Need help picking a new setup

[Seechay]

Hi guys, first time poster, long time lurker. A quick little background. I have previously used a Seiki 50in 4k TV as my primary display and over the holidays upgraded that to a UN55JS9000. I love the large screen space for movies (my computer used to be positioned in front of my bed, so it was perfect). Now I'm moving and making an office for my self, so I decided to go for smaller monitors with more screen real estate. I have a 980ti and an overclocked 6700k. I can provide a more detailed computer setup if required. I mainly do a lot of programming, so I'm looking to be as efficient as possible, but I also do game occasionally. I've been looking at monitors for quite a while and have narrowed down my possible setup to 5 different scenarios. My working budget is roughly $1500 for a new display setup, but of course, the lower the better! I'm open to recommendations for other setups as well. I would really like at least 1440p in order to get the most out of my programming ventures.

Scenario 1:
X34 bmiphz - 34in - IPS - 3440x1440 - GSync - 60Hz - $1250 - 1x
I've heard great things about this monitor, but it's very pricey and the default refresh rate seems very low for a GSync display.

Scenario 2:
xb271hu bmiprz - 27in - IPS - 2560x1440 - GSync - 144Hz - $770 - 2x
Pretty much just two of these in a landscape configuration.

Scenario 3:
U3415W - 34in - IPS - 3440x1440 - No Gsync - 60Hz - $750 - 2x
I still haven't decided if GSync is worth it or not, but seeing as my hardware could not play anything at max settings with this resolution, the refresh rate does not matter to me. I'd have two of these in a landscape configuration as well.

Scenario 4:
S2716DG - 27in - TN - 2560x1440 - GSync - 144Hz - $530 - 3x
I think this option would give me the best available real estate (and GSync capability) for the money, but the TN panel puts me off slightly. I've read multi-monitor setups don't work so well with TN panels, and an IPS panel is preferable.

Scenario 5:
G257HU smidpx - 25in - IPS - 2560x1440 - No GSync - 60Hz - $260 - 3x
If GSync is not worth the price premium, I think a triple-monitor setup of these would be a great deal.

 

[aeliusg]

Do you insist on matched monitors? Are you planning on gaming with all 3 displays (Surround)?

 

[Seechay]

Do you insist on matched monitors? Are you planning on gaming with all 3 displays (Surround)?

I would prefer matched monitors, but as long as they have a similar resolution and are of the same height (with minimal bezel), than I could do mismatched monitors. I was considering a widescreen in the middle and two square flanking it, but I'd be so annoyed if the monitors weren't exactly aligned. I've never attempted surround gaming, it's always looked really fun to me. However, I don't play racing games, flight sims, or competitive FPS games, so I'm not even sure how beneficial surround gaming will be.

 

[aeliusg]

I would prefer matched monitors, but as long as they have a similar resolution and are of the same height (with minimal bezel), than I could do mismatched monitors. I was considering a widescreen in the middle and two square flanking it, but I'd be so annoyed if the monitors weren't exactly aligned. I've never attempted surround gaming, it's always looked really fun to me. However, I don't play racing games, flight sims, or competitive FPS games, so I'm not even sure how beneficial surround gaming will be.

It's pretty epic from what I remember, but support is spotty in games and it's a bit of a waste of GPU power (I had an early Eyefinity setup). Really only racing sims will benefit significantly from it in terms of opportunity cost. As for productivity, I find the horizontal viewing angles on my 27" TN (PG278Q) to be fine. Colors are OK as well, being that the new 1440p TNs are 8-bit panels. The vertical viewing angles can get a bit nasty if you're the type to slouch down in front of the screen, though, because of the gamma shift from the vertical to any incident angle, there will be a perceptible gradient from dark to light from the top to the bottom of the screen . Normally, my viewing position is such that my eyes are level with approximately the top segment of the monitor, so this shift is not noticeable since the entire screen below eye-level is shifted to the brighter end. So a portrait setup is out of the question if you go with 3x the Dell monitors. If I were you I would get an S2716DG and two of the Acer G257HUs flanking it.

 

[Seechay]

It's pretty epic from what I remember, but support is spotty in games and it's a bit of a waste of GPU power (I had an early Eyefinity setup). Really only racing sims will benefit significantly from it in terms of opportunity cost. As for productivity, I find the horizontal viewing angles on my 27" TN (PG278Q) to be fine. Colors are OK as well, being that the new 1440p TNs are 8-bit panels. The vertical viewing angles can get a bit nasty if you're the type to slouch down in front of the screen, though, because of the gamma shift from the vertical to any incident angle, there will be a perceptible gradient from dark to light from the top to the bottom of the screen . Normally, my viewing position is such that my eyes are level with approximately the top segment of the monitor, so this shift is not noticeable since the entire screen below eye-level is shifted to the brighter end. So a portrait setup is out of the question if you go with 3x the Dell monitors. If I were you I would get an S2716DG and two of the Acer G257HUs flanking it.

Are the viewing angles as bad on the S2716DG? The main issue I have with doing the mismatch with the Acers, is the lack of VESA mounts. It seems it'd make it very hard to be able to adjust all 3 in terms of height, tilt and orientation, given their different sizes. Was the S2716DG suggested for the GSync? If so, how much of a difference does that make? I've never seen it before, so I'm clueless as to it's effects. Are there any other 1440p IPS monitors that you'd recommend? I'd be willing to increase my budget and settle for 2 monitors now and snag a third later on, if the experience would be increased.

 

[aeliusg]

Are the viewing angles as bad on the S2716DG? The main issue I have with doing the mismatch with the Acers, is the lack of VESA mounts. It seems it'd make it very hard to be able to adjust all 3 in terms of height, tilt and orientation, given their different sizes. Was the S2716DG suggested for the GSync? If so, how much of a difference does that make? I've never seen it before, so I'm clueless as to it's effects. Are there any other 1440p IPS monitors that you'd recommend? I'd be willing to increase my budget and settle for 2 monitors now and snag a third later on, if the experience would be increased.

The viewing angles are the same on the S2716DG, as on any TN monitor. For gaming and text work it's no problem. For video and graphics work it should never be a reference display. I don't have a 144 hz IPS, but they are going to give you a more reliable image with the drawback of slightly more blur (and higher cost). G-Sync is excellent, it is basically vsync that works at any refresh rate from 30 to max and is continuously variable so that you never get tearing or refresh-rate related stuttering. It will save your experience in games that can't reliably produce any base frame rate that you would want to lock it at. I'd still recommend an S2716DG and accompanying IPS monitors as the cost-effective solution for gaming and text-related work. I don't think the premium is worth paying on a 2nd or 3rd IPS with G-Sync, unless you absolutely want to play on all three screens at once.

 

[Seechay]

The viewing angles are the same on the S2716DG, as on any TN monitor. For gaming and text work it's no problem. For video and graphics work it should never be a reference display. I don't have a 144 hz IPS, but they are going to give you a more reliable image with the drawback of slightly more blur (and higher cost). G-Sync is excellent, it is basically vsync that works at any refresh rate from 30 to max and is continuously variable so that you never get tearing or refresh-rate related stuttering. It will save your experience in games that can't reliably produce any base frame rate that you would want to lock it at. I'd still recommend an S2716DG and accompanying IPS monitors as the cost-effective solution for gaming and text-related work. I don't think the premium is worth paying on a 2nd or 3rd IPS with G-Sync, unless you absolutely want to play on all three screens at once.

After looking at some TN panels at work, the viewing angle is so odd for me. What do you think of using the xb271hu instead of the S2716DG? Do you think that'd be a good fit between the two acers?

 

[aeliusg]

After looking at some TN panels at work, the viewing angle is so odd for me. What do you think of using the xb271hu instead of the S2716DG? Do you think that'd be a good fit between the two acers?

It would, but you might want to switch up to 27" on the side monitors for matching pixel density.

 

[Seechay]

It would, but you might want to switch up to 27" on the side monitors for matching pixel density.

Do you have any recommendations for 27" monitors?

 

[aeliusg]

Do you have any recommendations for 27" monitors?

No, but they've been around for a while, and there aren't really very big disparities in quality if you go for 60 hz IPS. Maybe think about what kind of screen coating you like in relation to how light-controlled your workspace is.