ultrawide UltraWide & "Ultra" tall

jasontv · February 7, 2016

I am fairly new to PCMR, having built my first box this summer. Per countless recommendations I outfitted it with one (of a possible two) GTX 980 Ti. Sadly I skimped on a new monitor instead opting to use an older 24" Samsung display I had hooked up as a second monitor to an iMac. I have some extra cash now, and it comes just as I got accepted to into a combined PhD/DVM program. As soon as I can convince myself not to wait for the 5, my first purchase with be a Surface Pro 4 to take notes on in class. Linus has convinced me to also get an ultra wide display for my desktop, but I would like one that will also work well with the Surface without having to plug and unplug more than one cable as I transition to and from my desk. I am also considering getting a second display for use in portrait mode that I can dedicate for documents. My 24" Samsung does not do portrait mode well (due to a lack of a VESA mount and a non-removable stand). For the 34" I was thinking about the Dell U3415W, and I since I am sure some of you will suggest it, yes - I would love a Predator - but it would eat up to much of my budget.

I have a fairly large work area, however I would use a VESA mount for the displays to retain the desk space for textbooks. (Oh so many books...)

I would like to maintain a consistent resolution across displays. I would also like to stick to IPS if possible.

I would like to stay under $1000 for the displays and accessories (EDIT: + or - $200).

I have until August to get everything set up, so I can pull the trigger and purchase items as they go on sale.

So my questions for you folks are:

1. Will the PIP feature of the Dell allow a smooth transition between the desktop and Surface?

2. Are there any accessories that I should budget for to improve my work flow? (Wireless display adaptor, Surface dock, etc.)

3. For those that use a portrait display, have you found improved productivity with multiple portrait displays? (I see the P2416D is about $300 and if a discount comes by I might be able to do two of them. Also, symmetry.)

Thank you all for letting me feed off your helpful posts for my first build, and thanks in advance for assistance in the upgrade.