Ultrawide Gaming Monitor: What should I prioritize? (IPS/G-Sync/1440p)

[kongfugorilla]

I would like to purchase a ~34" ultrawide (21:9) gaming monitor later this year, hopefully under $800. It appears getting an IPS, G-Sync, 1440p monitor like the Acer X34 or Asus PG348Q will cost around $1,000, but if I remove one of these features I can get the price down to my budget. What should I prioritize to keep my budget? Or are all the features so important I should just suck it up and spend the extra cash?

• 
  ■ I like to play a variety of games like Skyrim, XCOM2, Total Warhammer, Battlefield, but I'm not very competitive so I don't think I need over a 100hz monitor.
  ■ I also do some light photoshopping and photo editing for work so an IPS sounds nice, but my current monitor is still a TN panel so even a VA panel will be an upgrade for me.
  ■ I'm hoping to buy a GTX 1180 later this year so I can run games on max settings, but I imagine I won't always be able to run over 100fps, so G-Sync looks appealing to me.
  ■ I know I can save several hundred dollars by getting a 1080p ultrawide instead of a 1440p ultrawide, but it seems like it would be waste when paired with a future GTX 1180.

Thank you for your help!

 

[mayoung]

This really boils down to a personal preference on what you want in a monitor and what you want to sacrifice and if it's worth spending more money to have all of the features listed. If it was me I would save the extra $200, as buying a gaming monitor is an investment and I wouldn't want to regret buying a cheaper monitor down the road. That said, if you are wanting to outright lower the cost, it would be between the screen size and G-Sync. The Acer you linked is curved, which is great for viewing, but a flat screen 34" will start to look a bit funny/hazy on the 4 corners if you sit within a foot or so from the center. (I'm not sure on the right term maybe someone else might know?) A curved monitor eliminates most of that.

I hope this helps a bit.

 

[kongfugorilla]

Thank you for your advice. After a lot of research and considering many, many ultrawide options I finally decided to go with the AOC AGON AG352UCG6 for the following reasons:

• 
  ■ Unlike the Acer Predator X34 / Asus ROG SWIFT PG348Q, the AOC AGON AG352UCG6 has a 120hz refresh rate instead of 100hz. (The new Acer X34P does have a 120hz refresh rate, but it's much more expensive)
  ■ VA panel is cheaper than IPS and the VA color accuracy is still better than my current TN panel. VA also has better black levels than IPS.
  ■ I decided G-Sync is worth the premium--I don't expect to run all games at 3440x1440 above 120 fps, especially as newer games come out, so this is a great way to ensure I'll have smoother frame rates.
  ■ I decided 1440p is also worth the premium since I'll be purchasing a new graphics card at the end of the year and want to take advantage of the higher resolution. I wanted something in-between a 1080 and 4K for a balance between performance and higher fidelity.
  ■ Not super important, but I like the design of the AOC. It looks less gamer-y than the Asus, and it has some cool RGB backlighting.
  ■ It's on sale right now for $849! That's about $150-$200 less than normal and much less than the Acer/Asus/Alienware competitors. Because of the price I decided to pull the trigger now instead of waiting until the end of the year.

I hope that helps anyone else considering buying an ultrawide Let me know your thoughts!