Iām in the market for a new monitor. Itāll be used for gaming and browsing, but also light graphic design/video editing and lots of email- and document-writing, some spreadsheets, etc. My graphics work is not very color sensitive, and I have a ānormalā $100 IPS monitor on the side to compare.
The two options that caught my eye so far:
BenQ Mobiuz EX3410R - 34ā 21:9 1440p 144hz VA with 1000R curve (450 USD)
BenQ Mobiuz EX270QM - 27ā 16:9 1440p 240hz IPS (570 USD)
Iām upgrading from a 24ā Acer Predator XB253Q GX 1080p 240hz IPS, which I chose because I had a 90ās desk with a hutch that limited monitor size. Iāve been fairly happy with it despite a few quirks and low PPI, but that desk is going to the curb soon so itās time for something bigger.
My PC is Ryzen 5800X3D, 32G RAM, RTX 4700 Ti. I predict my usual games will hover around 180-200 fps in QHD, and 120-140 in UWQHD.
I know Iād be happy with what would be a direct upgrade to a 27ā 1440p version of my current monitor, but Iām feeling the pull toward the novelty of UW and curved. Iāve only had 16:9 and a few 16:10 flat monitors.
Here are my concerns about going UW curved:
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Since Iām doing some WFH text and graphics, I want to make sure I wonāt regret the leap. I think Iād get used to the curve, but Iāve heard that some VA panels can get a bit wonky with text.
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While my graphics work is not very color sensitive, it sometimes is a little bitā¦ I canāt be giving people jaundice, I mean. The Acer isnāt exactly perfect either, but itās good enough. And I always check photos on my side monitor and my phone.
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Whatever I choose will be my daily driver for probably 7+ years. Iām concerned that there will always be adjustments and compromises if I go curved. Meanwhile, flat 16:9 is fool-proof, but Iāll always suffer from grass-is-greener syndrome.
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I know both of these options run the risk of backlight bleed - the VA because itās large and curved, and the IPS because itās IPS. The āIPS glowā doesnāt really bother me too much, but edge bleed would. I got lucky with my Acer - itās pretty much solid black. I donāt know which would be more risky for developing backlight bleed.
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The EX270QM is brighter and has much better color - bother a wider gamut and more accurate. Iām not sure if the curve and extra width will be a worthy trade-off, even if I love 21:9 curved. So, again, a different grass is greener problem.
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I really enjoyed 240hz G-Sync smoothness, but I donāt play serious competitive stuff and I could downgrade to 144hz, as long as the other benefits are worth the trade-off. I also think QHD will hover around 180fps in my current games, and UWQHD around 140 maybe. Iād probably only get the full benefit of 240hz QHD in older games.
Do any of you own either of these or similar monitors? And even if not, please alleviate any of my concerns or try to sway me one way or another. If you have other recommendations in the $450-600 range, Iād welcome them too.
Edit - TL;DR: Iām torn and indecisive between 21:9 1440p curved VA and 16:9 1440p flat IPS. Color and quality are important, but so is gaming immersion. I yearn for something new from my 16:9 past, but Iām afraid Iāll fight with regret. I seek to learn from wisdom and experience. Please help.
Thanks for the reply. My understanding is that Nano IPS is LGās term for IPS with enhanced color gamut, correct? It looks to me like the EX270QM probably uses similar tech - maybe even one of the same panels, not sure - with its 10-bit 1.07 billion color ā98%ā DCI-P3 coverage.
Iām not sure Iām interested in a 21:9 flat panel - if I go UW Iād prefer curved. So Iāll look out for 10-bit curved UW IPS options to compete against the 270QM.
Unfortunately, since I canāt commit to a dedicated gaming-only monitor, Iām avoiding OLED for now. Too worried about burn-in when I go AFK and the screensaver fails to work (Windowsā¦), or when I work with a window in the same place for hours day to day. If I had the space and budget for two dedicated large monitors, Iād go for one OLED in a heartbeat.
it doesnāt burn in that fast. also some OLEDs have mitigation by moving the whole picture unnoticably slow by 1px at a time for a dozen pixels or so in each direction. on some displays this can clip scrollbars off sometimes.
You got solid reasoning in all that you say.
Burn-in is not such an issue due to pixels auto adjusting/moving, so te same pixels are not always on.
I donāt have experience with ultrawide but it seems that some enjoy a curved ultrawide to bring the sides in more.
Iām not sure of the connect between nano IPS branding and LG, but I will always say IPS over VA. TN and VA are low grade compared to how much the price for IPS has dropped, thatās why I believe anything lower than IPS technology is not an option for buying, but do what works for you since itās your money being spent.