Work from home work station (monitor and stand)

Finding the right tools for the job and doing the right research is a pain in the butt. Nevertheless, I have a tendency to (eventually) put in the research and learn what I need to learn for just about any topic or problem I need to tackle. So, feel free to rely on my research for yourself.

I tend to buy practical, economical, yet good products which give you the best value, or best “bang for your buck”. They are frequently what engineers call “at the knee of the curve” for price versus quality. This means you get a high quality product at an economical price. I rarely if ever buy “the absolute best” of anything (with some exceptions) because it just isn’t worth the cost.

During these COVID-19 times, many people are blessed to be able to continue to work from home. If you are one of these people, and in particular, a software developer or someone who needs to use a computer a lot, having a nice, big monitor in front of you can be a huge help. A standard laptop monitor is about 14”~16” across diagonally, and is 1920 x 1080 resolution. So, I wanted to multiply my visual workspace by 5 and get a 32” 4k curved external monitor with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, which is literally the equivalent of 4 of my laptop monitors!

This means I get my laptop screen plus the equivalent of 4 more laptop screens! I can snap my windows all to the corners (as I explain in my Ask Ubuntu answer here) and get 4 screens on 1x 32” curved monitor. For monitors this size, do NOT get flat monitors! The edges look really far away and are harder to see. A curved monitor helps you see the edges easier, reduces neck strain since you don’t have to turn your head left and right all the time to see the screen, and is easier on the eyes.

Here’s what I bought, and what I highly recommend you buy too. I bought all of these products the end of August 2020, and have been using them for over 5 months now. So far, so good! They are so nice to have.

1. Monitor: AOC CU32V3 32” Super-Curved 4K 3840x2160 UHD monitor, 1500R Curved VA (~$390)–up to 60Hz refresh rate at 4k resolution if you have the USB C adapter below (otherwise, without that adapter, you can only get 30Hz refresh rate at 4k through an HDMI cable):

   

2. Stand (~$32): this stand is the perfect height stand for any laptop up to ~15”~16” to sit right in front of the monitor without blocking it!:

   

3. USB C adapter (~$15) so you can get a full 60Hz refresh rate at 4k–without this cable you cannot get better than 30Hz since the screen is too huge for your video monitor and cable to handle the throughput! Also, with this cable you can keep your laptop’s HDMI port free for a 2nd external monitor too:

   

4. (Optional) Linux-friendly :) mouse pad (~$8)–helps ensure you mouse works well on shiny or transparent desks or surfaces:

   

I paid for all these products and had no promotion to buy them. But, since the image links I put above are Amazon affiliate links, if you click on the link and then buy the product from that link, Amazon gives me a tiny percentage of the selling price. The price you pay is identical whether you click on the link or not–you just help me out a tiny bit if you buy the product after clicking on the link is all, instead of searching for it yourself. Here’s the disclaimer they require:

Disclaimer required by Amazon:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Enjoy your monitor. < $400 for a monitor of this quality, size, curvature, resolution, and speed (60 Hz) is amazing!