screens. Every once in a while I prefer to have a couple of windows side by side - for comparison, for monitoring, etc. To me it's much easier to look on the side of the screen rather than flipping windows with keyboard.
To me, 4k isn't too much at all.
To me a 4k screen is the equivalent of 3 screens. It's either one 4k or three regular screens.
I did try multiple screens (1 4k, 2 regular) but it was way too much. I ended up unplugging everything but the big 4k.
My machine is a shit salesdroid spec dell optiplex 990 (again another issue for another day)
But, why did I opt for a 4k monitor? because I can fit more text in.
Its really that simple. Right now I have a browser window, IRC window and four normal sized terminals.
The size of the text is pretty small, but not tiny. The average letter size is 2mm, which is the same size font as the financial time's article text.
to answer your other question, the effect on my eyes is the same as reading a newspaper all day.
edit: this is my monitor: ViewSonic VX2475SMHL-4K ($370 from new egg)
Same here - I have 2 of these connected to Mac Book Pro. The experience is great on a Mac because you get a retina quality display. I'm considering getting the same for the office.
However, I've had resolution issues using them on a Windows 10 PC. It looks fine overall, until you run into a Java application where UI is a bit askew and text is 4 times smaller (I've seen issues with Weka and Solidworks). No such issues on a Mac though.