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21:9 Gaming Thread | That cinematic feel

outsidah

Member
Yea I'm really itching to take the plunge and I think $999 is the price sweet spot for me, but you're right I'm going to roll those dice. I'm sure eventually we'll get a great sale on these.

Costco had them new for that price but didn't last long at all. The worst thing about the refurb is the 3 month warranty. If it was cheaper...
 

Plum

Member
The full Ana Update was released on PC's main servers.

Aaaaannnddd... nothing. No change, it's still the same shitty 21:9 implementation it had before.

Blizzard really doesn't listen, do they?
 
Costco had them new for that price but didn't last long at all. The worst thing about the refurb is the 3 month warranty. If it was cheaper...

Yea I just missed the Costco sale. I'll be patient and wait at this point. My goal is to have one before BF1 releases.
 

Plum

Member
It's a 25% increase in fps. 60 to 75 is more noticeable than 100 to 120 because the lower the base framerate, the more noticeable each frame appears. 45 to 60 is the same increase and is even more noticeable than 60 to 75 or 100 to 120(5 extra frames increased over the other two) for example.

I personally think it's worth it.

Well it's not like there's a disadvantage to having that refresh rate. I look forward to seeing it!
 

catbrush

Member
A few weeks ago I picked up a Dell U3415W and it's pretty amazing for games and development.

Aside from some culling and reflection/bloom bugs in certain titles, I was surprised how well most games scale to 21:9 in Dolphin with the widescreen hack option.

VKG5r9f.jpg


Iy8f7KE.jpg
 

Shotterke

Member
I returned my Dell u3415w today. I had an excessive amount of backlight bleed in the top left corner. I'm not very sensitive to backlight bleed but this was annoying even when it wasn't really dark.

I should get the replacement unit by the end of the week so lets hope I get lucky this time.
 

Plum

Member
Been using my 21:9 monitor for a week now and I'm sorry to say but I'm getting a decent dose of buyers remorse. When it works the experience is amazing, it really is, but the times it does not really sour the whole thing for me. Wish it wasn't this way but my gut feeling tells me I didn't make the right decision.

Considering returning it (if I can) and saving up for another monitor. I don't know, I hate getting this feeling. Wish I had the money to just buy something like a G-Sync and compare then decide which one to keep.
 
Been using my 21:9 monitor for a week now and I'm sorry to say but I'm getting a decent dose of buyers remorse. When it works the experience is amazing, it really is, but the times it does not really sour the whole thing for me. Wish it wasn't this way but my gut feeling tells me I didn't make the right decision.

Considering returning it (if I can) and saving up for another monitor. I don't know, I hate getting this feeling. Wish I had the money to just buy something like a G-Sync and compare then decide which one to keep.

Can you elaborate further on why you feel that way? I am looking to make the leap.
 

Plum

Member
Can you elaborate further on why you feel that way? I am looking to make the leap.

It's mainly the lack of support for it really. That and it just doesn't feel as big an upgrade as I thought it might be. I feel like I should have waited to get one when the higher-end models become cheaper and I have a graphics card to support them.
 

Sophia

Member
Honestly, outside of Overwatch, I can't think of too many games that lack 21:9 support. What games in particular are you trying to run that don't have it?
 

MoonGred

Member
Can you elaborate further on why you feel that way? I am looking to make the leap.

There are still a fair amount of games (new releases) that don't offer a 21:9 resolution which will display a 16:9 image with substantial black bars at each side, for a lot of people this is a massive turn off seeing as they just spent a serious amount of money on a monitor that is not being utilized to its full potential.
Alternatively in some cases you'll be required to do some tinkering to get it to work, this may vary from getting 21:9 support or making sure that the in game cut scenes display in the resolution as well (this is the case with TW3, the game natively supports 21:9 but for some reason the in game cut scenes have black bars)
On very rare occasions you'll come across games that don't work with 21:9 and actually break the game, I've only seen this once in the latest Sherlock Holmes games where your mouse cursor is off set 2cm to the left which makes the game a chore to play.

If you're comfortable with this small amount (in my opinion) of issues you'll be rewarded with a very immersive experience, playing TW3/Rocket League and even Stardew Valley all look equally impressive.
 

Plum

Member
Honestly, outside of Overwatch, I can't think of too many games that lack 21:9 support. What games in particular are you trying to run that don't have it?

Well, OW is a big one for me as I do play it quite a lot. EDF 4.1 required a hack and I can't play Dark Souls 2 or 3 without getting soft banned. Netflix only works in UW in Chrome but Chrome doesn't support 1080p. It's just too much hassle really. Thankfully the store I sold it from has a really good return policy and I have most of the original packaging.

It's a great technology but it'll be a few years until I really get into it I think.
 
It's mainly the lack of support for it really. That and it just doesn't feel as big an upgrade as I thought it might be. I feel like I should have waited to get one when the higher-end models become cheaper and I have a graphics card to support them.

There are still a fair amount of games (new releases) that don't offer a 21:9 resolution which will display a 16:9 image with substantial black bars at each side, for a lot of people this is a massive turn off seeing as they just spent a serious amount of money on a monitor that is not being utilized to its full potential.
Alternatively in some cases you'll be required to do some tinkering to get it to work, this may vary from getting 21:9 support or making sure that the in game cut scenes display in the resolution as well (this is the case with TW3, the game natively supports 21:9 but for some reason the in game cut scenes have black bars)
On very rare occasions you'll come across games that don't work with 21:9 and actually break the game, I've only seen this once in the latest Sherlock Holmes games where your mouse cursor is off set 2cm to the left which makes the game a chore to play.

If you're comfortable with this small amount (in my opinion) of issues you'll be rewarded with a very immersive experience, playing TW3/Rocket League and even Stardew Valley all look equally impressive.

Awesome, I appreciate the info. I'm ok with the black bars, so I don't think that'll be a big deal for me. I am currently running the Dell G-sync, 1440p, 144hz monitor, but still think this will be a pretty sweet upgrade. It also seems like most devs are getting behind this too, so the future looks pretty good.
 

Plum

Member
Awesome, I appreciate the info. I'm ok with the black bars, so I don't think that'll be a big deal for me. I am currently running the Dell G-sync, 1440p, 144hz monitor, but still think this will be a pretty sweet upgrade. It also seems like most devs are getting behind this too, so the future looks pretty good.

Funny, that's the one I'm considering getting instead! How is it and what Ultrawide are you upgrading to? I went from a 1080p 24 to a 1080p 29 inch so I think that's part of the reason why I felt/am feeling so underwhelmed.
 

MoonGred

Member
Awesome, I appreciate the info. I'm ok with the black bars, so I don't think that'll be a big deal for me. I am currently running the Dell G-sync, 1440p, 144hz monitor, but still think this will be a pretty sweet upgrade. It also seems like most devs are getting behind this too, so the future looks pretty good.

I made the same upgrade, just not from a Dell, and when I unboxed it the x34 didnt seem that much bigger, it's only until you see those black bars that you notice how much extra space you get.

When I found out OW wasn't supporting 21:9 I was pretty bummed to the point of not getting the game, after playing the beta for a while it became clear that I didn't notice the black bars as I was to busy paying attention to what was happening on screen.
 

Flandy

Member
Well, OW is a big one for me as I do play it quite a lot. EDF 4.1 required a hack and I can't play Dark Souls 2 or 3 without getting soft banned. Netflix only works in UW in Chrome but Chrome doesn't support 1080p. It's just too much hassle really. Thankfully the store I sold it from has a really good return policy and I have most of the original packaging.

It's a great technology but it'll be a few years until I really get into it I think.
I just assume Japanese games don't support 21:9 by default lol
 
Funny, that's the one I'm considering getting instead! How is it and what Ultrawide are you upgrading to? I went from a 1080p 24 to a 1080p 29 inch so I think that's part of the reason why I felt/am feeling so underwhelmed.

I really really like it. I just rebuilt my system. Seahawk 1080, 6700k, etc, and think that 21:9 looks great. The price jumped way back up on the Dell so I think now is the time to make the jump and get the most out of reselling it. I'm looking at grabbing the X34, btw. I can't give up that G-sync.
 

Plum

Member
I really really like it. I just rebuilt my system. Seahawk 1080, 6700k, etc, and think that 21:9 looks great. The price jumped way back up on the Dell so I think now is the time to make the jump and get the most out of reselling it. I'm looking at grabbing the X34, btw. I can't give up that G-sync.

I can get the Dell for £470 which is cheap and still in my budget. Gonna refund the 29 monitor first because i don't want to bank on another big purchase before that happens. Been sat up worrying if I have all the stuff I need all night!

And yeah, if I were getting an X34 I think I'd like the decision a lot more. Right now if a game does not support 21:9 it's a direct downgrade from my older monitor which makes those major exceptions like OW a lot worse.
 
I can get the Dell for £470 which is cheap and still in my budget. Gonna refund the 29 monitor first because i don't want to bank on another big purchase before that happens. Been sat up worrying if I have all the stuff I need all night!

And yeah, if I were getting an X34 I think I'd like the decision a lot more. Right now if a game does not support 21:9 it's a direct downgrade from my older monitor which makes those major exceptions like OW a lot worse.

OK gotcha. I think I got the Dell from Amazon for $420ish USD. You'll be happy with it. It is really good. You'll see the same QC issues for it as people are seeing with the X34, so if you're sensitive about that stuff, get it from somewhere where you can swap it. There were some good reviews in the 144hz GSync thread, including one from me. I'll post it here when I find it.

Here's the page with a few impressions: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=201792493&highlight=#post201792493
 

Plum

Member
OK gotcha. I think I got the Dell from Amazon for $420ish USD. You'll be happy with it. It is really good. You'll see the same QC issues for it as people are seeing with the X34, so if you're sensitive about that stuff, get it from somewhere where you can swap it. There were some good reviews in the 144hz GSync thread, including one from me. I'll post it here when I find it.

Here's the page with a few impressions: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=201792493&highlight=#post201792493

Thanks!

Update on the refund; I checked and everything but some of the original packaging is still there. I'll be sending in for a refund today. Sorry, Ultrawide guys, but I think this is a technology I'm going to fully adopt for at least a year or two yet. Wish I had the money to get a 1080 and X34 but sadly I don't.
 

ClearData

Member
Bear with me if this post is a little long and meandering


Okay so after going back and forth over what kind of monitor technology to go with I am getting ready to take the plunge into resolutions beyond 1080p. I picked up an Nvidia Titan X awhile back with the intent of pairing it with a high grade monitor at some point. The things I prioritized are as follows.

  • 4K or 3440x1440 resolution
  • Nvidia G-Sync
  • Higher than 60hz refresh rates.
  • IPS panel preferred
  • Additional display tech: sRGB, HDR, or other features

I've been debating if 4K or 21:9 (3440x1440p) is the way to go. I've been hearing about HDR and the high detail and pixel count of 4k, coupled with the more standard 16:9 aspect ratio that minimizes seeing black bars (though I don't mind that so much I think).

My research here found that 4k monitors do not yet support HDR, and I couldn't find one that supported both G-Sync and higher than 60hz refresh rates, or had an IPS panel. The only contender I found here was the Acer Predator XB1 Link Here

So I reasoned that the higher immersion, greater level of effects I could use by scaling down to 1440p, and actual use I could get out of G-Synch at higher than 60hz would mean it would be a better investment to get an Ultrawide.

So my two candidates so far are the Asus ROG Swift PG348Q Link Here and the Acer Predator X34 Link Here

As far as I can tell they offer a similar feature set but vary in response time 5ms vs 4ms and wattage of the internal speakers. Asus lists a 10 bit color depth while Acer does not list that but claims a higher contrast ratio.

In summary I am currently leaning toward the Acer Predator X34 based on all my research it gives me the most features for a high grade gaming experience and it seems worth the extra effort to configure my games to take advantage of it.

Have I missed anything? Is there another monitor I should look at? Advice is very much appreciated because I am in a crash course on premium monitors right now, and the cost makes me want to make sure I make the right choice the first time. Thanks!
 

PFD

Member
And yeah, if I were getting an X34 I think I'd like the decision a lot more. Right now if a game does not support 21:9 it's a direct downgrade from my older monitor which makes those major exceptions like OW a lot worse.

I'll be upgrading from my Korean 1440p 27" to the X34P when it comes out. So this will be an upgrade even if a game doesn't support 21:9 (i still gain gsync)

And movie viewing at 21:9 will be massively improved
 
Bear with me if this post is a little long and meandering


Okay so after going back and forth over what kind of monitor technology to go with I am getting ready to take the plunge into resolutions beyond 1080p. I picked up an Nvidia Titan X awhile back with the intent of pairing it with a high grade monitor at some point. The things I prioritized are as follows.

  • 4K or 3440x1440 resolution
  • Nvidia G-Sync
  • Higher than 60hz refresh rates.
  • IPS panel preferred
  • Additional display tech: sRGB, HDR, or other features

I've been debating if 4K or 21:9 (3440x1440p) is the way to go. I've been hearing about HDR and the high detail and pixel count of 4k, coupled with the more standard 16:9 aspect ratio that minimizes seeing black bars (though I don't mind that so much I think).

My research here found that 4k monitors do not yet support HDR, and I couldn't find one that supported both G-Sync and higher than 60hz refresh rates, or had an IPS panel. The only contender I found here was the Acer Predator XB1 Link Here

So I reasoned that the higher immersion, greater level of effects I could use by scaling down to 1440p, and actual use I could get out of G-Synch at higher than 60hz would mean it would be a better investment to get an Ultrawide.

So my two candidates so far are the Asus ROG Swift PG348Q Link Here and the Acer Predator X34 Link Here

As far as I can tell they offer a similar feature set but vary in response time 5ms vs 4ms and wattage of the internal speakers. Asus lists a 10 bit color depth while Acer does not list that but claims a higher contrast ratio.

In summary I am currently leaning toward the Acer Predator X34 based on all my research it gives me the most features for a high grade gaming experience and it seems worth the extra effort to configure my games to take advantage of it.

Have I missed anything? Is there another monitor I should look at? Advice is very much appreciated because I am in a crash course on premium monitors right now, and the cost makes me want to make sure I make the right choice the first time. Thanks!

You can't go wrong with either one. Who do you trust more asus or acer? Buy it on amazon if youre american for that sweet return policy

I would completely ignore speakers for either of them because they are garbage. I have a first gen x34
 

ClearData

Member
You can't go wrong with either one. Who do you trust more asus or acer? Buy it on amazon if youre american for that sweet return policy

I would completely ignore speakers for either of them because they are garbage. I have a first gen x34

Yeah, the speakers aren't really important to me. I really like Asus products in general, but in this instance I am leaning toward the Acer monitor. My experience with Acer monitors have been top notch, it is 1 ms faster, and doesn't use that weird stick interface on the ROG.

Yea basically. Factory OC at 100hz, more curve, swivel stand.

Hmm. I wonder if there is something more compelling in the feature set. The x34 is manually overclockable to 100hz so would this one go higher? More curve doesn't do it for me. Lol. I'll Google it.
 
Yeah, the speakers aren't really important to me. I really like Asus products in general, but in this instance I am leaning toward the Acer monitor. My experience with Acer monitors have been top notch, it is 1 ms faster, and doesn't use that weird stick interface on the ROG.


Hmm. I wonder if there is something more compelling in the feature set. The x34 is manually overclockable to 100hz so would this one go higher? More curve doesn't do it for me. Lol. I'll Google it.

They didn't say for sure, guessing you may be able to tho. I was impatient and pulled the trigger last night. Ordered from Amazon so it was easy to swap if it had issues.
 

outsidah

Member
Yeah, the speakers aren't really important to me. I really like Asus products in general, but in this instance I am leaning toward the Acer monitor. My experience with Acer monitors have been top notch, it is 1 ms faster, and doesn't use that weird stick interface on the ROG.



Hmm. I wonder if there is something more compelling in the feature set. The x34 is manually overclockable to 100hz so would this one go higher? More curve doesn't do it for me. Lol. I'll Google it.

The Acer has a horrible interface FYI, one of the advantages the Asus is the superior interface.

The x34p (not released yet) is rumored to be able to OC over 100, but nothing concrete on that.
 

Digby

Neo Member
I just came in here to say that after almost 6 months of using a 34" ultrawide, I will never go back to another format. Never. I have an AOC non-curved 60hz model, probably by current standards an awful monitor but I don't care.
 

outsidah

Member
I just came in here to say that after almost 6 months of using a 34" ultrawide, I will never go back to another format. Never. I have an AOC non-curved 60hz model, probably by current standards an awful monitor but I don't care.

I'm not familiar with that model, but I will say I'm 100% with you. The one thing I would caution folks on going this route is

1) Getting a 1080 version, the additional screen real estate is so much better with a 1440 monitor
2) Having a card that can push the resolution if you plan to game on newer titles
 
My X34 showed up on Friday. So far it's pretty incredible. A completely immersive gameplay experience and great for productivity too.

Only two things I'm not so fond of.
*Because of the fancy shape of the back of the monitor, it required a big bracket to wall mount it, which puts it another inch or inch.5 away from the wall.

*I do have some BLB. It's not terrible, but you can definitely see some bright yellow spots on the top and bottom of the screen. I'm still kicking around on whether or not to have Amazon send out a replacement.

Overall I am super happy with it. It's a ridiculously expensive monitor, but I can see this lasting me a long time, and I am more than happy with this resolution over a 4k monitor.
 

dragn

Member
My X34 showed up on Friday. So far it's pretty incredible. A completely immersive gameplay experience and great for productivity too.

Only two things I'm not so fond of.
*Because of the fancy shape of the back of the monitor, it required a big bracket to wall mount it, which puts it another inch or inch.5 away from the wall.

*I do have some BLB. It's not terrible, but you can definitely see some bright yellow spots on the top and bottom of the screen. I'm still kicking around on whether or not to have Amazon send out a replacement.

Overall I am super happy with it. It's a ridiculously expensive monitor, but I can see this lasting me a long time, and I am more than happy with this resolution over a 4k monitor.

try setting brightness to 0, greatly reduced yellow glow on my ultrawide
 

outsidah

Member
*I do have some BLB. It's not terrible, but you can definitely see some bright yellow spots on the top and bottom of the screen. I'm still kicking around on whether or not to have Amazon send out a replacement.

Have you tried comparing to pics of other folks BLB? It sucks, but it tends to plague IPS to a certain degree and these current ultrawides (x34/rog 34) seem to be larger offenders. The QA has gotten much better from all I've read though so you probably got a fairly decent one.

You could post a pic or two for some community opinions as well. Glad you are enjoying it!
 
try setting brightness to 0, greatly reduced yellow glow on my ultrawide

Thanks for the tip, but unfortunately you can see almost nothing during daytime with 0 on the backlight.

Have you tried comparing to pics of other folks BLB? It sucks, but it tends to plague IPS to a certain degree and these current ultrawides (x34/rog 34) seem to be larger offenders. The QA has gotten much better from all I've read though so you probably got a fairly decent one.

You could post a pic or two for some community opinions as well. Glad you are enjoying it!

Will do, thanks! I'll take some pictures tonight.

Here's a shot of it in my setup.

MssNRUQl.jpg
 

Kaleinc

Banned
According to a Battle.net forum poster, the 21:9 view on PTR is a whopping 36% loss of playing field. So not only are we not better off, but now we've got an option that could easily put someone unaware at a disadvantage.
Speaking of loss


98aVcKc.jpg


Now you know how it feels to be letterboxed by lazy ass dev teams.
But on the ultra narrow side of the spectrum :p
 
Doesn't the reflection on your display drive you nuts?

It's not there if you are sitting right in front of it, and 99% of the time I have my case blacked out.

Take the plastic film off that glass! You won't regret it!

lol, yes, I knew someone would mention it. I just finished the build about a week ago, and knew I'd be putting up this montior. and I'll be putting a curtain where those cheap blinds are, so I figured I'd keep it protected while things are in flux. I am a little OCD about keeping my new stuff clean too, lol. That Gif is awesome, btw.
 

Evo X

Member
Hey guys, I'm going to be upgrading from a release model ASUS ROG Swift and looking to get the best gaming monitor currently available.

Is the Acer X34 Predator still top dog or should I be looking at something else? Will be driven by a single Pascal Titan X.
 
Why do you put the PC on your small table ?

I also hope than you can deactivate the blue light because it is far worse than backlight issue.

The desk fit where I wanted it, and it's the perfect width for the space, and for the setup. I wanted access to my 4k TV without running a cord for a mile.

Yes it can be turned off, yes it is almost always off, no you cannot see it on the screen from in front of the screen. it's not an issue at all.
 

Oxn

Member
Hey guys, I'm going to be upgrading from a release model ASUS ROG Swift and looking to get the best gaming monitor currently available.

Is the Acer X34 Predator still top dog or should I be looking at something else? Will be driven by a single Pascal Titan X.

That or the asus equalvilant, the pg348q.
 
Hey guys, I'm going to be upgrading from a release model ASUS ROG Swift and looking to get the best gaming monitor currently available.

Is the Acer X34 Predator still top dog or should I be looking at something else? Will be driven by a single Pascal Titan X.

Having an amazing time with the Asus PG348Q, which has all the top features of the x34. I have it mounted though so I don't have to put up with the controversial stand.

I'm using the GTX 1080 and it's driving the vast majority of my games at a minimum of 60 fps at max settings. DOOM for instance spends most of its time at the 100 mark. Some games require "very high" instead of "ultra" on key settings, but the pascal titan x (or 1080ti if it matches it like the 980ti did to the og titan x) should mitigate this.

Just check that your favourite games support the aspect ratio first, then you're good to go.
 

mxgt

Banned
Hey guys, I'm going to be upgrading from a release model ASUS ROG Swift and looking to get the best gaming monitor currently available.

Is the Acer X34 Predator still top dog or should I be looking at something else? Will be driven by a single Pascal Titan X.

It's incredible, I love mine.

The only downside is it's not 144hz

rip my wallet when 3440x1440 144hz gets released.
 
So I took two different pictures after setting the settings to those recommended by TFT Central.

The first is displaying a black background.

5dkXHOul.jpg


The second, I selected the wrong input and waited for the label to go away showing a black screen.

dzEulofl.jpg
 
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