For architects, good quality tools are vital for designing and drafting. Architects spend a huge amount of time in front of their computer screens, so probably the most important tool of all is the monitor.
As an architect, you may be working on various projects simultaneously, relying on your monitor for accurate image quality. The lines, colors, brightness, and contrasts need to be perfectly represented.
You shouldn’t compromise with your tools, as the right choice makes work more efficient, easier, and faster. You’ll want the largest-sized screen with the highest resolution your budget can stretch to.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best Monitor for Architects Comparison Table
| PRODUCT | FEATURES | LATEST PRICE |
|---|---|---|
1. Dell UltraSharp U2715H Monitor  |
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2. BenQ SW271 Monitor  |
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3. ASUS Designo MX34VQ Monitor  |
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4. Samsung U28E590D Monitor  |
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5. LG 34UM68-P Monitor  |
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6. Viewsonic VP2768 PRO Monitor  |
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7. BenQ PD3200U Monitor  |
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8. Dell U-Series 38” Monitor  |
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Check Price |
In the last few years, the number of suitable monitors available on the market has exploded. How do you know which option is the one for you? Choosing the right monitor for you as an architect is not an easy task because of the sheer number of various choices.
To help, we’ve selected what we consider to be the monitors for architects that are currently available. After testing, using, and reviewing them, taking into consideration the most important features, we’ll make our final verdict.
Our Best Monitor for Architects Reviews and Comparisons
1. Dell UltraSharp U2715H Monitor
Product Highlights
Dell UltraSharp U2715H, as you’d expect from this top hardware brand, has a world-class display and impeccable performance.
Its 27” 4K screen offers exceptional details with great efficiency. With extremely thin bezels, it’s ideal for multiple monitor setup
Dell UltraSharp U2715H pivots up to 90 degrees for your preferred viewing angle and position.
Features
- Screen Size: 27”
- Resolution: 4K UHD 3840 x 2160 pixels
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Refresh Rate: 60 hertz
- Dimensions: 24 x 7.9 x 21.3”
What We Like About Dell UltraSharp U2715H Monitor
With Dell HDR you get greater depth of colors, clarity, and range of shades for impressively realistic images. It supports an incredible 1.07 billion colors.
It has a brightness of 350 cd/m² x pixel and a pitch of 0.1554mm x 0.1554m, and you’re able to connect up to six compatible RF devices or Bluetooth 4.0 through Dell Universal Pairing.
It also comes with Dell Display Manager Compatibility to help you tackle multiple tasks at the same time. With Easy Arrange, you’ll stay organized, letting you tile and view applications side by side.
Dell UltraSharp U2715H is environmentally-friendly with PVC, arsenic, and mercury-free material, plus an auto-sleep mode to save power.
What We Don’t Like About Dell UltraSharp U2715H Monitor
It has a relatively fragile design and is sensitive to water exposure, even just a splash. So, be careful!
Also, we found that it produces a heavier than average backlight bleed.
PROS
- Excellent monitor for MacBook Pro
- Very good for reading small text
- Fantastic display, worth every penny
- Simply the best monitor in its class on the market
CONS
- Too fragile, and it detaches from the stand easily
- Terrible backlight bleed
- The black screen problem gets progressively worse
2. BenQ SW271 Monitor
Product Highlights
BenQ SW271 is another great monitor from the brand that has established itself as probably the number one choice for designers.
This 27” monitor has fantastic graphics and visual effects and performance via its 4K UHD resolution with HDR and AQCOLOR technology.
BenQ SW271 is primarily marketed as meant for photographers, but those features crossover to make it a great choice for architects.
See Related Topic: Best Monitor for Eyes
Features
- Screen Size: 27”
- Resolution: 4K UHD 3840 x 2160 pixels
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Refresh Rate: 60 hertz
- Dimensions: 19 x 13 x 25”
What We Like About BenQ SW271 Monitor
The 14-bit 3D LUT covers 99% of the sRGB spectrum with its AQCOLOUR technology. And with 4K UHD resolution, coupled with HDR, provides unrivaled bright and crisp accuracy.
With its hardware calibration, you have easy control to adjust the image processing without having to change the graphics setting. It even has a black and white film effect.
BenQ SW271 has Palette Master Element software for stable color performance. GamutDuo mode enables the simultaneous display of side-by-side content in two different color spaces.
All of this is enhanced by its shading hood to reduce screen glare from ambient lighting.
What We Don’t Like About BenQ SW271 Monitor
We found some screen uniformity and consistency issues at times, with the top right corner developing light bleed on dark screens.
Also, we detected burn-in and ghosting on black screens.
PROS
- Exceptional protective packaging and easy setup out of the box
- Toolless design for attaching the stand, base, and light guard was a dream
- Able to switch between sRGB and Adobe RGB with a tap of a button
- A very good quality hood
CONS
- A two-inch smudge has appeared in the center of the screen
- The screen goes black for several seconds from time to time
- Customer support was disappointing
3. ASUS Designo MX34VQ Monitor
Product Highlights
ASUS Designo MX34VQ is a 34-inch QHD screen, with an extra-wide 178-degree curved screen, which allows your work to be viewed through any angle.
As well as providing a stunning, and very useful, viewing experience in itself, it also protects the eyes. Vitally important for architects to work long and intensive hours on projects.
Resolution is 2.4x enhanced, and the extra-wide view gives you extra on-screen space for easier multi-tasking.
ASUS Designo MX34VQ perfectly blends visual quality with extra comfort and ease of use.
Features
- Screen Size: 34”
- Resolution: Quad UHD 3440 x 1440 pixels
- Viewing Angle: 178-degree
- Aspect Ratio: 21:9
- Refresh Rate: 100 hertz
- Dimensions: 32 x 9.50 x 18”
What We Like About ASUS Designo MX34VQ Monitor
The frameless curved design of this 34” ultra-wide monitor with a 178-degree viewing angle, is quite simply beautiful.
Its Quad HD 3440 x 1440 resolution gives amazing visuals. But also, TUV Rheinland certified Eye Care technology with blue filter minimizing and flicker-free backlighting.
Sound isn’t compromised with 8W x 2 SPK SonicMaster speakers developed with the prestige Harmon Kardon brand, so you won’t need external speakers.
ASUS Designo MX34VQ features an embedded charging pad of 5 watts and 1 amp with lights that monitor its status.
What We Don’t Like About ASUS Designo MX34VQ Monitor
Unfortunately, we found dead and burnt pixel issues that distracted from the overall visual experience.
There was also a problem with screen bleeding.
PROS
- Great looks monitor with built-in speakers
- Beautiful display for Mac Mini
- The screen is a nice bright matte
- No high gloss reflections are a plus
CONS
- The screen isn’t completely edge-to-edge with a slight black border
- Minor flickering when the FPS drops between 48-51
- The screen does not move up and down
4. Samsung U28E590D Monitor
Product Highlights
Samsung U28E590D is a 28-inch good-looking high-spec professional monitor. This UHD monitor gives you 4K ultra-high-resolution with 8 million pixels.
This is enhanced by HDMI support and AMD FreeSync, with its 1 ms response for amplified picture quality and lag-free and smooth graphics. It features more than 1 billion colors for crisp, sharp, and clear images and videos.
Your productivity will be increased by picture-in-picture 2.0 technology, letting you use two windows simultaneously to multi-task with that 1ms response time.
Samsung U28E590D comes with an attractive T-shaped stand, allowing the screen to be tilted 20-degree forward and 2-degree backward for more comfortable viewing.
Features
- Screen Size: 28”
- Resolution: 4K UHD 3840 x 2160 pixels
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Refresh Rate: 60 hertz
- Dimensions: 26 x 7.4 x 18.4”
What We Like About Samsung U28E590D Monitor
With 1 billion colors, a minimum brightness of 310 cd per m2, and a pixel pitch of 0.006 horizontal x 0.006 vertical inches, your images will have all the natural and realistic details that your work requires and deserves.
You can connect multiple Ultra HD devices with two HDMI 2.0 inputs as well as one Display Port input.
Samsung U28E590D allows you to directly work on two projects simultaneously with Picture in Picture (PIP) 2.0 technology. Plus, you can work at them for a longer period without eye strain while its eye saver mode reduces flicker and blue light.
What We Don’t Like About Samsung U28E590D Monitor
To get 3840 X 2160 at 60 Hz, the HDMI cable MUST be connected to HDMI port 2. HDMI port 1 only supports 30 Hz. This isn’t made clear in the manual.
We thought that the stand appeared to be thin and weak, and this seemed to be proven by it being prone to falling over when you tilt it too much.
Samsung U28E590D has a limited viewing angle which might affect your posture over a prolonged period. The angle range seems to affect the balance and falling noted above.
PROS
- If you’re looking for a 28″ 4K UHD monitor and can’t really afford an IPS panel, then this monitor is recommended
- A surprising amount of options and the picture is so much better when tailored to your setup and needs
- The colors are vibrant
- Great buy for the money
CONS
- The viewing angle is so bad that sitting square onto the monitor, a white background will be cool and blue in the middle, and warm and red at the edges
- The screen goes black when starting up programs
- The monitor emits a very high pitch sound
5. LG 34UM68-P Monitor
Product Highlights
LG 34UM68-P is a 34-inch Ultra-Wide 21:9 aspect ratio monitor. It has a 1080 full HD display with IPS technology for a visually immersive experience.
The Sleek ArcLine stand keeps the monitor stable with a 178/178 viewing angle, and you are comfortable, as the height is easily adjustable.
LG 34UM68-P offers a great combination of quality and affordability, making it one of the best pc monitors for architects.
Features
- Screen Size: 34”
- Resolution: HD IPS 2560 x 2160 pixels
- Aspect Ratio: 21:9
- Refresh Rate: 75 hertz
- Dimensions: 32.7 x 1.9 x 15”
What We Like About LG 34UM68-P Monitor
The great On-Screen Control eases the use of multiple settings. Even more impressively, tasking with multiple windows is super-efficient with Screen Split 2.0, and an incredible 14 PiP option.
As well as allowing you to easily customize and resize the layout of your monitor, its dynamic action sync feature gives you a smooth and fluid experience.
LG 34UM68-P has a crisp and clear display, with a 0.312 x 0.310 mm pixel pitch, 5 million:1 contrast ratio, and an incredible 16.7 Million Colors
What We Don’t Like About LG 34UM68-P Monitor
This performance is compromised due to lacking 4K resolution.
We’d have liked, and indeed expected, built-in speakers. LG 34UM68-P doesn’t have any, so you’ll need a separate stand-alone.
Read Related Topic: Best Triple Monitor Stand
PROS
- Pre-set window panes allow you to drag-n-drop your windows automatically without having to manually resize everything
- Can plug in both a display port and an HDMI connection at the same time and choose to view one, the other, or both
- Features that genuinely boost your productivity
- Best bang-for-your-buck, ultra-wide monitors available
CONS
- The screen does not go to the edge
- A little grainy for text
- No camera
6. Viewsonic VP2768 PRO Monitor
Product Highlights
Viewsonic VP2768 PRO is designed to display vibrant accurate colors specifically for designers, including architects.
With its 6-axis color enhancement, you can manually adjust six primary colors: red, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and magenta. The 3D and 14-bit LUT generate an amazing 4.39 trillion colors!
It may not have 4K resolution, but its other features make up for that. Its frameless design means minimal distraction, and its screen uniformity is conducive to image editing.
Viewsonic VP2768 PRO also has excellent connectivity so that you can easily connect multiple devices and other monitors.
Features
- Screen Size: 27”
- Resolution: 2K QHD 2560 x 1440 pixels
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Refresh Rate: 60 hertz
- Dimensions: 24 x 8.50 x 21.3”
What We Like About Viewsonic VP2768 PRO Monitor
Delivering 2K QHD 2560×1440 resolution, for you to experience sharp and crisp images, it’s loaded with technology for ultimate color accuracy.
Screen wide sRGB, EBU, SMPTE-C, Rec. 709, and DICOM-SIM color spaces, Delta E<2 accuracies, with a palette of 4.39 trillion colors gives exact and lifelike images.
Its frameless design features an ultra-thin bezel to highlight more of your work. It also has advanced ergonomics. You can easily adjust the height with swivel, pivot, and tilt, for greater comfort for you.
Viewsonic VP2768 PRO is simple and quick to set up and calibrate to Windows and Mac operating systems. There’s further flexibility from its multiple connections of HDMI 1.4, USB, DisplayPort, and Mini DisplayPort inputs.
What We Don’t Like About Viewsonic VP2768 PRO Monitor
Previous customers and reviewers have complained about receiving faulty models. That said, you do get the peace of mind of its market-leading 3-year warranty coverage including US-based customer service support.
Also, customers who bought more than one reported that of slightly different tints, causing annoyance and distraction.
PROS
- Beautiful monitor, vivid accurate colors, great size, excellent angled viewing, stable and flexible stand
- Connect to MacBook Pro by its dual Thunderbolt ports
- Haven’t been able to identify a single dead or stuck pixel
- Fantastic picture and well worth the investment
CONS
- Quality control issue
- The build quality feels cheap
- It came with a malfunction; on the right side were 4 vertical colored stripes
7. BenQ PD3200U Monitor
Product Highlights
The PD3200U, like the previously reviewed BenQ model above, is also excellent for your architectural needs.
Similarly, it comes with CAD/ CAM, darkroom, and animation modes to enable your workflow to be more efficient.
But this model is an upgrade as it’s a 4K UHD monitor and has a very useful HotKey Puck to simply and instantly switch between modes and adjust brightness or contrast with a single click.
Features
- Screen Size: 32”
- Resolution: 4K UHD 3840 x 2160 pixels
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Refresh Rate: 60 hertz
- Dimensions: 19.3 x 8.4 x 29.1”
What We Like About BenQ PD3200U Monitor
It’s extremely user-friendly. The smart screen orientation means you can use it in portrait mode. And more than a handy HotKey Puck, it has a KVM switch to connect two PC systems using just one keyboard and mouse.
It has a stylish and functional ergonomic design. You can control the height, pivot, swivel, tilt, and of the monitor, to best suit your eye level and sitting position, for ultimate workspace comfort.
BenQ PD3200U has clever eye care technology to help prevent eye strain and irritation. With Low Blue Light technology and Brightness Intelligence, it filters out harmful blue light and automatically adjusts the screen brightness according to the environment.
What We Don’t Like About BenQ PD3200U Monitor
Despite its ZeroFlicker technology, designed to help eliminate flickering, we encountered and previous customers have reported random flickering.
BenQ has even acknowledged that this is a problem with the firmware that needs to be fixed by a technician. Buyer beware!
PROS
- Just about everything that you’d want: puck adjuster for controls, USB3.1c, KVM switch, multiple inputs, ability to hot-swap color profiles, and it display two at once
- PD3220U is ideal for digital work
- Easy to use UI and fast
- More inputs than you’ll ever need
CONS
- The flicker problem is endemic across all units relating to the faulty design of the panel
- It’s awesome between the flickers, but the fact that it keeps cutting out is a total deal-breaker
- Washed-out display in SRGB mode connected with HDMI
8. Dell U-Series 38” Monitor
Product Highlights
Dell U-Series 38” delivers an excellent visual experience in the form of a beautiful ultra-wide curved screen with Infinity Edge.
With WQHD and 3840×1600 resolutions, a 21:9 aspect ratio, and of course that wide-angle, you’ll enjoy the incredible visual performance and immersive experience.
Dell’s Easy Arrange feature makes it possible to efficiently work on and organize multi-projects simultaneously. Plus, its KVM feature allows you to edit and display from more than one PC.
All of this makes it among the best monitors for architecture, especially from a value perspective.
Features
- Screen Size: 38”
- Resolution: 4K UHD 3840 x 1600 pixels
- Aspect Ratio: 21:9
- Refresh Rate: 60 hertz
- Dimensions: 35.2 x 8.9 x 21.5”
What We Like About Dell U-Series 38” Monitor
The biggest selling point, quite literally, of this monitor is the vast Infinity Edge 38” screen. As well as for work, with its sharp colors and stunning visuals, along with the ability to connect 6 RF or Bluetooth 4.0 devices, it’s brilliantly suited to your entertainment needs.
It has the same flicker-free technology and blue light protection for eye comfort, which are a feature of other Dell models.
Dell U-Series 38” has the convenience of single-cable connectivity. USB Type-C transmits both audio-visual and power signals between your laptop and monitor.
This is also an energy-efficient and power-saving solution. Its operational power consumption, 56W (typical)/250W (maximum), and in standby/sleep mode of less than 0.3W, is less than the average for similar models.
What We Don’t Like About Dell U-Series 38” Monitor
Unfortunately, even perhaps surprisingly, it only works with Windows and does not support Mac OS.
Also, that single-cable USB 2.0 connectivity is convenient and efficient, but it only works when it’s connected to USB Type-C.
PROS
- A truly massive spread of pixels, so big that you feel like you’re going to fall into the screen
- The colors are beautiful and everything is very crisp
- Color profile and screen clarity is exceptional
- Wow! It has exceeded EVERY expectation
CONS
- Doesn’t work with Mac
- Defective USB-C connection causes the laptop to sleep
- Do not buy if using a non-Dell USB-C laptop
Final Verdict
We tested and compared what we consider to be the best monitors for architects available in the market.
We considered all factors to come up with what we believe to be the best all-around solution according to the important criteria, and a wide variety of needs.
After days of using, testing, and reviewing, our final verdict for the best monitor for architects is LG 34UM68-P.
