is ultrawide 21:9 curved really worth it for gaming?

Clarifiante · December 28, 2015

hi there i've read a few forum posts that have discussed this issue briefly but ended up being a bashing of brands rather than anything conclusive so i'm going to keep this brand free by not mentioning any names! though it probably won't be too hard to guess which models im talking about.

a little context:

just built my new gaming rig with a 980ti and am currently running with a 23" 1080p 60fps display from a couple years back which i bought at a discount to play on my ps3. high time for an upgrade since ive got a 980ti. i'm currently torn between two breeds of monitors. i'm also more of a rpg-type of player think fallout 4/witcher 3/wow/skyrim and the occasional moba and rarely ever FPS though i might think about getting into battlefront, or maybe not. oh yes this is predominantly for gaming with the occasional bit of data analysis using R. i will also not go with a dual monitor set up as there is a possibility i will be moving countries within the next year or so - i think handling the shipping of one monitor is enough. and besides i have my macbook retina 15" on standby.

do i have plans to SLI? probably not for the foreseeable future.

exhibit a: the ultrawide curved 34" 21:9 - the lusty mistress

so at about the same time i was building my pc, a flood of video reviews came on for a certain curved ultrawide 34" 21:9 G-sync monitor. prior to this, yes i succumbed to the hype, i had not even thought about curved displays but boy did this monitor look fine as hell. so i made a trip to a local electronics store to look at curved displays. while they didnt have the model on display, i was able to look at other curved displays and to be honest i could not see why it is considered more immersive. albeit, i obviously was not able to game on one as the curved displays were only looping videos.

as with most lusty mistresses, this one comes at a premium for her curves. l have the money to splash out on her but then i think about ROI and also depreciation. displays like TVs are one of those items that depreciate rapidly from the moment you purchase them. within a month there's a new model with the same exact specs with an added extra feature or two and it brings down the price especially since this lusty mistress is the first of her breed. if i had not such a calculative mind, i would've pulled the trigger and already got one but i'm finding it very very hard to justify the price.

exhibit b: the 144hz g-sync 1440p 27" 16:9 - the common beau

a 27" was always going to be the natural upgrade from my 23". i had a tussle between 4k and 1440p and ended up erring with the latter since my single card won't be able to pull near decent enough fps on certain AAA games and also the price premium and lack of g-sync which i find is essential for my card. so the 27" is a trusted choice, i see many people running with one, dual or triple setups. personally i don't see any issues with it, its beautiful in its relatively understated way, it gets the job done and has a well accepted ratio. she is with every fibre of her being, the safer choice that has as it would seem from what i've read, more stability as well. she is also relatively more reasonable to capture (didn't want to call her cheap because she really isn't that cheap either).

my calculative mind again swings into action. there is no ROI with displays, duh. but at least i get to save a bit of money which i could release to do a great many other things - be it purchasing another product, investment or just keeping it for rainy days. she's also probably what i'd call the middle movement whereby her calibre is tried and trusted. as such, you don't lose a limb and arm for her. she's more content in that way.

so there is it lads, which one of these lasses curry ye favours?

Metro · December 29, 2015

hi there i've read a few forum posts that have discussed this issue briefly but ended up being a bashing of brands rather than anything conclusive so i'm going to keep this brand free by not mentioning any names! though it probably won't be too hard to guess which models im talking about.

a little context:

just built my new gaming rig with a 980ti and am currently running with a 23" 1080p 60fps display from a couple years back which i bought at a discount to play on my ps3. high time for an upgrade since ive got a 980ti. i'm currently torn between two breeds of monitors. i'm also more of a rpg-type of player think fallout 4/witcher 3/wow/skyrim and the occasional moba and rarely ever FPS though i might think about getting into battlefront, or maybe not. oh yes this is predominantly for gaming with the occasional bit of data analysis using R. i will also not go with a dual monitor set up as there is a possibility i will be moving countries within the next year or so - i think handling the shipping of one monitor is enough. and besides i have my macbook retina 15" on standby.

do i have plans to SLI? probably not for the foreseeable future.

exhibit a: the ultrawide curved 34" 21:9 - the lusty mistress

so at about the same time i was building my pc, a flood of video reviews came on for a certain curved ultrawide 34" 21:9 G-sync monitor. prior to this, yes i succumbed to the hype, i had not even thought about curved displays but boy did this monitor look fine as hell. so i made a trip to a local electronics store to look at curved displays. while they didnt have the model on display, i was able to look at other curved displays and to be honest i could not see why it is considered more immersive. albeit, i obviously was not able to game on one as the curved displays were only looping videos.

as with most lusty mistresses, this one comes at a premium for her curves. l have the money to splash out on her but then i think about ROI and also depreciation. displays like TVs are one of those items that depreciate rapidly from the moment you purchase them. within a month there's a new model with the same exact specs with an added extra feature or two and it brings down the price especially since this lusty mistress is the first of her breed. if i had not such a calculative mind, i would've pulled the trigger and already got one but i'm finding it very very hard to justify the price.

exhibit b: the 144hz g-sync 1440p 27" 16:9 - the common beau

a 27" was always going to be the natural upgrade from my 23". i had a tussle between 4k and 1440p and ended up erring with the latter since my single card won't be able to pull near decent enough fps on certain AAA games and also the price premium and lack of g-sync which i find is essential for my card. so the 27" is a trusted choice, i see many people running with one, dual or triple setups. personally i don't see any issues with it, its beautiful in its relatively understated way, it gets the job done and has a well accepted ratio. she is with every fibre of her being, the safer choice that has as it would seem from what i've read, more stability as well. she is also relatively more reasonable to capture (didn't want to call her cheap because she really isn't that cheap either).

my calculative mind again swings into action. there is no ROI with displays, duh. but at least i get to save a bit of money which i could release to do a great many other things - be it purchasing another product, investment or just keeping it for rainy days. she's also probably what i'd call the middle movement whereby her calibre is tried and trusted. as such, you don't lose a limb and arm for her. she's more content in that way.

so there is it lads, which one of these lasses curry ye favours?

What is your budget

WaitDontSh00t · December 29, 2015

I'm in the exact situation pretty much, and am doing a new build soon probably with the 980 Ti, unless I wait for Pascal.

Though I'm also torn on the same monitors. So I'll post here so I can come back later too!

Metro · December 29, 2015

I'm in the exact situation pretty much, and am doing a new build soon probably with the 980 Ti, unless I wait for Pascal.

Though I'm also torn on the same monitors. So I'll post here so I can come back later too!

It depends on budget, although I would not get the ACER Predator X34, as it has so many issues. The LG version is good and the Samsung version. Do you want high refresh rates. If you do the Dell 1440p TN Gsync version is good. I would stay away from the 1440p IPS 144hz versions, as they use AU Optronics panels (ACER, awful QC) which has bad backlight bleed and IPS glow on most of the panels.

The ASUS PG348Q is coming out soon, which is another option, it should have less issues than the ACER Predator X34

WaitDontSh00t · December 30, 2015

It depends on budget, although I would not get the ACER Predator X34, as it has so many issues. The LG version is good and the Samsung version. Do you want high refresh rates. If you do the Dell 1440p TN Gsync version is good. I would stay away from the 1440p IPS 144hz versions, as they use AU Optronics panels (ACER, awful QC) which has bad backlight bleed and IPS glow on most of the panels.

The ASUS PG348Q is coming out soon, which is another option, it should have less issues than the ACER Predator X34

Hey there,

I'm willing to buy as high as the Acer Predator price wise.

I'm looking for high refresh, G-sync, IPS and 1440p.

The only monitor I saw that I liked to far was the Asus PG279Q.

And yes! The Asus PG348Q, I was also looking at, although not much detail on a release. Though it still kind of leaves me in the same situation of which way to go. The standard 1440p or ultrawide.

I know ultrawide will take a performance hit from regular 1440p, but not sure how much, or if it would be worth the loss.

Metro · December 30, 2015

Hey there,

I'm willing to buy as high as the Acer Predator price wise.

I'm looking for high refresh, G-sync, IPS and 1440p.

The only monitor I saw that I liked to far was the Asus PG279Q.

And yes! The Asus PG348Q, I was also looking at, although not much detail on a release. Though it still kind of leaves me in the same situation of which way to go. The standard 1440p or ultrawide.

I know ultrawide will take a performance hit from regular 1440p, but not sure how much, or if it would be worth the loss.

The PG279Q is really good, if you can get a good panel. The panels are made by AU Optronics (ACER, terrible QC) which is why they have a lot of backlight bleed and IPS glow. For the specs you want, it has to be 3440x1440p really, unless you want a lower refresh rate or TN panel.

We have CES soon, I expect more information on the ASUS PG348Q to be released. Do not expect 100 FPS in games with one GTX 980ti, with GTX 980ti SLI in Witcher 3 Ultra Hairworks, you get about 60 FPS. Battlefront Ultra you will get about 70 FPS, with one GTX 980ti, I think 3440x1440p 100hz is worth it though.