Dilemma 34" widescreen or 40" 4k

Greebo

Greebo

Greebo

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Okay I'm stuck. I want to upgrade my 27" IPS WQHD monitor.

It has not backlight bleed or IPS glow.

I am torn between the following

Philips BDM4065UC 40" 4K 60Hz Widescreen LED Monitor

and

Samsung S34E790C 34" WideScreen Super-Wide Curved LED Monitor

Now both are VA and I am happy with VA and used to love my old VA monitor before i got the current IPS one.

Now my difficulty.

Samsung will be same height as my current 27" IPS, just wider (8" more)
Less pixels to drive 4.9m vs 8.3m
Similar pixel density to the 40" 16:9 screen (i think) 110 dpi for both screens which is the same as my current 27" screen.

Philips will be 4k
Better blacks from reading reviews over the samsung
But its massive and will it be too big to view from approx 2 foot away on my desk? 3" wider and 6" taller than the Samsung which will make it 11£ wider than my current screen. But mainly worried about the extra 6" height.
Need a lot more gfx card grunt or live with slower framerates,

Btw i am running two 290x at 1100/1500.

I suppose my main issue is that both screen will only be giving me the same dpi as i currently have, just more acreage. On the plus side is that i can handle all the text at 1:1 on my current screen so everything will be the same on the new one.

Am i been daft wanting a bigger screen?

Is 4k all its cracked up to be?

Or would a super wide WQHD screen be just as good?

Or is support on super wide res limited and I would end up been at same res as I am now with black bars? Im not up to newish games but how does the following handle superwide res?

Alien Isolation
BF4
Elite
GTA 5
Bioshock Infinite
Witcher 3
Mordor

Etc
 
I'm in a similar boat and was looking at both, but I'm now leaning more towards the Philips BDM4065UC. Scaling shouldn't be a problem at this size and it's a standardized form factor.

Just trying to sell my current kit beforehand.
 
Yeah but its 40" :O

Im starting to think its too big and im looking at 32" 4k screens now but they are all IPS AFAIK :(
 
I have the 40" Philips and at first the size was disconcerting. I actually had a few very mild dizzy spells when I first use it, the screen space is that massive.

I have used it quite a bit in 21:9 mode as a single GTX980 couldn't drive 4K in some graphically intensive games at decent settings. I am very used to the 40" now and trying a 27" 1440p monitor looks really small in comparison.

To be honest a 34" 21:9 monitor is also a very large screen, the 40" is only marginally wider but vertically it is considerably more. You do have the option of using the 40" in roughly 36" widescreen at 3840x1620.
http://www.displaywars.com/34-inch-21x9-vs-40-inch-16x9
 
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Says it is 4 Samsung left ? I have the same screen and loving it, only played Witcher 3 of the ones you mentioned in OP but that one just looks absolutely stunning on the screen. Couldn't be happier with it. :D
 
I have just upgraded from a 34" (LG 34UM65) to the Philips 40". I really liked the 34" screen, but couldn't resist trying the Philips after seeing the positive reviews.

Initially I was slightly overwhelmed at the sheer size of the thing, and I had concerns that I had done the wrong thing. I'm a pretty competitive BF4 player and found I couldn't get into my rhythm at all on the new screen.

However after a few days everything seemed to click into place and I am absolutely loving it now. Games are so immersive and sharp on this screen. The colour is great and I have found it to be pretty responsive (responce times and input lag) compared to the LG. I know others have found the input lag to be a bit high, that hasn't been a problem for me.

I think you'd probably be happy either way, however I know I couldn't go back to a 34" now I'm used to the 40"!
 
these two were my choice, i went with the samsung as i felt the philips at 40" was a bit too big on my desk, no regrets the 34" 21.9 is great for gaming
 
I was in the same boat aswell. A choice between the 40 inch Philips and the Samsung. I went with the Samsung in the end as I like a 21:9 screen so much more and the Philips was just too big. I have a 55 inch tv behind me so having a 40 inch monitor just seemed pointless from my point of view and being only a couple of feet away from it the 34 Samsung is already on the verge of being too big for me so it was an easy choice in the end.
Plus I have 2 x 290 cards and they already struggle to max out games with 60 fps with the state the AMD drivers are in these days so imagine what its like trying to drive 4k.
 
Samsung gets my vote:

- easier to run that res than 4k
- less input lag and better response
- 40" 16.9 is too big for a monitor imo

I am in a similar sort of situation....

With the fury x being a bit disappointing, amd and nvidia sucking with drivers and myself not really wanting to upgrade the gpu for a good few months and when I do upgrade, I will likely get a nvidia gpu... however, there is no way I am paying the extra £200+ just for the gsync feature and unfortunately the choice of IPS free/g sync monitors is **** anyway.... so Samsung's 34" VA screen is looking like the one to get, although I'll wait till its price drops a bit more....
 
Yeah thats the same feeling i have but then i also keep thinking if a game is too much then i can always run it at 21:9 on the 40" screen at same res as the samsung and will still have a slightly bigger viewing screen as the 34" samsung ....................

I suppose it will come down to special offers, price etc. Unless the samsung wide screen comes down in price a lot, i keep thinking for £300 less I can have a full 4k screen of the same panel type. £300 i could then spend on beefing up the gfx cards if needed. I could seel my two 290x and get a HOF 980ti and still pay the same total price.

I think 34" are too overpriced for their size and resolution atm. They should be £500 to £600 tops IMO.

Also interested about input lag and response. I thought the phillips 40" got as good response and lag as the 34" samsung in reviews?
 
Greebo said:
Also interested about input lag and response. I thought the phillips 40" got as good response and lag as the 34" samsung in reviews?
Click to expand...

Not really. The Philips has ~20ms of input lag and the Samsung around 7ms, indicating a significant difference in signal delay. The Samsung is also free from PWM and any inversion artifacts so the motion performance is superior. Whether or not a user cares about either thing is quite subjective, but on a technical level the Samsung offers superior (and 'cleaner') responsiveness.
 
Thanks for that PCM2, i've read so many reviews recently I think I may have got confused!

Been looking at the BenQ BL3201PT now.

So its 32" IPS with good backlight bleed or 34" sumsung non 4k widescreen now.

It still gauls me spending £300 more on a WQHD screen over a 4k screen...............
 
Greebo said:
Thanks for that PCM2, i've read so many reviews recently I think I may have got confused!

Been looking at the BenQ BL3201PT now.

So its 32" IPS with good backlight bleed or 34" sumsung non 4k widescreen now.

It still gauls me spending £300 more on a WQHD screen over a 4k screen...............
Click to expand...

It is indeed a difficult choice. I have thoroughly enjoyed using all 3 monitors, although personally I really do enjoy the 21:9 aspect ratio. And it is very widely supported, especially on modern titles such as those you're considering.

But you're right about the price, that really does add another dimension to the whole thing. And with a pair of 290x GPUs in Crossfire you should be able to run either the 3440 x 1440 or 3840 x 2160 resolution rather well. Also, having used '4K' models of various sizes from 23.6" to 40" I really do find this 32" screen to be something of a sweet spot. Mileage may vary, but personally I can use this fine without needing scaling on Windows whilst the pixel density gives a definite '4K' feeling to games which is lacking on the Philips and Samsung.
 
Whats the response and lag like on the Benq PBM2?

And yeah im liking the pixel density on the 4k 32" screen.

I have a perfect IPS 27" QHD screen at moment and im worried a 34" with the same dpi is just going to be a wide version and not lot any different although im sure in practice that extra width makes it look much different.

same with 40" 4k. Same dpi so games arent going to look any different to now and to a degree 4k pictures and movies arent either, its just they will look bigger.

Its starting to doubt that i even need/want a bigger screen.

However the 32" 4k is starting to look like the sweet spot. I will gain a bigger screen without it looking silly on my desk and also more dpi so i will actually see the benefit of 4k.
 
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PCM2 said:
You'll have to wait for the review. Or find out yourself. ;) Early indications suggest you shouldn't worry about either aspect.
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You could have at least let something slip :P I would hope its up there with the best of IPS screens and competes with the sumsung 34" screen? ;)

I suspect ill push the button on one this week, can always return it if im not happy.
 
Hehe. Well I haven't really had much time to test the monitor yet, so I wouldn't want to mislead. ;)
 
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