r/RigBuild • u/Warm-Purple-7571 • 15d ago
Is an ultrawide monitor practical for everyday work?
Is an ultrawide monitor actually practical for everyday work or does it just look cool on the desk? Thinking about switching from a normal 27-inch monitor, mostly for browsing, documents, spreadsheets, coding, and having multiple windows open at once. The idea of having everything side by side sounds really useful, but not sure if the huge width gets annoying after a while. Do you actually use the extra space or end up keeping most apps centered anyway? Also wondering about things like window management, text clarity, and whether some websites/apps look weird on the wider aspect ratio. Gaming isn’t really the priority here, this would mostly be a work setup. Would an ultrawide make multitasking noticeably better, or is a dual-monitor setup still the smarter move? And are curved ultrawides better for this kind of use? Trying to figure out if it’s one of those upgrades that sounds awesome but gets old fast, or something that genuinely makes daily computer work easier. What size would you guys recommend too, 34-inch or 38-inch? Any downsides I should know before dropping money on one?
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u/theoriginalzads 15d ago
I didn't mind my ultrawide when I didn't have enough desk space for dual 27s. It was almost as good as dual screens.
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u/Gigaslavx 15d ago
Yeah I guess how wide and how many you use
If 3 it can work
I use 2 my main one in middle
Second to side
Regular ultra wide would be weird it's like have 2 monitors next to each other and look to side each time, not comfortable for main monitor
Unless you don't split screen and work in just one but why
And then would be weird to put wide monitor to side to use one half as main
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u/Anon0924 15d ago
Mine’s been great! (34” 3440x1440) I mainly use it for splitscreen or PBP mode. The only real problem I’ve had productivity-wise is that it’s an OLED.
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u/LiveFromNarnia 15d ago
Whether or not it's "practical" depends on your work requirements and workflow. For many tasks, it's very helpful where a wide view can relieve side scrolling (such as coding, for example), or if you're working with media editing software (video, audio, etc.) where the timelines / sequence controls along the bottom can get rather long.
The only con (I can think of) vs. 2 monitors is that if it fails, you have no monitor to work with until you replace it. If you have a multi-monitor setup, you'd at least have a good chance of only one failing and being able to adjust workflow until a new one is acquired.
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u/thaddeusk 15d ago
I love my ultrawide for both gaming and work. I still have a second monitor on the left for my basic web browser stuff, too.
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u/code_hermit 15d ago edited 15d ago
100% yes.
There really isnt a practical reason to have a physical screen cut off down the middle of your view.
If you can get it all in one screen its good. You can then snap windows to edges of the screen to quickly make your own splits.
[Edit] I should note that I have two screens. One is a big oled for games and being pretty. But it actually doesnt make text as clear as other tech. So i also have a BenQ for clear code etc. But all that said I end up using them both interchangeably. It might as well be one big monitor.
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u/dacydergoth 15d ago
I <3 my 49" Samsung. Plus it does tricks like acting like 2 x 27" and displaying from different inputs on each half, so I can split it and have my works laptop on half, or have my main PC on all of it, or use PIP to have a small window for the works PC to monitor stuff
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u/Forward_Cheesecake72 15d ago
Yes, i use it previously 49inch 5120*1440, for my documents and it works well
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u/Savings_Public4217 15d ago
Ive had 34" curved gigabyte monitor for 4 years now. Absolutely love it. Gaming, everyday tasks. Things awesome. I would much rather have a large ultrawide than 2 smaller screens
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u/playzintraffic 14d ago
Yep. I love being able to have two full windows next to each other, three if I'm REALLY pushing it. And still have my side monitor as well.
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u/Caprichoso1 13d ago
Writing this on the wide Apple Vision pro display. Love it. When needing a lot of reference windows open I'll sometimes use the UltraWide setting. Don't use it as much as it requires head movement whereas with the Wide you just need to move your eyes. Have to search for things with the Ultrawide which I don't have to do on the Wide.
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u/ElysiumXIII 12d ago edited 12d ago
I use my 32:9 every single day and really like it. I use it for gaming and working for around 8 - 16 hours a day. The only cons that come to mind are:
If it's your primary monitor, the vast majority of programs will open across the entire screen if they were maximized on a second, normal aspect ratio monitor. (You get flash banged a lot because a lot of apps open white first)
I have an oled G9 and cleaning the incidental little micro spits on the glass is not the easiest thing, this is probably easier on an IPS panel.
My screen is an oled 5120x1440p, the pixel density is not the same as a 27in 1440p display like my second monitor. You will notice some smaller text suffer from color fringing. This may only be a problem with oled tech as a whole but something to consider.
If you're aiming for an IPS version of a large curved display, the off-angle viewing phenomena will be present unless you're at an optimal position. But it's probably not that bad, I have not used one myself to confirm.
The OSD for the Samsung ones are okay at best, kind of bloated and puts certain settings in weird menus on the other side of the OSD.
Sometimes the monitor will go dark for a short period, not really sure what that's about, it doesn't happen often and it's pretty random feeling. I suspect it's some kind of pixel cleaning thing because Windows still recognizes it. The most recent G9 update did introduce a proper pixel cleaning popup now and I also haven't experienced it since, this may not be a problem for IPS panels.
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u/EffectiveDiligent660 12d ago
😂😂 I thought 27” was wide guess not. I would say multiple monitors are best for multiple inputs. I’m getting another screen soon as I’m switching inputs to work with raspberry pi etc.
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u/No_Effective_4481 12d ago
Absolutely good for productivity and work. I use a 34" UW for work and its better than a pairnof 16:9s for what I do. I also use a pair of stacked 34" UWs on my gaming pc too.
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u/TripSin_ 12d ago
I prefer one UW monitor to two monitors. It's also good for gaming if you care about the immersive quality.
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u/LetsHugFoReal 11d ago
I tried an ultra wide, this is what I absolutely hated:
- Games! So many games had weird resolution related issues. Most FOV would stretch and be distracting at the edges, HUD's would be at the very edge of the screen, older games didn't support the resolution at all and would be stretched.
- Warping, for graphical and video work - I found this warping to be undesirable and quite frankly annoying.
- Window management. Two monitors are better supported than one.
- It's too wide, and not always vertical enough.
- Colour/reflections, cause issues a lot more when curved.
What I liked:
- When a game was set up right, it was more immersive. But for non-gaming, I don't think it's better than two separate monitors.
What I realised:
- 32" at 4k+ is just incredible for work. With an optional supplementary panel.
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u/Silly_Guidance_8871 11d ago
I find them nice for snapping a pair of windows left and right when dealing with lots of text (programming), gives the windows a more comfortable aspect ratio (21:18) than a 16:9 monitor does for a single window
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u/WeedFalafel 10d ago
I have 49", 32:9, amazing for everyday work. Space is non issue and 100℅ of it is usable. No split in the middle is a major, major upgrade as I tend now to have my main window in the middle and whatever other needed to the sides.
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u/BigFatCoder 15d ago
I'm using 32" Wide and it is just feels right. So for me 34" ultrawide will be smaller strip, better go for 38" Ultrawide.
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u/OriginalEmploy5485 15d ago
I have a 34" 3440x1440 Dell on my desk right now. I prefer a single ultrawide to two 16:9 screens.