34" Ultrawide isn't THAT amazing...

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Oct 27, 2014
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So I finally got a 34" ultrawide. I went for the one Newegg had that was refurbished and discounted through eBay. Just $239, but no freesync. Here are my thoughts.

  1. The resolution at 1080p is fine with me. Looks very clear compared to my 1080p 32" Samsung HDTV I was using.
  2. The ultrawide is pretty cool, but honestly not as exciting to use as people make it seem. It's just a borderless dual monitor setup. With dual monitors, you can snap windows to the center of each screen as well as the outside edge. On this, you have to manually slide windows around inside the screen to make them fit(you can snap them to the outside). Not sure if that is a help or actually a hindrance from a productivity standpoint. Possibly there are some better features in windows 10 as I am just digging into that.
  3. I keep wanting to pull the corners towards me because they feel far away, but you can't without making the other side worse. Having a curved screen would have avoided this, but I didn't know and it was twice the money.
  4. It also isn't as big as people make it out to be. I guess if you were using a single 22" monitor or similar it might feel that way, but coming from a 32" TV it feels a tad small. I was thinking that 38" might be better but I'm not spending $1000 on a monitor.
  5. People talk about how much more immersive gaming is but it didn't make me feel any more into the game than before. Playing CS GO, it was actually distracting due to trying to scan so much more screen and I would miss the people in front of me. Playing Crysis 2 wasn't any better than before. If anything, it's hard to get used to seeing more on the screen to process. Perhaps not being able to see more enemies is a help to focusing on what you are trying to do.

I've not used it for hours yet, but what I have used it for it has left me feeling it isn't really what I want. I might keep it or I might send it back. It isn't a terrible monitor, it just isn't exciting. If I send it back I might try a curved model. That might help with some of my issues, however, that'll be a while since I was pushing it right now to buy this at $240. I just bought an Oculus and RX 480 for over $800. My wife is giving me the stink eye for seeing more boxes show up.
 
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I've had a curved 34" UW for quite a while now. From your list, I think items 3 and 5 are different aspects (no pun intended) of the same problem. When you're on a curved screen, the edges seem to be the same distance as the center, so you don't have that effect. And that also will make gaming seem more "immersive" than a large, flat screen. It's a subtle effect, but it's noticeable.

Getting the full 3440x1440 is a big improvement over the 2560x1080 in terms of sharpness. Especially when you're looking at a larger 34" screen.

Monitors can be a pretty subjective topic...I think you stepped into the lowest end to make your judgement on the whole category of monitor though. Try a 3440x1440 curved screen first to compare before you make your final opinion.
 
  1. It also isn't as big as people make it out to be. I guess if you were using a single 22" monitor or similar it might feel that way, but coming from a 32" TV it feels a tad small. I was thinking that 38" might be better but I'm not spending $1000 on a monitor.
A 34" ultrawide is basically a 27" 16:9 with about 4 more inches of horizontal space added to both sides. A 32" 16:9 is 2.5" taller, but 3.5" narrower.
 
A 34" ultrawide is basically a 27" 16:9 with about 4 more inches of horizontal space added to both sides. A 32" 16:9 is 2.5" taller, but 3.5" narrower.
Right, but based on people's comments and reviews it was "AMAZAZING!" I guess they had much smaller screens before moving to it. I mean, it is a nice monitor. The picture is good, but without the sides being angled like I had with my dual monitors it feels weird like I'm having to work harder to see things.

I haven't tried a third person game yet, but FPS are not really that much better, if at all to me. I'll try it some more and see if I warm up to it.
 
Yep, I had a non-curved before my curved ultrawide, and before it felt like I was far away from the edge and now with the curved, I don't have that feeling.
 
Sorry no 4K @ 60hz for me.

The only 4K @ 144hz coming out this year is rumored to be $2000USD and its 27"! So no thanks.

I enjoy my Predator X34 for what it is, and love it. I also come from having a Dell U2711 since... well 2011? As well as an Asus VG248QE. Big difference in viewing space compared to my U2711, and games are really more immersive for me.
 
People talk about how much more immersive gaming is but it didn't make me feel any more into the game than before. Playing CS GO, it was actually distracting due to trying to scan so much more screen and I would miss the people in front of me. Playing Crysis 2 wasn't any better than before. If anything, it's hard to get used to seeing more on the screen to process. Perhaps not being able to see more enemies is a help to focusing on what you are trying to do.
To me it was an instant improvement in immersion and I wouldn't even think about going smaller. But I also don't play competitively. And I don't try to constantly scan the screen, the point is not to take it all in at once.

I agree it's not that great, though. I would play all first-person games in VR if it was supported.
 
I don't have and ultrawide but I'm hearing some of the same things I used to hear and see about triple monitor gameplay. Some people would sit further from the monitors to see the entirety of all three monitors in a narrow strip because they were more interested in attempting to get a scoring advantage from seeing all three at once focally rather than using a large part of each of the side monitors as peripheral for immersion. The other bad behavior is when people turn their actual heads to see the side monitors rather than moving their mouse-look/movement-keying their virtual viewpoint. To me this is completely against the goal of the immersion aesthetic. Perhaps it's a learning curve.

As someone already stated, a 34" 21:9 is the same height as a 27" monitor and rather than adding a lot of horizontal overall like some sidelong comparisons, it technically adds a bit to each side game world wise.
The big difference is that practicallly all 1st/3rd person games use HOR+ so any 16:9 compared to another 16:9 is going to have the exact same scene/frame and scene element sizes in relation to each other. A 21:9 is one of the only monitors that adds game world real estate rather than only desktop/app real-estate (outside of running wide aspect ratios on a larger 16:9).
4k_21x9_2560x-27in-and-30in_1080p_same-ppi.jpg


There are supposedly several other high hz, high resolution monitors due out on displayport 1.4 sometime this year or by year end.

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http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/high_refresh_rate.htm


TFTCentral - High Refresh Rate Panels and Displays - A Road-map and Round-up

Article Change Log - Update 20/10/16

  • Updated status of 34" IPS Ultra-wide panel with 3440 x 1440 res @ 144Hz. Planned production delayed from Q1 to Q3 2017.

  • Added new detail of planned 37.5" IPS panels with 3840 x 2160 @ 144Hz

  • Correction to panel part numbers for 24.5" TN Film panels at 240Hz

  • Updated mass production dates for 240Hz TN Film panels. 24.5" now in mass production from Oct, and 27" from Nov 2016.

  • Updated mass production date for 27" 240Hz TN Film panels, Oct/Nov 2016. Panel part numbers also updated

  • Update to 35" 3440 x 1440 VA panels from AUO. 100Hz versions mass production delayed from June/July to Sept 2016. 200Hz version no longer listed (now 100Hz).

  • Update panel part for AUO 31.5" VA panel with 2560 x 1440 @ 144Hz. Mass production expectation of January 2017.

TFT Central

So it looks like some 2560 x 1440 144hz VA but not 3440 x 1440 since they are still stuck on dp 1.2 for some reason.

edit: " The LTM340YP03 offers a 3440 x 1440 resolution and a 100Hz native refresh rate. It looks like that VA panel will first appear in the Samsung CF791 display although a firm release date is not yet known. no word on Samsung pushing these 3440 x 1440 beyond 100Hz yet from what we’ve seen, although we expect at some point they will develop a 144Hz version to rival what LG.Display are doing with their IPS panels in this space, but probably not until 2017."


Added new detail of planned 37.5" IPS panels with 3840 x 2160 @ 144Hz

Update panel part for AUO 31.5" VA panel with 2560 x 1440 @ 144Hz. Mass production expectation of January 2017.
-----------------------------------------------

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/news_archive/37.htm#asus_rog_swift_pg27uq

Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ - 4K, 144Hz, G-sync, Quantum Dot and HDR 1000nit , 384 zone backlight
 
I think UW's are overpriced trash. The amount of exaggeration when describing the experiences boggles my mind. Most people as you mentioned, come from 22 inch monitors and find the transition amazing.

My biggest issue with them is if you aren't utilizing multiple tiled browser windows, you're putting the format to waste. In this regard it seems like owners are doing just that to justify ownership by putting crap side by side even if there's no point to it. There were times I didn't need a 2nd window/app and had my browser centered wasting the 33% additional horizontal real estate.

I also don't understand the hype when gaming. It's OK but going back to a regular 27 inch is not jarring to me in any way.

I just wish these UW users would give 40 inch 4K monitors a try. Almost the same width but way more vertical space + you can run a custom resolution to achieve 3440x1440 in games if you're that desperate.

A 34 inch Gsync 100hz Ultrawide costs $200 less than what a 55 inch 4K OLED TV is going for now. I dunno about others but I find the pricing absurd. These things are worth $5-600 to me.

I don't think ultrawide is trash but definitely overpriced.

When I use my computer, I always use more than just one window/application. Ultrawide is nice to have two documents, web browser windows, or different projects up side by side. I don't think this abnormal by any means. Also, you don't say your desk is too big and that you need to downsize when you have 33% of the space open, it just leaves room for something else when you need it.

The key about the gaming thing has been mentioned. The only way games allow you to see more content on screen is by increasing the FOV and thus 21:9 shows more in game than 16:9. In games like CS:GO, League, (insert you fav. fps title here), etc., this is a competitive advantage whether or not you can/will utilize it. Just because you can't focus with it doesn't mean it is a disadvantage. Why not just block off the side windows in your car so you can actually focus on straight ahead driving (or remove the mirrors since extra info == distraction.)

I have tried more than 3 40" 4k monitors, and I still have my 34" X34. 16:9 and 60hz were both very jarring on this last trip into 40"4k coming off 21:9 100hz. I'm thinking that the 38" UW like the LG is a very appealing size to get but $$$$$ and no gsync/100hz+). Also, while I have used 40" 4k, I size my games to 21:9 to maintain the visual advantage. The extra bar of space can sometimes be a bit distracting but not too bad. The advantage is too good to miss. Right now the 40"4k space is plagued with problems and compromises where ultrawide is not.

I kind of touched the last statement, but, ultrawide is overprices no doubt, but a 55" TV really isn't the answer. No way I could go that big in my office environment and I bet many others would agree. 50"+ is just too large as a desktop monitor. It is hard to compare two totally different markets and differing technology (TV vs Monitor) since the product needs to be different and meet different expectations.

Right now I'm thinking I might just send this 40"4k to the office, put the X34 back up, and put a 27" 16:9 above it for some extra space and wait for the next few rounds of monitors to get sorted out.

Best of luck.
 
I'm not done with Ultrawide yet. As mentioned above I picked the bottom of the barrel, and I knew that going in. I was hoping it wouldn't be a problem, but I work with two 21" monitors on my job and they are angled. My previous setup at home consisted of a 32 " tv and 22" 16:10 monitor and they were angled. I can't stand the difference in sizes, but it was never meant to be a permanent solution. This Ultrawide was supposed to fix that, but now I know it isn't going to be what I really want, and it will cost me more later knowing I will keep looking(and spending).


I'm thinking a curved monitor is what I would prefer, and I might look at the 35" options when I look again. I'm thinking about waiting until I do a complete Ryzen build as I gave my Ivy Bridge system to the VR in the living room, and I"m rocking a 6 core W3670 (1366 gen) in a Dell T3500 and a 7850 1GB card. lol I would like to go to best buy and see what I can find there, but at this point I'm seriously considering a bigger 4k screen vs an Ultrawide. The curves would help the edges, but the games didn't feel better to me.

Newegg is awesome. It's technically through ebay, but when I messaged them to see what the restocking fee would be and if I had to pay return shipping (which would all play a part on if I even returned it), and they replied they will pay the shipping and not charge a restocking fee. Very nice.
 
I think UW's are overpriced trash. The amount of exaggeration when describing the experiences boggles my mind. Most people as you mentioned, come from 22 inch monitors and find the transition amazing.

My biggest issue with them is if you aren't utilizing multiple tiled browser windows, you're putting the format to waste. In this regard it seems like owners are doing just that to justify ownership by putting crap side by side even if there's no point to it. There were times I didn't need a 2nd window/app and had my browser centered wasting the 33% additional horizontal real estate.

I also don't understand the hype when gaming. It's OK but going back to a regular 27 inch is not jarring to me in any way.

I just wish these UW users would give 40 inch 4K monitors a try. Almost the same width but way more vertical space + you can run a custom resolution to achieve 3440x1440 in games if you're that desperate.

A 34 inch Gsync 100hz Ultrawide costs $200 less than what a 55 inch 4K OLED TV is going for now. I dunno about others but I find the pricing absurd. These things are worth $5-600 to me.
Call me when there is a 40"+ 4K monitor worth purchasing.
 
I would find it hard to focus on a monitor that big otherwise I would be all over it.
 
The big benefit of ultrawide to me is that it fills your peripheral vision better. Instead of seeing your bedroom wall for example, you see more game content. It's really as simple as that.

It's also great for gaming because the increased FOV will allow you to see enemies in your peripheral well before you would see them on 16:9.
 
I went from a Dell 3014 to a 2560x1080 34" ultrawide. I only kept it for a couple weeks and felt like you did that it was underwhelming. Mine was curved, and I didn't like the curve either. It was too curved. Using the mouse felt weird when trying to drag a video slider on youtube etc.

Gaming was good when the game supported it.

I felt the vertical space was very limited after coming from a the Dell 3014 with 1600 veritical pixels.

I thought productivity was terrible on the ultrawide. nothing is centered --- if you center your browser then you have one of several problems --- either the text is all to the left, the text is centered with great amounts of whitespace, or you snap the window to the left or right and end up turning your head to only look at one side of the screen -- at which point you might as well be using like a 22" monitor. I disliked the ultrawide most for that reason - daily, non-gaming use. Gaming was overall impressive though I thought.

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I too would like to try the 38" ultrawide, but not at the current pricepoint.

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Right now I'm using thee 32" Omen monitors in Eyefinity - it works great when the game FOV supports it, but probably most games don't so you end up getting stretching on the side displays to various degrees. When the FOV works - it's an amazing gaming experience. Also for productivity - three 32" monitors at a desk is ridiculous. They are 81" across - talk about turning your head. I really only use them for gaming - and turn off the outer two for daily productivity use. Two 32" monitors would be the max for me for productivity, unless you had a wrap around desk that let you turn easily and wrap the monitors around you.
 
I went from a Dell 3014 to a 2560x1080 34" ultrawide. I only kept it for a couple weeks and felt like you did that it was underwhelming. Mine was curved, and I didn't like the curve either. It was too curved. Using the mouse felt weird when trying to drag a video slider on youtube etc.

Gaming was good when the game supported it.

I felt the vertical space was very limited after coming from a the Dell 3014 with 1600 veritical pixels.

I think you jumped way too far down the scale. I went from a pair of 3014's to a single Dell 3440x1440. I did feel like I lost a bit of vertical space, but not nearly as much as the jump down to 1080.

There's a world of difference between a 34" 3440x1440 and a 34" 2560x1080...running that low of a resolution on that large of a monitor is a recipe for disappointment.
 
I went from a Dell 3014 to a 2560x1080 34" ultrawide. I only kept it for a couple weeks and felt like you did that it was underwhelming. Mine was curved, and I didn't like the curve either. It was too curved. Using the mouse felt weird when trying to drag a video slider on youtube etc..

I had the same issue when I was going through UW's recently before I finally kept the X34. Since I use my screen all day for work the tighter curves were annoying. Especially in excel. It is a factor everyone should consider when choosing a UW.

With regard to OP, I don't know if I would ever select a 1080p UW, especially at such a large screen size. I went from a 24" to a 27" (16:9) 1080p and hated it. The sharpness and pixels drove me nuts at that screen size. Running 1080p on a large UW panel while sitting only a few feet away is a terrible experience IMO and doesn't represent UW gaming. Its fine for work but not play.

Bandalo is right, 3440x1440 is a big improvement over 1080p. UW really needs the higher resolutions due to panel size.

Higher res, 3440x1440 or higher, UW's are definitely worth it for the price but that is just my opinion. Value is always subjective. At this point I would most likely never go back to 16:9 nor would I buy a monitor without Gsync or Freesync.

I would love to eventually see a 38 or 40" 4k w/ Gsync. UW or 16:9 it doesn't matter.
 
I think you jumped way too far down the scale. I went from a pair of 3014's to a single Dell 3440x1440. I did feel like I lost a bit of vertical space, but not nearly as much as the jump down to 1080.

There's a world of difference between a 34" 3440x1440 and a 34" 2560x1080...running that low of a resolution on that large of a monitor is a recipe for disappointment.

This, 3440x1440 is the sweet spot for that size.

With pc gaming I alternate with my x34(desk) and C6P(bed) Oled. Usually run 3840x1620 for games that support UW.
 
Sorry no 4K @ 60hz for me.

The only 4K @ 144hz coming out this year is rumored to be $2000USD and its 27"! So no thanks.

I enjoy my Predator X34 for what it is, and love it. I also come from having a Dell U2711 since... well 2011? As well as an Asus VG248QE. Big difference in viewing space compared to my U2711, and games are really more immersive for me.
Not a rumor, and Acer & Asus have confirmed $1200 for theirs. It'll drop quickly enough with time, to boot. 4k is too good to go backwards again to 2560 rez that I used from 2008 until 2014 when I first tried 4k.
 
Not a rumor, and Acer & Asus have confirmed $1200 for theirs. It'll drop quickly enough with time, to boot. 4k is too good to go backwards again to 2560 rez that I used from 2008 until 2014 when I first tried 4k.

Yeah, decent price for the specs. I'll wait until a larger monitor with the same specs come out at that price point, that'll probably be my next jump.
 
I currently have a Dell 2713HM - 27" 1440p. just got a 1080gtx ti, so Im thinking about upgrading displays. I was ready to spend more than I wanted to, on the new HP Omen 35, but then started reading about the Acer X34.

Im clear I want 21:9, UW, 1440p or >, G-Sync

seems like the X34 is mostly well received... would owners of the x34 concur? $200 difference is manageable... those are the 2 displays that meet my requirements to choose from.. basically, right?
 
I think a lot of this is the screen that you bought rather than the format.
I just switched from a 46" 1080p TV mounted on the wall my desk is against, to a 34" 1440p ultrawide a keyboard's distance away from the front of the desk.
From this position, the ultrawide fills more of my vision than the TV did, being 2ft closer, but is just as comfortable to use - if not more.
If it was lower resolution, or a flat screen, I would not be able to bring it in this close, which would make it smaller again.
I don't notice the curve at all in use, and actually prefer to have it.
I have to admit that while I've been pushing big 4K screens rather than ultrawides, I don't think that I could have a similar setup with one of those. I think they would end up too tall, and have to be pushed further back - making them appear smaller than this does.

I do agree about window management. I wish Windows 10 had the ability to do a three-way split - possibly with a wider center column rather than even - instead of only snapping to the left or right of the screen.
I'm sure there must be third-party programs which can do this.

My only wish is that it would do more than 100Hz.
100Hz alone is absolutely fine, but is awkward for video playback
120Hz would be better since that can handle 24 FPS and 60 FPS content.
Right now I need my player to switch between 60/90/96/100 Hz depending on the source framerate. (60/30/24/50)
Of course a G-Sync capable web browser / video player would be an even better solution to that problem.
Having a constant screen height for video is really nice. I greatly prefer the 21:9 setup for video where only the width changes than 16:9 displays where the height of the image shrinks so much with movies.

A 34 inch Gsync 100hz Ultrawide costs $200 less than what a 55 inch 4K OLED TV is going for now. I dunno about others but I find the pricing absurd. These things are worth $5-600 to me.
I think it's more that OLED prices are absurdly low in USA compared to everywhere else worldwide, while monitor prices remain relatively static instead of being heavily discounted.
This makes the ultrawides seem more expensive in that comparison, but only if you're in the US and only if you're not comparing it against other monitor prices; e.g. 27" IPS G-Sync monitors.
A 55B6 costs more than twice what the PG348Q does here. Not only $200 more.
And the main thing OLED has going for it is black level. They don't make good monitors or PC gaming displays.
 
I currently have a Dell 2713HM - 27" 1440p. just got a 1080gtx ti, so Im thinking about upgrading displays. I was ready to spend more than I wanted to, on the new HP Omen 35, but then started reading about the Acer X34.

Im clear I want 21:9, UW, 1440p or >, G-Sync

seems like the X34 is mostly well received... would owners of the x34 concur? $200 difference is manageable... those are the 2 displays that meet my requirements to choose from.. basically, right?

There is also the ASUS PG348Q and X34P (delayed till Q4). The PG348Q is the same panel as the X34 but has a better OSD. The frame/base and copper color was terrible in person. The X34P is suppose to have an updated IPS panel, OSD with thumbstick control, and tighter curve.

I love my X34 after going through several UW panels and including the PG348Q. Neither have/had the issues that were previously reported on X34/PG348Q including serious BLB, coil whine from the power brick, or not getting 100HZ. I got to play with a Omen X35 at an HP event and liked the screen but had some personal reasons to stick with the X34.

First the X35 has a tighter curve which would be annoying since I use my screen for work and play. Excel on the X35 was messing with my eyes due to the curve. I don't notice the curve on the X34.

The X35 uses a AMVA+ panel where the X34 runs an IPS. I personally like IPS more but its my preference. The newer AMVA panel on the X35 did make nice dark blacks but I still prefer the IPS even with the slight glow IPS produces.

My biggest complaint about the X34 is no source auto switching. It is just slightly annoying first thing in the morning to have to deal with two buttons to switch sources. The OSD blows but I haven't touched it since initial setup.

Either monitor would be an excellent choice. It would look at how much that extra 1" and $200 is worth it to you.

If you can find a local retailer with one or both to take a look at in person it might be a big help otherwise find a retailed that has a more lenient return policy.

I would recommend to take the UW screens off their factory bases. The bases are HUGE and take up a ton of room. I just picked up a simple VESA mount that bolts to my desk.
 
There is also the ASUS PG348Q and X34P (delayed till Q4). The PG348Q is the same panel as the X34 but has a better OSD. The frame/base and copper color was terrible in person. The X34P is suppose to have an updated IPS panel, OSD with thumbstick control, and tighter curve.

I love my X34 after going through several UW panels and including the PG348Q. Neither have/had the issues that were previously reported on X34/PG348Q including serious BLB, coil whine from the power brick, or not getting 100HZ. I got to play with a Omen X35 at an HP event and liked the screen but had some personal reasons to stick with the X34.

First the X35 has a tighter curve which would be annoying since I use my screen for work and play. Excel on the X35 was messing with my eyes due to the curve. I don't notice the curve on the X34.

The X35 uses a AMVA+ panel where the X34 runs an IPS. I personally like IPS more but its my preference. The newer AMVA panel on the X35 did make nice dark blacks but I still prefer the IPS even with the slight glow IPS produces.

My biggest complaint about the X34 is no source auto switching. It is just slightly annoying first thing in the morning to have to deal with two buttons to switch sources. The OSD blows but I haven't touched it since initial setup.

Either monitor would be an excellent choice. It would look at how much that extra 1" and $200 is worth it to you.

If you can find a local retailer with one or both to take a look at in person it might be a big help otherwise find a retailed that has a more lenient return policy.

I would recommend to take the UW screens off their factory bases. The bases are HUGE and take up a ton of room. I just picked up a simple VESA mount that bolts to my desk.
thank you for that great reply brother. funny. I just pulled the trigger this am, and went with ASUS PG348Q, that you mentioned, but I hadn't considered until this AM. Despite $100 more, I felt more comfortable with the Asus brand I guess. Its like Hyundai's.. they have come a long way, but, still unlikely to buy one, and Acer is kind of like that for me. Asus was more comfortable. Plus, IPS wasn't one of my listed requirements, but I do prefer IPS. stoked. should have this weekend
 
also, I wonder if this would work on my existing Dell 2713HM stand. I imagine so, vesa etc..
 
thank you for that great reply brother. funny. I just pulled the trigger this am, and went with ASUS PG348Q, that you mentioned, but I hadn't considered until this AM. Despite $100 more, I felt more comfortable with the Asus brand I guess. Its like Hyundai's.. they have come a long way, but, still unlikely to buy one, and Acer is kind of like that for me. Asus was more comfortable. Plus, IPS wasn't one of my listed requirements, but I do prefer IPS. stoked. should have this weekend

Congrats!

I was the same way, this is my first Acer after many ASUS panels. I like the ASUS except for the aesthetics which is why I went Acer. For all intents they are the same panel just different cases.
 
Congrats!

I was the same way, this is my first Acer after many ASUS panels. I like the ASUS except for the aesthetics which is why I went Acer. For all intents they are the same panel just different cases.
w00t! thx! hoping the egg gets this shipped today..I even pd the big $ for next day! heh
 
shipped! will have it tomorrow. w00t! in time for weekend of fun!

Good stuff! I had the ASUS as well. The frame looks way more premium than the Acer X34 IMO. Just the stand was a bit too large compared to the X34 so I swapped it.
 
Good stuff! I had the ASUS as well. The frame looks way more premium than the Acer X34 IMO. Just the stand was a bit too large compared to the X34 so I swapped it.
you did? awesome. so it was the base you weren't happy with, the aesthetics, and switched, but overall, you would still recommend the PB348Q overall then?
 
So I finally got a 34" ultrawide. I went for the one Newegg had that was refurbished and discounted through eBay. Just $239, but no freesync. Here are my thoughts.

  1. The resolution at 1080p is fine with me. Looks very clear compared to my 1080p 32" Samsung HDTV I was using.
  2. The ultrawide is pretty cool, but honestly not as exciting to use as people make it seem. It's just a borderless dual monitor setup. With dual monitors, you can snap windows to the center of each screen as well as the outside edge. On this, you have to manually slide windows around inside the screen to make them fit(you can snap them to the outside). Not sure if that is a help or actually a hindrance from a productivity standpoint. Possibly there are some better features in windows 10 as I am just digging into that.
  3. I keep wanting to pull the corners towards me because they feel far away, but you can't without making the other side worse. Having a curved screen would have avoided this, but I didn't know and it was twice the money.
  4. It also isn't as big as people make it out to be. I guess if you were using a single 22" monitor or similar it might feel that way, but coming from a 32" TV it feels a tad small. I was thinking that 38" might be better but I'm not spending $1000 on a monitor.
  5. People talk about how much more immersive gaming is but it didn't make me feel any more into the game than before. Playing CS GO, it was actually distracting due to trying to scan so much more screen and I would miss the people in front of me. Playing Crysis 2 wasn't any better than before. If anything, it's hard to get used to seeing more on the screen to process. Perhaps not being able to see more enemies is a help to focusing on what you are trying to do.

I've not used it for hours yet, but what I have used it for it has left me feeling it isn't really what I want. I might keep it or I might send it back. It isn't a terrible monitor, it just isn't exciting. If I send it back I might try a curved model. That might help with some of my issues, however, that'll be a while since I was pushing it right now to buy this at $240. I just bought an Oculus and RX 480 for over $800. My wife is giving me the stink eye for seeing more boxes show up.

I disagree with a lot of your saying but I can understand where you are coming from. The short version is: You are doing it wrong. Here is what I think:

1.) 1080P isn't a very high resolution. It never really has been. 1920x1200 and 2560x1600 existed prior to the proliferation of the garbage displays that have saturated the market for so long. A lot of the blame gets laid on the TV manufacturers for this "1080P Full HD" nonsense and rightly so. You were using a 32" 1080P TV which is your first problem. The 1080P TV's don't support 4:4:4 Chroma subsampling so you've been looking at an inferior display all this time. Not to mention the dot pitch at that resolution is shit. This is probably why you are fine with a 34" 1080P display. I would throw up if I had to look at that.
2.) Yes it is, but I still disagree with you. You can still snap windows right and left with a wide display. The reason this doesn't seem awesome to you is because you have jack shit for vertical space to deal with. So that ability is lost on your setup.
3.) This is one area where I not only agree with you, but agree with your reasoning. Unlike the rest of your post where I coincidentally agree with some of what you said, but disagree with your reasons.
4.) No it isn't. It's the lack of vertical real estate. It's the reason why I couldn't go with a 34" widescreen monitor after having a 48" Samsung 4K TV. I had to replace it because it started having issues.
5.) I don't get this at all. The first time I played on an Eyefinity setup with the ultra-wide field of vision I knew I liked it. At the AMD event I actually had a higher kill count on the Eyefinity display vs. the standard single monitor setups we alternated between. The reason for this is simple, I'd see something in my peripheral vision and they couldn't see me. I'd pop them in the head and move on. Not everyone has good peripheral vision and it seems like you are turning your head and missing what's in front of you. That's really not how you generally use something like that and gain an advantage from it. You want to just use it for peripheral vision and situational awareness. You do not want to shift your focus to the sides. You can do that somewhat in some games where you aren't in danger of being killed but outside of that it's a bad move.

You experienced an ultra-wide display in the worst way possible. You have no real vertical screen space, probably a crappy panel and you aren't using it properly. I know I'm probably coming off as a dick but I feel like if you had done this right with a 34" 3440x1440 display we'd be reading a very different post.

I've had a curved 34" UW for quite a while now. From your list, I think items 3 and 5 are different aspects (no pun intended) of the same problem. When you're on a curved screen, the edges seem to be the same distance as the center, so you don't have that effect. And that also will make gaming seem more "immersive" than a large, flat screen. It's a subtle effect, but it's noticeable.

Getting the full 3440x1440 is a big improvement over the 2560x1080 in terms of sharpness. Especially when you're looking at a larger 34" screen.

Monitors can be a pretty subjective topic...I think you stepped into the lowest end to make your judgement on the whole category of monitor though. Try a 3440x1440 curved screen first to compare before you make your final opinion.

Agreed all around.
 
you did? awesome. so it was the base you weren't happy with, the aesthetics, and switched, but overall, you would still recommend the PB348Q overall then?

Yeah, the joystick nub for OSD controls are far superior on the ASUS. The monitor frame just looks nicer than the Acer X34 overall. But I prefer the X34 stand more. I do intend to get a monitor arm some day, but not right now.. so I went with the X34.
 
Yeah, the joystick nub for OSD controls are far superior on the ASUS. The monitor frame just looks nicer than the Acer X34 overall. But I prefer the X34 stand more. I do intend to get a monitor arm some day, but not right now.. so I went with the X34.

I was looking at the Asus for a while. I couldn't get over the backlight bleed though. The Acer I ended up with still has a little bit it's par for the course on ips.
 
well, so far, Im ecstatic! mind blown even. heh. as I rarely if ever look at black screens, the alleged BLB isn't an issue for me. especially after checking cal settings on TFTCentral. brightness down to 35, from factory 100.
 
I use ultra-wide 34 inch curved Samsung and it is not that amazing. It is OK. As mentioned above if you sit in the center of the monitor the it is a real problem to center a app window. It is either left or right. You get used to it but it is a headache.
 
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I use ultra-wide 32 inch curved Samsung and it is not that amazing. It is OK. As mentioned above if you sit in the center of the monitor the it is a real problem to center a app window. It is either left or right. You get used to it but it is a headache.

Anyone look into that new sweet aoc 35" UW? I'm considering going with that.
 
So I finally got a 34" ultrawide. I went for the one Newegg had that was refurbished and discounted through eBay. Just $239, but no freesync. Here are my thoughts.

  1. The resolution at 1080p is fine with me. Looks very clear compared to my 1080p 32" Samsung HDTV I was using.
  2. The ultrawide is pretty cool, but honestly not as exciting to use as people make it seem. It's just a borderless dual monitor setup. With dual monitors, you can snap windows to the center of each screen as well as the outside edge. On this, you have to manually slide windows around inside the screen to make them fit(you can snap them to the outside). Not sure if that is a help or actually a hindrance from a productivity standpoint. Possibly there are some better features in windows 10 as I am just digging into that.
  3. I keep wanting to pull the corners towards me because they feel far away, but you can't without making the other side worse. Having a curved screen would have avoided this, but I didn't know and it was twice the money.
  4. It also isn't as big as people make it out to be. I guess if you were using a single 22" monitor or similar it might feel that way, but coming from a 32" TV it feels a tad small. I was thinking that 38" might be better but I'm not spending $1000 on a monitor.
  5. People talk about how much more immersive gaming is but it didn't make me feel any more into the game than before. Playing CS GO, it was actually distracting due to trying to scan so much more screen and I would miss the people in front of me. Playing Crysis 2 wasn't any better than before. If anything, it's hard to get used to seeing more on the screen to process. Perhaps not being able to see more enemies is a help to focusing on what you are trying to do.

I've not used it for hours yet, but what I have used it for it has left me feeling it isn't really what I want. I might keep it or I might send it back. It isn't a terrible monitor, it just isn't exciting. If I send it back I might try a curved model. That might help with some of my issues, however, that'll be a while since I was pushing it right now to buy this at $240. I just bought an Oculus and RX 480 for over $800. My wife is giving me the stink eye for seeing more boxes show up.

You cheaped out. Here it's very much a case of "you get what you pay for" -- that resolution on a panel that size looks like shit and isn't going to offer the substantial step up in clarity moving from something like a 24" or 26" 1080P screen to a 34" 21:9 3440x1440 would. Also, as you realized, having some curve is beneficial with 21:9, both to increase immersion and to help avoid or reduce issues related to LCD display tech, like VA gamma shift and/or IPS glow. Higher end examples of 21:9 panels also tend to be factory color calibrated, which can make a huge difference even with gaming, particularly for someone coming from a smaller lower end display. It likely would've made a big difference for you as well; as Dan said, above, your previous 1080P TV display probably wasn't showing a full chroma (4:4:4 or RGB) image, so you were losing a ton of color information. The switch would've been much more striking if you went from 4:2:0 1080P to 4:4:4 properly calibrated 3440x1440.

As a 32" 1080P TV gamer, your next logical step was a 40" 4K TV.
 
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I went from having 3x 24" Asus 1080P monitors on a triple monitor stand to a single 34" Dell UW @ 3440x1440. I use it for gaming mainly. While it's not a stellar performer for gaming (no G-Sync and only 60hz), I do GREATLY prefer it over the triple monitor setup. Here's why.

1. Takes up less space on my desk. Having 3 monitors span most of my desk in width, to just one monitor that covers half of the main part of my desk is a huge difference. I don't feel as crowded, but still have the immersion.
2. 3440x1440 is a nice, high resolution that allows games to look great.
3. The quality of the Dell UW is outstanding. I wish they had a gaming version. However, the only companies with gaming UW's are Asus, Acer, HP and some off brands.
 
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