38" UW-QHD+ (3840 x 1600) vs 32" 4K? Which would you choose?

[insoc123]

Hello. I'm debating between these two options for regular PC use (MS-Word, mail, internet browsing) and gaming. I have a a 8700K rig with 2 GTX 1080Ti.
My two options are a 32" Acer 4K with GSync vs the 38" Acer HDR with no Gsync.
Given these two options which would you use for the best gaming experience and general uses? I love the height a 32" monitor provides and playing at full 4K should be quite an experience but, on the other hand, I'm thinking the 38" can provide me similar height and a more immersive gaming experience?
Thank you very much for your suggestions!

 

[dvsman]

Since you said gaming, the 38. The 4K isn't worth the horsepower it would take to drive it, especially since dual cards in gaming are losing support by the day.

 

[Spun Ducky]

I would say 4k as general productivity use. I adjust the ratio on mine to mimic a 38" 3840x1600 ultra wide at times if I don't need the full screen. If I do the need the full screen for multitasking it has more room. Gaming wise I would agree the 38" will be a better experience in a lot of games. Some games don't support the ultra wide setup very well though. The 4k on the other hand can also scale down to 1080p for demanding games where SLI/Crossfire fails. If the prices were similiar I would go 38" but with current 4k monitor like tvs being much cheaper I chose 4k.

The best of both worlds would be to have both to cover all situations but as a more general purpose tool the nod goes to large format 4k. If you truly plan to use games mainly the 38" would win out. If you do other things like media, productivity,etc the 4k wins.

 

[dvsman]

If the games you are playing support SLI and both of your Ti's can can drive the 4K fast, I would say 4k generally is okay ... but given your conditions - I just disagree with using 4K on a small monitor like a 32" - primarily because windows scaling everywhere outside of gaming is so crappy.

 

[insoc123]

Thank you all for your responses. Spun Ducky solution to temporarily convert the 32" 4K into a 3840x1600 for gaming sound like quite a good idea. While gaming at 38" sure sounds very tempting, with 4K I think there won't be no pixelation at all and everything would look crystal clear; but, what is essential to me it's to get out of those two options, the one that wouldn't give me any neck restrain.

 

[Balthazar2k4]

Funny that you ask this question as I was faced with the same query. I bought an Acer 38” and LG 32” 4K monitor late last week and compared the two over the weekend. While the 38 has a real wow factor and really helps with immersion, the 32 was the better overall choice for me since I do productivity and gaming. My 1080ti does a decent job running games at 4K so I found it be an acceptable compromise. I sent the 38 back today.

 

[insoc123]

Funny that you ask this question as I was faced with the same query. I bought an Acer 38” and LG 32” 4K monitor late last week and compared the two over the weekend. While the 38 has a real wow factor and really helps with immersion, the 32 was the better overall choice for me since I do productivity and gaming. My 1080ti does a decent job running games at 4K so I found it be an acceptable compromise. I sent the 38 back today.

That's good to know! I just ordered the 32" 4K Acer model. I hope that since it's got G-Sync games at 4K should run smoother with my GTX 1080Ti. I think I will have to disable one of my GTX 1080Ti cards because when I run them on SLI, 10 minutes after playing a BSOD appears. I think it's because my PC can't handle such heat. That's what I get for not buying the FE versions...

 

[Balthazar2k4]

That's good to know! I just ordered the 32" 4K Acer model. I hope that since it's got G-Sync games at 4K should run smoother with my GTX 1080Ti. I think I will have to disable one of my GTX 1080Ti cards because when I run them on SLI, 10 minutes after playing a BSOD appears. I think it's because my PC can't handle such heat. That's what I get for not buying the FE versions...

Are they based on the stock FE design just with different coolers? If so, I threw an EVGA liquid cooler on mine and it never gets above 57C heavily overclocked at max utilization.