Question Ultra wide monitor suggestions

[Scouserjoe]

I am looking for a monitor upgrade for working on DAW ( digital audio workstation ) non gamer. I am thinking of ultra wide 38 or 40 inch. Can anyone help as I don’t know what I should be looking for in terms of spec. Don’t want to spend more than £700 graphics card I’m using is MSI GT 710

 

[geofelt]

If you can't see a candidate in person, go to RTINGS.com
https://www.rtings.com/monitor

What are the rest of your parts?
I ask because the GT710 is a very old and weak graphics card that will not display higher resolutions at anything more than a miserable 24hz or so.

 

[Scouserjoe]

If you can't see a candidate in person, go to RTINGS.com
https://www.rtings.com/monitor

What are the rest of your parts?
I ask because the GT710 is a very old and weak graphics card that will not display higher resolutions at anything more than a miserable 24hz or so.

Windows 10
Intel i7 3.40
16gb ram
ssd x 3

Do the rest of the components matter if the graphics card is outdated ?

Should I replace it if so :

What would be a reasonable replacement graphics card, no gaming required. Just something that will run modern monitors

 

[thestryker]

If you need a passively cooled video card then a GT 1030 is probably the only option on the table. Otherwise for something inexpensive an Arc A310/A380 might be a good choice as they shouldn't cost much, will have modern codec support if you need to do anything video wise and natively support up to 4k/120hz screens.

As for display itself I think you should consider what features are important to you (refresh rate, color quality, curved or not etc) and work from there. I would recommend 120hz+ refresh rate as it is noticeable no matter what you're doing with the system. I'm not sure you'll find an ultrawide in the 38" range worth buying for this use case though.

 

[Scouserjoe]

What would be a reasonable replacement graphics card, no gaming required. Just something that will run modern monitors

If you need a passively cooled video card then a GT 1030 is probably the only option on the table. Otherwise for something inexpensive an Arc A310/A380 might be a good choice as they shouldn't cost much, will have modern codec support if you need to do anything video wise and natively support up to 4k/120hz screens.

As for display itself I think you should consider what features are important to you (refresh rate, color quality, curved or not etc) and work from there. I would recommend 120hz+ refresh rate as it is noticeable no matter what you're doing with the system. I'm not sure you'll find an ultrawide in the 38" range worth buying for this use case though.

Are there any suggestions you might make regarding the screen? Essentially I am looking for screen real estate having used a 1940 x 1080 for the last several years. The majority of the work I do is music based, so not graphic intense like gaming or anything of that nature just for running DAW and all associated plug-ins. I thought that an ultra wide monitor would be the way to go, but it sounds like you are suggesting I may struggle finding something worth buying in that range ? The scaling also worried me a little bit with an ultra wide monitor ie making things smaller. But not being very knowledgeable about all of this kind of thing I’m not sure what would be the best solution? I was going to add another monitor to the existing one so I had two but then thought if I bought a large monitor, I could just run one and do everything I need. Any advice will be much appreciated. As I have been trying to resolve this for some time and not really getting anywhere thanks for your help.

 

[thestryker]

Are there any suggestions you might make regarding the screen? Essentially I am looking for screen real estate having used a 1940 x 1080 for the last several years. The majority of the work I do is music based, so not graphic intense like gaming or anything of that nature just for running DAW and all associated plug-ins. I thought that an ultra wide monitor would be the way to go, but it sounds like you are suggesting I may struggle finding something worth buying in that range ? The scaling also worried me a little bit with an ultra wide monitor ie making things smaller. But not being very knowledgeable about all of this kind of thing I’m not sure what would be the best solution? I was going to add another monitor to the existing one so I had two but then thought if I bought a large monitor, I could just run one and do everything I need. Any advice will be much appreciated. As I have been trying to resolve this for some time and not really getting anywhere thanks for your help.

How big is the 1080p screen you're using now?

There are a lot of potential options that don't involve an ultrawide. 27-32" displays that are 1440p or 4k might so the trick as well.

The problem with going ultrawide is that the vast majority are going to be either old or gaming monitors and most will be curved. Right now every new ultrawide is a 34" display or OLED (which you really don't want for this use case).

That's why I said you need to figure out what you want features wise before recommendations can be given.

 

[Scouserjoe]

How big is the 1080p screen you're using now?

There are a lot of potential options that don't involve an ultrawide. 27-32" displays that are 1440p or 4k might so the trick as well.

The problem with going ultrawide is that the vast majority are going to be either old or gaming monitors and most will be curved. Right now every new ultrawide is a 34" display or OLED (which you really don't want for this use case).

That's why I said you need to figure out what you want features wise before recommendations can be given.

The screen I am currently using is 27 inch way to small for my needs

It’s difficult to say feature wise as my knowledge is limited , which is why I gave a brief description of what I will be using it for, you suggested a refresh rate, which is fine,I wasn’t sure how much that matters if I’m using relatively low resolution, but I’m sure you know more than me. My main reason for the upgrade is screen real estate, which looks good as well. The one thing I’m trying to get my head around is the native scaling, ie the bigger I go the more the image is scaled down, I know that can be altered in windows, but it never looks as good when scaling up. Hopefully you have enough to make a suggestion. I have been looking at this one, as well as many others !

https://www.amazon.co.uk/AOC-AGON-AG405UXC-Monitor-FreeSync/dp/B0C4P88C2S/ref=sr_1_7_sspa?crid=VCOZTGJBO15O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jos0IT8xl4Kf_e-nmX5s0HrdF9kfoQXGoVawVUcdH22pdKfkEqhcr3EwnwNrW5c2jsU9LKAPo8JCts52_vsYXdPKRlhunXgilWDPEljU2HiXS3M1tCadT7c5LRAXWZGf9_4aPmumwKe78QpCUqPsgA.b7TmUBCJu8V_bJwx4LoENOX9rZkw4Bt7-u3d1IhHnjY&dib_tag=se&keywords=aoc+ultra+wide&qid=1705257343&s=computers&sprefix=Aoc+ultra+,computers,86&sr=1-7-spons&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.d7e5a2de-8759-4da3-993c-d11b6e3d217f&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&psc=1

lm guessing my current graphics card will not support this monitor ? If not would the suggested cards above support it ?

 

[geofelt]

Will you be buying new or used?
Parts need to be compatible with each other.
Can you list the make/model of your relevant parts?
Make/model of your motherboard?
Make/model of your current monitor? It is usual to continue to attach an older second monitor as a side monitor.
Processor.
Windows version?
Can you provide a link to the DAW app that you are using?
Is your performance currently satisfactory?
Make/model of ram and total capacity.
Make/model of the case. Parts need to be able to fit in the case.
Are you using a ssd for your C drive?

your GT710 is a $50 card.
A GT1030 or Intel ARC would be about $100.
In either case, you need to be able to match the connection type on the graphics card with the connection type on the new monitor.

 

[thestryker]

lm guessing my current graphics card will not support this monitor ?

It would, but it would only run at 60hz refresh rate.

If not would the suggested cards above support it ?

Yes they'll support any display on the market.

The screen I am currently using is 27 inch way to small for my needs

The AOC AG405UXC you linked has the same. pixel density as a 24" 1080p screen so while not "great" (I think this is a bit subjective as most of us lived with this for many years without complaint) it's going to be better than what you have now by a fair bit. In addition you'd be getting around 2.5" more screen height and around 12" more width. If that's enough for what you need this seems like a good display to choose.