Need help picking out a monitor!

[JefftheZheng]

Hi! Firstly, I'd like to thank you for taking your time to help me with this dilemma. Seriously, I appreciate it. 
Now, I finally finished buying the parts for my upcoming first ever PC build. Here are the specs:
 

PU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler 
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Platinum 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-3333 Memory  
Storage:  -Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive 
               -Seagate  4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive
               -Western Digital BLACK SERIES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI) 
Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit) 
Software: Kaspersky Total Security (1 Year Subscription) - 3 Devices
Keyboard: Corsair STRAFE RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard 
Mouse: Corsair Vengeance M60 Wired Laser Mouse 
Headphones: Sennheiser PC 363D 7.1 Channel Headset  
Speakers: Razer Leviathan 60W 2.1ch Speakers  

My dilemma is that I'm interested in picking out an ultrawide 34'' curved screen for my production/gaming set-up. Having looked at Jayztwocents & Linus's review of the Acer x34 monitor, can this build support such a beast of a monitor? Also, what other monitors would you recommend? I'm a huge stickler for aesthetics, so thin bezels are a must! Assume I have a budget of $1,300 for a single monitor (or more)-JZ

[Lardy]

What is the budget for the monitor?

[Thecomputerman]

You will never regret having that build

[JefftheZheng]

2 minutes ago, Lardy said:

What is the budget for the monitor?

Oof! I entered the text prematurely. The text has been updated!

[Lardy]

1 minute ago, JefftheZheng said:

Oof! I entered the text prematurely. The text has been updated!

What games are you playing on your computer?

[JefftheZheng]

Just now, Lardy said:

What games are you playing on your computer?

So far, the PC hasn't been built yet. I'm currently operating on a 4-year old HP laptop (HP Pavilion dv7) w/ only 1/2 of the GPU @ full functionality. 
In anticipation for the completed build, I've already purchased GTA V, The Division, Witcher 3, all of CS:GO (steam sale! Whopping $9.95), and a variety of other FPS/MMO based games. 

[Lardy]

As long as you can overclock the Acer X34, that should serve you nicely.

 

In case you change your mind, 

 

You should be fine at the 1440p price point, however two 970's would not be able to put out an enjoyable experience at 4k for most triple-A titles. 

 

If you are spending most of your time playing esports, get a 144hz monitor. Once you go 144hz you cant go back, trust me. 

[Thecomputerman]

Get the lg 34 in curved monitor that thing is a beast and in your price range

[JefftheZheng]

14 minutes ago, Lardy said:

As long as you can overclock the Acer X34, that should serve you nicely.

 

In case you change your mind, 

 

You should be fine at the 1440p price point, however two 970's would not be able to put out an enjoyable experience at 4k for most triple-A titles. 

 

If you are spending most of your time playing esports, get a 144hz monitor. Once you go 144hz you cant go back, trust me. 

Sorry, but I'm a bit confused. 
By 1440p, do you mean the 3440x1440 ratio on the 34'' monitors? Also, is the 144hz the value for very high refresh rates?
Thanks again for replying!!!

[CapricaBuccaneers]

The thing is, most of those games you stated you have are AAA moderns, and will tax any single GPU setup at 2560x1440. 3440x1440 is obviously another step up and unless you really are happy spending that total amount of money to have to dial your settings to medium, I would suggest something better. 

 

Also as someone who owns a Seagate hybrid drive (the Momentus XT) just go with a regular hdd or ditch it entirely and stick with the SSD/WD Black combo you already have. It's not bad, it's just nothing special. Put the money towards getting your GPU up to at least a set of 980s level.

 

The monitor itself is fine, a dual 970 setup for it won't be, especially with GTA V and TW3.

[JefftheZheng]

4 minutes ago, CapricaBuccaneers said:

The thing is, most of those games you stated you have are AAA moderns, and will tax any single GPU setup at 2560x1440. 3440x1440 is obviously another step up and unless you really are happy spending that total amount of money to have to dial your settings to medium, I would suggest something better. 

 

Also as someone who owns a Seagate hybrid drive (the Momentus XT) just go with a regular hdd or ditch it entirely and stick with the SSD/WD Black combo you already have. It's not bad, it's just nothing special. Put the money towards getting your GPU up to at least a set of 980s level.

 

The monitor itself is fine, a dual 970 setup for it won't be, especially with GTA V and TW3.

I see! The problem is that I've purchased these items for a while now and won't be able to return them. As such, I'll have to make the most of what I have already. Can you clarify a bit regarding the last sentence? Thanks! 

[CapricaBuccaneers]

I can tank my dual 980Tis in GTA V and The Witcher 3 by maxing all settings and going to a heavily populated area. The framerate will drop to under 50, which isn't world- ending (especially with GSync) but it looks terrible, and somewhat headache inducing if done frequently.

 

Bear in mind this is at 2560x1440 and the GM200 980Ti chip is much more powerful than the GM204 in the 970/980.

 

I tend to dial down Anti Aliasing some, and Hairworks for example. You can make it work, especially with a GSync monitor but it's my own personal preference to not be forced to make drastic cuts in graphics settings when spending that kind of money on a new setup. 

 

 

[JefftheZheng]

6 minutes ago, CapricaBuccaneers said:

I can tank my dual 980Tis in GTA V and The Witcher 3 by maxing all settings and going to a heavily populated area. The framerate will drop to under 50, which isn't world- ending (especially with GSync) but it looks terrible, and somewhat headache inducing if done frequently.

 

Bear in mind this is at 2560x1440 and the GM200 980Ti chip is much more powerful than the GM204 in the 970/980.

 

I tend to dial down Anti Aliasing some, and Hairworks for example. You can make it work, especially with a GSync monitor but it's my own personal preference to not be forced to make drastic cuts in graphics settings when spending that kind of money on a new setup. 

 

 

Well, the $1300 Is all I have reserved left for this build. What would you recommend to be the next course of action?

[CapricaBuccaneers]

1 minute ago, JefftheZheng said:

Well, the $1300 Is all I have reserved left for this build. What would you recommend to be the next course of action?

Honestly, just try it and dial back on settings for AAA games until you get it to a level you're happy with. It'll still look good, I'm just very picky and it would bug me knowing it could be better. OCD and all that.

 

The monitor is really good, you will want to keep that for a good while so don't skimp on it.

 

If the worst comes you can always sell the SLI 970s down the line when you have a bit more resources to spare. 

[JefftheZheng]

Just now, CapricaBuccaneers said:

Honestly, just try it and dial back on settings for AAA games until you get it to a level you're happy with. It'll still look good, I'm just very picky and it would bug me knowing it could be better. OCD and all that.

 

The monitor is really good, you will want to keep that for a good while so don't skimp on it.

 

If the worst comes you can always sell the SLI 970s down the line when you have a bit more resources to spare. 

I agree with you. I'm currently enrolled in a doctorate program @ my university. So this set up will be my 'safe haven', in which I play games to clear my head and really just to relax. 
Hmm, would you say the new LG 34UC98 would fit this set up better or should I stick to the Acer model?

[CapricaBuccaneers]

6 minutes ago, JefftheZheng said:

I agree with you. I'm currently enrolled in a doctorate program @ my university. So this set up will be my 'safe haven', in which I play games to clear my head and really just to relax. 
Hmm, would you say the new LG 34UC98 would fit this set up better or should I stick to the Acer model?

As far as I know the LG 34UC98 is a Freesync model? If so definitely stick with the Acer X34 so you can take advantage of the GSync module in that particular model.

[JefftheZheng]

1 minute ago, CapricaBuccaneers said:

As far as I know the LG 34UC98 is a Freesync model? If so definitely stick with the Acer X34 so you can take advantage of the GSync module in that particular model.

Just checked and it is most definitely a freesync model! 
Hmm, what do you think of the ASUS Rog PG279q monitor? Although Linus's model seemed to be stellar, I've seen a large amount of mixed reviews regarding that particular model. 

[CapricaBuccaneers]

1 minute ago, JefftheZheng said:

Just checked and it is most definitely a freesync model! 
Hmm, what do you think of the ASUS Rog PG279q monitor? Although Linus's model seemed to be stellar, I've seen a large amount of mixed reviews regarding that particular model. 

I have a PG279Q - if you get a good one it's fantastic. I've seen a lot of reports of people getting bad backlight bleed and other problems with lines appearing on screen.

 

Admittedly the first one had to be sent back because of the above issues and the current is a replacement (which the retailer wasn't happy about replacing).

 

From what I've read the Acer version that uses the same AU Optronics panel has identical issues, so it appears to be a potential problem with the panel itself. I'd have to guess it stems from running an IPS display at high resolutions and refresh rates above 100Hz. (Pure speculation on my part).

[JefftheZheng]

1 minute ago, CapricaBuccaneers said:

I have a PG279Q - if you get a good one it's fantastic. I've seen a lot of reports of people getting bad backlight bleed and other problems with lines appearing on screen.

 

Admittedly the first one had to be sent back because of the above issues and the current is a replacement (which the retailer wasn't happy about replacing).

 

From what I've read the Acer version that uses the same AU Optronics panel has identical issues, so it appears to be a potential problem with the panel itself. I'd have to guess it stems from running an IPS display at high resolutions and refresh rates above 100Hz. (Pure speculation on my part).

I see! In your opinion, would you take the Acer x34 over PG279Q?
Did you contact customer support to have the model sent back? I'm not sure how this works
I'm preparing for any possible issues that my model may have. 

[CapricaBuccaneers]

1 minute ago, JefftheZheng said:

I see! In your opinion, would you take the Acer x34 over PG279Q?
Did you contact customer support to have the model sent back? I'm not sure how this works
I'm preparing for any possible issues that my model may have. 

That's a tough one - I personally don't like 21:9 ratio as much - a lot of the stuff I use it for ends up looking worse - FPS games in particular look bizarre with stretched textures in a pseudo-fisheye effect.

 

If the Asus 34" model had been available at the time, I probably would have bought it yes. I just prefer their osd buttons, menu and styling over most other options.

 

As far as returns, I took advantage of our selling regulations here in the UK and returned the unit as faulty immediately. This avoided having to deal with warranty RMAs and extended waiting periods that entails. You should try to buy from a seller with a good returns policy (such as Amazom for example), because you never know.

[JefftheZheng]

4 hours ago, CapricaBuccaneers said:

That's a tough one - I personally don't like 21:9 ratio as much - a lot of the stuff I use it for ends up looking worse - FPS games in particular look bizarre with stretched textures in a pseudo-fisheye effect.

 

If the Asus 34" model had been available at the time, I probably would have bought it yes. I just prefer their osd buttons, menu and styling over most other options.

 

As far as returns, I took advantage of our selling regulations here in the UK and returned the unit as faulty immediately. This avoided having to deal with warranty RMAs and extended waiting periods that entails. You should try to buy from a seller with a good returns policy (such as Amazom for example), because you never know.

I see!!! I was doing some research and it seems that Asus released a new monitor:
http://www.ncixus.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=128253&vpn=PG348Q&manufacture=ASUS

What do you think of this? 

[Mobby Dick]

9 hours ago, JefftheZheng said:

steam sale! Whopping $9.95

It's not about the actual question, but at keysellers like Kinguin.com g2a.com or instant-gaming.com you get games always a lot cheaper

[JefftheZheng]

3 hours ago, Mobby Dick said:

It's not about the actual question, but at keysellers like Kinguin.com g2a.com or instant-gaming.com you get games always a lot cheaper

Wow! Thanks !!!

[Krzych]

15 hours ago, JefftheZheng said:

Hmm, would you say the new LG 34UC98 would fit this set up better or should I stick to the Acer model?

34UC98 is better quality product, but you have Nvidia cards so you should go with G-sync with this budget and try your luck with those zero quality control gaming models. And also there is no need for 34UC98 if you don't use Mac, UC88 is the same but without Thunderbolt and it is over 200$ cheaper at around 980$.

[CapricaBuccaneers]

13 hours ago, JefftheZheng said:

I see!!! I was doing some research and it seems that Asus released a new monitor:
http://www.ncixus.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=128253&vpn=PG348Q&manufacture=ASUS

What do you think of this? 

Seems like a good monitor, it's basically the Asus version of the Acer Predator X34 - they use the same panel also. It seems to be generally a bit more expensive so, if you have no other preference stick with whatever is cheapest.

 

As far as quality control, all of the companies have issues that crop up from time to time, it's one of the bugbears of mass manufacturing: there will be a bad one eventually. I haven't seen any information to suggest any one company is absolutely better than others, for instance my Dell monitors have had no issues (some of them have LG panels), but my LG Flatron died less than a year after purchase. So don't pay any attention to people saying one company is black and white better than everyone else. Buy what suits your setup and budget, and if you happen to get a bad one, that's what return policies and warranties are for.