Looking for a new Monitor

[_Omega_]

Budget: around 400 € (500 € max.)

Country: Germany

Use case: Mostly gaming and daily tasks (writing mails, doing some calculations in Excel and so on...) but also some light Video editing (noting professional) and CAD from time to time.

Resolution: 1440p or 1440p ultra wide with at least 100 Hz better 144 Hz

 

Hello guys and gals,

im looking for a new monitor to go with my upcoming GPU upgrade (most likely a RX 6800).

I have two monitors so far (i think both TN one of them quite shitty) and was thinking about either adding a "normal" 1440p monitor or replace one of them with a 1440p ultra wide.

So far i was looking at the iiyama G-MASTER GB3461WQSU-B1 Red Eagle  for an ultra wide and for the "normal" 1440p monitor there is just so much out there that i dont have favorite model...

 

Now my Questions:

Should i go for an ultra wide monitor or should i just get a better "normal" 1440p or just keep the money for future hardware upgrades?

Is IPS the only way to go or are VA Panels okay now? (there some cheaper ultra wides with VA panels)

Does anyone have any suggestions for me to look at?

 

Thanks in advance for all suggestions and/or answers to my questions  

 

[Dedayog]

VA Ultrawides are fantastic.  VA has come a long way to being a really good middle ground for visuals, refresh and of course darker blacks.

 

I use 2 Ultrawides, one at home to game (in sig) and a MSI Optix MAG341CQ for work (paired with laptop).  While I still prefer 2 separate screens for work, I would go 1 UW for gaming/work together. 

 

Are you looking for an UW + 1 screen vs 3 total screens?  Wasn't sure on your post.

 

TLDR:  1440p UW for life.

[Andrewtst]

Ultrawide is the basic for me now, wide is just optional 2nd monitor but not a must.

I from Wide to Ultrawide and now Super Ultrawide. 

 

I suggest you increase more your budget and get a decent monitor. Don't get those unknown brand where review also difficult to find like what you mentioned iiyama.

 

34" 3440 x 1440 Ultrawide is the start to get with.

 

Most Ultrawide is VA except few is IPS, normally LG released is IPS. Some cheap VA panel is very bad with bad ghosting or black smear.

But good one is very good.

 

You may check out rtings.com or YouTube channel Hardware Unboxed for getting some recommendation.

[_Omega_]

7 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

Are you looking for an UW + 1 screen vs 3 total screens?  Wasn't sure on your post.

Yes, either i want to add a "normal" 1440p monitor to my two existing ones or sell one of my monitors and replace it with a UW (still want to keep one of my 16:9 monitors in horizontal for excel charts) 

11 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

I use 2 Ultrawides, one at home to game (in sig) and a MSI Optix MAG341CQ for work (paired with laptop).  While I still prefer 2 separate screens for work, I would go 1 UW for gaming/work together. 

Hm, i was looking at that one because its just now on sale for 399 € but im not sure about the 100 Hz refresh rate 

[Andrewtst]

6 minutes ago, _Omega_ said:

Yes, either i want to add a "normal" 1440p monitor to my two existing ones or sell one of my monitors and replace it with a UW (still want to keep one of my 16:9 monitors in horizontal for excel charts) 

Hm, i was looking at that one because its just now on sale for 399 € but im not sure about the 100 Hz refresh rate 

You won't see much differences of 144hz vs 100hz but if your GPU is very powerful and often reach over 100 fps then you need to limit your fps to 99 fps if the monitor is 100hz to prevent tearing.

 

You do see the different for 100hz/144hz vs 240hz. In summary if you ain't go for 240hz, getting 100hz or 144hz is both ok. If same price but 100hz had better image quality than another 144hz, I will pick the one with 100hz instead of 144hz.

[Dedayog]

4 minutes ago, _Omega_ said:

Yes, either i want to add a "normal" 1440p monitor to my two existing ones or sell one of my monitors and replace it with a UW (still want to keep one of my 16:9 monitors in horizontal for excel charts) 

Hm, i was looking at that one because its just now on sale for 399 € but im not sure about the 100 Hz refresh rate 

Depends what you play and how you play.  I do RPG's, Ark, a bit of CSGO, Baldur's Gate, etc.  I don't need more than 100, but it's now 120Hz for the current model.

 

Really, I played video games when 30fps on a tube TV was good.  Anything over 60fps is gravy for me.

 

If you NEED 120+ fps, only you can determine that.  But I see way to much hype in 240Hz OMFG monitors that people need /smh

[Andrewtst]

4 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

Depends what you play and how you play.  I do RPG's, Ark, a bit of CSGO, Baldur's Gate, etc.  I don't need more than 100, but it's now 120Hz for the current model.

 

Really, I played video games when 30fps on a tube TV was good.  Anything over 60fps is gravy for me.

 

If you NEED 120+ fps, only you can determine that.  But I see way to much hype in 240Hz OMFG monitors that people need /smh

I use from 60hz - 75hz - 90hz - 100hz - 144hz - 240hz and 240hz is not a hype but it also not a must. I do agreed with you 100hz is enough but I diagreed with you 240hz is hype.

[_Omega_]

13 minutes ago, Andrewtst said:

You may check out rtings.com or YouTube channel Hardware Unboxed for getting some recommendation.

Oh, yea i forgot about rtings itll take a look at their best budget ultra wide. I got they best budget gaming monitor for my gf and its such a great value.

16 minutes ago, Andrewtst said:

I suggest you increase more your budget and get a decent monitor. Don't get those unknown brand where review also difficult to find like what you mentioned iiyama.

I really dont want to in crease my budget because i dont want to spend to much on my pc... i could spend like 1000 € a month on my PC no problem but i much rather save the money for later... But i get your suggestion about the brand 

[_Omega_]

14 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

Depends what you play and how you play.  I do RPG's, Ark, a bit of CSGO, Baldur's Gate, etc.  I don't need more than 100, but it's now 120Hz for the current model.

 

Really, I played video games when 30fps on a tube TV was good.  Anything over 60fps is gravy for me.

 

If you NEED 120+ fps, only you can determine that.  But I see way to much hype in 240Hz OMFG monitors that people need /smh

I dont really know... I changed from 70 Hz ("overclocked" 60 Hz monitor) to 144 Hz and felt a big difference... maybe i just set the refreshrate of my screen to 100 Hz and just try how it feels... 

I play R6 Siege, Squad, DayZ Standalone, War Thunder and just everything i feel like playing..

[Andrewtst]

7 minutes ago, _Omega_ said:

Oh, yea i forgot about rtings itll take a look at their best budget ultra wide. I got they best budget gaming monitor for my gf and its such a great value.

I really dont want to in crease my budget because i dont want to spend to much on my pc... i could spend like 1000 € a month on my PC no problem but i much rather save the money for later... But i get your suggestion about the brand 

I jsut check aorund and here is top 5 from Rtings, two of it is within your budget.

• Gigabyte M34WQ
• AOC CU34G2X

https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/best/by-features/ultrawide

[Stahlmann]

This is by far the best monitor under 400€: MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD ab € 384,90 (2022) | Preisvergleich Geizhals Deutschland

 

If you want to go ultrawide, the GIGABYTE G34WQC A ab € 389,00 (2022) | Preisvergleich Geizhals Deutschland is the best option under 400€ and available in Germany.

 

Just keep in mind that you'll sacrafice some speed and color gamut for the bigger ultrawide sreen.

 

VA can be pretty good nowadays, but there are still a lot of models who suffer from slow pixel response times and especially dark smearing.

[ewitte]

54 minutes ago, Stahlmann said:

VA can be pretty good nowadays, but there are still a lot of models who suffer from slow pixel response times and especially dark smearing.

I was ok with my VA ultrawide.  When I got the OLED I moved it to the secondary machine.  I sure notice the smearing now vs when it was my primary monitor!

[_Omega_]

1 hour ago, Stahlmann said:

This is by far the best monitor under 400€: MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD ab € 384,90 (2022) | Preisvergleich Geizhals Deutschland

 

If you want to go ultrawide, the GIGABYTE G34WQC A ab € 389,00 (2022) | Preisvergleich Geizhals Deutschland is the best option under 400€ and available in Germany.

 

Just keep in mind that you'll sacrafice some speed and color gamut for the bigger ultrawide sreen.

 

VA can be pretty good nowadays, but there are still a lot of models who suffer from slow pixel response times and especially dark smearing.

I think @Andrewtst and @Dedayog have sold me on an ultra wide...  ill see il compare the AOC CU34G2X and the Gigabyte M34WQ... but i think the gigabyte seems to be the best option

 

[Stahlmann]

1 hour ago, ewitte said:

I was ok with my VA ultrawide.  When I got the OLED I moved it to the secondary machine.  I sure notice the smearing now vs when it was my primary monitor!

I'm sitting in the same boat. VA was looking fine for me (i had a high-end one too) and now that I'm on OLED there is simply no going back. But even IPS isn't gonna cut it anymore in my case.

[Stahlmann]

21 minutes ago, _Omega_ said:

I think @Andrewtst and @Dedayog have sold me on an ultra wide...  ill see il compare the AOC CU34G2X and the Gigabyte M34WQ... but i think the gigabyte seems to be the best option

Here is a direct comparion: Gigabyte G34WQC vs AOC CU34G2X Side-by-Side Monitor Comparison - RTINGS.com

 

Summary:

Quote

The AOC CU34G2X and the Gigabyte G34WQC are both great gaming monitors. They have similar features with the same panel type and max refresh rate. Even though the Gigabyte is certified by AMD to have native FreeSync support, FreeSync still works on the AOC, and G-SYNC works on both. The Gigabyte has a quicker response time, but black smear is visible on both. The Gigabyte is better to use in a well-lit room because it has better reflection handling and gets brighter. However, the AOC has four USB inputs, which the Gigabyte doesn't have, and its stand offers swivel adjustments.

 

[Dedayog]

9 minutes ago, Stahlmann said:

I'm sitting in the same boat. VA was looking fine for me (i had a high-end one too) and now that I'm on OLED there is simply no going back. But even IPS isn't gonna cut it anymore in my case.

Good point. I have only seen OLED in showrooms, and those are biased with max settings and saturation.

 

Have they come down enough for OP's budget?

[Stahlmann]

Just now, Dedayog said:

Good point. I have only seen OLED in showrooms, and those are biased with max settings and saturation.

Motion performance really is something to behold. Especially because they lack overdrive. Say goodbye to ghosting, overshoot, smearing, higher input lag on lower refresh rates, etc. (Basically any and all motion artifacts that are present in LCD displays)

 

Just now, Dedayog said:

Have they come down enough for OP's budget?

Sadly no, the cheapest OLED "monitors" (actually comparatively small TV's like LG's C1 48") start at 799€ in Germany.

 

Current-gen like the 42" C2 that i'm using is more around 950-1000€.

[Dedayog]

3 minutes ago, Stahlmann said:

Motion performance really is something to behold. Especially because they lack overdrive. Say goodbye to ghosting, overshoot, smearing, higher input lag on lower refresh rates, etc. (Basically any and all motion artifacts that are present in LCD displays)

 

Sadly no, the cheapest OLED "monitors" (actually comparatively small TV's like LG's C1 48") start at 799€ in Germany.

 

Current-gen like the 42" C2 that i'm using is more around 950-1000€.

Yeah, my UW was $850-$900 USD when I bought it and runs like $450 now?  Here's to hoping the prices cut in half in the next 5 years.

[BuzzingBee]

Try to see ultrawide for yourself before deciding on it, I've already set on them after seeing my sister's old ultrawide monitor (sadly she went back to 16:9).

 

VA is a good start. After personally using VA ultrawide for a year, IMO if you can keep FPS above 90-100 it would be harder to notice their slower response time. I didn't mind their dark level smearing, but was bothered with 60Hz gaming as I sometimes play both indie games with low FPS cap.

 

I now have LG 34GN850 as it has the specs of a good IPS monitor along with curve, but it was pricey. The same price I could've bought three 16:9 IPS high refresh rate monitors instead.