large monitor cunundrum

[bjornl]

Hi all,

So I find myself trying to sort between a couple of good choices.

I have a Dell 3008 (30" 2560x1600 60hz). But the monitor is beginning to show it's age, plus it puts out an awesome amount of waste heat and my office is small.

I have been considering a few replacement options.
Acer XR382CQK (or LG equiv)
Acer predator x34 (or Asus equiv)
Acer Predator XB321HK (I know of no equiv 4k g-sync)
Samsung cf791
Dell 3415w

The Dell 3415 because of color and text clarity. It is cheap (I really like cheap). I have had great experiences with multiple Dell monitors holding up for years with no issues. My 980ti can probably drive this resolution ok. I have found these starting at 600ish, occasionally below
Also considering a couple of similar but cheaper alternatives like a AOC 34".

The Samsung cf791 because it is a VA panel (no BLB, IPS glow), 100hz with no panel overclock even if you are running an Nvidia card. My 980ti can probably drive 3440x1440 ok. Cheaper than g-sync models. If it was g-sync, I would get it. I have found these starting at 800ish.

Acer xb321 beecause it is 4k 32" and g-sync. Great for photo editing. My 980ti will chug a bit with this card, but gsync should smooth that out some. But game play will be not be as smooth. Super expensive at 1300.

Acer x34 because it is g-sync and my 980ti should do ok with 3440x1440. Eye wateringly expensive. My impression is that the screen is not as desirable as the one in the Dell or Samsung, but still very good. Super expensive at 1100.

Acer XR382 because it is 1600 pixel tall and 37.5". I love that it has the same vertical res as my current monitor. Would be great for photo editing. My 980ti will probably chug a little on this one because 3840x1600 is probably above it's capabilities. If this monitor had g-sync, I would get it. Price is about the limit of what I would even consider spending. Super expensive at 1300.

My system is high end. (5930k, 32gb of fast, low latency ram, 980ti OC, fast SSD). I do not plan to replace any of the components in the PC anytime soon. I'm happy with them. I prefer Nvidia to AMD, and so freesync is not too tempting (Physics, better support for cuda than OpenCL, better power-consumption to performance ratio).

I am an enthusiastic gamer, but I do much more than just game. I am NOT interested in a smaller screen. I have a Samsung 28" 4k screen and it is far too small; my eyes are poor enough that I have to run it at 2560x1440 to read text on it and even then I get eye strain. I thought about getting a Dell 3017. but at 900 I think the others are more interesting. I have enjoyed the gaming and work experience at 2560x1600 but since I have to spend so much to get a replacement I thought for a few dollars more I might as well try to enhance both a little.

My "dream" monitor is probably nothing like these. It would be a 30-34" 16:9 or better 16:10 with a resolution in the 2560x1440 or 2560x1600. It would have g-sync, a fast refresh (80hz or higher without overclocking), oled or quantum dot for the cleaner whites and generally lower eye strain. I could live with a nice large 4k if a fast 4k existed and just run it at 1440p until I eventually got a video card up to the task of 4k 100+ fps.

Nothing like that exists.

So Now I am leaning towards the Samsung cf791 in large part due to quantum dot and the 100hz refresh rate.

Thoughts?

 

[Felidire]

I'm also currently trying to find a good monitor for work & gaming. Unfortunately, everything that I've viewed thus far has had at least 1 undesirable thing listed in the specs. I use Nvidia cards, but personally wouldn't worry too much about gsync. For me, 100-110ppi is the best range for crisp images and minimal eye strain. But if you're straining your eyes at 2560x1440@28" (104ppi), then I'd definitely go for something 31-36" @ 2560x1440 or 2560x1600. A 3840x1600@40" is also 104ppi, so I'd steer clear of 4k unless you're after a 42-50" monitor.

I'll be using the monitor I buy for gaming & video editing, and for viewing blacks in images (while actively editing them on a secondary IPS monitor with superior colors); from what I've gathered, the most suitable panel for this purpose would be: AMVA or S-MVA > IPS > VA > TN; the problem is, if you're going to be getting a non IPS panel, you probably don't want it to be comparable in price to the range of IPS panels on the market...

Not sure if you're after something similar, but here's my desired specs:
- 27-40"
- 3440x1440, 3440x1600, or 3840x1600
- 100hz capable
- 100-110ppi
- curved (this might adversely affect photo editing, it would almost certainly mess with digital painting/drawing).
- SPVA > SMVA/AMVA, or IPS


and what I've looked at so far:
- HP Omen X 35: (35.03", 3440,1440, 60h-100hz, AMVA, G-Sync, CURVED) = $1300us
- ACER X34p: (34", 3440x1440, 100hz, IPS, 1.07b color, G-Sync, CURVED) = $1300us

- LG 34UC88: (34", 3440x1440, IPS, 55hz (75hz w/ FreeSync), 1.07b color, CURVED) = $900us
- AGON AG352UCG: (35", 3440,1440, 60h-100hz, MVA, G-Sync, CURVED) = $1000us
- ASUS Designo Curve MX34VQ: (31.9", 3440 x 1440, 100hz LED-LCD, 16.7m color, CURVED) = $1100
- Samsung CF791: (34", 3440x1440, 100hz, VA, FreeSync, CURVED) = $1000us

- LG 38UC99-W: (37.5", 3840x1600, IPS, 60hz (75hz w/ FreeSync), 1.07b color, CURVED) = $1500us
- Acer XR382CQK: (37.5", 3640x1600, IPS, 60hz (75hz w/ FreeSync), 1.07b color, FreeSync = 1300
- ASUS MX38VQ: (37.5", 3640x1600, 60hz, IPS, Q-dot 99.5% Adobe RGB ...) = $1100(?)

- Microboard M340CLZ: (34", 3440x1440, 100hz, FreeSync, Samsung VA, CURVED)
- Crossover 34U100: (34", 3440x1440, 100hz, FreeSync, PVA, CURVED)

The HP Omen X 35 seems perfect, except that the G-Sync destroys the price, seems like a lot for an AMVA panel... Anything with 1.07 billion colors might also hurt the price, and unless you're using a workstation GPU it probably makes no difference? The Microboard M340CLZ seemed like a great option, but looks like everyone else thought the same because I can't find any available anymore! The Crossover looks like the same thing with a cheaper panel at a higher price, and if that's true, then it's probably not worth considering. Everything else has something wrong with it: less than 100hz, high price:cheap panel, G-Sync making some other monitor a better deal, etc.

Samsung CF791 has pretty much everything, except I can't find more info (beyond VA) on the panel it uses. The Microboard M340CLZ probably uses the exact same panel as Samsung CF791; the CF791 panel plucked out during manufacture, deemed to have some (probably unnoticeable) imperfection, and sold to someone else who made those microboard monitors. Heard lots of praise about the Microboard M340CLZ, so if I'm right about the manufacturing thing, then the Samsung CF791 is probably the same in terms of quality.

I'll keep an eye out.


Edit: At this time, the Samsung C34F791 appears to be the best gaming & editing choice for Nvidia users (I'd say a GTX 1080 would be the way to go). It should have good blacks, reasonably good colors, and 100hz is totally acceptable. It has flickering issues with AMD cards, but we should be fine.

 

[bjornl]

Felidire,

Thanks for the feedback. I didn't have the Omen35 x on my radar at all. Sounds very intriguing.

I've ruled the LG 38uc99-w. I read a couple of very detailed reviews and while gaming is not my most important use, I do game some and that one is simply not very good at that. (tftcentral or pcmonitor.info).

I went to a store and looked at the Asus PG348g and the Samsung CF791. Both were lovely to look at but what struck me the most was how short they were. They were approximately 3.5 inches shorter than my current monitor.

I found one which if it were G-Sync and had Quantum Dot would be my perfect monitor.
http://www.144hzmonitors.com/monitors/aoc-agon-ag322qcx-curved-1440p-freesync-gaming-monitor/

The recently announced aoc agon ag352ucg is also interesting since it seems the same panel as the Omen X but 25% less $. Recent Agon line monitors have generally been well reviewed.

But for now, the Acer XR382CQK and Samsung cf791 remain my front runners. Both can apparently be run at full speed without frame skipping while using an Nvidia card.

 

[Felidire]

Felidire,

I went to a store and looked at the Asus PG348g and the Samsung CF791. Both were lovely to look at but what struck me the most was how short they were. They were approximately 3.5 inches shorter than my current monitor.
...
The recently announced aoc agon ag352ucg is also interesting since it seems the same panel as the Omen X but 25% less $.
...
But for now, the Acer XR382CQK and Samsung cf791 remain my front runners. Both can apparently be run at full speed without frame skipping while using an Nvidia card.

For some reason I was expecting the CF791 to be roughly the same height as my current two (27") monitors, so I guess that doesn't come as a surprise; the extra 7" must come from stretching it horizontal. That would probably mean a 38-42" ultrawide would be roughly the same height as your 30", and I'm guessing such a monitor would be 3840x1600 (great for movies I believe). It's a shame the LG 38uc99-w reviews are less than stellar. I get the feeling we'll probably see more 3840x1600 monitors rolling out in the next 1-4 years though.

I ordered a CF791, just waiting for it to arrive. I was using a 2560x1440 27" and a 1920x1080 27" both at 60hz, running on a GTX 680. I'm going to check how the CF791 holds up on 60hz and 100hz, before upgrading to a GTX 1080 - which is inevitable. If the new monitor is outstandingly good (or bad), then I'll write a post about it here.

I don't think G-Sync is that big of a deal really, so long as your GPU is powerful enough; the extra $200'ish that it adds to the price tag of a monitor, could easily be invested in upgrading the GPU. I doubt screen tearing would be very noticeable in most situations if running a 144hz monitor, Fast Sync would probably suffice, and G-Sync (at least I'm fairly sure) often lowers framerates. I'll play some first-person shooters with the CF791 and GTX 680 later, it should struggle so I'll see how it looks/feels.

Edit: with the upcoming release of GTX 1080 Ti, the Acer XR382CQK is starting to look like a nicer option also.