Advice for purchasing a new PC monitor

So assuming the new video card can do it, cables don’t matter and the real limit is what version the monitor has? And there’s no markings or anything on the outside?

You’re not going to find a monitor this good in other characteristics for <$400 with Gsync. Just isn’t happening. I looked at a list of “cheapest G-sync monitors” and the low end was $350. For a 1080p TN display. For IPS, 4K, etc it looks like your entry level is around $650 and even then their rec only offered HDCP 1.4 support.

It’s lame that this is something that’s a proprietary battleground, but it is. FWIW I have never used Freesync or Gsync and never missed them. I’m sure they’re nice if you have the right combo of monitor and card though.

I can recommend this G-Sync monitor. It’s not IPS, but to me the image quality is awesome.

Oh yes, I am well aware, it’s why I haven’t purchased a new monitor despite really wanting to. 4k gaming doesn’t make a ton of sense, especially with Nvidia trying to milk the market, but I like 4k for non gaming related reasons. Gsync I think would make it more palatable to me for gaming, but I am not paying the stupid nvidia tax.

1440p makes the most sense if all I did was game but that’s not true so here I am just waiting even longer for an upgrade.

I mean, my rec would be to get the monitor I got (or something similar, potentially), not worry about G-sync, and then if you find you really want what Freesync gives you, get an AMD card next go round. Personally I think 4K gaming is amazing right now, without Freesync, and without needing Nvidia’s absolute latest. (heck, like I say I got a lot of stuff to play well on a 970, though that’s obviously not what I would recommend buying)

But if you’re super sensitive to framerate, YMMV.

I can’t see myself buying AMD again - I have done that a couple of times and regretted it.

I am not super frame rate sensitive but it’s so nice to have a solid 60fps and I can notice and enjoy frame rates above that. I really hoped for that in my next gaming setup or at least a gsync/freesync bandaid on the problem.

What I really want is for HDMI’s new VRR adaptive sync solution to gain traction. Maybe consoles will support it? And that might force nvidia? Yeah, grasping at straws here.

Look for cables that are labeled as “HDMI High Speed”, I think that’s for the older pre-2.0 standard. Otherwise, look for HDMI 2.0+.

I found an article here that might be helpful (I haven’t had a chance to read through it yet).

Can anyone talk to me about the Acer XR382CQK?

My current setup is two 27" monitors, one with G-sync (the one I use for gaming). I’m looking to dump that setup and go with one ultrawide monitor.

The things I think I’m looking for are:

  • Ultrawide
  • A step up from my current 27" 1440p resolution
  • HDR
  • Greater than 60hz refresh rate
  • I’m willing to drop Gsync, the price point to get it on this kind of monitor is too much and/or sacrifice other features.

Does this monitor fit that bill? According to the Amazon page it has HDR, but the Tom’s Hardware review I said that it does not support it. Also, any specifications I can find on what level of HDR it supports or what I should be looking for? I don’t know much about HDR other than not all HDR is equal.

Thanks!

EDIT: I should add that my GPU has DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0b ports. I’m assuming it’s the former that I would want to use for something like this?

I don’t think that’ll be HDR. They’d make a bigger deal of it if it was.

Well, HDR is a listed feature both on their product page and Amazon page.

image

But they don’t talk a lot about it, don’t mention any specification like HDR10, so I’m a little confused. That, and their blurb says “HDR ready” (what the hell does that mean?).

image

Did you watch this youtube review? I’m going to now…

I’m about to head out of the office, I’ll check it out when I get home. Thanks!

Looks like there’s a HDR and non HDR version of that monitor, which explains part of my confusion (the Amazon link shows that the product was first listed on Sept 2017, but the video review is from March of 2017).

I am curious - I just bought a second monitor so I can look at other things that could help me in a game (Thinking of Warframe and all the components one has to track as an example).

Were you is the two monitors together to view one game?

I was using one monitor for gaming and the other to view other stuff like web pages (including Warframe :)). The setup is good, but I’m leaning towards one larger ultrawide monitor for a larger screen and more immersion. I figure if I need to look at web pages or something in the meantime I can use a tablet or laptop.

There were a few reasons I didn’t want to use the two monitors as a dual-screen for games. For starters, the monitors were different. One was one of the original gsync offerings with a TN display and ran at 144hz. The other was an IPS monitor with no gsync and capped out at 60hz. Other than that, I just didn’t want a giant gap running down the “center” of my screen with the two bezels.

The only drawback with ultra wide is when HUDs put key info in the corners of the screen. It’s no longer visible in the corner of your eye. The map in Forza or the list of loot I just found in Odyssey - I keep missing stuff :) That’s with a 34". With a 37" it must be even more marked. A price worth paying :)

How is reading text on an ultra wide?

If you mean text size, it’s almost the same as when I’m connected to a Mac. I’ll attached a photo below.

If you mean reading end to end on a maximize screen, I don’t think that’s very practical. Which is why I absolutely love that Divvy program which let me quickly resize window so I put 3 browsers across the whole UltraWide screen.

Do games take into account that your monitor is curved, and adjust themselves accordingly?

Nope. It just do go full screen at that incredibly large resolution.