Which monitor to get? Dell Ultrasharp / 4k question

Hi! I have been working with an ancient monitor and am so ready to upgrade, but computer tech specs are not my forte'. I'm looking forward to bigger screen (currently using 19") and better color management. My budget is $250-$500 (upper end only if it really makes that much of a difference) and I would like a 24" or 27" screen. I was comparing these two Dell monitors and wasn't sure if the bigger one was worth the double price tag from a color management standpoint, or if there is a better option. Size isn't as important to me between 24 & 27. Input much appreciated!!!

(my computer is a newer HP running windows 10 and I use CS6 for most of my editing, I don't know if that makes much of a difference or not)

Dell US24" https://www.dell.com …nitor-u2419h/apd/210-arcf

Dell US27" 4K https://www.dell.com …nitor-u2720q/apd/210-avjv

Consider the screen resolution in combination with the screen size, as well as what your PC graphics card can support for output resolution, and what kind(s) of video output connectors it has.

• Windows uses a character matrix of certain pixel dimensions for '100%' size text. Put that character on a higher resolution monitor and it still occupies that same fixed pixel count...so if the pixel size is smaller due to higher pixel count monitor, the character shrinks in size! As a result if you had a 2k monitor with 19" size, if you got a 4k monitor of 19" size the individual characters are half as big on the scrren and harder to read!
  I have a 27" 2560x1440 resolution monitor and 100% size characters can be a bit difficult to read. Using 125% text size (as set up in Windows) the text is much improved in readability. Windows 10 text and screen management is better than what Windows 7 did, so what you see with Windows 7 might not be as readible as Windows 10. 4K computer monitors are typically 3840 x 2160 (4K), so the readability of text on a 27" screen would be even more difficult that trying to read the same web page on my 2560 x 1440 monitor. For that reason, consider a LARGER size if you really want to go to 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution monitor...it might be nice for viewing photos but it could make your life difficult for office applications like word processing or spreadsheets and even for web browing if the monitor is too small for the resolution...CAUTION!
  
  
• Also be sure your computer's stock graphics card supports 4K output and has a compatible video connector that your chosen monitor needs. You might need to find out how to disable the graphics built in, so that an aftermarket graphics card with 4k support and the right video connector can be installed in an expansion slot in your PC.
  

All new Windows applications support high DPI (the font and icons are scaled to Desktop scaling if not more). Note that you can set desktop scaling to custom percentages (even above 200%). With that scenario, I haven't had any problems with 4K resolutions on any monitor size (including laptop displays). Your main issue is CS6: which did not support high DPI for PC. Back when I was running Windows 7 and had a copy of CS6, I found it a hassle to do a hack that forced scaling of the whole app (and text was then larger but soft). Now, though, Windows 10 has better compatibility scaling with older apps. I recently did try installing Flash Pro CS6 on a laptop with 4K resolution. At first the text was very small, but when I adjusted the compatibility settings, the scaling was actually pretty good:

How to change DPI settings for 'classic' apps on Windows 10 April 2018 Update

With my old apps, I've always found selecting System(Enhanced) does a good job of scaling and keeping text sharp.

Thank you for breaking that down for me so well! I really don't want to go larger for 4K (shared office space and I don't like to have my face in a giant screen), do you have any suggestions for the best bang for your buck 24" (ish) monitor for color management/photo editing? Other than basic word/powerpoint stuff for business, that is the main function this PC is used for.... not gaming or anything like that. Is the Dell ultrasharp series decent enough, or do you have another to recommend?