Monitor Upgrade worth it?

[MrAnagaM]

I´m gonna upgrade my monitor from a 19" acer 1400x900 to a better one but I'm having a bit of trouble choosing which is really worth it.
My options are
ACER XG270HU 27" https://www.amazon.com/Acer-XF240H-bmjdpr-24-inch-FreeSync/dp/B00VRCLHYS?th=1
DELL S2716DG 27" https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DGR-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B0149QBOF0
LG 34UC79G-B 34" ULTRAWIDE https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LW5CGIS/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=II1J2UIIRPRDR&colid=L9X816NZUZT&psc=0
I use my PC for gaming and my rig is Ryzen 5 1500x 3.9Ghx OC, GTX 1070 Windforce OC Edition and 16GB RAM Furyx
Which will I be able to run and which is actually better?

 

[n0ns3ns3]

the resolution of the LG is too low for the size. And not all games support UW. moreover, I often find myself configuring games to run 16:9 borderless window on my 34" if they have minimaps or other useful things to see in the corner.
I'd go with Dell - it's overall a good monitor and has G-Sync which you will find useful in combination with your HW.

 

[Solandri]

the resolution of the LG is too low for the size.

It's a little low, but not dramatically so. It wouldn't be my first choice, but it's not terrible either. Here are the pixel sizes for some standard monitor sizes, and the monitors OP listed.

108 PPI - 20.5" 16:9 @ 1920x1080
100 PPI - 22" 16:9 @ 1920x1080
92 PPI - 24" 16:9 @ 1920x1080
82 PPI - 27" 16:9 @ 1920x1080

88 PPI - 19" @ 1400x900 (never heard of this aspect ratio, so I assume it's a typo)
97 PPI - 19" @ 1600x900 (this makes more sense)
82 PPI - 34" 21:9 @ 2560x1080
109 PPI - 27" 16:9 @ 2560x1440

And not all games support UW. moreover, I often find myself configuring games to run 16:9 borderless window on my 34" if they have minimaps or other useful things to see in the corner.

Based on the above, if you play the game at 16:9 with black bars on the side of the 21:9 monitor, it becomes the physical equivalent of a 1920x1080 27" monitor.

 

[Karadjgne]

I had a 19" 1400x900 LG. Great picture while it lasted. All of 9 months. So glad I moved to the 24" 1920x1080 60Hz Asus x2 I have now. I looked at the 27", but on that big of a screen, the clarity and crispness was lacking at the sitting distance. Sit further back, no worries, but overall there was little, if any difference, the screens looked the same. 4' for the 27" made desktop use an issue, 3' for the 24" fit better.

Out of the above, I'd run with the Dell. Acer does make a nice monitor, especially in the upper classes, Dell just makes them better. The G-Sync is a bonus.

 

[n0ns3ns3]

Based on the above, if you play the game at 16:9 with black bars on the side of the 21:9 monitor, it becomes the physical equivalent of a 1920x1080 27" monitor.

my monitor is 3440x1440, so it becomes ~equivalent of 27" 2560x1440.
my second monitor is 24" 1920x1200.
Both monitors connected to the same graphics cards and are side by side.

since people are using desktop computers from under 1m distance, the angular resolution of 2560x1080 34" is really bad.
i can clearly see the difference in sharpness. moreover i can easily see individual pixels on the 24" which is very hard on 34"

 

[Solandri]

i can clearly see the difference in sharpness. moreover i can easily see individual pixels on the 24" which is very hard on 34"

Heh, I can clearly see the difference in sharpness for anything under 300 PPI. And yes the pixels are obvious to me on a 24"1920x1200 as well. Or 20" for that matter. I need about 200 PPI before I'm happy. But I know I'm not typical, probably because of all the photo work I do.

I wasn't saying the picture would be great, I was saying it would be acceptable for most people. That's why I provided the list of PPI for different 1920x1080 monitor sizes. So OP could go to a store and look at different size 1920x1080 monitors, and decide for himself what PPI is sufficient for him.

 

[n0ns3ns3]

PPI is meaningless on it's own. To become meaningful, it needs viewing distance.
The only single metric that tells something is angular resolution which talks in PixelsPerDegree. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angular_resolution
a desirable value is 70-100PPD. over 80 is practically perfect.
with my screen i have 73-86 ppd depending on how I'm sitting (90-110cm between the screen and my eyes)

 

[Karadjgne]

Like I said (in layman's English), the screens are roughly the same size when viewed. At 3 feet, a 24" is clear and precise. At 4' a 27" looks the same. At 3 feet, the 27" looks larger, but so are the pixels and it gets fuzzy. Just like looking at a 1080p TV, you can enjoy a clear picture on a 30" at 6 feet, but for a 65" you need to be closer to 12 feet away or it looks like crap.
The only way to change that is higher resolutions, much smaller pixels per square inch, so a 27" 1440p looks Alot like a 24" 1080p at 3 feet, just considerably larger.

 

[n0ns3ns3]

^^ the pixel density on 27" 1440p is higher than one on 24" 1080p. about 15% higher.
The difference is very obvious when you look at them side by side

 

[Solandri]

PPI is meaningless on it's own. To become meaningful, it needs viewing distance.

That's true for handheld devices like phones, tablets, and printed photos and documents.

But for monitors and TVs, the viewing distance is usually fixed based on furniture arrangement (or in the case of laptops, a comfortable typing distance). If viewing distance is fixed, it drops out of the equation, and PPI is what matters.

 

[n0ns3ns3]

when talking to someone, without knowing HIS viewing distance, it's impossible to tell what PPI would be optimal.
PPD, eliminating that.

 

[Karadjgne]

Op is using a 19" monitor. PPI and PPD aside, it's an almost guarantee that Op isn't further than 4 feet away from the monitor, or he'd simply not be able to read anything on the screen without binoculars.

Viewing distance eliminated both PPD and PPI...

 

[MrAnagaM]

I sit less 1 feet(30 to 34cm) away from my screen alway, I use my PC for gaming and programing(this activity is irrelevant as i do not need to see the values clearly, so lol)
According to that, my current monitor is 16:10 1400x900 19" 60hz monitor.
Which monitor would actually be better for gaming? DELL 27"1440p GSYNC or 24" gsync 1080p.
And which would I be able to use on high and ultra resolution on games?
My spec are:
Ryzen 5 1500x 3.9Ghx OC
GTX 1070 Windforce OC Edition OC'd
16GB RAM Furyx

 

[n0ns3ns3]

Go with 27" 1440p
you will appreciate additional screen estate when programming.
You current HW is less relevant as monitors are very long term investment. you will change HW 2-3 times before changing monitor.

 

[Karadjgne]

Wow. 1 foot away? That's probably because it's a 19" monitor. Guaranteed if you move upto a 27" you'll be scooting back to about 3-4 feet away, or in games like CS:GO you'll be getting whiplash trying to see both sides of the screen.

Ideally you should be far enough away from the monitor to see the entire screen, even if the edges are in peripheral vision.