Hey Guys David Here.
And I finally bought an ultrawide monitor but this isn’t a review video on my new
monitor but instead my super quick buyers guide on how I choose the best ultrawide monitor
for me.
But before I get into the different options and features you need to consider in your
next monitor.
Let’s quickly answer the question “Should I buy an Ultrawide Monitor?”
Since you’re already watching this video I assume you’re pretty familiar with them
already so I won’t dwell but brief over this super quickly.
First Gaming.
Yes it’s amazing.
It’s immersive.
But it won’t work for every game.
And some games like Overwatch (or pretty much any blizzard game) you’ll actually lose
field view so you’re better off playing in standard 16:9 to see more of the game.
So if you’re mainly planning on getting an ultrawide for gaming be sure to read up
if your favourite game titles to see if they support these wider resolutions so you aren’t
disappointed.
Next let’s look at media consumption.
Just like gaming it’s all about the content and whether it support the ultrawide aspect
ratio.
On youtube most video are produced in 16:9 so you’ll end up with black bars on the
side, or if someone artificially puts black bars on the top and bottom you’ll end up
with this mess of bars on all sides.
But on the rare occasion that someone does it just right you’ll get a beautiful full
ultrawide video experience.
And Finally Productivity.
So having extra horizonal pixel real estate has its advantage over normal 16:9 screen.
You can run two apps side by side without them feeling too squished.
And if you’re upgrading from 1080p the extra vertical real estate to a 1440p better accommodates
word documents or webpages.
But keep in mind alternatively you could just buy two 27” 1440p monitors instead and you’d
get more pixels for about the same price but that bezel in the middle.
Okay great.
so now you know you want an ultrawide monitor.
Let’s talk price and ultrawide monitors don’t come cheap.
Older models have come down in price a little but most of them are still a good premium
over standard 1080p monitors or even 1440p monitors.
They will vary quite a bit from a couple hundred to over just over a thousand depending on
some key features.
So let’s start with some of the basic features that can easily narrow down your search.
Starting with size.
So most ultrawide come in 25”, 29” or 34” in diagonal.
(On screen width size).
And while this is total subjective, I’m just going to say that most likely you should
just stick to looking at a 34” versions that gives you about 80cm of horizontal display
. While you’ll find that the 29” or 25” version are typically cheaper, bigger is better
or least generally preferred and 34” is the norm for ultrawides these days.
The next key thing to look is the resolution: Ultrawide monitors also come in two main resolutions
right now.
3440x1440 and 2560x1080.
Again I’m just going to go out and voice that I recommend the 3440x1440 variants.
While again the lower resolutions versions are again much cheaper, the DPI is a lot lower
and not as sharp as I like and leaves you with less screen real estate for productivity
purposes.
Although if you’re eyes aren’t so sharp or you just purely want to watch typical video
content or fast paced gaming on this monitor the 1080p variant are probably going to be
good enough, but if you plan on using this monitor for productive where you want to have
as much stuff on the screen as possible you’re definitely going to want to step up to the
extra pixels.
Next is looking at the physical curve of the screen that’s all the rage.
Ultrawide monitors come in flat designs, and a couple different curved designs.
Flat designs are pretty straight forward and are usually cheaper than the curved counterparts.
Flat designs also nice for designers because curved display can distort lines and affect
their perspective.
But I think for the vast majority of people, they’ll enjoy having a slight curve just
due to the sheer size of monitor.
One thing to note is that some variants have lighter or more aggressive curve radiuses
and the preference between them and even from flat designs is more of a personal preference
than anything.
The connectivity options on your display will depend on your PC or laptop.
There’s displayport, hdmi, and thunderbolt connections.
Image quality should look the same regardless of which one you use, the important thing
is to check if your pc/laptop will support the required resolution over the chosen cable.
Moving to the physical design.
As simple as it may be the stand is another consideration I make with my monitors.
Luckly most recent ultrawides monitors offer adjustable stand for height and tilt, and
vesa support for wall or arm mounting.
But just watch out for older models that had non adjustable stands that just make for poor
ergonomic experiences without the use of a monitor riser.
And then there’s the technologies like G-sync, FreeSync, and Higher Refresh Rate designs:
If you’re planning on gaming, you’re familiar with these dynamic frame rate features to
reduce stutter and frame tearing, and you’re already set on using either Nvidia’s or
AMD’s technology, that really narrows down on the options as well.
For me these technologies while nice weren’t on my priority list.
So there’s definitely a lot more to consider when choosing the ideal ultrawide for you
like light bleed, panel technology, response time, color accuracy, warranty and the list
goes on.
But hopefully this helps you narrow down your perfect ultrawide monitor.
Whether it be the new LG 34UC88 with its Free Sync support and aggressive curve; The gaming
Acer Predator X34 with its G-sync support and high potential refresh rate; or something
simple like my Dell U3415 that just happens to be a more affordable option up here in
Canada and comes with great warranty support from Dell.
Hopefully this helps you find your perfect monitor.
I’ve linked some of my favourite choices in the description below so you can check
them out.
Hope you guys enjoy this.
You know what to do.
And I’ll see you in the next video.