Size & Resolution Comparisons
PPI (Pixels Per Inch) comparisons, essentially how sharp content looks i.e. clarity:
- 24" 1920x1080 = 91
- 27" 2560x1440 = 108
- 32" 3840x2160 = 137
- 40" 3840x2160 = 110
- 25" 2560x1080 = 111
- 29" 2560x1080 = 95
- 34" 2560x1080 = 81
- 34" 3440x1440 = 109
- 35" 2560x1080 = 79
29" 21.9 has the same vertical height of a 23" 16.9 monitor
34" 21.9 has the same vertical height of a 27" 16.9 monitor
The 21.9 Experience
A quick video demonstrating 21.9 in action against 16.9:
And a more in depth look at the 2560x1080 29" experience along with the 34" 3440x1440 experience.
Gaming
As you can see in the video above, with 21.9 you get significantly more FOV at the sides than any 16.9 display. Here are some screenshot comparisons:
Thanks to zachwang and chris3013 for these screenshot comparisons.
From my own experience, a lot of games support 21.9 very well, however, not all do and thus we have to rely on end users to fix/implement proper 21.9 support in a few games.
AWPC has a good thread regarding what supports 21.9 and what doesn't along with workarounds.
There is also now a dedicated youtube review channel for 21.9 support in games!
On top of that, we also have a steam community group which lists all the games that have native 21.9 support.
A good thread covering 57 games and their 21.9 support.
One fantastic program for 21.9 screens (and even useful for 16.9 users) when it comes to games not having proper 21.9 support is flawless widescreen, however, DO NOT use this with MP games as it will likely be seen as a cheat due to how it works and possibly get you banned. This program will also include other little tweaks such as removing FPS cap.
Some user game benchmark figures for 2560x1080 and 3440x1440 res.
You can help improve this list by posting your performance figures here.
Media
Most films are shot in the 21.9 format thus when watching these films on a 16.9 display, you get black bars at the top and bottom:
Of course there are a good amount of films, which are shot in 16.9 format so when you watch these on a 21.9 screen, you will have black bars at the sides.
There is only one type of film that is problematic for 21.9 screens and that is imax as they switch from 21.9 to 16.9 throughout the film i.e. Nolan's films, you can get non imax versions for most films if you really want though and even when zoomed in, it isn't too bad tbh, quality is still great and most of the time, you wouldn't even notice that the film is zoomed in.
All TV shows are shot in 16.9 format.
I use MPC with madvr for media.
MPC HC with madvr has now solved the issue with films that are shot in both imax and 21.9!
With this, you no longer need to zoom in manually or worry about zooming in and back out etc. again.
Wallpapers
A lot of 4k (3840x2160) wallpapers will look fine on 21.9 displays, you just need to use the "stretch" option
- Sal<XXX's collection
- My own collection from various sources
- MASSIVE Collection of 21.9 wallpapers
- HardForum Collection
- HUGE IMGUR Collection
Useful extensions for 21.9
Do you like watching youtube at the side whilst browsing the forums or doing some work etc.? Well this is perfect for 21.9 displays!
Floating youtube extension (thanks to sal<xxx for finding this)
Tired of black bars on the sides AND top/bottom of youtube videos when in fullscreen, then you need this chrome extension
That extension also has support for amazon video and netflix, here is another netflix chrome extension if the above one doesn't work
Links to 21.9 monitor discussion threads
- Samsung LS34E790C (Curved, VA, 1440 @ 34")
- Dell U3415W (Curved, IPS, 1440@ 34")
- LG 34UC97 (Curved, IPS, 1440 @ 34")
- Acer XR341CK/XR341CKA (Curved, IPS, 1440 @ 34", G [100HZ] and Free [30-75HZ range] sync)
- Asus ROG Swift PG348Q (Curved, IPS, 1440 @ 34", Gsync, 100HZ)
- LG 34UC98W-C (Curved, IPS, 1440 @ 34", Freesync with a 55-75HZ range)
- LG 34UM95 (Flat, IPS, 1440 @ 34")
- AOC U3477PQU (Flat, IPS, 1440 @ 34")
- LG 29" monitors (Flat, IPS, 1080)
- BenQ XR3501 (Curved, VA, 1080 @ 35", 144HZ)
- Acer Predator Z35 (Curved, VA, 1080 @ 35", 200HZ + GSYNC)
A thread/poll on who has gone 21.9 and what they think.
16.9 users fancy trying out 21.9? Then follow this!
Nvidia users
1. Open NVIDIA Control Panel and click "Customize..."
2. Check box "Enable resolutions not exposed by the display"
3. Click "Create Custom Resolution"
Use following resolutions
4k Ultrawide: 3840x1620
1440p Ultrawide: 2560x1080
1080p Ultrawide: 1920x810
4. Aspect Ratio should be set to either "Aspect Ratio" or "No Scaling."
AMD users
If that doesn't work, try out CRU1. Right click the desktop and open the AMD Catalyst/Vision Control Center.
2. In the upper-right corner, select "preferences". Make sure "Advanced View" is selected.
3. From the tabs on the left-hand side, select "My Digital Flat-Panels."
4. From the list that drops down, select "HDTV Support (Digital Flat-Panel).
5. There should be a list of "HDTV modes supported by this display." Choose the one relative to your monitor's native specifications. Since my monitor's native specs are 1920x1080 @60hz, I choose "Add 1080p60 format to Display Manager (NTSC)."
6. Click the green apply button.
If you now see one or two resolutions listed in the "Predefined and Custom HDTV Formats" section, you may be ready to go. Open the game and see if your native resolution is now listed.
If you're still not seeing anything, or if you'd like to add a new resolution, continue on.
7. You should now be able to click the "Add" button next to the list of "Predefined and Custom HDTV Formats." Go ahead and click it.
8. From here, you can create a custom resolution. When you're done, click accept.
9. Click the green apply button again.
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