Too much choice!! Pairing for RTX 2080

Chris [BEANS] · 1 Sep 2019 at 10:51

So, putting together a PC with a 3700x and an RTX 2080.

Currently have a 60 Hz 1080p monitor, and obviously need a major upgrade.

Budget isn’t a massive problem, but I’m really trying to get bang for buck with this build. That’s why, for example I’ve gone for the straight RTX 2080 and not a Super or even Ti. I just don’t think the extra expense is worth the performance boost.

I don’t want to spend more than I need to, but of course it’d be stupid to scrimp and not take advantage of what should be (currently) a fairly high spec PC.

I expect (hope) the monitor will outlast the graphics card, so something a bit future proof would be great, but I’m certainly not willing to fork out the £2k + for one of the top of the range all singing, 200mhz, ultra wide, bad boys.

I also don’t think I want 4k. It’d be a shame to put this PC together and still be playing at 60 FPS.

I did think that the https://www.overclockers.co.uk/lg-2...le-widescreen-led-gaming-monit-mo-155-lg.html was the move, and still possibly do.

Research is steering me towards Ultra Wide though. In which case the Alienware AW3418DW might be the move.
It’s likely to be on sale at some point and I’m in no massive rush to get this done, so fits nicely into the ‘bang for buck’ motif.

I also like the idea of the Predator Z35P, but it seems suspiciously cheap with most places selling it sub £600 right now.
Am I missing a major flaw or draw back?

My only concern with these ultra wides is the refresh rate. I think I’d like 144hz, but having never played over 60hz before I’m simply going by what I’ve read...

I really wanted the Razer Raptor (google it) for the aesthetic, but there’s been no need since January.

I am however willing to wait if there are good contenders on the horizon...

So, TL;DR, new PC with 3700x and RTX 2080, pretty much just for gaming. Can’t decide on a screen, don’t want 4K... Go!

oldbanana · 1 Sep 2019 at 17:14

I would definately go with an ultrawide, I have 2 myself one z35P for the price it`s amazing!

tamzzy · 1 Sep 2019 at 17:38

plugging for another forumer...but i did remember seeing this not too long ago: https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/t...ware-aw3418dw-old-rig-4670k-gtx-670.18862927/

aoaaron · 1 Sep 2019 at 17:42

I have a CRG9 and I don't think I can ever go back willingly. Its amazing. My 2080 handles nearly every game and the one game I've tried it struggled with was KCD at native resolution (40-60fps) so I downscaled and applied nvidia sharpen filter and it looks close to native and better re: effects etc.

I had the Alienware AW3418DW and its a beautiful all-rounded. Its build quality is top notch but they nearly all have bad BLB/IPS glow, especially the left bottom corner. I got over it and it was worth it for IPS responsiveness and the premium build quality. There something about that screen which was magic. playing portal 2 and jumping through portals.. i almost had a VR-like sensation of movement and it was amazing. never ever had anything close in 16:9.

Since then I moved to CRG9 and its in a class of its own re: nearly everything. Contrary to some opinions flying around this forum, its insanely amazing but its expensive, the build quality is way way way inferior to the alienware and the support is limited. its also not ips. so no ips glow but black smearing.

With the nvidia sharpen filter i think the 2080 will have a lot of life in it and can power any monitor near enough. sure you won't tap out at 4k 144fps but you'll hit 60.

Overall if you are chasing the high end experimental monitors, the CRG9 is something to try and experience.

If you're looking for the best all-rounder, I think its the alienware given the price/performance/build quality ratio being insane.

oldbanana · 1 Sep 2019 at 19:39

problem with the crg9 is it has no gsync, and playing without it is painful, even @ 120hz but I quess if dont need the performance of nvidia cards, and you have an AMD card its great.

Chris [BEANS] · 2 Sep 2019 at 08:07

Looks like ultra wide it is. The Samsung is just too big I think.

Nice to see more positive comments for the Predator. I think at £545 right now, it’s probably a steal...

I’m certainly leaning that way right now but I’ll keep an eye out for any deals/sales on the AW.

Cheers for pointing out the MM post too, but as I’m investing in a whole new system I’m going to go with a brand new monitor.

aoaaron · 2 Sep 2019 at 08:27

oldbanana said:
problem with the crg9 is it has no gsync, and playing without it is painful, even @ 120hz but I quess if dont need the performance of nvidia cards, and you have an AMD card its great.

its freesync is gsync compatible

oldbanana · 2 Sep 2019 at 18:11

With my experience of the " compatible " monitors that are not on nvidias list, they just dont work as they should.

aoaaron · 2 Sep 2019 at 19:58

oldbanana said:
With my experience of the " compatible " monitors that are not on nvidias list, they just dont work as they should.

It works perfectly. Feels smoother than my AW34 native gsync 1.0 monitor tbh but maybe there is some variation panel to panel.

Chris [BEANS] · 4 Sep 2019 at 13:39

Missed out

I’m currently on holiday, and I intended to order the Z35P when I got back.

Sadly (and unsurprisingly) its no longer available for £540 odd, so the search continues...

melmac · 4 Sep 2019 at 14:16

If you are going bang for buck, you really should consider the 2070 Super instead of the 2080. There is almost no performance difference between the two cards and the 2070 super is cheaper.

EDIT: I know this is the monitor section, but, just wanted to comment on your choice of GPU. And I feel your pain, choosing a monitor is really tough these days. They all seem to look good on paper, then you do some research and find problems with them all. You end up trying to pick a monitor with the least faults.

Chris [BEANS] · 4 Sep 2019 at 14:52

Cheers for the tip... already got the 2080 though.

I think as the rig’s not built yet and I’m in no massive rush, I’ll keep my eyes on sales etc and just grab one that’s a bargain.
There don’t seem to be any stand out must haves, or even any that should definitely be avoided.

Bit miffed at myself for not scooping up the Predator at that price to be honest.

Chris [BEANS] · 10 Sep 2019 at 12:11

Heavily leaning towards the Alienware, however an update is due soon...

https://www.tftcentral.co.uk/blog/d...ltrawide-gaming-screen-with-g-sync-and-120hz/

Big differences are that it’s native 120Hz, not OC’d, and it’s got ‘more accurate’ colours...

Looks great. I’ll only be using it for gaming realistically, so I’m thinking it’s not worth the extra £500 it’s likely to cost.
Are there any other benefits I’m missing?

oldbanana · 11 Sep 2019 at 16:47

if its 500 more its absolutely pointless

Chris [BEANS] · 11 Sep 2019 at 21:24

Really didn't think so, but was worth an ask... Cheers

Chris [BEANS] · 26 Sep 2019 at 09:56

Just to follow up, in case anyone was interested...

I’ve spent a LOT of time looking at monitors over the last few weeks.

There just aren’t any clear choices out there, and there really aren’t any really great value options.

There’s not a single monitor out there that doesn’t have masses of complaints on forums either.

Seems the panel lottery is very real, and it seems that as great as Nvidia using ‘adaptive sync’ sounds, it again is a lottery.

For everyone who says ‘I have X monitor with Freesync (or Freesync 2) and it works flawlessly’, there’s someone else saying ‘I have that monitor but it doesn’t work, flickers, has a really narrow range, etc...’.

I don’t want to spend over a grand for a chance of a good screen.

So, I’ve hedged my bets... I’ve gone with a refurbished (graded A1) Predator x34, priced at £400.

That’s worth an explanation. I would have actually gone with the 49 inch Samsung with HDR, but it was literally too big for my desk. I mean, actually physically, it would take the full width and there’d be nowhere to put the speakers...

I then decided the AW3418DW was the move. However, it’s a grand, and it’s getting on. Faster refresh with gsync and HDR appears to be on the horizon and so there’s no future proofing here. If I’m spending a grand, I want it for years to come.

Lastly, I thought I’d go for the new 144hz MSI MPG341CQR. Sadly, another Freesync monitor that people are reporting gsync incompatibilities with. At nearly £900, I don’t want the gamble.

So, with the X34, it’s gsync, it’s graded A1 refurbished meaning if it was faulty then any faulty parts will have been replaced and will be effectively brand new, to achieve the A1 rating it ‘should’ have been well scrutinised (which is more than it seems a lot of brand new monitors get), ad of course at £400 it’s less than half the price of the Alienware and the ‘gamble’ is minimal.

My hope with this monitor is that is sees me through a year (or more) of new releases and developments until there’s a real clear choice of monitor to upgrade to. At that point if I can sell it for £200 it’s been a pretty sweet deal.

I’ll post back and let you know if it’s actually A1, or if I’ve wasted all of my reasoning and my £400.

tyler_jrb · 26 Sep 2019 at 11:33

I’ve had an X34 and it is a great monitor, you will love it. Just only 100hz max and coming from 165hz I just couldn’t get used it to it. You obviously won’t have this problem! Sold it in the end about a year later as I couldn’t fit both monitors.

My 165hz is starting to fail on me so I’m looking for something new, but there just isn’t anything new. My current monitor is probably still the only thing to get

.

The other monitors I want are either too expensive (pg35vq) which isn’t fault free anyway, or no gsync support. The likes of the super wide monitors etc. Or you have to play a considerable IPS lottery to get anything decent which I’ve had enough of in the past.

aoaaron · 26 Sep 2019 at 18:14

IMO there are 3 clear choices for value

1. AW3418DW for <700 second hand; i sold one recently for 550 with 3y warranty
2. CRG9 Samsung £999 incredible experience
3. LG OLED C9 55'' £1,699

I see every other monitor on the market as charging too much without bringing anything subsential to the table.
Only FALD AND OLED will bring you the HDR goodness you want. The CRG9 nor any of these edge lits do. The FALD montiors on the market have terrible halo and backlight banding effect so I don't think they're all that.
OLEDs have burn in and image retention risk so its really just about picking your poison.

I'm testing the 55'' OLED vs the C9 this Sunday but I can tell you tht the CRG is definitley difficult to beat!

Chris [BEANS] · 26 Sep 2019 at 18:25

aoaaron said:
IMO there are 3 clear choices for value

1. AW3418DW for <700 second hand; i sold one recently for 550 with 3y warranty
2. CRG9 Samsung £999 incredible experience
3. LG OLED C9 55'' £1,699

I see every other monitor on the market as charging too much without bringing anything subsential to the table.
Only FALD AND OLED will bring you the HDR goodness you want. The CRG9 nor any of these edge lits do. The FALD montiors on the market have terrible halo and backlight banding effect so I don't think they're all that.
OLEDs have burn in and image retention risk so its really just about picking your poison.

I'm testing the 55'' OLED vs the C9 this Sunday but I can tell you tht the CRG is definitley difficult to beat!

I’m sure you’re right about the CRG9 mate, but as above it’s literally too large for my desk.

Fingers crossed Samsung release a 34 inch 3440 x 1440 with the otherwise same specs as the CRG9.

In the mean time, hopefully an ‘A1’ refurb will be less of a gamble and be less used than something straight second hand.
Also, at £400 even if it’s got major issues I can sell it on with an honest description of the problems (let’s say bad backlight bleed as well as stuck pixels worst case) and someone will still take it at £200 and I’ll be barely out of pocket...

I’ll keep an eye on your thread comparing those two though. I wouldn’t ever use the 55 inch as my main monitor, but I am looking for a new TV right now anyway, and it’s be cool to have the option to use it that way if I ever have reason...

aoaaron · 26 Sep 2019 at 18:42

Yeah I'm trying to actually think how I can use the CRG9 AND the C9 in the same setup. The CRG9 is just so freaking big.. I can't think how to get it out of the way.