# Upgrade to Multi-Monitor Setup, which monitors?



## AphexDreamer (Jan 15, 2015)

I'm looking to upgrade my monitor setup. I just got a R9 290 and I since I haven't bought a display since 2009 I really don't know what are the trend setters, whats good and what the experience is even like. 

I've never played on a 3 monitor setup but I've always wanted to. Would it be better to just get one large resolution monitor? I really whant to hit 4K res. 

Now finally which monitor or monitors should I get? Are IPS still the best? Are their better? I'd say I have a budget of around $500.


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Jan 15, 2015)

You def still want to stick with IPS. I just bought me two of these and I am in love with them. I really want to get a third because dual screen gaming blows 

The screens are glossy so if youre not into that (i am because it makes the colors richer imo) you might want to look into something else.

Contrast ratio also means dick so dont pay attention to that. Everyone uses their own measurements so you cant really go by it. It's more marketing than anything.


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## AphexDreamer (Jan 15, 2015)

CrAsHnBuRnXp said:


> You def still want to stick with IPS. I just bought me two of these and I am in love with them. I really want to get a third because dual screen gaming blows
> 
> The screens are glossy so if youre not into that (i am because it makes the colors richer imo) you might want to look into something else.
> 
> Contrast ratio also means dick so dont pay attention to that. Everyone uses their own measurements so you cant really go by it. It's more marketing than anything.



I take it, its thin bezel will make it good for a Multi-Monitor Setup? I'd definitely get three.


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Jan 15, 2015)

AphexDreamer said:


> I take it, its thin bezel will make it good for a Multi-Monitor Setup? I'd definitely get three.


Id personally say so yeah. I have a lot of room behind the monitors. My issue is desk space. They are not VESA mountable.

EDIT: also worth noting is that it does NOT have HDMI.

Edit 2: This monitor (not sure if you want to look at it as an upgrade or a downgrade to the one i originally linked as it does have HDMI on it, but it is NOT an IPS monitor. When I ordered these from best buy using in store pickup i didnt check the boxes before I left and they gave me this version and it looked like dog shit. did some digging only to find it was GTG and not IPS and I could really tell the difference in colors.


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## AphexDreamer (Jan 15, 2015)

How about three of these? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236335

Are their no bezel monitors? I can't seem to find any. Or is 1cm bezel as good as they get?


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Jan 15, 2015)

That seems like a good option too. I considered those as well. What made me go the dell ones was my dad had one and i loved it. 

1cm might be as good as it gets.


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## GeForce Junky (Jan 16, 2015)

I use 3x LG 27" 1080p IPS screens for surround. They are vesa mount so fit a monitor frame easily, thin bezel so I can run them at 5840x1080 with bezel comp, great colours but only 60hz. They look great bolted to my racing seat setup, BUT, they look pretty bad for normal desktop use because the pixel density on 27" 1080p is rubbish. 27" 1440p monitors are much better, but they are more expensive and you need a fair bit more GPU power. 24" 1080p monitors are much more budget friendly and have better pixel density. 

Something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA24G1GC2558 is probably a good budget option as the bezels are pretty small and very unobtrusive. Annoyingly the bezels are flat with the monitor (great) but the little strip along the base sticks out a bit so they don't quite fit so snugly together.


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## XSI (Jan 16, 2015)

how about 1 wide screen 29"-34" there are cheaper 2560x1080 or more expensive 3440x1440 variants. you get no bezel  pretty wide field of view
something like that:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005700. 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005701
plus you will need less GPU power for 3440x1440 compare to 4k skreen.


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## AphexDreamer (Jan 16, 2015)

I am also considering perhaps doing one screen. But I do like the productivity of multiple screen. I'm just weary about the bezel for gaming on 3. I currently use 2 mismatched monitors and it really helps with work. Plus if I want 4K the single solution is quite expensive even for just slightly less, I'm not sure I want fork 800. I'd consider the 500 thought. Is gaming on 4K that much better of an experience or would settleing for resolution above 1080p but less than 4K still be just as grand of an experience in games? 

I'm going to be going to best buy soon then maybe frys to personal eye test a few monitors to get an idea. Then maybe I'll be making purchases from there.


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Jan 16, 2015)

The problem gaming on 4k is that you need the hardware to support it and it will usually come down to a kick ass CPU with dual GPU's if you want medium to high settings with like 2-4x AA. Id say in about 5-10 years 4k gaming will be standard.


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## AphexDreamer (Jan 16, 2015)

CrAsHnBuRnXp said:


> The problem gaming on 4k is that you need the hardware to support it and it will usually come down to a kick ass CPU with dual GPU's if you want medium to high settings with like 2-4x AA. Id say in about 5-10 years 4k gaming will be standard.



I suppose a R9 290 and FX8320 @ 4.4Ghz won't cut it? How about two 290's?


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## Nosada (Jan 16, 2015)

I'd suggest staying single monitor and going to a decent sized 4K-60 IPS panel;

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/philips_bdm4065uc.htm

Keep in mind that AA has less use on a high-dpi panel and wont be necessary in all cases.


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Jan 16, 2015)

Nosada said:


> I'd suggest staying single monitor and going to a decent sized 4K-60 IPS panel;
> 
> http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/philips_bdm4065uc.htm
> 
> Keep in mind that AA has less use on a high-dpi panel and wont be necessary in all cases.


Which is why i suggested 2-4x AA because anything higher than that isnt visible to the naked eye.


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## AphexDreamer (Jan 16, 2015)

Nosada said:


> I'd suggest staying single monitor and going to a decent sized 4K-60 IPS panel;
> 
> http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/philips_bdm4065uc.htm
> 
> Keep in mind that AA has less use on a high-dpi panel and wont be necessary in all cases.



For a desk with only about 3-4 ft distance from screen? I don't think that size of a screen would be wise from that distance.


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Jan 16, 2015)

I was watching Linus Tech Tips yesterday and he was talking about this monitor and he highly recommends it. Its 4k and about $600


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## Nosada (Jan 16, 2015)

CrAsHnBuRnXp said:


> Which is why i suggested 2-4x AA because anything higher than that isnt visible to the naked eye.


I agree, and 2-4AA is frequently without performance penalty on newer cards.



AphexDreamer said:


> For a desk with only about 3-4 ft distance from screen? I don't think that size of a screen would be wise from that distance.


I have used this very screen for a couple of hours a few times (belongs to client) and I can assure you adapting to it takes about 5 minutes. After that, it's just pure bliss as you have SO much usable space just snapping programs to the side just doesn't do it justice. I can have 6 different programs tiled on there and still have each and every one of them completely usable. I can only suggest that you try a similar setup when you get the chance, I can imagine it wont be to everyone's liking, but as a multi-tasker or gamer, I would be surprised if you didn't fall in love with it immediately.

My next tax return WILL be going to a monitor such as this one, or whatever better comes along in the mean time.


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## AphexDreamer (Jan 16, 2015)

Nosada said:


> I agree, and 2-4AA is frequently without performance penalty on newer cards.
> 
> 
> I have used this very screen for a couple of hours a few times (belongs to client) and I can assure you adapting to it takes about 5 minutes. After that, it's just pure bliss as you have SO much usable space just snapping programs to the side just doesn't do it justice. I can have 6 different programs tiled on there and still have each and every one of them completely usable. I can only suggest that you try a similar setup when you get the chance, I can imagine it wont be to everyone's liking, but as a multi-tasker or gamer, I would be surprised if you didn't fall in love with it immediately.
> ...



Yeah I should really test some things out. Best way I can do that is in store I figure.


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Jan 16, 2015)

AphexDreamer said:


> I suppose a R9 290 and FX8320 @ 4.4Ghz won't cut it? How about two 290's?


It all depends. Two GTX 770's in SLi is viable. It's all dependant on what sort of settings youre willing to have.


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## AphexDreamer (Jan 16, 2015)

So ended up getting this! Its not an IPS but.. 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236399

Tell me what yall think! About to give it a try!


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## AphexDreamer (Jan 17, 2015)

I actually returned it because it had a 30 Frame Limit on all games, was causing games to be quite choppy and they weren't fluid at all. 

So glad to be back to my 1920x1080. Still dont' know what to upgrade too now.


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## xvi (Jan 17, 2015)

Crossover 290M. 










LG has a similar 34" 1440p option too, but your R9 290 might not like it.


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## AphexDreamer (Jan 18, 2015)

Ok so now I'm trying out http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236294.

So far it looks and works great maxed out. Only thing that got me was tftcentral reports it uses PWM. I'm a bit sensitive to strobing lights and I'm wondering if this will effect me at all.

So it has a stuck or dead pixel? I see green pixel on black background. 

Any known fix or should I return it?


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## GeForce Junky (Jan 19, 2015)

Go triple monitor, it's the way forward. I was trying to play Arma 3 last night, trying to work out if it was a problem with my PC or a server issue as the game was only running at 45fps, so I went back to a single 27" monitor and no sli (was a server issue, still 45fps) and the game felt so rubbish. Once you have got used to the 170 degree surround environment it really sucks going back to just being able to see what is in front of you. The bezels are not a problem, you are not really looking at the side screens, they are more peripheral vision, you notice everything going on around you without looking, you know when someone approaches you from the side even though you are concentrating on the main screen. Driving games are so much better because the side screens are mostly sideways, so you see everything rushing past, rather then just what is ahead.

Do it, its amazing. I would try to get monitors that have minimal bezel, not so much for the size, but so they fit nicely together. The monitors with seamless bezels (really small plastic edge, but 8mm of non-screen area you can't see till you turn it on) work really well for this.


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