The gaming monitor market is in a constant state of flux, and gamers can't seem to stop talking about ultrawide monitors. Extremely wide screens cause these monitors to provide a feel of being within the game that you can't find anywhere else. Is it a worthwhile purchase, however, for all gamers? To answer that age-old question of "Are ultrawide monitors worthwhile when gaming?", we must show their pros and cons. This guide will put things right to help guide you in knowing whether an ultrawide is a worthwhile upgrade just for yourself.
What Defines an Ultrawide Monitor?
To explain this properly, let's dive into what an "ultrawide" gaming monitor is to start. You're going to want to understand its aspect ratio. This is how wide and how tall its screen is. A typical widescreen monitor has a 16:9 aspect ratio and is shaped just like your living room TV.
An ultrawide monitor is stretched to its side, oftentimes to a 21:9 aspect ratio. Just think of your present monitor having additional screen to its left and right sides. "Super ultrawide" monitors are even larger, having a gargantuan 32:9 aspect ratio. This is essentially equivalent to having two regular 16:9 monitors side by side without a black bar down the center.
Unlocking a New Level of Gaming Immersion
The largest justification for purchasing an ultrawide gaming monitor is having a sense of presence in-game. Having that extra width helps fill your side vision that a regular monitor is unable to do. In games that support it, this lends an air of reality and naturalness to the game.
This is especially great in certain types of games. In racing games or flight simulators, you can see more of the car and the world around you. This makes your feeling of speed better and helps you know what's around you. In first-person adventure games, big and beautiful landscapes look even better. The wider view pulls you deeper into the game world.
Boost Your Productivity
The good of an ultrawide monitor is not limited to gaming. To some, how it assists work is no less important. An additional monitor of real estate is a large assist to multitasking. it allows many windows side by side to all be full size.
This is quite beneficial to streamers. They have their streaming program and chat on one side of the window and can play on the other. They do not need a second monitor. When content creators are video editing, they have a longer timeline in front of them, and office workers can have an open document next to an e-mail. It keeps your workspace tidy and uncluttered without a bar through the center.
The Challenge of Game Compatibility
A very important thing to think about is ultrawide monitor game compatibility. Support for these monitors is much better now, but not every game works with a 21:9 or 32:9 screen. Most new, big games will support ultrawide resolutions just fine.
However, some older games, some independent games, or some competitive esports games may not. When this occurs, the game will typically play in a 16:9 form. This will create black bars along the left and right of your monitor. At times, the game will stretch to play full-screen, which is weird in appearance. Or, the game menu and health bar will be right on the edges of the monitor.
Understanding the Performance Impact on Your PC
Another big thing to think about is the ultrawide monitor performance impact. A wider screen means more pixels. Pushing more pixels needs more power from your graphics card (GPU). For example, a normal 1440p monitor (2560x1440) has about 3.7 million pixels. An ultrawide monitor of the same height (3440x1440) has almost 5 million pixels. That is about 34% more work for your GPU.
This will usually require a stronger graphics card to achieve comparable high frame rates (FPS) that you're accustomed to. An ultrawide monitor might make your performance suffer if your PC already has issues when running games silky smooth. You would have to scale back your in-game graphics settings to make up for it.
Ultrawide vs. Dual Monitors for Gaming
Numerous gamers aim to decide whether to opt for an ultrawide monitor or a dual regular monitor setup. They have their own set of strengths.
- Single Ultrawide: The Good thing is that it is a smooth, uninterrupted view. With games that take advantage of the full-screen real estate, you won't have that annoying black bar mid-screen of your view. This makes you even more immersed in the game. It also makes your desk appear less cluttered.
- Double Monitors: You can do more things at once with this set up. You might play a game full-screen on one monitor and have a webpage or a video going on another. This is typically less distracting than switching out of a game on a single monitor. A dual monitor set up might even cost less.
The question is whether it is more important to you to be in the game (ultrawide) or have to juggle a lot of things simultaneously (dual monitors).
Key Drawbacks to Consider Before You Buy
Before you buy one, it's important to understand the ultrawide monitor pros and cons. The good things are great, but you should think hard about the bad things too.
To sum it up, the main problems are:
- Higher Cost: Ultrawide monitors usually cost more than 16:9 monitors that have similar features.
- Takes Up Space: These monitors are very wide and often have big stands. You will need a lot of desk space to fit one.
- Game Compatibility: As we talked about, not all games will support the wider screen, so you might get black bars.
- Needs More Power: You might need to buy a stronger GPU to keep your games running fast.
Making the Final Call: Is an Ultrawide for You?
Ultimately, whether to buy an ultrawide monitor is up to you. To make a good choice, ask yourself what you want. Ask yourself what kind of games you play most of—games that have big worlds and are single-player will benefit the most. Take a look at your PC components to make sure it will be capable of dealing with all of those extra pixels. And lastly, ask yourself how much budget you have and if you will be needing the monitor for work. By taking all of these into consideration, you can make a decision whether an ultrawide is appropriate for you.
