Viewsonic VP2780-4K

IPS plus 4K? Sounds like a good start...

ONE DAY, everything will be 4K. Well, until everything’s 8K. Or 16K. Or whatever. Actually, there will be a point at which further pixels are pointless. Once you’ve matched the visual acuity of the human eye, once pixels are too small to be individually detected. Well, that’s the end game.

It’s why Apple coined the term “Retina” display to describe the ultra-high pixel density offered by the screens in some of its portable devices. We’re not quite there yet with PC monitors, even with 4K. But the broader topic of perceived sharpness is highly relevant for 4K, and throws up an important question. What matters most to you? Image quality or usability? Because right now, you can’t quite have both.

Allow us to explain. In the context of PC monitors, 4K means something simple, namely 3840x2160 pixels. The critical point is that you get all those pixels regardless of screen proportion. With 4K monitors available in sizes ranging from 24 through to fully 40 inches, that makes for a huge spectrum in terms of pixel pitch or density.

The new Viewsonic VP2780-4K enters that fray at a middling 27 inches. The upside is that it looks super-sharp. If you thought a 27-inch panel at 1440p (2560x1440 pixels) looked crisp, 4K on the same panel size will absolutely blow your mind. Or make your eyes bleed. It’s glorious. And yet, not without pitfalls.

For starters, everything is tiny with Windows running at its default settings. Too tiny for comfort, in our view, even with good-going-on-perfect eyesight. If your peepers come up even slightly short, then absolutely forget about it. So tweaking the DPI setting to make everything a bit bigger is likely essential. But that throws up its own problems.

KEEPING IT TIGHT

Regardless of Microsoft’s protestations, Windows still looks broken when you move away from default DPI. That’s partly down to crapness on behalf of MS. Even core elements of Windows can be unbalanced by non-default DPI. Then there are all the third-party apps and software that haven’t been optimized for multiple DPI settings. And, of course, most of the Internet.

People tend to forget about the latter, but very few websites are properly coded for multiple DPIs. It doesn’t matter so much on a small portable screen. But on a big PC monitor, those stretched bitmaps and jpegs can look terrible and clash with the supercrisp fonts. It’s also worth remembering that bumping up the DPI setting makes for less usable desktop real estate, which is surely one of the core propositions of 4K.

Put it all together and we still think 4K makes far more sense on panels well over 30 inches, where running default DPI settings can be done with reasonable comfort. The other generic 4K conundrum involves gaming, or more specifically the problem of pumping all those pixels to the panel in a timely fashion. Essentially, 4K involves a scarcely comprehensible 8 million pixels, all of which have to be pushed through the graphics pipeline with all the advanced 3D processing that now entails. It’s hard to get your head around achieving that once in a second, much less the absolute bare minimum of 30 times that gaming requires. PC graphics are truly a wonder of the modern age.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Anyway, 4K gaming is possible, but only just. And that’s when using $1,000-worth or more of graphics card or cards. As it happens, thanks to that tight pixel pitch, interpolated resolutions like 1440p look pretty good on the Viewsonic. Running nonnative in-game isn’t the disaster it’s been historically. In theory, you could make do with 1440p until truly 4K-capable graphics cards become affordable. That’s your call.

You’ll also have to decide whether features like high refresh rates of 120Hz and more, or adaptive-refresh tech are deal breakers for you, because inevitably, the 4K panel doesn’t have them. There’s no getting away from it. Even on the desktop, 60Hz screens suffer from noticeable judder compared to the high-refresh brigade.

So, thanks to the recent explosion in monitor innovation, finding a model that packs all the features you want is tricky, going on impossible. Want 4K, plus 120Hz, plus frame syncing? Yes please. But it simply isn’t available, never mind that the notion of pumping 8 million 3D-rendered pixels at 120Hz seems quite preposterous, even if it no doubt will be possible within five years or so.

Still, if the 4K aspect of the VP2780-4K is problematic, specifically at 27 inches, in a broader sense, we’ve little quarrel with the panel’s quality. It’s an IPS panel and when you fire it up for the first time, it looks absolutely, positively spectacular at factory defaults. That’s no doubt aided by a proper pre-delivery calibration complete with a print out showing the various deltas, if you care about such things.

You will care about the super-clean whites and impeccable color balance. It’s so rich and vibrant while also being natural and not over-saturated. It’s a tricky balance to strike and this Viewsonic absolutely nails it. For the record, it demolishes our objective image tests, turning in perfect white and black scales, immaculate gradients, and super viewing angles. Oh, and the anti-glare coating is smooth and entirely free from the horrific sparkle that used to marr IPS.

The VP2780-4K is nice as a thing, too. Styling-wise, it’s in the traditional Viewsonic VP mould, which is a definite plus point. Understated, but with an air of quality, to which you can add a sturdy and fully adjustable stand. Our objections then are philosophical rather than to do with execution. In other words, if you’re in the market for a 27-inch IPS 4K screen running at 60Hz, this Viewsonic is great. But unless you’re a graphics or imaging pro, or up to something with similar niche high-DPI requirements, we’re just not sure you should be.

Viewsonic VP2780-4K

BEAUTIFUL VISTA Stunning IPS-plus-4K image quality; all those pixels; nice chassis and stand.

WINDOWS VISTA Super-fine pixel pitch can be a problem; no high refresh or frame syncing; not exactly cheap.

$ 821, www.viewsonic.com