How Much Better (if at All) Are Curved Monitors?

[Deactivated] on 01/07/2019 - 20:42
Last edited 01/07/2019 - 21:15 by 1 other user

I'm looking at ultrawide monitors (34", 1440p) and am taking my time as i'm just learning what's out there.

I'm now querying whether I need a curved monitor or not. The flat variety are much more affordable it seems, and not having ever seen a curved monitor in real life I'm not actually sure what they'd do to make them worthwhile. I'd love any advice anyone might have on this!

I've looked online but articles I've seen say things as vague as 'the experience with curved monitors is far more immersive'. Just seems quite ambiguous.

Computing Computer Peripheral LCD Monitor

Comments

  • jace88 on 01/07/2019 - 21:02

    IMO for 34" monitor it makes sense since you want it to be immersive and angle around you slightly. Usually the curve is very subtle.

    (I previously owned an X34 and now a CHG90; both with subtle curves)

  • Riczter on 01/07/2019 - 21:43

    Ultrawide is good for the extra field of view in games that support it, and curved is good for larger screens and adds to the feeling of immersion, with both you get a really nice experience. If you want it for FPS gaming and you have a limited budget, you are better off getting a high refresh rate standard monitor than a 60hz ultrawide in my opinion, but if you are playing non FPS gaming like RTS, Sim, Racing, etc, then ultrawide is sweet. Only downside that comes to mind is if you are using it to watch tv/downloaded movies/youtube, if it is playing 16:9 content then it will have black bars on the left and right of the screen. Conversely if you are watching 21:9 movies that usually have black bars on the top and bottom of the screen on a normal 16:9 monitor or TV, then it will be full screen on an ultrawide, which is pretty cool.

    As for choosing which ultrawide, the Acer X34P is sort of the gold standard and was usually going for around $1200 when on special but recently has been dipping below $1000 when on special. Direct competitors are the Alienware AW3418DW which is usually more expensive but has better QC and customer service apparently. And an ASUS model which I dont know much about. The Acer usually wins when you factor in price.

    If you want a cheaper option, which is what i did, there are some decent VA panel models (the X34P is IPS) so you lose a little bit of picture quality, build quality and brightness, and gsync, mine only has freesync, but still get a similar experience for half the price. I got this one and have been very happy with it: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/452258. Kogan has an identical model.

    If price is no factor, i would be looking at the new options from LG. This one seems like the one to beat, but I don't believe is available in Australia yet, and will likely be over $2,500 when it hits: https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-38GL950G-B-gaming-monitor

    • Diji1 on 01/07/2019 - 22:47
      -1

      If price is no factor

      Then get a 32:9 49" 5120x1440 144Hz

    • [Deactivated] on 02/07/2019 - 07:51

      Thanks - this is really helpful. So I guess the info I left out of my original post is that it's not for gaming - just for audio production and music composition work (which is my full time thing), and a cheaper option would be great, but i'd also ideally like to avoid having to deal with returning a very low quality item (which would be a concern with stuff like Kogan, though that's all speculation and not based on actual experience of their stuff).

  • Diji1 on 01/07/2019 - 22:44

    If it is not curved the angle at the edge of the screen is more extreme and further away than the centre of the screen.

  • brokenglish on 01/07/2019 - 22:46
    +1

    You will know when you know you need a curved monitor, if you see it in person (I hope this makes sense).

    I bought this LG 34" Ultrawide 34WK500-P from MSY @ $399 last month for a colleague at work.
    As soon as I assemble everything and turn it on, I thought it would be perfect if this monitor is curved…BECAUSE IT IS TOO WIDE!
    Colleague is OK with it so not my problem. If it's for me, I'd return and get a curved one.

    If you see the monitor in person before buying one, it will TING in your head.

  • This Guy on 01/07/2019 - 23:56

    The difference between a curved ultra wide monitor and a flat one is small. A curved monitor will slightly distort the image.

    Monitor curves change from model to model, so if you want a curve, work out which radius you want.

    More important specs are resolution (3440x1440/UW QHD makes it more usable for work) and, if gaming, adaptive frame rate (as most video cards still struggle with this resolution).

  • Illian on 02/07/2019 - 12:58

    If not gaming, don't worry about it too much, although at that size curved is definitely better.

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