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Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9?

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CoercionShaman
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2015/05/21 11:56:02 (permalink)
I recently purchased the Acer 144Hz IPS.  I returned it because of quality issues.  I personally wasn't overly impressed with the 144Hz.
 
That being said, I currently own a 21:9 29" monitor.  I really like that aspect ratio.  I also like the colors and saturation on the IPS panels.  I am waiting for the Acer XR341CKA to be released in the next few months.  I am also considering the Dell U3415W as prices are dropping into the low $800 range on occasion now and it easily overclocks to 75Hz.  I have started to wonder, though, about doing a surround setup, especially with the release of curved monitors like the SAMSUNG S24E510C (only $250 X 3 from Samsung site).  I mostly play RPG, MMO, RTS, and such on PC.  I rarely if ever play any fast action FPS multiplayer unless it is on my consoles.  I'm still really unsure about the idea of 4K.  I do not want to get into a large discussion/debate about how great 144Hz is or GSYNC (which I did admittedly like on the Acer I purchased).  What I would like to do is hear is from people that run surround and even more so from those who may have run surround and also used a 21:9.  A worthwhile endeavor to go surround?

What use is knowledge if there is no understanding?~Stobaeus
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    MrImSoGood
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    Re: Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9? 2015/05/21 12:01:29 (permalink)
    Me personally I would go for a 21:9
     
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    nurownd
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    Re: Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9? 2015/05/21 12:20:06 (permalink)
    Surround is wonderful, that is if the game supports it and if you have enough GPU to drive it. Depending on the game you'll need a lot of GPU power since your essential pushing 3 times as many pixels as one monitor. Nvidia's last two driver releases have been horrible for surround. I found 347.88 to be very surround friendly but doesn't have support for newer games so for now i'm running the latest drivers with a single 4k gsync monitor til they get their surround drivers sorted out. My personal setup has been 3x asus vg248qe 144hz monitors and 2xtitan x sli. Also check out http://www.flawlesswidescreen.org/ it has a lot of fixes for game in surround.
    #3
    CoercionShaman
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    Re: Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9? 2015/05/21 19:30:27 (permalink)
    I'm one and one.  I thought there would be more surround users to offer an opinion.

    What use is knowledge if there is no understanding?~Stobaeus
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    Snijjar
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    Re: Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9? 2015/05/22 03:08:56 (permalink)
    I have 2 systems, 1 with 3 Gsync ROG Swifts 144hz running at 7830x1440 resolution, and also a system running LG Curved 34" IPS 3440x1440.  Personally i love the Surround monitor setup. That is my main gaming Rig, if you have the desk space and the horsepower its a more immersive experience! The 21:9 monitor is also fantastic, however i wish it had a higher refresh rate than 60hz. I won't go back to gaming on a single 16:9 Monitor
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    Afterburner
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    Re: Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9? 2015/05/22 05:04:13 (permalink)
    I have had both. I went from surround @ 60Hz to 21:9 @ 60Hz and then back to surround @ 120Hz.
     
    Personally I think a 42" 120Hz 3840x2160 would be the next set I will try once they are available (If ever).
     
    Everyone has a different experience or preference. I for one have found the surround to be far more enjoyable and frankly a gaming advantage because I see more real estate in games than any single monitor can provide. And I need that advantage in order to have any chance against the better than average players. It fits my "eyes" in more of a natural way.
     
    And to be frank... I am far more productive in my business as well. Every desk is surround now...
     
    This is coming from a fellow EVGA member that was one of the first ones to go surround. Brad and a few others did it before I did with adapters/kits. I did not try it until ATI/AMD first released it in their high end GPU. And I had to try it.
     
    I am still running the 347.52 Driver... And as a reference... I average about 1000 hours of gaming a year. 

     


     
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    CoercionShaman
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    Re: Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9? 2015/05/22 08:24:22 (permalink)
    Snijjar
    I have 2 systems, 1 with 3 Gsync ROG Swifts 144hz running at 7830x1440 resolution, and also a system running LG Curved 34" IPS 3440x1440.  Personally i love the Surround monitor setup. That is my main gaming Rig, if you have the desk space and the horsepower its a more immersive experience! The 21:9 monitor is also fantastic, however i wish it had a higher refresh rate than 60hz. I won't go back to gaming on a single 16:9 Monitor


    I think my wife would all but kill me if I spent $2400 on monitors.  That sounds very nice, though.  And you have run both.  It helps to hear that opinion.  Thank you.
     
    Afterburner
    I have had both. I went from surround @ 60Hz to 21:9 @ 60Hz and then back to surround @ 120Hz.
     
    Personally I think a 42" 120Hz 3840x2160 would be the next set I will try once they are available (If ever).
     
    Everyone has a different experience or preference. I for one have found the surround to be far more enjoyable and frankly a gaming advantage because I see more real estate in games than any single monitor can provide. And I need that advantage in order to have any chance against the better than average players. It fits my "eyes" in more of a natural way.
     
    And to be frank... I am far more productive in my business as well. Every desk is surround now...
     
    This is coming from a fellow EVGA member that was one of the first ones to go surround. Brad and a few others did it before I did with adapters/kits. I did not try it until ATI/AMD first released it in their high end GPU. And I had to try it.
     
    I am still running the 347.52 Driver... And as a reference... I average about 1000 hours of gaming a year. 

     





    You, as well, have run both.  To say that all your desks are surround now is a testament.  That is, in part, what made me think about it.  Every system I utilize in my job is surround.  With the advent of the curved monitors and bezels getting smaller, I started thinking that it might be something worth considering at home as well.  With a single Titan, I'm thinking that 60Hz 1080p monitors might offer a nice experience on one card.  I really, really like the eye candy in games so I might eventually need a second card, but it is doable now with the right monitors.

    What use is knowledge if there is no understanding?~Stobaeus
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    Meric1837
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    Re: Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9? 2015/05/22 08:49:49 (permalink)
    I've been running surround for a few years now and I love it. I'm running 3x1080p@120hz. I can't really say game compatibility is that bad, just use Flawless Widescreen or WSGF. I can't compare it to 21:9, because I've never used it. But I have considered adopting it, mostly for the 1440p aspect of it. Wouldn't mind a little more vertical space. Still, the dream is to some day get the horsepower for 3x1440p. It's also very practical for multi-tasking on the desktop.

     
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    ssj92
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    Re: Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9? 2015/05/22 10:05:57 (permalink)
    21:9 is great. I had the 34" LG Curved 3440x1440 monitor. However, some games would not run full screen. You would have two black bars on the sides. I couldn't find any fixes on WSGF either. For one of my games, when it was updated the fix didn't work anymore. So it can be annoying. 
     
    That's when I went back to 16:9 with my 40" samsung curved UHD display.  I think it's the sweet spot. I never had 3-way surround, but from what I saw at micocenter, I didn't like the bezels. 

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    Meric1837
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    Re: Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9? 2015/05/22 15:04:39 (permalink)
    ssj92
    21:9 is great. I had the 34" LG Curved 3440x1440 monitor. However, some games would not run full screen. You would have two black bars on the sides. I couldn't find any fixes on WSGF either. For one of my games, when it was updated the fix didn't work anymore. So it can be annoying. 
     
    That's when I went back to 16:9 with my 40" samsung curved UHD display.  I think it's the sweet spot. I never had 3-way surround, but from what I saw at micocenter, I didn't like the bezels. 


    You get used to it. I don't even see the bezels anymore. All I see is blonde, brunette, redhead.

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    CoercionShaman
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    Re: Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9? 2015/05/22 21:02:30 (permalink)
    Meric1837
    I've been running surround for a few years now and I love it. I'm running 3x1080p@120hz. I can't really say game compatibility is that bad, just use Flawless Widescreen or WSGF. I can't compare it to 21:9, because I've never used it. But I have considered adopting it, mostly for the 1440p aspect of it. Wouldn't mind a little more vertical space. Still, the dream is to some day get the horsepower for 3x1440p. It's also very practical for multi-tasking on the desktop.
     
     
    If I can get Mario 64 running, you can get most things running:
     




    What kind of frame rates are you getting from a single card?

    What use is knowledge if there is no understanding?~Stobaeus
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    CoercionShaman
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    Re: Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9? 2015/05/22 21:04:27 (permalink)
    Meric1837
    ssj92
    21:9 is great. I had the 34" LG Curved 3440x1440 monitor. However, some games would not run full screen. You would have two black bars on the sides. I couldn't find any fixes on WSGF either. For one of my games, when it was updated the fix didn't work anymore. So it can be annoying. 
     
    That's when I went back to 16:9 with my 40" samsung curved UHD display.  I think it's the sweet spot. I never had 3-way surround, but from what I saw at micocenter, I didn't like the bezels. 


    You get used to it. I don't even see the bezels anymore. All I see is blonde, brunette, redhead.




    I've been very fortunate with my 21:9.  I don't think I've run into a game that I currently play that wouldn't work.  Some, like Diablo 3, I had to run in windowed mode to get the resolution instead of full screen.

    What use is knowledge if there is no understanding?~Stobaeus
    #12
    Ibbanez
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    Re: Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9? 2015/05/22 23:12:38 (permalink)
    I had 3 dell 27" u2713hm 2560x1440 and switched to a single LG34UM95 and would dream of switching back to surround. I love the 21:9 aspect ratio... Now for productive work, I'm thinking of adding back one of the dells, but for games, I love the not have a bezel in the way... The only upgrade I can forsee is maybe like the other gentleman said with a 40" UHD, but not for another few years for price and quality to lower/higher , and for graphics cards to get much better... One thing to remember is if you are considering 3 1440p 120hz monitors, that is a massive gpu undertaking even with Titan X in sli... You gotta remember running 3 x 1440p is hard enough , if you want ultra quality, and I know I do, but then throw in 120hz and wow have you got some hellish requirements that I'm not sure how realistic that is. Me personally, I think 3440x1440 ips 34" monitor is he perfect sweet spot without going over the top and can easily run most throngs maxed out with just gtx 970 in sli ... Just my thoughts...


     
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    Afterburner
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    Re: Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9? 2015/05/23 07:14:09 (permalink)
    In an attempt to add to this thread, and not turn this into a 144Hz is superior blah blah blah, per the OP's request... I hope the following is taken as thoughts, not feather fluffing...
     
    Most should know now that the Hz measurement (In its true measurement not the fake 240Hz garbage we see a lot in "Marketing" ploys) of the maximum a monitor can display FPS without what some call "Tearing" in certain situations.
     
    In all reality, I like to simplify this... I want a monitor or a set of monitors that allow me "Fluid" gaming from 70-100FPS. I cannot get this on a 60Hz monitor. This is not to be confused with the GPU not having the HP to make it happen. Or pixel generation.
     
    You see... I learned in my Hifi audio days, that if one want "Clear/full" music. One must be smart about who is reporting the components abilities (Signal to noise ratios or THD, frequency bandwidth, class and RMS per channel) and be knowledgeable about what those numbers really mean in the real world. And from all of the learing/life mistake/etc. I live by the following...
     
    In order to have full life like music without distortion, and a "Party" level. One must build a desired kit that will only get to about 70% of its max capacity in the "Party" environment. In other words...
     
    If I need 500w speakers/amps ect, I buy 700-800w so that I never hit the distortion at the levels I want the sound to be at. I never max out the kit.
     
    This is how I build my computers... Do I need a 1200w power supply? no. But say I do need about 800w at full tilt. So you will not see me buy a 850w PSU because the system only needs 800w. You will see me get the 1100-1200w units...
     
    And thus... Why I will not ever go back to the 60Hz world. It irritates the daylights out of me when I spent so much (Time/effort/$$) to build a system, just to throw it away at the output point. I have repeatedly shown folks in my home and business the difference with 60Hz and 120Hz. For some, that 5% of the time it is clear as day noticeable, it is not worth the cost to go to 120Hz. There is nothing wrong with that. But it is for me. And why I am waiting for a 42"  120Hz 3840x2160 ish monitor or something similar before I spend another dime on the "Visual" part of the system.
     
    This is also why I buy all my cable from BlueJeansCable. Hi quality, superior to most off the shelf garbage...
     

     
    #14
    Meric1837
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    Re: Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9? 2015/05/23 09:25:08 (permalink)
    CoercionShaman
    Meric1837
    I've been running surround for a few years now and I love it. I'm running 3x1080p@120hz. I can't really say game compatibility is that bad, just use Flawless Widescreen or WSGF. I can't compare it to 21:9, because I've never used it. But I have considered adopting it, mostly for the 1440p aspect of it. Wouldn't mind a little more vertical space. Still, the dream is to some day get the horsepower for 3x1440p. It's also very practical for multi-tasking on the desktop.
     
     
    If I can get Mario 64 running, you can get most things running:
     




    What kind of frame rates are you getting from a single card?




    On GTA5 I'm getting 60-70fps with all the eye candy except for MSAA. Shadow of Mordor was even better, 70-90fps. Skyrim, with all the visual and texture packs (and proper FOV, thanks Flawless Widescreen) I'm hitting the frame limit at 120fps. My resolution is 6030x1080 because I use bezel correction, which is really helpful for immersion by the way.   
     
    Afterburner
    In an attempt to add to this thread, and not turn this into a 144Hz is superior blah blah blah, per the OP's request... I hope the following is taken as thoughts, not feather fluffing...
     
    Most should know now that the Hz measurement (In its true measurement not the fake 240Hz garbage we see a lot in "Marketing" ploys) of the maximum a monitor can display FPS without what some call "Tearing" in certain situations.
     
    In all reality, I like to simplify this... I want a monitor or a set of monitors that allow me "Fluid" gaming from 70-100FPS. I cannot get this on a 60Hz monitor. This is not to be confused with the GPU not having the HP to make it happen. Or pixel generation.
     
    You see... I learned in my Hifi audio days, that if one want "Clear/full" music. One must be smart about who is reporting the components abilities (Signal to noise ratios or THD, frequency bandwidth, class and RMS per channel) and be knowledgeable about what those numbers really mean in the real world. And from all of the learing/life mistake/etc. I live by the following...
     
    In order to have full life like music without distortion, and a "Party" level. One must build a desired kit that will only get to about 70% of its max capacity in the "Party" environment. In other words...
     
    If I need 500w speakers/amps ect, I buy 700-800w so that I never hit the distortion at the levels I want the sound to be at. I never max out the kit.
     
    This is how I build my computers... Do I need a 1200w power supply? no. But say I do need about 800w at full tilt. So you will not see me buy a 850w PSU because the system only needs 800w. You will see me get the 1100-1200w units...
     
    And thus... Why I will not ever go back to the 60Hz world. It irritates the daylights out of me when I spent so much (Time/effort/$$) to build a system, just to throw it away at the output point. I have repeatedly shown folks in my home and business the difference with 60Hz and 120Hz. For some, that 5% of the time it is clear as day noticeable, it is not worth the cost to go to 120Hz. There is nothing wrong with that. But it is for me. And why I am waiting for a 42"  120Hz 3840x2160 ish monitor or something similar before I spend another dime on the "Visual" part of the system.
     
    This is also why I buy all my cable from BlueJeansCable. Hi quality, superior to most off the shelf garbage...
     




    I 100% agree. 70-100fps is a really nice place to be, especially on three monitors. Very fluid and it gives you a proper buffer for high-demand scenes. I can't imagine going back to 30-40fps, it's very noticeable to me.
    post edited by Meric1837 - 2015/05/23 09:29:46

    Processor: Intel i7-6700K
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    RAM: 16GB G.Skill DDR4-3000 
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    Power: EVGA 850w P2
    Monitor: Acer X34 @100Hz G-Sync
    OS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
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    #15
    CoercionShaman
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    Re: Monitors in Surround or a single 21:9? 2015/05/25 11:22:36 (permalink)
    This is compelling in argument for each side, really.  I still just don't know.  I am leaning towards doing the 21:9, but I have concerns about going with the XR341CKA as it is the same panel used in the Dell U3415W and the only real gain for $400 is the GSYNC.  I understand that you get used to the bezel, but the pictures have helped me to decide that I would go for a curved screen and smaller (I know they are still there) bezels if I did a surround.
     
    I don't think that I am any closer to making a decision.  Grrrr.

    What use is knowledge if there is no understanding?~Stobaeus
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