[SOLVED] Which 32~34" monitors are worth buying? Flat or curved. More details inside.

[seaWanderer]

I am in need of 2 new monitors. One for "myself" and one that is more...all-around that I can enjoy with my friends. I have seen (in real life) a couple of alternatives, both curved and flat, but i cannot seem to decide which one to go for... 1440p or not, but definitely higher than 1920x1080.. hmm...

The screen will be mainly used to:

• Streaming! I watch a lot of streams and i stream as well.
• Browsing! Besides streaming, i browse a lot. Multi-browsing too.
• NO hardcore gaming! I will use the monitor only for casual gaming, so i am not particularly "picky" about all the gaming "stats" the screen should have.
• I do a lot of video editing and a little photoshop editing.
• Me and my friends watch a lot of movies, youtube, anime and series, but it's okay if it's not so good at that since i also own a tv that i can use. So, i guess a flat panel would be preferred for that purposes for viewing angle purposes?
• My system CAN handle 1440p, since i have a 3700X / 5700 XT setup

Price shouldn't exceed that much over $5-600... Ohh, i am located in Europe, so our prices might vary.

I have found some alternatives:

• LG 34UC79G (seems to have it all, except the 1080...) @ $470
• ViewSonic XG3220 (seemingly another solid monitor, but low on Hz?) @ $430
• ViewSonic VX3276-2K-mhd @ $250
• Acer EB490QK (wow, what a SIZE! but... what's wrong with it?) @ $550

Out of these, i am honestly quite tempted to go for the 49"....

So. Any thoughts on those or do you have other recommendations?

 

[drivinfast247]

A 32" 1080p monitor is bleh! At that size you want 1440p.

What's wrong with that 49" monitor is that it's 4k-60hz with no adaptive refresh rate or HDR. It's not even a good TV.

 

[seaWanderer]

A 32" 1080p monitor is bleh! At that size you want 1440p.

What's wrong with that 49" monitor is that it's 4k-60hz with no adaptive refresh rate or HDR. It's not even a good TV.

Ah bummer. Then i need to look for more options to see what i can find... and yes, 1440p sounds good , for sure.

Do you have any suggestions on a goodie 32-34" monitor?

 

[drivinfast247]

Ah bummer. Then i need to look for more options to see what i can find... and yes, 1440p sounds good , for sure.

Do you have any suggestions on a goodie 32-34" monitor?

I have this one and it's awesome! LG 32GK850G-B 32" QHD Gaming Monitor with 144Hz Refresh Rate and NVIDIA G-Sync https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078TTXLW5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_o2TPDbD51F14K

This model here is Freesync. LG 32GK650F-B 32" QHD Gaming Monitor with 144Hz Refresh Rate and Radeon FreeSync Technology https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FLGR2PN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_I3TPDbXN4H657

 

[seaWanderer]

I have this one and it's awesome! LG 32GK850G-B 32" QHD Gaming Monitor with 144Hz Refresh Rate and NVIDIA G-Sync https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078TTXLW5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_o2TPDbD51F14K

This model here is Freesync. LG 32GK650F-B 32" QHD Gaming Monitor with 144Hz Refresh Rate and Radeon FreeSync Technology https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FLGR2PN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_I3TPDbXN4H657

Actually, i have decided to go for the LG 32GK850F version of that monitor. I am using AMD, which it supports nicely. I am not going to game hardcore anyways, so that screen will fulfill my needs more than nicely, i am sure. Plus the price is now at $400 for that screen, so yeah... worth going for it!

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[King_V]

I have found some alternatives:

• LG 34UC79G (seems to have it all, except the 1080...) @ $470

A 32" 1080p monitor is bleh! At that size you want 1440p.

That's actually a very good monitor - and the 1080 is absolutely NOT meh, because it's an ultrawide. 21:9 aspect ratio, 2560x1080 resolution.

It's only got a slight curve, which may be close enough to flat for your needs.

However, ultrawide is, I admit, a big thing for gaming for the wider field of view. What does your "casual" gaming consist of? Normally, I'd say that first person shooters would benefit from the wider FOV, but I was surprised to see a game like Don't Starve make good use of the extra width as well, so I imagine other non FPS games may do so as well.

Also, the lower resolution than a 2K (and especially compared to 4K) means you don't need as powerful a GPU when gaming on it. My son has this monitor and loves it, and despite the relatively low resolution for its size, it looks great.

It's also reviewed (back in Feb 2017, so the price was higher back then) here, and they do make several mentions of the quality being so good that they don't regret it being "only" 2560x1080 as opposed to 3440x1440.

While some may cry for greater resolution, we think the 34UC79G goes far beyond “just fine” the way it is. A lower pixel count means higher framerates which translates to smoother motion and better gaming. Coupled with the best contrast we’ve yet seen from an IPS panel and you’ve got a near-perfect gaming monitor.

First we’ll talk about the specs that might give some users pause. Yes, the resolution is 2560x1080 and FreeSync only works down to 50Hz. But if you’ve read our other reviews of 1080p gaming monitors then you know we favor things like contrast, color accuracy, and motion processing quality over resolution. We’d rather have a smooth experience free of tears, stuttering, and ghosting over a high pixel count any day.

If resolution is important to you, by all means spend another $300-400 but we think this monitor looks better than pretty much every other curved screen we’ve had in our lab.

(that I think is referring to a higher resolution ultra-wide, price-wise)

The great thing about this new LG is that no corners have been cut. We don’t consider its 2560x1080 resolution to be a negative. While we wouldn’t complain if the same performance were available at 3440x1440, the fact is you’d be hard pressed to replicate the gaming experience we had on a screen with that higher pixel count.

Our experience showed us once again that extra resolution does not universally mean higher image quality. For its superior contrast, accuracy and gaming prowess, we’re giving it the Tom’s Hardware Editor’s Choice Award.

 

[seaWanderer]

That's actually a very good monitor - and the 1080 is absolutely NOT meh, because it's an ultrawide. 21:9 aspect ratio, 2560x1080 resolution.

It's only got a slight curve, which may be close enough to flat for your needs.

However, ultrawide is, I admit, a big thing for gaming for the wider field of view. What does your "casual" gaming consist of? Normally, I'd say that first person shooters would benefit from the wider FOV, but I was surprised to see a game like Don't Starve make good use of the extra width as well, so I imagine other non FPS games may do so as well.

Also, the lower resolution than a 2K (and especially compared to 4K) means you don't need as powerful a GPU when gaming on it. My son has this monitor and loves it, and despite the relatively low resolution for its size, it looks great.

It's also reviewed (back in Feb 2017, so the price was higher back then) here, and they do make several mentions of the quality being so good that they don't regret it being "only" 2560x1080 as opposed to 3440x1440.






(that I think is referring to a higher resolution ultra-wide, price-wise)

Thanks for the response, but upon further detailed checking out LG 32GK850F, that will be my monitor of choice for my next build, for sure. I have top notch experiences with LG stuff before, even monitors, so i feel confident that i am making a good buy with that one. Thanks for the info on it, man.