Upgrade from 27" - 32" or 34" - curved or flat ?

Paul_RD · 18 May 2021 at 13:01

My current main monitor is a 27" Samsung S27H850 (2560x1440, flat, 60Hz, PLS)

I need to replace a monitor in another room and rather than get a cheap monitor for that room, I could move my main one and get myself an upgrade in the process.

I use my main monitor for general home use, internet browsing, watching YouTube and gaming. Games consist of DCS World, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, Red Dead Redemption 2, Generation Zero, Arma 3, Postal 4 and the soon to be released Far Cry 6.

I am considering a size increase to either a 32" at 2560x1440 or a 34" at 3440x1440, or alternately, I could just get a better quality 27" monitor.

After considering several manufacturers and in a wish to avoid a panel lottery, I narrowed my choice of manufacturer down to possibly LG or Dell (but I am open to suggestions).
I am currently considering one of the following (but I cannot decide between them):

Either the Dell 32" P3221D or the Dell 34" P3421W

What are your thoughts?

Any additional help/info would be most appreciative.

EsaT · 18 May 2021 at 19:01

If you play anything else than slow paced games I would suggest going for 144Hz monitor while at it.

The_Arbiter · 18 May 2021 at 19:10

The 32" market isn't great, but there's a few out there. I just moved from 27" to 32" and never going back. I think 27" is a bit more comfortable for desktop use when sat correctly, but 32" is very nice for gaming and i don't feel i need to move my head at the same viewing distance. However, seating position will be variable here for each person(!).

Can't comment on 34", but i avoided it purely down to lack of support on older games.

Am on 1500r curve which seems good. My previous was 27" 1800r. On a 34" i imagine i'd probably want a touch more curve.

turbot1984 · 18 May 2021 at 19:19

The_Arbiter said:
The 32" market isn't great, but there's a few out there. I just moved from 27" to 32" and never going back. I think 27" is a bit more comfortable for desktop use when sat correctly, but 32" is very nice for gaming and i don't feel i need to move my head at the same viewing distance. However, seating position will be variable here for each person(!).

Can't comment on 34", but i avoided it purely down to lack of support on older games.

Am on 1500r curve which seems good. My previous was 27" 1800r. On a 34" i imagine i'd probably want a touch more curve.

+1 on 32 inch, had predator 4K for 3 years, its a keeper

Paul_RD · 19 May 2021 at 00:26

Thanks for the replies - I've had a read and got looking at monitors again with what you said in mind.

EsaT said:
If you play anything else than slow paced games I would suggest going for 144Hz monitor while at it.

Without spending a lot more, it seems that the choice is between 144Hz at 27" or 60Hz at 32"/34" - I think I would rather have a larger 60Hz screen over a 144Hz screen.
But then again, I've never even tried a 144Hz screen so I don't actually know what I'm missing.

The_Arbiter said:
The 32" market isn't great, but there's a few out there.
Can't comment on 34", but i avoided it purely down to lack of support on older games.

turbot1984 said:
+1 on 32 inch, had predator 4K for 3 years, its a keeper

I agree that a 32" at 16:9 would be the more sensible option over a 34" at 21:9.
I've been restricting myself to looking at 32" with 2560x1440 resolution so far as I thought that 3840x2560 would be too much for my Nvidia 2060 and also the pixel density might make text and icons too small for normal everyday use.
So, what would you suggest if I went the 32" route - 2560x1440 or 3840x2560 ?

The_Arbiter · 19 May 2021 at 08:42

If i was certain on a 32" over other sizes, and was sure on which panel type to get, then i'd probably be looking at the expensive ones. I have no personal experience of these.
I bought my 32" as a temporary measure till i get my house sorted. I got the G32GC-A. I got it from OCUK's clearance. Great except low response time and ghosting.

If the LG32" GN600 was curved i'd have got that as it is a quicker monitor.

I think if you want quality all round you're going to need to be flexible. A 2060 is a solid card, just need to tweak settings, some games will just run like poo on any system tbf.

You can adjust txt and icon size in windows. When i used to have a TV PC sat far away that's what i had to change.

Paul_RD · 19 May 2021 at 10:59

The_Arbiter said:
If the LG32" GN600 was curved i'd have got that as it is a quicker monitor.

I'm leaning towards 32" at the moment - in your experience, are there any disadvantages to having a curve in a 32" ?

I've just got to decide on the following:

Curved vs Flat
2560x1440 vs 3840x2560
IPS vs VA

The_Arbiter · 19 May 2021 at 12:09

Paul_RD said:
I'm leaning towards 32" at the moment - in your experience, are there any disadvantages to having a curve in a 32" ?

No, i feel it's needed even, but i'm unsure about the larger curves of the Samsungs, no real world experience with that however. There's a long thread on here about the G series. Some people dislike curves, at first it is a bit strange but now i love it. I don't notice any colour wash with a VA panel even, and their viewing angles are not great.

Paul_RD said:
I've just got to decide on the following:

Curved vs Flat

2560x1440 vs 3840x2560

IPS vs VA

Take heavy consideration on the panel type before 4k vs 2k imho.

As with the panel lottery, reading the panel lottery thread on here is worth doing. Hardware Unboxed do some nice monitor reviews, but don't everything, still some of the best reviews i've seen though.

Paul_RD · 19 May 2021 at 13:05

The_Arbiter said:
reading the panel lottery thread on here is worth doing. Hardware Unboxed do some nice monitor reviews

Thanks - I'm off to do some more reading and research.

danoliver1 · 19 May 2021 at 13:06

I went from a 34" 60hz ultra wide to a 32" 240hz 16:9 and out of the two I prefer the 32". I prefer the extra height of the 32 rather than the extra width of the 34. Also a high refresh rate of at least 144 is a must imho.

mickyflinn · 19 May 2021 at 13:26

Gaming higher refresh is so much better , 1440p 144hz is the sweet spot imo.

EsaT · 19 May 2021 at 17:39

Paul_RD said:
Without spending a lot more, it seems that the choice is between 144Hz at 27" or 60Hz at 32"/34" - I think I would rather have a larger 60Hz screen over a 144Hz screen.
But then again, I've never even tried a 144Hz screen so I don't actually know what I'm missing.

While flight sims don't really need high fps, FPS games would benefit.
Variable refresh rate would also allow varying fps with smooth image without either tearing or uneven refresh with lag.
That's not found from either of those Dells.

Also that ultra low screen wouldn't really be bigger except in hogging of desk space:
Vertical image size would be identical for 20cm bigger space consumption.
Pretty sure you would want to improve also vertical field of view coverage for consuming more desk space...

Paul_RD · 20 May 2021 at 20:34

Thank you all for your valuable inputs so far.
I've been doing some more research and as suggested, I read the panel lottery thread and went to Hardware Unboxed.

My current feeling is to go for the new 32" LG UltraGear 32GP850 when it's released (depending on price).
I'm not in any rush, so I can afford to wait until it becomes available in the UK, unless something better becomes available.

zAndy1 · 21 May 2021 at 07:33

Paul_RD said:
Thank you all for your valuable inputs so far.
I've been doing some more research and as suggested, I read the panel lottery thread and went to Hardware Unboxed.

My current feeling is to go for the new 32" LG UltraGear 32GP850 when it's released (depending on price).
I'm not in any rush, so I can afford to wait until it becomes available in the UK, unless something better becomes available.

The only thing I would say about that is it's IPS and my experience of an IPS monitor (the LG 27GL850) was very underwhelming. If you ever play a dark game e.g Medium / RE7 or village / metro exodus etc the IPS glow and grey blacks completely ruins the experience for me. If all you play are bright outside games then you'll probably be fine. A lot of people seem to be happy with IPS monitors though, might just be because I have an oled TV so I've been spoilt when it comes to black levels playing on consoles but I could never get an IPS monitor again because of the crap black levels. I'm looking at the Samsung odyssey g7 but the only thing putting me off that is the rather extreme curve, seems you can't win in this monitor choice lark...

danoliver1 · 21 May 2021 at 10:17

zAndy1 said:
The only thing I would say about that is it's IPS and my experience of an IPS monitor (the LG 27GL850) was very underwhelming. If you ever play a dark game e.g Medium / RE7 or village / metro exodus etc the IPS glow and grey blacks completely ruins the experience for me. If all you play are bright outside games then you'll probably be fine. A lot of people seem to be happy with IPS monitors though, might just be because I have an oled TV so I've been spoilt when it comes to black levels playing on consoles but I could never get an IPS monitor again because of the crap black levels. I'm looking at the Samsung odyssey g7 but the only thing putting me off that is the rather extreme curve, seems you can't win in this monitor choice lark...

I don't even notice the curve on my g7 anymore.

zAndy1 · 21 May 2021 at 16:21

danoliver1 said:
I don't even notice the curve on my g7 anymore.

Sounds promising. How is it just using the desktop / browsing etc though, don't you find it distracting?

danoliver1 · 21 May 2021 at 17:09

zAndy1 said:
Sounds promising. How is it just using the desktop / browsing etc though, don't you find it distracting?

No not a problem at all. I have it mounted on an arm so when I am using it it's pretty much the same distance as my keyboard. I read somewhere that the curve mirrors the curve of the human eyeball.

Paul_RD · 29 May 2021 at 17:37

Thanks for all the generous advice so far, it has certainly helped me to consider the following points:

I was originally looking to get a 34" ultra-wide, but after considering your advice, I have come to the conclusion that a 32" 16:9 is preferable.

I've decided to stay with a flat monitor as I do a lot of non-gaming work on the computer, and I don't always sit at the optimum position so I think I would find a curve annoying.

I debated long and hard about IPS vs VA, but finally decided that as most of my computer time is non-gaming, better to go with the IPS panel.

So, I have just pre-ordered the LG 32GP850-B from OCUK. I contacted OCUK and they replied saying they don't expect it in stock until mid-July at the earliest. This gives me about six weeks to change my mind should it be necessary.

FoxEye · 29 May 2021 at 22:53

danoliver1 said:
No not a problem at all. I have it mounted on an arm so when I am using it it's pretty much the same distance as my keyboard. I read somewhere that the curve mirrors the curve of the human eyeball.

IMHO, that's marketing crap

They use a curve to somewhat lessen the weaknesses of VA panels, ie viewing angles and colour/gamma shift.

novaenough · 29 May 2021 at 23:44

It may well be marketing crap but I find it quite nice to use. I've got a pair of 34" curved samsung monitors at work. They were a bit strange at first but I find them really nice now.
For working on bug spreadsheets or multiple windows you soon wish you had more space.