34" UW vs. Dual Setup

[mediumraresteak]

Hi, I have a budget of ~$1,000 for my monitor setup. I'm debating between the Dell AW 34" Ultrawide or a dual 27" monitor setup. I plan on using these for photo/video editing and gaming on the side. The allure of the AW 34" is its ability to reproduce color fairly accurately while offering a high refresh rate. On the other hand, I know there are better monitors for color reproduction. I'm not looking for a 144hz panel since just one monitor will already be in the same price range. Any suggestions on a dual monitor setup as opposed to the "best of both worlds" scenario in the AW 34"?


AW 34" Pros:
1 monitor setup
High refresh rate (120hz)
Fairly good color accuracy
Probably cheaper than a great 27" dual monitor setup


AW 34" Cons:
"Jack of all trades, master of none" - Could get 1 gaming monitor and 1 editing monitor instead
Not the best in color reproduction
Still lacking mass application support from games and software

 

[KarsusTG]

I don't know about photo editing, but for a production environment I have always found dual monitors easier to use than an ultrawide.

Also, you get more screen real estate for your money with dual monitors.

 

[cybereality]

I love ultrawide for gaming, but multi-monitor is probably nicer for work purposes.

 

[Ors]

Personal preference... I find a single 4k 31.5" 16:9 screen better for work and play than 2 24/27 inchers which are much too wide (and short if you go 24")... Also would opt for 4k 31:5 16:9 vs 34 inch ultrawide. The ultrawide would need to be bigger to be a contender...

 

[GNUse_the_force]

Im not too keen on installing 3rd party applications to manage windows snapping. How does an ultrawide work when you can have 3 windows open at once but snapping typically only works in dual pane ? It seems to me that physically isolating work flows might work out better in some senses rather than constantly fiddling with window size and placement. For gaming, an ultrawide would surely be really good though.

Why not try for a slightly cheaper gaming Ultrawide and a 16:9 productivity monitor next to or above the ultrawide?

 

[Ors]

It seems to me that physically isolating work flows might work out better in some senses rather than constantly fiddling with window size and placement.

Might be for some, for me the bars and the ultra wideness and head turning that result with using 2 monitors (even only 24") is much worse. I use GridMove which is super basic, have it setup so I just have to press Alt+1/2/3 for the placements I use, no fiddling what so ever.
Also on the more equipped ultrawides and big screen monitors you have PbP support and can set up custom resolutions to be used. So you could actually make your ultrawide behave like 2 physically different monitors although this approach actually IS fiddly when you want to go back to it being 1 monitor.