Is 10-bit wide gamut necessary ?

[martincregg]

About 6 years ago I bought two wide gamut Dell U2410 monitors. I didn't realize though that I should have used a graphics card that supported 10-bits! So, for the last 6 years I'm not sure if I've really benefited - although I do think I still get a wider gamut display - which I think means less banding in images, right?

I'm about to build a new photo editing computer and want to make sure, this time around, that I maximize the components and peripherals... with a view to getting the best prints on my Canon pro-100 and Canon Pro-10 that I can. Would love to get the community's advice regarding:

1. Stick with my current monitors and get a Quadro card
2. Stick with my current monitors and go with something like a GTX 1060
3. Get a new 27" monitor (non-wide) gamut (say, Dell U2717D)
4. Get a new 27" 4K monitor (say, U2718Q)

Generally, I'm all ears for any advice on how to get the best print I can.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I def. would stick with or go for a wide gamut monitor, you may get a monitor profiling kit to measure the actual monitor gamut - now after those 6 years to check that your monitors didn't loose too much of their capabilities.
10 bit vs. 8 bit - I wouldn't think that this makes a significant visible difference and would not limit the gamut - do you currently have a problem with banding ?
Please be aware that monitor and printer gamuts don't overlap completely which may limit the use of a softproofing function if you specifically look into those image areas.
There may be other properties - size and resolution - adding to the spec list for your monitor(s) - e.g. video editing in 4k and other usability considerations - now or later

 

[martincregg]

Thanks for the help @Ink stained Fingers.

Could you expand a little bit on:

Please be aware that monitor and printer gamuts don't overlap completely which may limit the use of a softproofing function if you specifically look into those image areas.

Thanks,

Martin

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

there was a thread running discussing questions around the gamut of a printer and how it matches Adobe RGB
It's with a 3880 printer, but the same applies to any other printer
https://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/what-color-space-does-the-3880-really-cover.10981/page-5
And another discussion around the sRGB color space and how printer gamuts fit into there
https://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/so-why-dont-we-just-dial-in-srgb.10055/page-8#post-85607
So it all depends----- on lots of parameters - printer - monitor - ink - paper - driver settings
Measuring the monitor gamut could help you to get a better view on your equipment performance