The 42-inch monitor is 36.61" (93 cm) wide and 20.59" (52.3 cm) tall, while the 45-inch super ultrawide is 43.32" (110 cm) wide and 12.18" (30.9 cm) tall. That makes the 42-inch monitor the larger screen by 30% of usable area.
The 42-inch monitor measures 36.61" (93 cm) wide by 20.59" (52.3 cm) tall, with a total screen area of 753.8 square inches. The 45-inch super ultrawide measures 43.32" (110 cm) wide by 12.18" (30.9 cm) tall, covering 527.8 square inches.
The practical difference: the 45-inch super ultrawide is 18.3% wider, the 42-inch monitor is 40.8% taller, and 42-inch monitor offers 30% more screen area. Width affects how much desk space you need, while the height delta shows how much vertical space changes for documents, timelines, and video.
The practical choice depends on what feels limiting in your current setup. For coding, timelines, spreadsheets, and games, the wider option gives more room for side-by-side windows, while the taller option keeps more vertical content visible without pushing the edges of the screen as far away. If your desk is shallow, width and viewing distance matter as much as raw diagonal size.
42-inch 16:9 vs 45-inch 32:9 is mostly about side-by-side workspace. A 21:9 display behaves like one wide main workspace, while a 32:9 super ultrawide is closer to two monitors fused into one panel. The physical width number matters more than the diagonal when you are checking speakers, arms, laptop stands, or portrait side screens.
At 3840x2160, the 42-inch monitor achieves 105 PPI. The 45-inch super ultrawide at 5120x1440 reaches 118 PPI. The 45-inch super ultrawide has 12.7% higher pixel density, resulting in sharper text and images.
For text-heavy work, PPI is the number that decides whether you are buying more room or just making everything bigger. A lower-PPI large screen can feel spacious for windows but softer for code and documents. A higher-PPI screen may need OS scaling, but it usually gives cleaner text and more flexible sizing.
For 16:9 content (most videos and games), the 42-inch monitor provides an effective diagonal of 42", while the 45-inch super ultrawide provides 24.9". Check this if you watch 16:9 video or play games that do not support ultrawide resolutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the exact dimensions of a 42-inch monitor?
- A 42-inch monitor measures 36.61" (93 cm) wide by 20.59" (52.3 cm) tall, with a screen area of 753.8 square inches.
- What are the exact dimensions of a 45-inch super ultrawide?
- A 45-inch super ultrawide measures 43.32" (110 cm) wide by 12.18" (30.9 cm) tall, with a screen area of 527.8 square inches.
- Which is bigger: 42-inch monitor or 45-inch super ultrawide?
- The 42-inch monitor is 30% larger in total screen area.
- How much desk space do I need for a 45-inch super ultrawide?
- A 45-inch super ultrawide requires at least 43.32" of desk width. We recommend 49.32" to allow comfortable margins on each side.
- How wide is 42-inch monitor compared with 45-inch super ultrawide?
- The 42-inch monitor is 36.61" wide. The 45-inch super ultrawide is 43.32" wide, so the width change is 6.71" before bezels, arms, or speaker space.
- Which has better pixel density: 42-inch monitor or 45-inch super ultrawide?
- The 45-inch super ultrawide at 5120x1440 has 118 PPI, which is 12.7% higher than the 42-inch monitor's 105 PPI.
- How does 16:9 content look on these displays?
- On the 42-inch monitor, 16:9 content appears at an effective 42" diagonal. On the 45-inch super ultrawide, it appears at 24.9". Ultrawides display 16:9 content with black bars on the sides.