A Dell curved 4K monitor — especially a big 40-incher — can make an excellent external display, if today’s featured MacBook Air and MacBook Pro setup is any indication. The user put the dramatic display together with a 27-inch 4K monitor after trying two other configurations.
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40-inch Dell curved 4K monitor serves M2 and M3 MacBooks
Redditor chrisonhismac showcased the newly upgraded setup in a post entitled, “V3 of my setup.” He also shared his first version and his second version.
So now he runs two powerful Apple laptops. His personal one is a 15-inch M2 MacBook Air with 24GB of unified memory and a 1TB SSD. And his work provided him with a 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro with a whopping 95GB of memory and a 1TB SSD.
He uses the two slick laptops with two fine 4K displays. First, his own is a big 40-inch Dell UltraSharp U4025QW curved 4K display he got after trying two other configurations. And second, his work provided him with a 27-inch LG UltraFine 4K monitor.
Then he rounds out his setup with a bunch of other good gear — Logitech C920 webcam, a Keychron Q3 Pro custom mechanical keyboard, a Logitech MX Master 3S wireless mouse, a Blue Yeti USB microphone and an Elgato Stream Deck.
Work laptop trumps personal laptop, but reverse it true of displays
What MacBook Air owner would object to their work handing them a killer laptop like an M3 Max MacBook Pro packed with memory and a nice 4K display like the LG? But as far as the displays go, it’s Chris’ personal one, the 40-inch Dell U4025QW, that caught our attention, along with commenters on the post.
“How’s the 4025 working out for you?” a commenter asked. “Happy with it?”
“It only arrived on Wednesday and I haven’t spent any long sessions with it yet,” Chris replied. “Text clarity is amazing vs the old Dell 38-inch I had. No complaints.”
Another commenter asked about whether the Dell and LG would be too wide if both were in landscape mode (LG is in portrait). Chris’s reply made the LG display out to be essentially an unnecessary add-on.
“It’s for Slack, Spotify and terminal, really,” he said of the LG display. “I would say its nice to have but not critical. Don’t really notice the difference between 120Hz and 60Hz to be honest. I don’t game. If you can get old u4021qw on a deal, may be worth it.”
Why ditch dual 32-inch displays?
Another person looked to Chris’s previous display configuration with two 32-inch Dell displays.
“Why didn’t you like the 2x 32s from v2? I’m in the same boat and about to do v3 with a 32-inch main work monitor and a vertical as well, so just curious of your rationale,” they asked.
“I did — i used that for close to three years,” Chris replied. “I just didn’t use all of the screens. Had to run DisplayLink adapters to use my MacBook Air. Moving jobs game me new budget to try something new.”
“How Is the Dell 40-inch with a Mac?” a commenter asked. “I’m afraid of the scaling issues.”
“Zero issues with this one,” Chris replied. “The old 38 [-inch Dell] was terrible.”
And if you like the desktop wallpaper showing on the big display, you can find it here.
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Displays and webcam:
Computers:
Input devices:
- Keychron Q3 Pro custom mechanical keyboard
- Logitech MX Master 3S wireless mouse
- Elgato Stream Deck Mk.2
Audio:
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to info+setups@cultofmac.com. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches, challenges and plans for new additions.
This 39.7-inch Dell UltraSharp 2160p resolution HDR curved monitor features a 120 Hz refresh rate and serves as a Thunderbolt hub.
