is it possible to run 1920x1080 on a 2560x1080 screen

[PlayerX]

Hello,

I was thinking about getting a 21:9 screen (2560x1080). The reason why I want a 21:9 screen is, that with 21:9 you get extra space for multitasking and other applications like blender which sometimes can get pretty cramped at 1920x1080. 

Since I heard that some games have issues with 21:9 and my GPU has 2GB of memory I think that it is better to play some games in 16:9. So here's my question:

 

 

Is it possible to play games in 1920x1080 on a 2560x1080 screen, without running them in a window, just with black bars on the side?

 

 

I'm looking forward to your response 

[don_svetlio]

It will look bad.

[Sauron]

No offence, but why not go for a 1440p or even uhd screen? It would have more space and also a more standard aspect ratio.

 

As for your question, this sort of thing depends on your monitor - some support certain resolution in letterbox (what you want) and some don't.

[EChondo]

Yes, but there will be black bars on the side(unless in window mode).

 

In GPU control panels, usually under scaling, you can set it up so it can stretch the image to 21:9, but depending on the game it can look pretty bad.

[SteveJK]

You can even run 320*240 games on it. And your monitor will be a Minecraftinator.

[MacAlisterL]

Sides will be docked with a black bar.... just go UHD or 1440

[dalekphalm]

Hello,

I was thinking about getting a 21:9 screen (2560x1080). The reason why I want a 21:9 screen is, that with 21:9 you get extra space for multitasking and other applications like blender which sometimes can get pretty cramped at 1920x1080. 

Since I heard that some games have issues with 21:9 and my GPU has 2GB of memory I think that it is better to play some games in 16:9. So here's my question:

 

 

Is it possible to play games in 1920x1080 on a 2560x1080 screen, without running them in a window, just with black bars on the side?

 

 

I'm looking forward to your response 

As @Sauron said, it will depend on the specific monitor you buy. Some allow letterbox mode, where others will just stretch the image.

 

No offence, but why not go for a 1440p or even uhd screen? It would have more space and also a more standard aspect ratio.

 

As for your question, this sort of thing depends on your monitor - some support certain resolution in letterbox (what you want) and some don't.

[PlayerX]

No offence, but why not go for a 1440p or even uhd screen? It would have more space and also a more standard aspect ratio.

 

As for your question, this sort of thing depends on your monitor - some support certain resolution in letterbox (what you want) and some don't.

I have choosen this resolution, because a higher resolution would be a lot more difficult to drive for a 960 and a 2560x1440 screen has 33% more pixels than 2560x1080 which is probably worse for a GPU with 2GB of memory.

If it would only be for work or so, I would definitely go for a higher resolution, but since I want to use this monitor also for gaming, I'm a bit concerned about the performance loss (less fps in games) that comes with a higher resolution.

[PlayerX]

As @Sauron said, it will depend on the specific monitor you buy. Some allow letterbox mode, where others will just stretch the image.

How can I check if a monitor supports the letterbox mode or not?

 

Is it this one?:

[Sauron]

I have choosen this resolution, because a higher resolution would be a lot more difficult to drive for a 960 and a 2560x1440 screen has 33% more pixels than 2560x1080 which is probably worse for a GPU with 2GB of memory.

If it would only be for work or so, I would definitely go for a higher resolution, but since I want to use this monitor also for gaming, I'm a bit concerned about the performance loss (less fps in games) that comes with a higher resolution.

 

Nobody's stopping you from playing at 1080p on a 1440p or uhd monitor, but unlike a 21:9 one you won't need to waste space for black bars. Either way let me tell you, the gain in visual quality that comes with a higher resolution vastly outweights the benefits of stuff like ambient occlusion and depth of field, which take a huge amount of processing power for almost no difference in quality.

[PlayerX]

Now I'm a bit indecisive. Like you all said probably it's better to go for a greater resolution, possibly also 21:9, which is definitely better for standard activities like browsing, multitasking, and working with some applications like Blender.

 

However I'm concerned that that will be too much for a GTX 960 in modern games. And fitting 1080p (16:9) in a 1440p screen will look horrible in either way; with or without black bars.

 

I believe the only resolution, where 1920x1080 looks good, is 3840x2160, where 1 pixel of 1080p would correspond to 4 pixels on the screen, but those monitors are too expensive for me...

[PlayerX]

Nobody's stopping you from playing at 1080p on a 1440p or uhd monitor, but unlike a 21:9 one you won't need to waste space for black bars. Either way let me tell you, the gain in visual quality that comes with a higher resolution vastly outweights the benefits of stuff like ambient occlusion and depth of field, which take a huge amount of processing power for almost no difference in quality.

I've just compared 1080p, 1440p and 2160p benchmarks of the 960 in different games:

 

Usually the performance loss from 1080 to 1440 is about 25%. From 1080 to 2160 it is about 60%.

 

 

The performance loss of the 970 is mostly similar therefore I think that 2GB won't be as much of an issue.

 

 

 

Usually I turn settings like DoF an AA off because I don't see much of a difference except for the frame rate  :lol:  

 

Seen this conditions, I probably won't consider anymore 1080p gaming on an other resolution...

[TomvanWijnen]

I have choosen this resolution, because a higher resolution would be a lot more difficult to drive for a 960 and a 2560x1440 screen has 33% more pixels than 2560x1080 which is probably worse for a GPU with 2GB of memory.

If it would only be for work or so, I would definitely go for a higher resolution, but since I want to use this monitor also for gaming, I'm a bit concerned about the performance loss (less fps in games) that comes with a higher resolution.

I'm running 2 1920x1200 monitors, 1 1920x1080 monitor, and 1 1280x1024 monitor on my 2GB GTX 680, which is just a little bit better then your GPU. Should be fine for running in general.

 

I believe the only resolution, where 1920x1080 looks good, is 3840x2160, where 1 pixel of 1080p would correspond to 4 pixels on the screen, but those monitors are too expensive for me...

1920x1080 will also look good on a 2560x1080 monitor, if it supports to have black bars. (ultrawide monitors are not my thing, so I won't meep about actually getting one or so )

[MysticalRainXIV]

I've just compared 1080p, 1440p and 2160p benchmarks of the 960 in different games:

 

Usually the performance loss from 1080 to 1440 is about 25%. From 1080 to 2160 it is about 60%.

 

 

The performance loss of the 970 is mostly similar therefore I think that 2GB won't be as much of an issue.

 

 

 

Usually I turn settings like DoF an AA off because I don't see much of a difference except for the frame rate  :lol:  

 

Seen this conditions, I probably won't consider anymore 1080p gaming on an other resolution...

I run a 960 as well, and while only using a 1080p monitor, I use DSR to improve the quality by having the GPU render in 1440p and then downscaling to 1080p, resulting in a much smoother image, with a minimal hit to fps in my experience.

[PlayerX]

Thank you all for your responses. It helped me a lot