Buying a new monitor: Worth going with an Ultra Wide?

[spad3]

I love my ultrawide, but it's like 3 years old now and I'm due for an upgrade soon.

Ultrawide is the way to go. Supplement it with a vertical 24" and you're good to go.

 

[StereoVSN]

1. This is a personal thing, but I take umbrage with any product that requires me to change my usage habits if I want it to last a reasonable amount of time. Five years ago I paid $99 for a small IPS monitor from HP. To this day it works flawlessly - no dead pixels, no backlight problems, just smooth sailing from day 1. If I'm paying over ten times that price for a new monitor, I better be able to use it however I like without any fatal flaws weighing on my mind.

2. I'm sure the text looks fine, but it is still inferior to standard RGB subpixel monitors. RTINGS says as much.

3. Trying to chase OLED-level picture quality in the monitor space outside of just.. getting an OLED.. is a fool's errand. Hardly any monitors come close and you'll end up paying way more. HDR on Windows isn't exactly in the best state either. This is why most people just suck it up and get a standard IPS monitor like the ones LG sells. You can still get great color and respectable motion handling, the contrast just won't be particularly impressive.

Once you accept that you aren't going to get high end TV-level picture quality on a computer monitor, you can pay a lot less for something that's much better suited to desktop use than a 48-inch television.

Click to shrink...

The above is all true, but at the same time you are also compromising.

• There have been many issues with backlight bleeding with IPS, even in expensive monitors.
• There have been quite a few QA issues with higher end Asus/Acer monitors. LG to lesser extent but still present.
• A nice 38" UW monitor from LG/Alienware/etc... is going to be very expensive as well, at least same or more vs that LG 48".
• HDR can be very nice if you run your computer to say a 4K TV. Yes, there are issues on Windows as well issues with implementation in PC games by devs, but still, it can look really good.

So nothing is perfect. Its just weighing pros and cons for various options. That said, text is an issue if you are going to do productivity, although not as bad as some of the VA options from Acer / Asus last year.

 

[Faceless_Caesar]

I like mine but if you want to play older games or games from developers not experienced shipping games on PC you will have to live with black bars or modding the game to support the necessary FOV, resolution and aspect ratio.

 

[TeenageFBI]

Ultrawide is great, but people saying "once you go UW you never go back" clearly haven't tried gaming on an OLED. I briefly owned one of the best UW monitors (LG 38") but it simply didn't hold a candle to the OLED (LG CX in this case). Not trying to change OP's mind though - just pointing out that UW isn't the only "game changing" option out there.

Click to shrink...

OLED's cool but screen burn in is an issue in so many games with static UI elements, not to mention Windows itself. OLED is good as a second monitor though!

I really like my ultrawide monitor. Just wish it wasn't curved.

 

[shadowhaxor]

Once you go ultrawide, you never go back. I've had several UW's over the years, with my current one being an Alienware 34 inch 3440x1440p @ 120Mhz. Already looking at the sexy Rog 3440x1440 @Mhz, if it didn't cost $2400!

Still, I've been more than happy with my purchase. Despite 4K monitors being readily available, If it ain't 21:9, I don't want none.

 

[medyej]

Hell yes. Ultrawide is imo the best thing you can do for immersion this side of VR. I know it's played out but it is very hard to go back once you are used to it.

That said I would not go further than 21:9 as that is the one with the most standard UW support, and I think also is the best medium between being able to run well and still provide huge benefits.

 

[Reckheim]

Probably one of the best PC upgrades I ever made.

 

[Skyfireblaze]

Honestly I've been thinking of ditching two monitors for a single 1440p x2 ultrawide. Aslong as it has the ability to show two inputs side by side I would be happy. And for games that I can't run native you can always run at 2560x1440 pillarboxed right?

 

[Human Resources]

in my opinion, yes. i used to be a dual-monitor guy for years until i bought my first ultrawide. now i have all the real estate i need on one screen, which i mounted on an arm so i have more free desk space than ever as well. bought another one for work this year and my productivity has increased as well

 

[XxLeonV]

Recently upgraded to the LG 34GP83A-B recently (same monitor as the LG 34GN850-B, but for $200 cheaper at retail) and it has been amazing. Previously I used to PC game on the Dell S3220dgf (and before that, a 65 inch C7P) and was content with it but really wanted to get an Ultrawide due to snagging a 3080 last year.

I was okay with a VA panel but IPS Ultrawide + 144hz is just God Tier for monitors. I honestly don't think I'll ever go back. I've really had fun going back to older games and playing them in higher fidelity with UW as well. Highly recommended. Also, you still get 16:9 cutscenes but there are some simple and easy hacks to get full 21:9 cutscenes in quite a few of titles.

 

[Sectorseven]

Why not use a regular monitor with black bars at the top and bottom?

 

[laxu]

1. This is a personal thing, but I take umbrage with any product that requires me to change my usage habits if I want it to last a reasonable amount of time. Five years ago I paid $99 for a small IPS monitor from HP. To this day it works flawlessly - no dead pixels, no backlight problems, just smooth sailing from day 1. If I'm paying over ten times that price for a new monitor, I better be able to use it however I like without any fatal flaws weighing on my mind.

2. I'm sure the text looks fine, but it is still inferior to standard RGB subpixel monitors. RTINGS says as much.

3. Trying to chase OLED-level picture quality in the monitor space outside of just.. getting an OLED.. is a fool's errand. Hardly any monitors come close and you'll end up paying way more. HDR on Windows isn't exactly in the best state either. This is why most people just suck it up and get a standard IPS monitor like the ones LG sells. You can still get great color and respectable motion handling, the contrast just won't be particularly impressive.

Once you accept that you aren't going to get high end TV-level picture quality on a computer monitor, you can pay a lot less for something that's much better suited to desktop use than a 48-inch television.

Click to shrink...

And again I will disagree. With every display tech you choose which drawbacks are acceptable to you. For OLED it's size and burn-in possibility. Having to do some mitigation to make sure it lasts as long as possible is a small price to pay. I mainly run dark modes where I can and have my taskbar hidden, use a black wallpaper and have a screensaver setup to launch fairly quickly. If I take a longer break I turn the display off from the remote - the TV starts back up faster than some gaming monitors from Samsung for example. This requires no real extra work after the initial setup.

I would not use my OLED as a desktop monitor if it wasn't up to par when it comes to text rendering. I use it all day for work which means reading lots and lots of text.

Suitability for desktop use is simply a question of how you set things up. I don't even think about the size of my OLED anymore, it works fine when it's at an appropriate viewing distance of 1m or more. The only difference to my previous LCD setup is that the display is not on my desk and is further away.

I get that OLED is not an option for everyone due to cost/longetivity or not having space to put it at this size. I would love to get a little bit smaller one but such a thing does not exist on the market.

 

[grmlin]

It's weird, you can buy OLEDs in phones, laptops and TVs. But there are no OLED monitors. Such a wasted opportunity.

 

[Deleted member 16908]

And again I will disagree. With every display tech you choose which drawbacks are acceptable to you. For OLED it's size and burn-in possibility. Having to do some mitigation to make sure it lasts as long as possible is a small price to pay. I mainly run dark modes where I can and have my taskbar hidden, use a black wallpaper and have a screensaver setup to launch fairly quickly. If I take a longer break I turn the display off from the remote - the TV starts back up faster than some gaming monitors from Samsung for example. This requires no real extra work after the initial setup.

I would not use my OLED as a desktop monitor if it wasn't up to par when it comes to text rendering. I use it all day for work which means reading lots and lots of text.

Suitability for desktop use is simply a question of how you set things up. I don't even think about the size of my OLED anymore, it works fine when it's at an appropriate viewing distance of 1m or more. The only difference to my previous LCD setup is that the display is not on my desk and is further away.

I get that OLED is not an option for everyone due to cost/longetivity or not having space to put it at this size. I would love to get a little bit smaller one but such a thing does not exist on the market.

Click to shrink...

The difference is that other display types don't require you to use your computer differently than you normally would. I like having my taskbar visible at all times, it's what I'm used to. I like using cool wallpapers. With literally any other kind of display, I can do that without a second thought just like I've always done for as long as I've had a PC.

At this point I'm just gonna wait until microLED monitors are available and affordable. Unfortunately that seems like it's going to take a while. Hopefully by then 4K 120fps gaming will be easily achievable with a high-end GPU. A man can dream!

 

[ffvorax]

From my experience, absolutely no.
I send it back.
The idea was nice, but when i started using it, it felt not much comfortable to use that format... i didnt get used to it and changed after a while.

 

[RobbRivers]

I'm currently taking notes to grab a monitor in future sales, but i do not know where to start looking at monitor models. I currently have an old samsung 24" FHD monitor that has some weird problems (like some parts being very clear when looking dark images) (not on the edges). So I'm planning to: Buy a 16:9 monitor and have both until the actual one does not work anymore, or buying an ultrawide.

Problem: I'm mainly console gamer, so I do not know if ultrawide would be suitable because of black bars.

Main uses: Work + gaming when Tv is not available. I'm considering brands such as samsung, LG, Dell, Lenovo, etc. (I do not want specifical gaming monitor or brands at this moment (Msi, asus, etc.), but a more "off-road" brands.

Budget: 200-280€ (as low as possible),
Needs: IPS or PVA, 24-27" 16:9 or 29" 21:9, at least 1440P, 100hz, HDR, is it possible? or my budget is low?

thanks in advance.

 

[Crax]

I just went back to a normal flat monitor after 2 years on an ultrawide because I wanted a 4k monitor. Ultrawide is pretty awesome in the games that support it, but there are plenty of games where the lack of support is pretty annoying.

 

[laxu]

The difference is that other display types don't require you to use your computer differently than you normally would. I like having my taskbar visible at all times, it's what I'm used to. I like using cool wallpapers. With literally any other kind of display, I can do that without a second thought just like I've always done for as long as I've had a PC.

At this point I'm just gonna wait until microLED monitors are available and affordable. Unfortunately that seems like it's going to take a while. Hopefully by then 4K 120fps gaming will be easily achievable with a high-end GPU. A man can dream!

Click to shrink...

Then it's as simple as not using an OLED and living with the drawbacks of LCDs. That's totally fine. I actually like how OLED with a black background looks, since it blends perfectly with the bezel it looks like windows floating in a void. I rarely see my desktop in the first place with the way I use my computer so not having a background is not a big deal.

Micro-LED is unlikely to become a thing anytime soon due to the complexities of manufacturing those. Large TVs first, then maybe within the next 10 years we get display sized stuff. Until then maybe smaller OLEDs as well as LCDs with mini-LED backlights. The mini-LED stuff is now at massive premiums on desktop displays but hopefully gets cheaper over time as it improves HDR performance of LCDs a ton.