Why I love Ultrawide (21:9)

I'm mostly writing this post for @Raijin as a followup to our off-topic chat in another thread, but I figured I'd share it here incase anyone else wanted to chip in or argue against it.

As I explained in the other thread, I had been running a 27-inch 4k monitor (previously 3 monitor setup with 21 inch Sonys) on my gaming PC for about a year before I "side-graded" to an LG 34UM95-P.

Obviously the Ultrawide monitor runs at a lower resolution (3440x1440) when compared to a 4k/UHD monitor (3840x2160), but I have found the 21:9 aspect ratio to be extremely pleasant for both productivity and gaming. As you can see in this screenshot, you can easily have two windows open side by side without having anything scrunched or cramped:

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This is extremely handy if you're writing a document and need to reference another site/paper, or if you're working on code and want to have multiple files open (and visible) at the same time.

For gaming, the Ultrawide aspect ratio allows you to see more of the left/right of a game at the same time. This is especially advantageous in games like League of Legends where you're locked in to a specific zoom, allowing you to see more of the map at any given time then someone playing on a regular widescreen setup.

The drawbacks of an Ultrawide monitor are that some games, like Life is Strange, can't handle the aspect ratio so you end up with black bars on the left/right sides of the screen. I suppose another problem would be if you're a streamer, you can basically guarantee that non of your viewers are going to be running at 3440x1440, so that might make them unhappy.

All-in-all, I would definitely recommend an Ultrawide monitor over a 4k monitor if you're interested in productivity as well as gaming. If you're just gaming, you're probably going to want to stick with the 4k since the advantages for you aren't as apparent.

To address @Raijin's question about curved monitors, I like the idea, but if you plan on running multiple monitors (all Ultrawide or even just Ultrawide as the primary monitor) I think it might be difficult to line up the monitors in a visually pleasing manner.

If anyone has any questions or comments or whats to know anything specific about running Ultrawide, just leave a comment and I'll do my best to get back to you in a timely manner.

 

I SEE THIS.
I will return & read it after lunch.

 

Hey I appreciate the informative post!!

When I was doing light research on ultrawide, I actually learned for a first time that aspect ratio is what allows you to have a wider field of view, and that resolution does not. That's one of the main reasons I'm considering ultrawide. It also means that all the marketing you see for high res monitors is a lie...a 4K (3840 x 2160) screen does not let you see more than a QHD (2560 x 1440) screen in game to give you an advantage. The picture stays the same, it's just divided into more pixels so it looks sharper. I read that most games do support ultrawide, but some companies like Blizzard block it to stop people from gaining an unfair advantage (but that's what Razer's all about!)

Since you switched from triple monitors to ultrawide, our situations are comparable. Did you miss having so many edges to snap to? With 3 monitors, you can just drag any window up to the top edge of any monitor and it will maximize on that screen only. You can also use Windows Key + arrows to easily arrowsnap 2 windows on each screen. Wondering how Razer Insider looks on your screen maximized - is there a lot of white space to the left/right? I'm torn between ultrawide and discrete multi-monitors. I definitely value productivity a lot (I don't even own a tablet). If it were a double monitor setup vs ultrawide, the choice would be a lot easier for me. I just love having so many monitors. Halp.



Resolution is funky because I wanted to highlight the breaks between monitors...oh yeah, that reminds me. How many Windows apps can you snap at once? I know for Full HD 1080 it's 3, for QHD it's 4, but what about for 3440 horizontal pixels?

 

Define "a lot"...

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*Bananas for scale.

I don't really miss having the extra edges, but since it runs at a vertical resolution of 1440, you can still run multiple monitors without a problem (assuming your current monitors can manage that resolution)... so long as you have space on your desk.

Windows 10 seems to default to snapping to the four corners on this resolution, and they all seem to be a manageable/usable size:

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Another thing I love about this monitor is that I can use two different inputs at the same time, so if you have multiple PCs or you want to run a PC and Linux machine (or Mac ) at the same time you can do it on the same screen and still have both machines be usable.

 

LOL.

Yeah I'm on 2560 x 1440, but I think if I ran these on each side of an ultrawide, I'd break my neck.

Whoa, wait a second. My mind is in the process of being blown. How are you snapping those windows to the corners? Are you dragging them to their respective corners?

And by using two different inputs at the same time, do you mean there's a built in HDMI switcher or something, or do you seriously mean half the screen displays one input while the remaining half displays the other input ?

 

Yeah, you can snap to each of those corners by dragging the window to that corner... I'm not sure if there is a shortcut to do that with the windows key.

Well, obviously you can change inputs at the press of a button (this monitor has 2 HDMI, 2 Thunderbolt, and 1 Display Port). What I was talking about, though, is displaying two inputs at the same time. So I can have one computer running on the left side of the monitor, and another computer running on the right side of the monitor.

 

I had no idea Windows 10 allowed you to corner snap like that (or maybe it's the resolution that's enabling that feature?) Perhaps it's about time for me to download it

I also had no idea you can display two inputs at the same time on that monitor...wow. That is pretty badass, I have to admit. It's almost like they put two 1720 x 1440 panels together side by side.

bmoconno...I think you've convinced me.

 

Next, we'll work on getting you a Mac.

 

I love 21:9 ratio too.
especially 50" 21:9 2560x1080.
best immersive screen ever!

 

Aren't most movies shot in 16:9? Not huge into movies, but should be true iirc, so wouldn't that result in stretching?

I can't like this post! It's against my principles, no, every fiber of my being

 

Are your eyes strained easily from sitting in front of a 34"+ monitor?

 

Not at all, I've never had any trouble. The monitor sits about 30 inches away from my face.

 

I wish I could get an ultrawide monitor, but rn I'm content with three small ones.

 

That's good to hear, I just bought one a few days ago. It should get here soon; can't wait to experience 21:19.

 

So when are you going to show us a pic of your setup bmoconno?

 

@Raijin How about now? Not much to look at, sorry about the SteelSeries mouse... I'm still deciding between Mamba and Deathadder.

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Im using a 21:9 too, I´d love to get a curved one, however in my experience the effect is just not worth nearly 1000 bucks, so I will waite for them to get cheaper

 

Loving this setup but i wonder. What kind of a GPU do u need to push all those pixels?

 

Nice haha. I like how you have 4 keyboards, 4 mice, 3 laptops, and 2 tablets on your desk at the same time lol. Why is that Arc Touch Mouse off to the side and not getting any love? Also, you would have that glowing LED potion.

 

I mostly use it for the Surface Pro when traveling. Yeah, I need a KVM for all the other mice/keyboards. The problem is that I frequently use the Ultrawide monitor to display two computers at the same time, and switching back and fourth with a KVM is more annoying that using a second keyboard for it. I used to use software called Synergy that would let me just move the mouse from one PC to the other and the Keyboard would work with which ever PC had focus, but Windows 10 broke it... I should see if it's updated yet.

That's only because the blinking Pac-Man ghost and Light Up Tetris pieces don't fit on the desk with the Ultrawide monitor anymore.

Edit: You missed the handful of Android tablets behind the Potion.

Edit2: Accidentally wrote Synapse when I meant Synergy.