Need help choosing a new monitor.

[adulaamin]

Hi! I pulled the trigger and got myself a Gigabyte Aorus 1080 TI 11G (The wife didn't get angry and just said "OK". HA!!! ) and I'm now looking at a monitor to go with it. I won't be buying until 1 1/2 months from now but I'd like to gather as much info as I possibly can before I purchase. I was dead set on buying an Acer Predator XB271HU monitor but now I'm intrigued with curved 3440x1440 ultrawide monitors. I was looking at the Asus PG348Q and the Acer Predator X34. Are curved monitors any good/worth it or should I save the money and go for a higher refresh 2560x1440 monitor or maybe buy a 4k one? I mainly play racing, rts, and fps games. I'm currently in Australia but I'll be going back home to the Philippines in 2 months. I can make the purchase here or back home. Any suggestions/alternatives/experience feedback would really help. Thanks!

 

[droopyRO]

I would stick to 16:9, 21:9 monitors are nice if they are big, but not all games and multimedia content have support for 21:9 and you get to play with vertical black bars. Youtube has this problem too in full screen.

 

[Ferrum Master]

I am trying to find more info on AOC AGON AG352UCG, it still has flaws thou...

 

[yesyesloud]

I'd go for anything g-sync however happy I am with the gpu-native fast sync.

1080ti is just ok for 4K-ish. I'd say it's more of a 1440p card if you're an ultra-only gamer. TCGR Wildlands looks really different in ultra for instance but it doesn't get a solid 60fps on the so grand 1080ti, and I play it in 1080p.

Crazy folks will tell you this card does better in higher resolutions. Well, it's just not true in my experience. I played several titles and not a single one had the 1080ti yield higher FPS in higher resolutions (than 1080p) via DSR.

 

[adulaamin]

I would stick to 16:9, 21:9 monitors are nice if they are big, but not all games and multimedia content have support for 21:9 and you get to play with vertical black bars. Youtube has this problem too in full screen.

I think I can live with the vertical bars if the content doesn't support 21:9. I was thinking though that a wider screen would be good for racing/fps games?

I am trying to find more info on AOC AGON AG352UCG, it still has flaws thou...

I've read some feedbacks regarding back light bleed as well on the monitors but I felt inclined to go for the XB271HU after reading the TPU review.

I'd go for anything g-sync however happy I am with the gpu-native fast sync.

1080ti is just ok for 4K-ish. I'd say it's more of a 1440p card if you're an ultra-only gamer. TCGR Wildlands looks really different in ultra for instance but it doesn't get a solid 60fps on the so grand 1080ti, and I play it in 1080p.

Crazy folks will tell you this card does better in higher resolutions. Well, it's just not true in my experience. I played several titles and not a single one had the 1080ti yield higher FPS in higher resolutions (than 1080p) via DSR.

I'm not an ultra gamer. I only play when I have time which I will in a couple months. I haven't been playing anything but SC2 and Civ VI on the laptop I have now and that's only for like a 2-4 hours max a week. I've been really busy with work for the past year or so I thought why not give myself a break and scratch that upgrade itch. I do like playing games with as much eye candy though so maybe a 2560x1440 might work best for me. Now that I think about it, I might hold off on buying until I go back to the Philippines and look for a shop where I can try out different monitors and screen sizes, if there is one.

 

[psyko12]

Hey there kabayan!

We do have local shops here that carry most of the models you mentioned, altho they are a bit pricy* (g-sync ones tho).

I too have been trying to look for a good 1440p monitor, good meaning non budget ripping ones.

There are places here where you can see the monitors like the ASUS offerings or Acer ones. (There's a ROG shop in SM North Edsa, w/c they have some high res/mhz monitors on display).

Also there are some local online sellers (w/c have branches nationwide) that carry those brands as well but not that they have it on stock, it'd be pre-order or per order basis.

 

[Sasqui]

@adulaamin , see the monitor in my specs. I could not be happier with it, coming from a 24" Dell 2405FPW (1920x1200) Worth considering if you can find it. It was a lot smoother with Vega 64 and FreeSync on, but no slouch with a GTX 1070 Ti. I did find that turning on VSync with the GTX made movement studder pretty bad. The good part is that with it off there's barely any tearing and it's much smoother. It is running at 75hz, even though the docs seem to say thats only possible with FreeSync over DP. GL.

 

[yesyesloud]

I'm not an ultra gamer. I only play when I have time which I will in a couple months. I haven't been playing anything but SC2 and Civ VI on the laptop I have now and that's only for like a 2-4 hours max a week. I've been really busy with work for the past year or so I thought why not give myself a break and scratch that upgrade itch. I do like playing games with as much eye candy though so maybe a 2560x1440 might work best for me. Now that I think about it, I might hold off on buying until I go back to the Philippines and look for a shop where I can try out different monitors and screen sizes, if there is one.

I'm a rather casual gamer too as I have a full-fledged life to run. Take a good look at the real thing, 1440p is the sweet spot right now (for the most eye candy you can get).

@adulaamin , see the monitor in my specs. I could not be happier with it, coming from a 24" Dell 2405FPW (1920x1200) Worth considering if you can find it. It was a lot smoother with Vega 64 and FreeSync on, but no slouch with a GTX 1070 Ti. I did find that turning on VSync with the GTX made movement studder pretty bad. The good part is that with it off there's barely any tearing and it's much smoother. It is running at 75hz, even though the docs seem to say thats only possible with FreeSync over DP. GL.

That's because nvidia sort of hates the consumer and doesn't support free sync, which's basically the same tech as g-sync although non-proprietary, meaning display manufacturers can implement it free-of-charge while g-sync consists in a hardware module Nvidia sells to business partners, who will obviously charge a lot more for their monitors.

Try out "fast sync" as a workaround, it's not as smooth as free sync/g-sync but performs considerably better than borderless full screen (WDM vsync) or clasic vsync.

 

[droopyRO]

That's because nvidia sort of hates the consumer and doesn't support free sync, which's basically the same tech as g-sync although non-proprietary,

Most Fressync monitors are in the 48-75/60Hz range, that means you need a pretty powerfull video card to maintain that 48 fps minimum. nVidia has FastSync that merges vsync with vsync off it works really well with any monitor, maybe AMD has something simmilar too.

 

[yesyesloud]

Most Fressync monitors are in the 48-75/60Hz range, that means you need a pretty powerfull video card to maintain that 48 fps minimum. nVidia has FastSync that merges vsync with vsync off it works really well with any monitor, maybe AMD has something simmilar too.

Thanks for telling me about fast sync and how free sync works.

 

[Sasqui]

That's because nvidia sort of hates the consumer and doesn't support free sync, which's basically the same tech as g-sync although non-proprietary, meaning display manufacturers can implement it free-of-charge while g-sync consists in a hardware module Nvidia sells to business partners

I don't think NVidia HATES customers. They simply like money way more than customers. You're right, G-Sync is proprietary just like SLI was.

This can't be verified, but I can assure you that any monitor with G-Sync is forbidden to publish that same monitor supports Free-Sync or even Adaptive Sync (DP 1.2a standard). That is just how NVidia works. If anyone can find a monitor that says they support both, I'll gladly eat my words.

Most Fressync monitors are in the 48-75/60Hz range, that means you need a pretty powerfull video card to maintain that 48 fps minimum. nVidia has FastSync that merges vsync with vsync off it works really well with any monitor, maybe AMD has something simmilar too.

I've tried both and they suck so badly, it makes me wonder if it was intentional. My only real-time experience is with Tomb Raider 2013, so take that with a grain of salt.

 

[yesyesloud]

I don't think NVidia HATES customers. You're right, G-Sync is proprietary just like SLI was.

This can't be verified, but I can assure you that any monitor with G-Sync is forbidden to publish that same monitor supports Free-Sync or even Adaptive Sync (DP 1.2a standard). That is just how NVidia works. If anyone can find a monitor that says they support both, I'll gladly eat my words.

Monitors supporting both FreeSync and g-sync haven't come into existence for obvious reasons, there's barely need for stressing that.

I'm not the one suggesting a future owner of a nvidia pascal gpu buy an expensive FreeSync monitor for his upgrade - a great match, in an ideal world of course.

Your display is gorgeous but also costly, so he might as well pick a 1440p G-Sync one instead as he could be a lot happier with the results. Just saying.

Regardless of what I think, "Nvidia sort of hates the consumer" mainly figuratively as implied, although sometimes literally when it comes down to customer service or charging premium for the wheel reinvented.

Again, AMD offers monitor manufacturers FreeSync projects free-of-charge. On the other hand, G-Sync, Nvidia's counterpart, comes at a ridiculous price, just the way we're meant to be played. I wonder who could be regarded as a "metaphorical" customer loather in such a scenario, hm.

Anyways, I may have missed/misinterpreted something on these reading impaired days. Can't seem to fully read someone else's post or even grasp its utter meaning as opposed to cherry-picking scattered stuff to argue like a mad man. Dunno, worldly trends. Sorry about that. I, too, shall eat my words...

Back on-topic, the OP may want to skip 4K monitors if he doesn't plan on upgrading his GPU beyond his upcoming upgrade for a good while, unless he doesn't mind settling for less than ultra/very high graphics settings, which could very well be the case, along with future proofing - quite relative as a lot of people already find resolutions below 4K ideal.

Assuming he's upgrading to pascal and favors eye candy+smooth gameplay over higher resolutions... 1440p G-Sync it is. "Stuttering/choppiness" is really smoothed out from what I've seen on my friends' g-sync rigs. FreeSync ones seemed on par as you have also realized yourself.

I'm good with fast sync, but if I were to burn serious cash on new tech at this point...

 

[Hockster]

I love my Ultrawide, and I've not found a game yet that doesn't support 3440X1440.

 

[yesyesloud]

I love my Ultrawide, and I've not found a game yet that doesn't support 3440X1440.

Your G-Sync display may smooth out a lot of stuttering even when games are maxed out at 3440x1440. 1080 SLI is a hell of a setup by the way.

 

[adulaamin]

I love my Ultrawide, and I've not found a game yet that doesn't support 3440X1440.

Do you have backlight bleed on yours? I found a seller for an X34 for a reasonable price but it looks like his has a lot of backlight bleed.

 

[Hockster]

There's a bit, but no where near that one. I have to put a solid background on and actually look for any bleeding.

Weird, I put on a solid black background, hid all the icons, and went to take a picture. Looking through the camera the monitor looked very similar to the one you posted, huge blotches everywhere but in actuality mine has a bit of bleed in the top left that I can't notice in daily usage.

 

[Ferrum Master]

There's a bit, but no where near that one. I have to put a solid background on and actually look for any bleeding.

Weird, I put on a solid black background, hid all the icons, and went to take a picture. Looking through the camera the monitor looked very similar to the one you posted, huge blotches everywhere but in actuality mine has a bit of bleed in the top left that I can't notice in daily usage.

Try playing witcher 3 at night with that... you won't see the health bar properly... some people are touchy about that, some aren't.... I cannot stand mainstream IPS as such tech therefor... proper backlight implementation seems to be an abstract exclusive thing like a supercar for monitor makers leaving it to makers like EIZO(read enzo) etc

 

[las]

I don't like 21:9, but maybe you will, go see one at a store.

You'll want at least 120 Hz tho. Even for webbrowsing and office work, 60 Hz is meh. 90-100 Hz is acceptable but 144 Hz or better is pref.

 

[Liviu Cojocaru]

I have the Predator X34 and I would not recommend it right now as there are cheaper versions of ultrawide monitors that come close to this...

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

I have the Predator X34 and I would not recommend it right now as there are cheaper versions of ultrawide monitors that come close to this...

They dont have Gsync though.

 

[Hockster]

Try playing witcher 3 at night with that... you won't see the health bar properly... some people are touchy about that, some aren't.... I cannot stand mainstream IPS as such tech therefor... proper backlight implementation seems to be an abstract exclusive thing like a supercar for monitor makers leaving it to makers like EIZO(read enzo) etc

I played Witcher 3 extensively and never noticed that.

 

[adulaamin]

The pic I posted is with the monitor on standby... with the monitor on and with a dark background the bleed is barely noticeable...

 

[John Naylor]

I have 1 big issue with curved 3440 x 1440 monitors and that's that they, for the most part, don't support ULMB. At first sitting i did enjoy the imemrsion that 3440 x 1440 provided but when I went back to the Acer 1440p model, the colors and MBR just made the images jump oiff the screen. One of the things ya don't miss till it's gone kinda things. While I still keep hearing the G-Sync and Freesync are the same, that's not the case. Its like saying a soccer mom's minvan w/ all wheele drive is the same thing as an oiff roaf 4 x 4 with lockable hubs.

1. G-sync has a notable improvement from 30 fps till a bit 70 fps. it does provide benefits above 70 fps but the impact is less pronounced. Freesync G-sync has a notable improvement from 40 fps till a bit 70 fps. It does provide benefits above 70 fps but the impact is less pronounced.

2. G-Sync provides a hardware module (has a cost) that offers motion blur reduction; Freesync has no hardware module, hence no added cost difference.,,,and no MBR technology. Some Freesync monitor manufacturers add on their own MBR technology with mixed results. If I'm maintaining 70+ fps, I prefer switching to ULMB in most instances. So that's a double whammy if ya want to be over 70 fps to take full advantage of your monitor's referesh rate ... Fresync doesn't offer ULMB and none of the cards can consistently take ya to the fps ya need to take advantage of it ... at higher resolutions anyway.

3. To my eyes, the Acer Predator XB271HU is the best monitor on the market today. It used the AU Optronic MD270DANO2.6 / 10 bit panel ... the Asus PG279Q originally used an 8 bit panel but later they switched to the same panel as Acer.

4. The price of the Aver has been bobbing up and down from $599 to $799 is recent months and that price is holding because it's the best that can be had ... but as soon as the new 2160p panels drop, w ecan expect the price of these to drop into the 499 - $550 range if not lower. The advent of 100 nit, HDR panels is the biggest improvement in monitor technology we've seen in a long time but it's going to take a 2080 Ti or twin 1080Tis to drive it.... and still no word that I have seen) as to whether we'll have ULMB support

If ya thinking 2160p, wait for the new AU Optronics HDR screens to drop. Eve ya not, still wporth waiting for (Q2 2018) as it will put a big hit oin current toip tier monitor pricing.

 

[Liviu Cojocaru]

They dont have Gsync though.

Some do

 

[yesyesloud]

1. G-sync has a notable improvement from 30 fps till a bit 70 fps. it does provide benefits above 70 fps but the impact is less pronounced. Freesync G-sync has a notable improvement from 40 fps till a bit 70 fps. It does provide benefits above 70 fps but the impact is less pronounced.

Besides being somewhat better, G-Sync is the only variable refresh rate tech suitable for the OP since he's going to couple it with an nvidia gpu.

Anyway, did you actually behold G-Sync and FreeSync working their magic? I couldn't tell them apart without careful inspection, they're both pretty smooth overall.

PC gamers tend not to enjoy going below 40 fps, keeping their graphics settings accordingly, that's why I've hardly seen "stuttering" on high end Vega+FreeSync setups.

2. G-Sync provides a hardware module (has a cost) that offers motion blur reduction; Freesync has no hardware module, hence no added cost difference.,,,and no MBR technology. Some Freesync monitor manufacturers add on their own MBR technology with mixed results. If I'm maintaining 70+ fps, I prefer switching to ULMB in most instances. So that's a double whammy if ya want to be over 70 fps to take full advantage of your monitor's referesh rate ... Fresync doesn't offer ULMB and none of the cards can consistently take ya to the fps ya need to take advantage of it ... at higher resolutions anyway.

AMD's FreeSync simply doesn't have to take the burdening form of a module as display manufacturers can make it onboard due to licensing flexibility.

Nvidia's G-sync must be a module as it's sold separately to business partners and there are also licensing costs involved. Any chump in the monitor industry would be able to mimic such technology but they're patent blocked, I bet that's why AMD didn't reach lower screen refresh frequencies with FreeSync.

All in all, tomato, tomatto - the extra t consisting in a broader refresh rate range, funny anti-motion blur capabilities and Nvidia exclusivity.

Also, we shall not dismiss a highlight of the discussion: there's absolutely nothing preventing Nvidia from supporting FreeSync but Nvidia itself. I would never consider buying a G-Sync monitor if I could take advantage of FreeSync with my current setup.