When is big too big? We thought from 45 inches, but the HP E45c G5 proves the opposite. It’s a pleasure to work with a 32:9 monitor.

There are big ones and there are very big ones. The undersigned is used to working on a 34 inch 21:9 monitor. Then a 45-inch 32:9 monitor is much larger. The HP E45c G5 (908 euros excl. VAT) is the equivalent of two 27-inch monitors glued together across the width. Two such monitors are ideal for multitasking in the office. So why not put them in a case, HP thought

In order to display everything clearly, there is a slight curvature in the monitor (1800R). We’re not fans of curves on monitors, but in this case they’re welcome. While we started this review laughing because it was too ridiculous, after four weeks of testing we have to adjust our opinion. This is a top monitor that will fit on any desk if you have the space for it.

Two 27 inch screens

It stays at 45 inches, meaning you’ll have to sacrifice quite a bit of desk space. Anyone who works with two conventional 16:9 monitors, 24 or 27 inches, knows how much that is. You gain table space because you only have one monitor base.

With the ergonomic base you can adjust the height, tilt (-5 to +20 degrees) and rotate the monitor. When rotating the HP E45c G5, be careful not to hit anything. This thing stays big and even after a month it will still surprise you with how bulky it is.

Thanks to the stable base, the monitor stands stable on your desk. If you type vigorously, you won’t see any movement on the monitor. This is great work by HP, because such an extra-wide monitor is simply more sensitive than conventional formats.

This monitor is also worth seeing. The back is matte black with the sleek, modern HP logo in the center. The ports are right on the back, so you don’t have to look down to find something to connect. The only disadvantage: The monitor base does not offer any option for cable management. You must do this yourself to some extent, where possible.

Lots of work space

Fortunately, a large screen also means sufficient screen resolution to make good use of the workspace. The HP E45c G5 has a resolution of 5,120 x 1,440 pixels, which is equivalent to two WQHD monitors side by side. That 1,440 pixel height is important for your workspace. The more pixels in height, the more you can see at a glance.

Regardless of your office job, 1,440 pixels height is usually enough. Creative people prefer a height of 2,160 pixels, the so-called 4K resolution. The HP E45c G5 is not suitable for them anyway because the panel does not display the colors precisely enough for their purposes. We will discuss this in more detail later in this review.

The refresh rate of 165 Hz makes working a pleasure. While such high values ​​were previously only found in gaming monitors, it is noticeable that office monitors are also following the trend. Why? The monitor responds much faster, resulting in a smoother image. You have to see it to believe it. Once you’ve tried a higher refresh rate, even on a smartphone or tablet, you won’t go back.

USB-C cable too short

Connectivity is lacking with 4x USB-A (5 Gbit/s), 2x USB-C (USB 5Gbit/s), 1x HDMI (v2.1), 1x DisplayPort (v1.4) and RJ45 (1 Gbit/s) not. Two USB-A ports are centrally accessible on the bottom, the rest are at a 90-degree angle on the back of the monitor. The USB ports on the bottom are just usable because you can tilt the screen far enough. Over time, we were able to connect peripherals blindly.

For example, you can use the two USB-C ports to connect two laptops and use the monitor as a KVM switch. One port can deliver up to 100 watts, two ports can deliver 65 watts each at the same time. That’s more than enough for a traditional laptop. Only a workstation or gaming PC requires more power to avoid discharging faster than the monitor can charge.

The number of cables included is rather limited. No HDMI or DisplayPort cable, just two USB-C cables. For this price we expect a cable for every connection. To top it off, each USB-C cable is just 1.5 meters long. If you know that it takes you just under a meter to get past the monitor to the left or right, you know that’s too short.

Our compact 13-inch laptop has no wiggle room when we use the USB-C port furthest from the monitor. An unforgivable decision from HP: If you’re already saving on the number of cables, make sure you have enough length for a large monitor like this HP E45c G5.

Screen quality

The quality of the VA panel used by HP is quite good for office use. We measured a high contrast of 2386:1. HP says 3,000:1, which seems a bit high to us. The HP E45c G5 has an sRGB coverage of 128.8 percent. Creative professionals remain satisfied with a DCI-P3 range of 86.5 percent.

We measured a DeltaE of 4.3 for white balance and a DeltaE of 3.5 for color. These are excellent values ​​for office work or media consumption. A DeltaE value below two means a color-fast display that creative professionals can work with.

The standard color temperature is quite high at 7,525 Kelvin, which results in a somewhat warm image. 6,500 Kelvin is a perfect value. The biggest error indication is in a few shades of red.

In general, what we do is rather petty. The HP E45c G5’s VA panel is ideal for almost any type of work. Would you like to change something in the settings? Thanks to the practical four-point push button on the back, you can navigate intuitively through the menus. Using a joystick like LG or MSI is even easier, but also works fine.

Diploma

While Launch Control initially felt like we were in a NASA cockpit, we quickly got used to it. 45 inches sounds impressive, but in reality there are “only” two 27 inch monitors against each other. If you already use two monitors on your desk today, you should get one too. No seam in the middle works very well, as does the 165Hz refresh rate.

The HP E45c G5, on the other hand, is not exactly cheap (908 euros excl. VAT). For this price you get three or four monitors that you can place next to each other. In return for this higher amount, you get a seamless screen, a space-saving screen base, and a very neat finish.

For us it’s worth it. Don’t forget that you spend many hours behind a monitor every day. Then you can treat yourself.

Warranty conditions: 3 year carry-in guarantee