Tripple monitors V Ultra Widescreen

[nastymatt]

Well I was just about to pull the trigger on a new gpu and 3 screens when I saw this:
AOC u3477Pqu @ £499 inc vat.

Obviously 3x 24inch is going to be bigger but is one monster 34 inch UW going to be less hassle??

Purely for gaming.

 

[DownTheSky]

An UW it's kinda pointless for gaming. It's not big enough to fill your peripheral vision so the improvement from a normal monitor won't be that big. It's good for productivity though, since you have enough space to work on 2 windows at once.

For racing / flight sims, 3 monitors is the way to go.

 

[lavaheadache]

I had 3x30s for a bit. The setup was definitely incredible but I definitely prefer using my 34um95. It much easier on gpu requirements and gives you more than enough viewable area to keep your eyes busy.

 

[Deders]

I love my ultrawide and it's only 2560x1080, much more immersive than 1080p and without the bezels of a triple monitor setup which I can't seem to block out.

That being said it depends on what games you play, like Downthesky says I can imagine that 3 monitors would be better for flight sims etc.

The 34 inchers are going to be even more immersive, but you might want to compare the actual visual quality of the monitors, things like Input Lag, contrast ratio I read a recent review of the LG in PC Format and they found that the input lag was noticeable by some but not others, and they felt that even though it was supposed to be native 8 bit with 10 bit dithering, it felt like 6-bit. At least at default settings. They were reviewing the Asus PG279Q ROG Swift at the same time so that may factor into their impressions.

I can only imagine the cheaper AOC to be even less focussed on these things that gamers find desirable, it's probably more designed for a workplace. It would be worth checking out a few comparisons first to see if it suits your needs.

 

[KingFatty]

How do older games perform on the ultra-wide displays? I like the safety-net of triple-screen, because if an older game is fussy, you just run it on a single display. I assume the ultra-wide displays can use black-bars on the left and right to simulate a 1920x1080 standard display without distorting an old game that can only run at 1080p? Same with the really older games that do 4:3 in DOS mode?

 

[lavaheadache]

My 34 allows for 2560x1440 with "black bars" equivalent to a 27 16:9 in res and size

 

[nastymatt]

mmmm... decisions decisions..

I am not too concerned over bezels as I was expecting them and I think thin bezel monitors properly positioned with correction on it will be fine. I do understand a single screen would be easier on the gpu...

Wish there was somewhere I could try both!!!

 

[omeds]

I prefer 21:9 over triple displays.

 

[exar333]

I had 3x30s for a bit. The setup was definitely incredible but I definitely prefer using my 34um95. It much easier on gpu requirements and gives you more than enough viewable area to keep your eyes busy.

Same. Came from 3x24'' setup and love my 34um95.

 

[nastymatt]

@exar333 - do you not find it has less peripheral vision? looking at youtube demos of games in 34 UW v 3x 24"s it doesn't show as much... or does that not really make much diff as the 34 is so wide?

 

[exar333]

@exar333 - do you not find it has less peripheral vision? looking at youtube demos of games in 34 UW v 3x 24"s it doesn't show as much... or does that not really make much diff as the 34 is so wide?

It actually feels about the same, honestly. The lack of the bezels makes a HUGE difference on RTS and FPS titles. The other thing I like better is having one large, wide monitor for both media and work. I find it more useful to have a single, large workspace rather than 3 separate ones. There is a little less pixels, but the pixels it provides are more flexible IMHO.

Just loading-up Skyrim to look at the resolution made me start playing again. It's amazing. Similarly, I can comfortably have 2 websites side-by-side or a website + windows/applications up at the same time. Its great.

 

[Skott]

I prefer 21:9 over triple displays.

I enjoy my LG 34UM95. Cheaper than 4k. Nice alternative to triple screens.