Hey guys,
 
EVGA officially rocks, and so does this community!  I swear we've got a good thing going here!  I just landed the FTW and this makes it officially my 4th EVGA card (Pair of 8800GTs -> GTX 480 -> 1080 FTW)
 
So I have been away from the scene for a while and my current monitor is the Dell P2715q 4K IPS monitor.  http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&sku=210-ADOF
It's 60hz.
 
I picked it about a year ago and at that time I wasn't gaming at all, used it with my MacBook Pro, work stuff, hobby photographer, just wanted a nice display and colour.  Absolutely love this monitor... Although, I'm wondering how great it is for gaming...
 
I had a buddy come over and he owns the Acer GSYNC 27 IPS 1440p monitor.  XB271HU http://www.ncix.com/detail/acer-predator-xb271hu-bmiprz-27in-33-118288.htm
 
He mentioned he can notice the difference in GSYNC and non GSYNC, though at that time I didn't have my GTX 1080 yet and he had brought his system which had a GTX 980 in it.
 
Basically, I'm trying to figure out what to do.  Now that I'm looking for it, I can see that gameplay is not smooth.  I can't always see frames cause it seems FRAPS is hit/miss (is there a better tool nowadays?). 
 
I'd like to have the best possible experience and visual quality.  So I'm hoping you guys can help me between the following.
 
1. Keep my display.
2. Acer XB271HU
3. Acer X34
 
When it comes to the 4K options (1 and 3) I'm worried about performance.  A single 1080 isn't quite there and I don't want SLI.  Although, the X34 isn't quite full 4K so it won't tax as much.  If you have an x34, mind sharing your results?
Also, because it's a bigger screen 34" I'm worried it won't look as sharp, PPI is higher.  Or am I incorrect in this thinking?
 
Option 2, I know will get me the best performance, cause this card can crush any current game on ultra at 1440p, but then again, how does this compare to 4K res... is it noticeable?
 
Aaaah... first world problems ;)
 
Thanks in advance for your help guys!

Asus PG278Q RoG Swift 144hz G-Sync
 
I have had it since it launched and I LOVE IT!

Man that X34 Predator does look sweet. I really don't need the temptation lol.

the best middle ground monitor between higher resolutions/higher frames so far and for a while now is the X34/PG348Q. I have the X34 and have used a 1080 Strix, in Witcher 3, I would get anywhere from 50-80FPS, everything maxed out, with Gsync, you never miss a beat.
 
you can go higher resolution for 4k but trapped at 60hz (until they breach 60hz, this is not an option for me personally. also agree that 27" 4k is too small. although have not personally tested, many say the 1080 handles 4k/60hz pretty well.)
 
or if you want higher than 100hz frames which many will argue is not very distinguishable between 120hz/144hz, your next option would be 1440p/144hz, 165hz with Acer/Asus. (I don't think I could go back to non-ultrawide, I've always used dual monitors until I switched to ultrawide, for gaming or productivity. only downside is not all games support it.)

jgonz
Asus PG278Q RoG Swift 144hz G-Sync
 
I have had it since it launched and I LOVE IT!

I have this as well and goes great with my 1080 SC. Couldn't be happier with the visuals and performance.

I have the Dell s2716dg, it's a fantastic monitor. I think it's on sale right now as well. Gsync, 144hz, ulmb and all that jazz.

xizorgetspeed
For the x34 owners, any issues with games not supporting ultra wide? Besides blizzard I guess...

Not really. I came from surround and it's easier than that to work out. Fallout 4 was kinda tricky, but I got it sorted. Probably wanna download Flawless Widescreen and keep http://www.wsgf.org/ bookmarked. 

I have the 24" version of the Dell 4K you listed as my center monitor. It works great for me, I just use scaling in Windows to combat how small everything is and compatiblity mode the games to disable scaling.

I had an Asus VG248QE, and stepped up to a PG279Q right before the 1080. Absolutely no complaints here, great monitor.

Man, I've confused myself even more.  I booted up star wars battlefront on my dell and ran the game on 4K everything ultra and then 1440p everything ultra... I totally noticed the difference in sharpness.  I'm thinking if I go with the Acer XB271HU, the image will look like what I see in front of me on my Dell set at 1440p resolution.  Of course, my frames are locked at 60.  I can disable vsync and get 130 frames on 1440p (70 on 4K), but then I get tearing on this monitor...

Also, the x34 is really 1440p not 4K, the extra pixels are on the edges right, so really the image quality will be similar to 1440p not 4k...

Most likely older games won't support ultrawide, this is where WSGF will help with tweaks/software (flawless widescreen) to make it possible. it may not be plug and play, but it's not very hard to do to take full advantage of your ultrawide monitor.
I consider 3440x1440 to be 3K if anything.

Beasthunt
I have the Dell s2716dg, it's a fantastic monitor. I think it's on sale right now as well. Gsync, 144hz, ulmb and all that jazz.

I too have the Dell Gaming S2716DG. Its a 1440p 144hz 1ms G-sync monitor that is amazing and no quality issues like Asus or Acer. Dell is #1 in monitors for a reason. You just have to get a gaming one! Highly, highly recommend this monitor.

hehehippie
there's quite a few videos on Youtube that compare 3440x1440 to 4k.
 
another option would to order from a reputable place like Amazon and return whichever one u don't like.

Lol, I didn't even think of this... Okay people, I appreciate all the advice.  I just placed an order for the x34.  Got bestbuy to price match another shop and snagged it for $1470ish CDN plus taxes.  Just under $1700 all in.  Ouch, as much as my 6700k build minus the 1080.  I figured, I'd run it through it's paces and like hehehippie said, if I'm not happy, I'll simply return it.  BestBuy has no restocking fee or anything like that.

FancyPilot

Beasthunt
I have the Dell s2716dg, it's a fantastic monitor. I think it's on sale right now as well. Gsync, 144hz, ulmb and all that jazz.

I too have the Dell Gaming S2716DG. Its a 1440p 144hz 1ms G-sync monitor that is amazing and no quality issues like Asus or Acer. Dell is #1 in monitors for a reason. You just have to get a gaming one! Highly, highly recommend this monitor.

 
I can vouch for this monitor. You wont find any thing better for $449 right now. BUT. They do have QC issues. No where near like Asus/Acer though. I received 2 brand new Dell's that was bad. One had a dead pixel right in the middle of the screen. The other brand new replacement had some kind of dirt/smudge physically underneath the screen. I am going on my 3rd replacement. I am working with Dell directly this time. They are sending me a brand new replacement through dell.com The other 2 came from BestBuy.com That should tell you how much I liked the monitor and willing to go the length for a good working one. Bestbuy has been a rock star during this whole process. Zero complaints with them. Dell just needs to improve QC a little bit more. 
 
Sorry OP. Just looked and it is now sold out at the $449 price. They did not last long. 

jgonz
Asus PG278Q RoG Swift 144hz G-Sync
 
I have had it since it launched and I LOVE IT!

Same
 
Amazing monitor for gaming!