a wide curved screen or triple monitors?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by davehenrie, May 17, 2020.

  1. davehenrie

    davehenrie Registered

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    How wide of a curved monitor would give you a similar view to a triple monitor setup? And what kind of resolutions do those options use?
     
  2. Lazza

    Lazza Registered

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    No single screen out there can do what triples do. I have 3 relatively cheap 27" screens, 1080p each, and I have around 160 degrees FOV (horizontal, obviously) at 65cm distance.

    There are pros and cons to each solution, but they aren't substitutes for each other.
     
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  3. Chris Lesperance

    Chris Lesperance Registered

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    I just recently upgraded to triple curved 27". They are 1080p, as I have a decent but dated system, and I couldn't afford to go bigger/higher resolution

    I did that as I do more modding/painting than actual racing. So from a productivity side, it was better for me to go with the triples.
     
  4. Emery

    Emery Registered

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    It's possible to use a single short-throw projector with warping software on a semi-circular surround screen to get the same effect as triple monitors, but then you have to suffer with all the ills of a projector (washed out color, weak brightness) in addition to having a lower effective resolution than triples. Mr. Pix showed us the way, but when 55" 4k TVs arrived he went that way for a year or two and then ended up with VR. A good 55" TV is tempting, but you can never glance over your shoulder or see the stadium crowd looking down on you.

    I've been using triple 60 Hz/75 Hz 27" 1080p monitors for 5 years now and am not going back to single screen even though single screen performs so much better. Had to upgrade the GPU once in that time as our software has become increasingly demanding and am looking forward to my next GPU upgrade (that I've been putting off since my poor CPU is 8 years old, so I really need a whole new computer with a bigger power supply & CPU).

    First, though, I'm upgrading monitors and they're due to arrive Thursday. I'll still be stuck at 60 Hz (*), but I'm going big, self-gratuitously big, going to 4k 43" monitors (not TVs). Will still be running them at 1080p for simracing, but the desktop will be 4k... expect a report some time next week.

    (*) Higher refresh will eventually be desireable, but right now it's just not practical for a number of reasons.
     
  5. Emery

    Emery Registered

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    The triple 43" monitors arrived today. Tested, they're stupendous, and I'm not sending them back :p:cool:

    Just checking things out so far. Still need to align the monitors and put the simrig back together. There are a few unexpected technical hitches that I'll need to work out. Like how to get 5760x1080 mode to work for the sims which need it for performance because nVidia Surround won't list it as an option :confused:.

    On the bright side, rF2 is actually playable at 11520x2160 on my GTX 1080 without changing any in-game settings, getting 50+ fps even on the first lap! At least until it rains or night falls.
     
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  6. Comante

    Comante Registered

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    Holy moly batman! That's a resolution..
     
  7. Risto Kappet

    Risto Kappet Registered

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    A 49" with 1000R would begin to give same peripheral vision as 3x27". 1800R is a bit too little for 49".
    However already an ultrawide 34" I find better for actual driving and apex hunting vs triplescreens, but triplescreens are superior for door to door racing.
     
  8. Comante

    Comante Registered

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    Are curved monitor worth the assle or it's more a technical feat than a useful thing?
     
  9. Emery

    Emery Registered

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    Unless you're buying a large screen, it isn't all that useful. Certainly don't pay extra for it.
    As the screen size increases, a flat screen viewed close up will have shadow/brightness problems due to the viewing angle. Particularly if they're a VA screen. You won't notice it on the common 16:9 27" & 32" size of monitors. My 43" IPS monitors have some of this behavior if you're looking for it, but it wasn't severe enough for me to be turned off by it. Moving further back from the screen helps. A curved screen, because it corrects the viewing angle, also helps.
     
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  10. Yzangard

    Yzangard Registered

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    I used to be a triple monitor guy and tested the 49 super ultrawide 120 Hz from Sansung, let me tell you I won't come back to triple.

    1) yes you see a bit less on the extreme edges and the "immersion" is lesser BUT it is more than enough to begin with and there is absolutely no image deformation / degradation due to different hardware swap.
    2) WAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY less hassle to setup and maintain, not to mention every simulation isn't made equal (yes, you don't use your rig ONLY to play rFactor 2, there are tons of other stuff a powerful computer can do). This surround crap from nvidia is just a shame, plain and simple.
    3) only 2 cables : display port and power. With triple, it is just horrible, cable management became a nightmare.
    4) power consumption : not only your 3 monitors will consume more power than a single but your video card will need to calculate a bit more (actually, 50% more pixels to calculate at same horizontal density, 1440p in my case), or even your CPU in the case of iRacing for example.
    5) bezel guys...seriously, even if we "forget" it after some time, not having those bezels is a HUGE plus. Just test and you'll see.
    6) super ultrawide monitors are great on a daily basis, even (and really almost more) for work tasks (I'm a vdi specialist and a developper hobbyist, let me tell you I love this monitor with powertoys from Microsoft and automatic layout). I even use a second ultrawide monitor (21:9 this one, not the 32:9 one) which makes leaderboards really readable and enjoyable. Or just to watch TV meanwhile, dunno...

    Don't get me wrong, triple monitor is great but clearly not that great when compared to 32:9 monitors and innate drawbacks are really a pain from behind...with 32:9, everything is normal and efficient.
     
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  11. Emery

    Emery Registered

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  12. DrivingFast

    DrivingFast Registered

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    @davehenrie

    Better to consider a third solution, which is also incomparably better :

    VR.

    The best being a headset with a relatively high FOV (not huge) and good sharpness, associated with a really very powerful PC (an extremely powerful PC is really desirable).

    3D, FOV, immersion, realism and shaking your head destroys any screen, even as big as the Empire State Building.

    But beware, I ramble I know, but a really very powerful PC is essential (GTX 1080 is largely insufficient).

    EDIT
    oups thats a 17 may thread, didn't see.
     

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