Acer Predator x34 or wait for 4k?

[v6maro]

Hey guys, I have a dell 30" and I love it, but I've been eyeing the acer predator x34 - I realize I'll lose some vertical real-estate by switching to it but I'll also gain hz and a very wide screen - I play a lot of cs:go.

So the question is, should I upgrade to this now or wait for a comparable 4k screen ?

 

[StryderxX]

Gaming at 4K requires a ton of GPU horsepower. I own an X34 and love it so IMO I say get one but buy it locally if possible in case you get one with issues (heavy BLB or panel defects).

 

[Bandalo]

I went from a pair of 30" Dell's to a Dell 3415UW, and I love it. Takes up less space on the desk, and the gaming feels more immersive with the 21:9, even with the reduction in height. I kinda wish I'd waited for the Acer to come out for the G-Sync and higher refresh rates, but I'm still happy with my choice.

 

[v6maro]

Gaming at 4K requires a ton of GPU horsepower. I own an X34 and love it so IMO I say get one but buy it locally if possible in case you get one with issues (heavy BLB or panel defects).

hmmm, i bought from newegg - do they handle returns on defective panels well or would I be better off going to microcenter locally?

 

[StryderxX]

hmmm, i bought from newegg - do they handle returns on defective panels well or would I be better off going to microcenter locally?

Newegg returns aren't bad but the box for the x34 is HUGE!!! Shipping something that big back to them might be a hassle for some. I got mine from Best Buy so if it craps out I just have to drive it over.

 

[pwrusr]

I recently bought a X34 from Microcenter...

The cool features...
-Cool under glow lighting makes typing in low light very easy. It also looks COOL!
-stand looks great and is SOLID
-G-sync is epic good if the GPU can drive a game at the full 100hz.
-Microcenter is currently running a sale for Acer. buy a Acer laptop get any Acer display for 10% off. (good for back to school folks who need a laptop)

Downsides?
back light bleed on the left side of the display is pretty noticeable (and a deal breaker)
Color accuracy doesn't seem to be as good as my old monitor (dell u2713hm)
Price is IMHO just too much.

Also gaming with this thing NEEDS at least a single 980ti. SLI is preferred. A newer 1080GTX would be better. SLI pair of 1080s would be the best way to game with this if you want to take advantage of the full 100hz this panel can offer.

TLDR?
-If your a gamer and want wide screen and also a bit of a power user & mutitasker go for it.
-If you don't game often then skip it and wait for the price to come down on similar displays.

I took mine back because at the price of admission it simply wasn't worth it to me. Panel didn't wow me as much as I thought it would. If it was $800 I think it would be a keeper. At $1200 it is just a bit too much considering the defects with back light bleed.

 

[mrjones]

Cant one just do 3440x1440p on a 4k monitor? (black bars of course)

 

[pwrusr]

Cant one just do 3440x1440p on a 4k monitor? (black bars of course)

The main issue is many 4k monitors are too small to fully use the resolution... IMHO you need to have a 40-50" screen size to keep windows scaling at 100%.
To go into detail on why such a large size of screen is needed:
standard sized 1080 rez monitors are around 22 or 24 inches.
To properly quadruple the resolution you need to double the screen size. You're basically putting 4 of those 1080 screens together to make a 4k display.

 

[tangoseal]

How many games support ultra wide resoltuons? I looked at one at Microcenter and was thinking to pair it up with my 980ti and Gsync would be absolutely sweetness!

 

[skypine27]

How many games support ultra wide resoltuons? I looked at one at Microcenter and was thinking to pair it up with my 980ti and Gsync would be absolutely sweetness!

A lot.

There are some odd exceptions I've encountered though. Recent examples off the top of my head include homeWorld deserts of karath (sp) and fallout 4. Many that don't support 3440 X 1440 can be solved with Google and editing a few .ini files with notepad (both the above titles can be "fixed this way).

Some simply can't be fixed by any method, an example of this is the side scroller This War Of Mine. With these titles you have to set 2560x1440 and play with black bars on each side of the screen. This doesn't effect visual quality however.

Side note. 3440x1440 is approx 70% of the pixels as full 4K and thus requires approx 70% of the GPU muscle to push it. Saying you expect to get 100fps at 3440x1440 is about the same as saying you expect to get 70fps at full 4K.

A single 980Ti is not going to get you 100fps in many titles at 3440x 1440 with the details on high/ultra. I'm using 2 X Titan Xs in SLI under waterblocks and overclocked and even I only get 80Fps in some high end titles with the graphics on high/ultra. But the g_sync still keeps it looking smooth !

Dont take that the wrong way, I'm not saying you won't have a great gaming experience with a single 980Ti and an X34. Just don't get mad when you see the frame rate counter hovering around 60-70fps a lot until you turn the details down.

 

[kasakka]

The main issue is many 4k monitors are too small to fully use the resolution... IMHO you need to have a 40-50" screen size to keep windows scaling at 100%.
To go into detail on why such a large size of screen is needed:
standard sized 1080 rez monitors are around 22 or 24 inches.
To properly quadruple the resolution you need to double the screen size. You're basically putting 4 of those 1080 screens together to make a 4k display.

Using scaling is fine for 4K. While it's not perfect in all apps, it does make text a lot more pleasant to read. A 40-50" computer monitory would be annoying to use unless you can put it a lot further back compared to a regular display.

Of course you can go 3440x1440 on a 4K display but it won't be the same as actual ultrawide displays due to the different aspect ratio of the panel unless you can get a 4K display that is over 30" so it is big enough to match the ultrawides in size.

To me the main benefit of 4K is the increased resolution. Not only for games but for generally reading stuff on the desktop.