AOC CU34G2X/BK 34 - Will it work?

[markymoo]

Hi everyone.
I want to know if I was to get a AOC CU34G2X/BK 34 if it would run with my machine or if I would need more upgrades.

Currently I have a Samsung 1080p monitor
i7 2600k (4.2ghz)
16gb Ram
Vega 56

I currently can play Division 2 at around 40-80fps

Most games I can still enjoy at 1080p having just got a Vega 56 (from my 7950)

Unfortunately it's HDMI and this card only has 1xHDMI and Display Ports. So now my dual monitor setup when not gaming can't happen.

I'm wondering if to get the above monitor to replace dual monitors and also if it would be better for gaming with? I was thinking of a 27 Dell but then this widescreen got my attention.

What's people's thoughts? Would I still be ok or would the CPU struggle too much for gaming?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Gears]

Depending on the game of course I think it'll be your GPU that is holding you back more than anything. I have a 980TI and just upgraded to a 3440x1440 monitor, same resolution as the AOC you're looking at (I was initially going to buy the AOC!). However even fairly simple games like Wreckfest I've had to drop the quality way down to medium to even stand a chance of running 120fps at this resolution (and still had many frame drops during busy sections).

The performance hit when going from 1920x1080 to 3440x1440 is very, very significant. It's still an epic monitor I bet if it's anything like the Iiyama I got this week and I wouldn't let this dissuade you, as you can turn the quality down a bit to still enjoy your usual games. Your monitor will just have more to give for whenever you come to upgrade in the future.

What kind of games do you play anyway? And what do you prefer; high FPS or high fidelity? Depending on what you play all of my comments could be irrelevant!

 

[RusstheDroog]

If its any help, I was running the AOC 27g2u IPS until recently. Its a 1080P monitor and I was getting 144hz in most games on ultra settings with an i7 4770K and an RX5700. Our specs seem to be pretty similar in that respect.

I've since got rid of the 27'' IPS and gone for the monitor you've stated and i'm very much expecting having to upgrade to drive the 3440x1440. There are more than twice as many pixels as the 1920x1080 monitor.

I'm not going to upgrade until RDNA2 or the NV 30xx series come along and i'm considering a new build all together, to support the other work based tasks I use it for (3d modelling etc).

In the mean time i'm anticipating having to drop to low or medium settings to at least be able to game at a frame rate >30fps to keep ghosting / black crush / overshoot to a minimum on the VA panel.

On another note, I haven't received it yet (pre ordered on 20th April) so as a heads up - expect a long wait. Monitor stock is non existent everywhere and prices are climbing due to massive demand.

 

[markymoo]

Depending on the game of course I think it'll be your GPU that is holding you back more than anything. I have a 980TI and just upgraded to a 3440x1440 monitor, same resolution as the AOC you're looking at (I was initially going to buy the AOC!). However even fairly simple games like Wreckfest I've had to drop the quality way down to medium to even stand a chance of running 120fps at this resolution (and still had many frame drops during busy sections).

The performance hit when going from 1920x1080 to 3440x1440 is very, very significant. It's still an epic monitor I bet if it's anything like the Iiyama I got this week and I wouldn't let this dissuade you, as you can turn the quality down a bit to still enjoy your usual games. Your monitor will just have more to give for whenever you come to upgrade in the future.

What kind of games do you play anyway? And what do you prefer; high FPS or high fidelity? Depending on what you play all of my comments could be irrelevant!

Hi pal.
Thanks for the feedback. It helps a lot.
Currently I am playing the Division 2. However I have such a back log of games...apart from Cyberpunk. I'm happy to play older games.
I've never really had a system to max up to 120hz.
I think asking as I can stay around 60+ I'm happy to turn up the candy and drop some fps.

I normally play single player games or go solo, so no need for competitive gaming as I like to explore in games and take my time.

Going from a 1080p 22 inch I was thinking of 27inch 1440p as read that 1440p is a good match for my Vega 56 and I've also overclocked my card to 950,1000 memory.
The 34 ultrawide are same size as a 27inch with an added 1/3 of screen tagged on to the side, looking at the dimensions.

Main concern is how the jump would be as didn't want to fork out £4/500 on a screen and then have to build a whole new system to run it.
Then again don't want to build a system and have a 1080p screen.

So was wondering if this would be a good place holder without having to buy everything from scratch.
As nice as it would be, if I'm going to plant another 1.5k I will prob hold out for the next Ryzen as have only had my card around 8months.

How's your monitor? Is there a reason you chose that over the AOC?
Thanks in advance

 

[Gears]

Hi pal.
Thanks for the feedback. It helps a lot.
Currently I am playing the Division 2. However I have such a back log of games...apart from Cyberpunk. I'm happy to play older games.
I've never really had a system to max up to 120hz.
I think asking as I can stay around 60+ I'm happy to turn up the candy and drop some fps.

I normally play single player games or go solo, so no need for competitive gaming as I like to explore in games and take my time.

Going from a 1080p 22 inch I was thinking of 27inch 1440p as read that 1440p is a good match for my Vega 56 and I've also overclocked my card to 950,1000 memory.
The 34 ultrawide are same size as a 27inch with an added 1/3 of screen tagged on to the side, looking at the dimensions.

Main concern is how the jump would be as didn't want to fork out £4/500 on a screen and then have to build a whole new system to run it.
Then again don't want to build a system and have a 1080p screen.

So was wondering if this would be a good place holder without having to buy everything from scratch.
As nice as it would be, if I'm going to plant another 1.5k I will prob hold out for the next Ryzen as have only had my card around 8months.

How's your monitor? Is there a reason you chose that over the AOC?
Thanks in advance

If you're not interested in high refresh rates you might find alternatives that are cheaper but run at 60/75Hz. There is a nice LG one that springs to mind, but forgot the model.

In terms of resolution jump, don't forget that when people mention if a GPU is a "1440p card" they are generally referring to 2560x1440 resolution as would be in any 16:9 monitor. That adds up to 3.69megapixels whereas the ultrawides are 3440x1440 which is 4.95megapixels, so another step on top.

I definitely think the monitor is a perfectly fine place holder for the future. Any games you can run fine at 3440x1440 will look even better and any games you can't run can always be either turned down graphically or you could even consider dropping the resolution (to effectively 1080p ultrawide). I don't game enough anymore to justify upgrading my 980TI but I am looking forward to the next gen cards like you are and maybe grabbing a nice mid-range model in the future.

I picked the Iiyama over the AOC mostly because of cost and availability. I think I would prefer the AOC in a perfect world but I could have the Iiyama for 50 quid less and delivered pretty much next day. In terms of specs they are very similar except the Iiyama is flat. I would prefer curved I think but I have no issues with it being flat in practice. The edges of the screen when in-game tend to be peripheral vision anyway, so not having the perfect viewing angle is less relevant. Not to mention IPS has good viewing angles anyway over VA so even less of a need.

Until we get some proper reviews of the Iiyama its hard to compare to the AOC because there are no objective test results yet for input lags/colours/etc. However so far I am very happy with the Iiyama, no complaints!

 

[Fyter]

VEGA 56 is still a competent card by todays standards.
3440x1440 needs a lot of GPU power, so you may need to look up graphic settings optimisations on youtube/forums/blogs. There is a lot of settings which are built into ultra/high settings which taxes the gpu too much yet provide very little to no difference in visual quality. This will help you get more playable frames in titles which are GPU hungry. at 3440x1440, games tend to be more GPU hungry then CPU. However, your CPU is very old now, I would try to overclock the CPU a bit more, since the SBs did overclock easily, maybe upgrade your CPU Cooler?