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Best ultrawide monitor? Flat or curved?

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Original poster
Jun 16, 2020
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Not an uncommon question I'm sure!

I'm looking for an ultrawide monitor for my gaming PC. I currently use a 27" ASUS something - can't remember the model, but it's 165Hz refresh rate, 2560 x 1440. This PC is mainly a work machine (I'm a writer), but I do play World of Warcraft. I have an Nvidia 1070 GPU.

I was contemplating a 4K display, as I rather like the 4K display on my Lenovo laptop, but I know this would also require a new GPU if I want to play WoW at any kind of decent frame rate, and I'm not sure I could go back to a 60Hz screen after using 165Hz for so long (probably 3-4 years now). I know there are 4K screens with high refresh rates, but they cost a fortune.

It seems that 90% of ultrawides are curved, right? I think I've seen a few flat panels, but not many. I've never used a curved screen before so I have no idea if this would be weird for my day job? I would like the extra width so I can have multiple documents side-by-side as I write, but I don't know if I should really have a flat wide display for that.

Anyway, does anybody have any recommendations? What ultrawide do you use, and how do you like it?
 
For an UW a curve is very nice, it means the edges of the monitor don't feel too far away and it creates an immersive experience when gaming.

Do you have a budget in mind?

I think you are right to stay away from 4K, it is demanding, and unless you go for a bigger monitor the extra pixel density at normal viewing distance doesn't make a huge difference to gaming enjoyment.
 
LiE_ said:
For an UW a curve is very nice, it means the edges of the monitor don't feel too far away and it creates an immersive experience when gaming.

Do you have a budget in mind?

I think you are right to stay away from 4K, it is demanding, and unless you go for a bigger monitor the extra pixel density at normal viewing distance doesn't make a huge difference to gaming enjoyment.
Click to expand...
I can see how the curve works for gaming, but what if I'm looking at 3-4 Word docs side by side? That's the bit I'm unsure of.

I'm in the UK where everything costs twice as much, so my MAX budget is £1000 (but that doesn't mean I need to spend it all).
 
There is only one high dpi Ultrawide monitor anyway, it's the one I use and mentioned in a different thread.

34" Class 21:9 UltraWide® 5K2K LED Monitor - 34WK95U-W | LG USA

Discover the 34" Class 21:9 UltraWide® 5K2K LED Monitor that features HDR 600 and Nano IPS Display. Find reviews, specs, and more for 34WK95U-W.
www.lg.com www.lg.com

MSI sells the same thing in a different (worse imo) case.
I use mine for work, and there is no way I'll ever go back to a low res screen. I can't stand that blurry mess while programming anymore. I also didn't want anything curved. It's just too distracting and distorted for my taste for work. Gaming shouldn't be an issue I guess.

I played Civ 6 on mine briefly and it's really cool. Not all games support ultrawides though, so keep that in mind. :)
 
grmlin said:
There is only one high dpi Ultrawide monitor anyway, it's the one I use and mentioned in a different thread.

34" Class 21:9 UltraWide® 5K2K LED Monitor - 34WK95U-W | LG USA

Discover the 34" Class 21:9 UltraWide® 5K2K LED Monitor that features HDR 600 and Nano IPS Display. Find reviews, specs, and more for 34WK95U-W.
www.lg.com www.lg.com

MSI sells the same thing in a different (worse imo) case.
I use mine for work, and there is no way I'll ever go back to a low res screen. I can't stand that blurry mess while programming anymore. I also didn't want anything curved. It's just too distracting and distorted for my taste for work. Gaming shouldn't be an issue I guess.

I played Civ 6 on mine briefly and it's really cool. Not all games support ultrawides though, so keep that in mind. :)
Click to expand...
That is a fabulous monitor, but at 5120 x 2160 that'll certainly need a better GPU than my 1070 to even play Warcraft at a decent framerate I suspect (I know WoW doesn't require much in the way of hardware, thankfully!).

What's the refresh rate on it? I can't see that info on the LG site.
 
It's only 60Hz (of course). So if gaming is your main concern I would not get that one.

I could try to run WoW on it with my RX 470, but I don't think it will do too well 😂 (I also don't have a WoW subscription ;))
 
Check out my post here that is in the this thread:Best 4k display for desktop?

It has some links for displayninja and what not. I opted for this: LG 34WN80C-B 34 inch 21:9 Curved UltraWide WQHD IPS Monitor with USB Type-C Connectivity sRGB 99% Color Gamut and HDR10 Compatibility, Black (2019)

Its not a 4k, even though I posted in the 4k thread, I initally wanted a 4k but then realizing that a 3440 x 1440 was better suited to my needs as there's less scaling and we know how well window's scaling is ;)

I got it in november of 2019 and its been a great addition, no complaints what so ever
 
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maflynn said:
Check out my post here that is in the this thread:Best 4k display for desktop?

It has some links for displayninja and what not. I opted for this: LG 34WN80C-B 34 inch 21:9 Curved UltraWide WQHD IPS Monitor with USB Type-C Connectivity sRGB 99% Color Gamut and HDR10 Compatibility, Black (2019)

Its not a 4k, even though I posted in the 4k thread, I initally wanted a 4k but then realizing that a 3440 x 1440 was better suited to my needs as there's less scaling and we know how well window's scaling is ;)

I got it in november of 2019 and its been a great addition, no complaints what so ever
Click to expand...
Thanks, that's interesting! Although I do think I'd like a 144Hz or higher display.

But lots of recommendations for LG. I must check them out. The problem here in the UK is that even without the pandemic, no stores really carry any of this kind of equipment in stock, so it's difficult to test.
 
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maflynn said:
They are one of the major OEM panel producers so when you buy another monitor, say a dell. The chances of it being an LG is high, so why not just with LG ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Click to expand...
Good point. And I do love my LG OLED TV!
 
maflynn said:
Check out my post here that is in the this thread:Best 4k display for desktop?

It has some links for displayninja and what not. I opted for this: LG 34WN80C-B 34 inch 21:9 Curved UltraWide WQHD IPS Monitor with USB Type-C Connectivity sRGB 99% Color Gamut and HDR10 Compatibility, Black (2019)

Its not a 4k, even though I posted in the 4k thread, I initally wanted a 4k but then realizing that a 3440 x 1440 was better suited to my needs as there's less scaling and we know how well window's scaling is ;)

I got it in november of 2019 and its been a great addition, no complaints what so ever
Click to expand...
I use my 4K monitor since early '17 with Windows. Scaling is fine in Windows 10. 🤷

I would avoid it like the plague though if you plan to use Linux. HighDPI scaling in Linux is a mess.
 
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Since this will be used for gaming and the OP has a GTX 1070 I'd definitely stay away from 4K.

@Carnacki are you planning to upgrade your GPU because spending £1000 on a monitor and pairing it with a GXT 1070 won't be an effective use of that monitor.
 
Oh, of course. I think the same. Don't buy into 4K (or more) gaming unless you are prepared to buy a GPU for $ 1000 or something :)
Well, we will see what the next gen of RTX cards have to offer. Maybe 4K gaming gets a little more affordable for PC gamers
 
LiE_ said:
Since this will be used for gaming and the OP has a GTX 1070 I'd definitely stay away from 4K.

@Carnacki are you planning to upgrade your GPU because spending £1000 on a monitor and pairing it with a GXT 1070 won't be an effective use of that monitor.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah, in the next year. I'm waiting for the NVidia 30xx series to come out, then hopefully the 20xx will come down in price and I can bag a 2080.

Having said that - the only game I play is WoW, and with a 1070 my current display (Asus PG279Q ROG Swift, 2560 x 1440, 165Hz), I get about 180fps at ultra settings (I know at 165Hz I'm not really seeing 180fps). The next expansion of WoW (out in October) has ray tracing support, so I would be upgrading my GPU even if I kept my current display.

One potential problem is Brexit - after January 1st, we might be hit with a tariff on electronics of up to 40%, so that'll nix any purchasing plans I have for a while.
 
grmlin said:
use my 4K monitor since early '17 with Windows. Scaling is fine in Windows 10. 🤷
Click to expand...
My experience like many others have been less then steller. Scaling isn't bad, but its not as good as macOS. My thinking is why get a 4k monitor and then boost the magnification when I could just get something better suited to me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
Well, I prefer the crispness of a high res monitor, sharp texts without visible pixels etc. And I don't want to look at one, when everything else I use (phones, tablets) is "retina" these days. Looking at my older 24" screens with 1920x1200px resolution I always think they are broken first lol.

The only problem Windows has are all the applications not supporting the native Windows scaling. That's what Apple does much better imo. There is no such thing as an non-scaling app anywhere. But if the app scales correctly it works better than in MacOS, as it works without performance penalties. (at least for me).

Sorry for derailing the thread though, a high dpi screen is out of the question anyway
 
Admittedly I am very new to gaming however A.) the games I am interested in don’t seem to gain much benefit from 4K@60Hz, and B.) my eyes are old and tired (and won’t be getting better).

I am happy with 16:9 aspect ratio. These are already so wide at 27” that I don’t even run web browsers in fullscreen, I keep them windowed to use up about 75% of the screen width.

I had a good 27” LG 4K UHD monitor (60Hz, FreeSync2, model 27UL850) but I ended up playing games at 1440p, a non-native resolution for this monitor. My graphics card is the reference Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super which is excellent for ultra 1440p gaming.

Recently I acquired a 32” Dell QHD monitor (165Hz, model S3220DGF) that works quite well. Windows 10 does not handle HiDPI scaling as well as macOS so I find it better to run all applications at the native monitor resolution at 100% scaling.

The Dell 32” has a slight curvature that doesn’t bother me; the LG 27” screen is flat.

I tried a 32” BenQ (also curved) but sent it back within a week due to unsatisfactory performance.
 
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