Ultra screen (21:9) 3440X1440 Monitor recomendation

Hi Folks

I am new to monitor buying and am beginning to get a little confused about what is best for me, so was hoping for some guidance.

I have a new build i7-4790K host with 16GB RAm and 1x EVGA GTX 970 (ftw).

PLan in future to get one more GTX 970.

I have been looking at ultra widescreen monitors and not sure which one to go for.
Happy to spend £700+ assuming I get the longevity and quality to reflect the cost.

Is anyone aware of any online reviews which compare similar monitors in this class - that will give me the indication of which one is best in class ?

Appreciate the assistance.

For that money, you could get two Dell U2515H and end up with more width on the same height, or go for a 4k UP2414Q or P2715Q. Is there a specific reason for wanting the 21:9 oddball ratio?

I was thinking the same thing. Could you make an argument for the 4k over the 1440p 21:9 ? I mean aside from the obvious higher resolution? But with higher Hardware requirements.

motherboard1 said:

I was thinking the same thing. Could you make an argument for the 4k over the 1440p 21:9 ? I mean aside from the obvious higher resolution? But with higher Hardware requirements.

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I could. The UP2414Q has 10-bit color. P2715Q supposedly also has 10-bit color, but some other forums suggest it has bad firmware which reports EDID with only 8-bit support. Not sure whether new revisions have fixed that, or if you'd have to play RMA roulette with Dell to get a fixed firmware. 10-bit color is like getting an SSD - you don't realize what you're missing until you've used one. I downgraded to a U2515H because the 4k was a bit too much for a single GPU with any HD textures or AA/AF, and the lack of 10-bit color is depressing

petteyg359 said:

I could. The UP2414Q has 10-bit color. P2715Q supposedly also has 10-bit color, but some other forums suggest it has bad firmware which reports EDID with only 8-bit support. Not sure whether new revisions have fixed that, or if you'd have to play RMA roulette with Dell to get a fixed firmware. 10-bit color is like getting an SSD - you don't realize what you're missing until you've used one. I downgraded to a U2515H because the 4k was a bit too much for a single GPU with any HD textures or AA/AF, and the lack of 10-bit color is depressing

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Thanks Folks.

The reason for QUHD is for the immersive experience in First Person Shooters (BF4)

2 monitors wont cut it due to the bezel interference. 3 monitors I don't have enough desk real estate to mess with.

Also given the fact I only currently have 1 x GTX 970 means I have to be realistic about resolution expectations.

If you have better recommendations I am most willing to explore them. But at the moment the 21:9 monitor with 1440 is looking like the best bet...Happy to be contradicted though

I hear you on the color issue. I hooked my PC up to a buddies 1080p plasma TV and was pretty amazed at how Metro 2033 was playing, it was definitely the way it was meant to look, with rich colors and perfect blacks and Zero washout at the darker gradients.

If I go 4k I'll have to play everything set to 1920 X 1080.

Though I suppose I could do 4k with bars on Top/bottom but the display would need to be pretty large or the image will be small.

So, Lets just say @ this resolution I was planning on maxing out a game like Crysis 3 - No AA, on one heavily OCed gtx 970. On a Scale of 1 --> 60, how foolish am I ?

motherboard1 said:

So, Lets just say @ this resolution I was planning on maxing out a game like Crysis 3 - No AA, on one heavily OCed gtx 970. On a Scale of 1 --> 60, how foolish am I ?

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The foolishness is probably equal to the desired frame rate

So I've been watching and these things seam to be perpetually out of stock in Canada. But I can get them on Ebay for the same price, mostly straight from South Korea. I wonder should I have concerns buying one from outside Canada, Such as warranty issues?

Edit: so to answer my own question you gotta ask if your getting the correct Power plug, most will agree to ship it with the plug for your region.

petteyg359 said:

I could. The UP2414Q has 10-bit color. P2715Q supposedly also has 10-bit color, but some other forums suggest it has bad firmware which reports EDID with only 8-bit support. Not sure whether new revisions have fixed that, or if you'd have to play RMA roulette with Dell to get a fixed firmware. 10-bit color is like getting an SSD - you don't realize what you're missing until you've used one. I downgraded to a U2515H because the 4k was a bit too much for a single GPU with any HD textures or AA/AF, and the lack of 10-bit color is depressing

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Just noticed newegg is describing the 34uc97 as 10-bit color.

motherboard1 said:

Just noticed newegg is describing the 34uc97 as 10-bit color.

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What does the manufacturer site say?

ATMINSIDE said:

What does the manufacturer site say?

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Also says 10bit color "via display port"

Then that is a very good thing.

ATMINSIDE said:

Then that is a very good thing.

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I know. Just saying that because our earlier discussion left me with the impression that this wasn't a 10bit color display, as 10 bit color was used as an argument in favor of an alternative choice. When I noticed the 10bit color spec while looking at the 34uc97 on newegg I snap posted a response.

I've had this monitor for about a week now and just got around to testing it out. It's a great monitor and I've noticed no dead pixels, and can't perceive any back light bleed. I've got my desktop scheme turned off so it's black and I'm looking in the corners and it's just the same shade of black as the rest of the screen.

But on the subject of 1440p gaming, I'm now of the opinion that your really not getting much further ahead over 1080p. Your ideal gaming setup I think would be an Ultra widescreen 1080p Panel that's intended as a TV (Large). Sitting back 5+ feet with 4XMSAA would be the best/most practical gaming setup and that's if such a beast exists.

With the small pixel pitch on monitors you need to sit so close that you start seeing all the little grainy details that remind you your looking at a screen. I wind up getting the impression of over sharpness that kills immersion when viewing some in game environments without Anti Aliasing.

A larger Panel (TV), while using MSAA plus viewing distance as a natural anti aliasing looks as good to the eye/brain as what you see on a 1440p monitor up close with your GFX card struggling to give you a percentage of the same frame rate you would have at 1080p. The widescreen is nice though.


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My experience has varied game to game. Crysis 3 felt over sharp and just something about it doesn't feel as nice as the 1080p TV experience I remember. It's certainly minor and I'll adapt to the "change" in image quality going from a 1080p TV with 4XMSAA to a 1440p with no AA. My 3 hour Multiplayer session felt just fine and seamed to average 40-45fps, with dips into the mid 30s. I didn't seam to "feel" the slightly lower than usual framerate, which is a good thing.

I played through Alley and the entire Library mission on Metro 2033 Redux @ 1440 X 3440 Resolution. The only settings I reduced were setting SSAA OFF. The game is perfectly playable also averaging 40-45 fps with dips into the 30s. Looks great too, you almost can't tell the difference between 1080p 2XSSAA and 1440p SSAA OFF. In this game I didn't get the feeling of over sharpness I did in Crysis, Maybe the textures are different, or maybe it's all in my head.

Rome 2: Total War seams like it was built for high res and looks amazing, like way better than I'm used too. I would not want to take a step back with that game now.

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Edit: This was run on an FX-8350 CPU and GTX 970ssc GPU.

Glad you're enjoying the monitor, thanks for the feedback!