Hi. I am currently building an ITX gaming PC and although it won't be the 'monster' I originally intended (was looking at a 1070) I have picked up an ASUS GTX970 Strix for a good price secondhand... As such I will be replacing my old and very tired twin 22" 168x1050 Samsung SyncMasters. I am looking at the Dell Ultrasharp U2414H 24" 1920x1080 but I am also considering getting a solo ultrawide instead. I understand that a 34" 1440 panel is too much for my 970 to handle so really I am looking at a 29" 2560x1080 and would like some recommendations on good panels for gaming. I would also like to ask for alternative recommendations to the U2414H. General opinions regarding 2x 1080 vs 1x Ultrawide would also be much appreciated. Thanks.
I did grin when I imagined you gaming on a 168 high panel - how would you see anything?! Anyway, my more valuable input would be: if you're going to use twins, make sure the bezel is thin as possible and that they're both set at the same height/are the same screen. I have a Dell and an Acer on a desktop clamp, but the VESA mounts are obviously in slightly different positions on the back of the screens, as they don't align, making twin-screen gaming impossible. I picked up the Dell (a U2410) from ebay for about £80 and the Acer for about £60 and I would struggle to see any reason to pay the £x00s for a brand new screen, so that would be my first suggestion. I've not used a wider one but it does sound good - I'm used to console gaming on a 42" plasma, so a larger desktop screen would be awesome. If you need two screens for work though (am aware you did say it was a gaming PC, but you never know), you could always get a superwide effort for gaming and keep the ones you have as extras for work. I also prefer the 1920x1200 desktop, so that might also be worth thinking about if you use it for work a lot. Not sure if that helps any, but hope there was some value in there!
Hi ModSquid I should have added that when gaming I use a single 'main' monitor which is aligned directly in front of me. The matching 'secondary' monitor I manually switch off when gaming and use if for other purposes. I understand the benefits of going second hand but this time I wish to buy new for several reasons that don't really need explaining. I am not interested in the 16x10 ratio...
After doing a fair bit of research of my own, it seems that a 29" ultrawide 1080 is my best option and then the best reviewed that I have seen is the Samsung LS29E790CNS which goes for around £325-£350. Any opinions on this monitor or recommendations on others would be greatly appreciated.
I'm not a fan of curved monitors, but probably only because I am an old fart. The ultra-wide looks a lot better than two standard monitors to me though.
@Bede Can I ask if your comments are based on experience or a generalised opinion from reviews/articles etc? Just would like to know if you have actually used them... Personally I don't believe that I would notice the curve too much, especially on a 29" monitor but I am yet to see either flat or curved in the flesh so that is something I would like to do before I buy. TBH... considering everyone needs to use a monitor of some description I am surprised there aren't more articles/reviews on BT... but I have got used to the amount of gaping holes in the content.
