Ultra-Wide Versus Dual Monitors: Which Is Better for Performance?

Posted on by

We love workstations with multiple monitors, but “ultra-wide” displays with resolutions that compete with two or three adjacent panels are looking better and better these days. After all, having more than one monitor doesn’t automatically make you more productive. Here’s how these new ultra-wide monitors differ from a dual-screen configuration, and when you might want to consider buying one.

What are ultra-wide monitors?

Ultra-wide monitors are traditionally any 21: 9 aspect ratio displays that have the same aspect ratio as traditional cinema screens. Depending on the size of your display, you’re looking at a screen resolution of around 2560 pixels or 3440 pixels wide by 1080 pixels or 1440 pixels high, with display sizes ranging from 29 to 34 inches diagonally. That’s a ton of horizontal workspace, sometimes more than you would get if you crumpled two or three displays together. Plus, a single ultra-wide monitor enables hassle-free work (and play) with no bezels between windows or documents, and no multiple connectors for your computer’s graphics card to drive all of those displays together.

Basically, the dream is to have one display on your desk (or maybe two) with more workspace than three or four smaller displays combined, and they will all use one (or two) connectors on your graphics card. Ultra-wide displays also let you run native resolutions on current generation graphics cards (and for gamers, even run games on your current graphics card) without having to upgrade to cards with more power, more ports, or, in some cases, two or three cards just to everything worked smoothly.

Of course, this is a promise. In fact, things are a little more complicated, but that does not mean that ultra-wide monitors in some cases do not meet the requirements.

Who makes ultra-wide monitors?

Dell, LG, AoC, and ASUS all make ultra-wide monitors, but usually each company has one or two models to choose from. Although there are many players, there is not always a lot to choose from. Here are some of the leaders in this area:

These are just a few of the currently popular models, and we probably missed some of them (as well as others that appeared on the market, sold for a while and disappeared in favor of an updated version). One thing, though: all of these 29-inch displays are aggressively priced on par with other budget monitors of roughly the same size (typically in the 27-inch range), but 34-inch displays can be quite expensive. We’re expecting this for flagship models, but it can be a stumbling block if you’re looking to upgrade your workspace for less than it might cost to buy or build a new PC.

Can ultra-wide monitors improve your productivity?

The question we were about to answer is whether ultra-wide displays are really better than dual-monitor configurations for performance (or whatever). Well, the first thing to remember is that the number of monitors you have doesn’t matter when it comes to performance . What matters is the real estate these monitors offer and how you use it. If you have two or three tiny displays and are still scrolling and struggling to work with documents, spreadsheets, and web pages that you need to read, they won’t help you. Instead, one really large display that can neatly place all this information (or rotate it vertically) will be a great boon to you.

Ultra-wide 29-inch images almost always come in 2560 x 1080 pixels. This is great, but this screen resolution is not at all something that cannot be obtained with a standard 30-inch display with a 16: 9 aspect ratio (or better yet, a 16:10 display). Plus, we’ve found that great huge monitors don’t have to cost a ton of money . Unless you’re a big fan of the 21: 9 by 29-inch aspect ratio, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. When you can spend the same (or save a little) and get one or two large displays for the same (or more) properties. Plus, to keep costs down, many of the 29-inch ultra-wide panels we’ve tested have ditched useful features like a tilt-swivel stand, VESA mount, or additional video inputs to make things accessible.

34 ”is where things get interesting. At 34 inches, you have more than enough room to work, and resolutions such as 3440 x 1440 give you enough room to open three or four browser windows, side-by-side or tiled documents or applications, without the text being too small … it is impossible to read and navigate the menu. In addition, since 34-inch ultra-wide models are usually flagship models, they include all the ports and connectors you will ever need, VESA-compatible mounting, auto-rotate, and fully adjustable stands (again, on Dell LG for unexplained reasons refused it), and more. Here’s Linus from Linus Tech Tips explaining how this LG 34 ”became its everyday driver. Using an ultra-wide 34-inch monitor is very similar to the feeling you had when you first put two monitors on your desk and marveled at how much room you had to work with.

Note to Gamers: We’ve already talked about setting up triple monitor gaming systems . Ultrawide still has the same in-game issues as AMD Eyefinity or NVIDIA Surround gaming rig, but you don’t necessarily need a newer or more powerful graphics card to handle the ultrawide rig. With two or three standard monitors, your graphics card (or cards) should drive each monitor at a decent refresh rate. With an ultra-wide screen, you only need to take care of powering it (and connecting one). Sure, 3440 x 1440 is a lot of pixels, so low-end cards are going to be annoying anyway, but decent graphics for the money the card should do, and you probably won’t need two cards or multiple connectors (which also means less cable clutter!) … Of course, not every game supports widescreen resolutions. A lot of them will break (or add huge black bars on the sides), but the Widescreen Gaming Forum is a great place to look into these issues, and they have a database of games for widescreen formats .

Bottom line: If you have the money, they are a great alternative to multiple monitors.

After all, ultra-wide monitors can be a great option. They may even become the future of traditional jobs. However, the benefits of an ultra-wide monitor only really show up when you get over 30 inches or more and wider than most people already have with one or two displays. The difference is pretty obvious: gamers and moviegoers will love the complete environment without bezels, while productivity hawks will love the ability to place multiple apps side by side or tiling without having to resize anything to use them all. straightaway.

Plus, if you like having your displays tilted a little on either side of your desk (like me), these curved displays are especially good. Don’t take my word for it, here’s a review from Linus Tech Tips of that LG 34-inch Ultra-Wide Flex we mentioned above. In every direction you look, your eyes are more focused than if you had a flat display that isn’t facing you, so everything seems a little more spacious and natural. Of course, this brings us to our biggest drawback, at least for now: price.

Ultra-wide monitors are still a hefty price tag, especially for those gorgeous 34-inch models that are so easy to use. The 34-inch LG model costs $ 900 and the curved model costs $ 1200. Both give you a 3440 x 1440 pixel workspace. A pair ofthese gorgeous 27-inch Monoprice displays will set youback $ 920 ($ 460 each) and give you 5120 x 1440 pixels of working space (2560 x 1440 each). It’s still nearly $ 300 for an ultra-wide monitor, which it isn’t. eventhe cheapest 27-inch models are available in Monoprice .

Even so, if you have the money to purchase an ultra-wide model – especially one of the curved models – it can make it work and play in a whole new way. If you’re on a tight budget or don’t like the idea of ​​spending as much on a monitor as on a brand new computer, you can simply grab a pair of 27-inch displays, let’s call it a day, and keep the change in your pocket. At the moment, this is the case. After all, prices are going down, and the competition is heating up (not to mention already that we have not even talked about 4K / 5K and what it could mean for the extra-wide monitors), which means big savings for you and me.

More…

0
Uncategorized

Leave a Reply