2023-05-28 21:11:00
This serial series has begun to take up the world of “ultra wide gaming” where PC games are played with ultra wide aspect ratios of 21: 9 and 32: 9, which are wider than the 16: 9 aspect ratio.
In the previous 1st installment, I delivered the contents of the feeling that covers all the basic knowledge. This time, the second time, I would like to focus on the topic of choosing a monitor to actually enjoy the world of ultra-wide gaming.
Is multi-monitor useless? What are the advantages of ultra-wide monitors?
Last time, I intentionally left out the topic of multi-monitors, but when it comes to talking about ultra-wide gaming, I can’t afford to ignore it.
That is, “What is the difference between playing games in a multi-monitor environment with multiple monitor devices and ultra-wide gaming on a single monitor?”
In the era of Windows XP, which was released in 2001, if the drivers provided by GPU manufacturers already supported multi-monitor environments, they could be used. However, it was difficult to play games in such a multi-monitor environment unless the game side explicitly supported it.
In fact, major GPU manufacturers such as NVIDIA have supported multi-monitor environments with standard drivers since the Windows XP/DirectX 9 era. This image is the setting menu of the PC version “Tomb Raider Beautiful Fugitive” released in 2003. When I started this work in a multi-monitor environment, I was able to arrange multiple screens in an arbitrary layout and play the game. The GPU installed in the test environment PC at that time was a GeForce FX 5950 Ultra
If you just run the game with the above settings, the game screen will be shifted like this.
With 1,024 x 768 dot monitors with an aspect ratio of 4:3 lined up side by side, I was able to play on this screen by setting the screen layout of “Tomb Raider Beautiful Fugitive” appropriately.The aspect ratio is 4:3 for two screens, so it’s 8:3 … so to speak, it’s an ultra wide state equivalent to 24:9
“Tomb Raider Beautiful Fugitive” had a high degree of flexibility in dealing with multi-monitor environments.This screen is drawn with 1,024 x 768 dot monitors arranged vertically
After that, when the GPU driver came to support the “span” mode, which allows the desktop consisting of multiple screens to be combined into one large virtual desktop, it became relatively easy to play games in a multi-monitor environment. rice field.
However, multi-monitor gaming didn’t have the same centripetal force as ultra-wide gaming today. Why?
This is because, in the case of games, if multiple screens are not configured with products of the same screen size and the same resolution, the displayed images will lose continuity and the game screen will be rather difficult to see. It is different from a general application that can be operated with sufficient usability by opening a window for each monitor screen.
In order to play a game comfortably in a multi-monitor environment, it is necessary to display the game screen across multiple monitors arranged neatly.
However, it is difficult for general users to purchase the same model of monitor products from the same manufacturer. This is one of the reasons why building a game play environment in a multi-monitor environment is difficult.
I have played “Forza Motorsport 3” released in 2009 in a multi-monitor environment with three screens by connecting three Xbox 360s with a LAN cable. His friends each brought their own Xbox 360 and game software to make it happen.Since I was playing on 3 monitors with slightly different screen sizes side by side, the connection between the game screens was poor, but at the time it was still impressive.
Also, multi-monitor gaming requires at least three screens, which is a major barrier to introduction. 2 screens is not enough.
The reason is that if you place two screens in front of you, the “boundary between the two screens” will come to the center of your field of vision, making it difficult to play the game.
The game screen on two screens often looks like this. It’s really hard to play with this.The screen is from “ELDEN RING”
In that case, it means that you should have 3 screens, but even if you lined up screens with the same resolution and the same screen size, the screen resolution that the GPU should draw this time will increase 3 times, and the game image drawing The actual GPU load will be tripled. This is the second reason.
But when it comes to ultrawide gaming, it’s a different story.
Ultra-wide gaming monitor products have a long horizontal display width, but since they are single products, there is no “screen border”.
A 32:9 display is equivalent to two 16:9 displays, but without a gap in the middle. The stand also occupies a smaller area than the two 16:9 screens. The screen is “Far Cry 5”
Even if the resolution is 2,560 x 1,080 dot type with an aspect ratio of 21: 9, the GPU load is about 1.3 times that of full HD. A 3,840 x 1,080 dot type with an aspect ratio of 32:9 requires 2.0 times the GPU load of full HD. The GPU load is relatively small compared to 3-screen gaming, which requires drawing on 3 screens.
For those who really want to enjoy multi-monitor gaming, both NVIDIA and AMD GPUs have an auxiliary function (so-called span mode) installed as a standard driver function, so make use of it.
The method is not that difficult, so let’s touch on it briefly in this article.
As a policy, the screens of multiple monitors are put together as one virtual large screen, and it is practiced by making it appear to the game side that “one pseudo-wide monitor is connected”.
Specifically, if it is an NVIDIA GPU, enable the “Surround span” mode setting from the “NVIDIA control panel”.
If you have an NVIDIA GPU, enable “Surround span” in “Multiple monitor settings” from “NVIDIA control panel” and set the desktop output to two monitor devices into one.
On the other hand, if you have an AMD GPU, you can enable “Eyefinity” from “Radeon Settings”.
The same setting can be done from “Radeon Settings” – “Settings (gear icon)” – “Monitor” – “Eyefinity” for AMD GPUs.
Types of ultrawide monitors
If you already have an environment that allows you to run PC games comfortably to some extent, you only need one piece of hardware to start ultrawide gaming.
It’s a monitor with an aspect ratio of 21:9 or 32:9.
Among them, the 21:9 aspect product has excellent cost performance and can be said to be an entry-level ultrawide monitor.
The screen sizes of mainstream products are 29-inch, 34-inch, 38-inch, and 40-inch. In addition, although the number of products is not large, there are also small screen models less than 29 inches and large screen models exceeding 40 inches.
The major resolutions are 2,560 x 1,080 dots, 3,440 x 1,440 dots, 3,840 x 1,600 dots, 5,120 x 2,160 dots, etc. It is an image that there are many products with a combination of “screen size x screen resolution”. Many products have a curvature of 1500R (meaning an arc with a radius of 1,500mm. The smaller the value, the tighter the curve).
The price is now affordable, and even a 29-inch model can be purchased for around 30,000 yen, making it easy to get your hands on.
The gaming monitor “45GR95QE-B” that uses LG’s organic EL panel is the largest screen among 21:9 aspect ratio products.The game screen is “BIOHAZARD RE: 4”, and it is operated by GIGABYTE “AERO 14 OLED BMF-72JPBB4SP” in front
On the other hand, if you want to enjoy the ultimate wide feeling, I would recommend a model with a 32:9 aspect ratio.
However, there aren’t many manufacturers producing 32:9 video panels, so there aren’t many products available in Japan.
There are 44-inch, 49-inch, and 57-inch screen sizes, but there are many 49-inch products. Adopted resolution is 3,840 x 1,080 dots, 5,120 x 1,440 dots, 7,680 x 2,160 dots, etc. Many products have a curvature of 1800R.
Also, as you can see in the related article below, LG will release a new 32:9 ultra-wide display after a long absence. Rumor has it that it has already been released in Europe and the United States, and there is a high possibility that it will be released in Japan as well.
32: 9 monitors also have product variations with a combination of “screen size x screen resolution”, but since Samsung, which is focusing on 32: 9, has withdrawn from the Japanese market, the options are compared to the 21: 9 model. Then a lot less. And relatively more expensive than the 21:9 model.
An inexpensive 32:9 aspect ratio ultra-wide monitor “LUCA ILD-AUW43FHDS-B” sold by Iris Ohyama. From April to mid-May, it was very cheap at around 60,000 yen.Currently the lowest price is in the mid 80,000 yen range
To search for the lowest price for such ultra-wide monitor products, it is easy to use the “Add/Change Refinement Conditions” function on the price comparison site “Kakaku.com”.
“Kakaku.com”computer monitor” page, open “Batch Add/Change Filtering Conditions” in the menu on the left, and select “21:9” or “32:9” from “Screen Specifications”-“Aspect Ratio”. For example, the specifications and prices of corresponding products can be compared. Please use it as a reference.
Jump to the page of “Computer” – “PC Monitor/LCD Monitor” on the price comparison site “Kakaku.com” and select “Bulk Add/Change Narrowing Conditions” shown in the red frame on this screen.
By selecting “21:9” or “32:9” for “aspect ratio” in the specification items to be searched, only ultra wide models can be narrowed down from a large number of monitor product groups.
How to choose an ultrawide monitor
Perhaps some of the novice users may not know how to choose, so let’s write down something like a “choice guideline”.
Regarding “21:9 or 32:9”, it is definitely better to choose 32:9 if immersion is important, but 32:9 has fewer product variations and is a little more expensive. If cost performance is important, it will naturally be 21: 9.
In addition, the screen size of TVs and monitor equipment, “○○ type” (numbers are in inch scale), is represented by the diagonal length of the screen, so it is a direct comparison with the general 16:9 aspect ratio screen size. Note that is meaningless.
For example, a 16:9 40-inch screen has a screen width (display area) of about 89 cm, but even with the same 40-inch product, a 21:9 40-inch screen has a width of about 93 cm, and a 32:9 40-inch screen has a width of about 97 cm. .
Even if the same 40-inch model exists, the screen width of the ultra-wide model will be longer, so this characteristic should be kept in mind when considering the installation space.
I think one of the criteria for choosing a screen size is “What type of 16:9 monitor have you used to play games?”
For example, if you normally use a 16:9 27-inch screen, if you choose 21:9 or 32:9 with both ends of this 16:9 27-inch screen size widened, you can make the screen look wider than before. You should be able to get a strong feeling that it has become.
Specifically, the screen size of a 16:9 27-inch screen is about 60 cm wide and about 34 cm high, so the screen size of 21:9 or 32:9 while maintaining this 34 cm height is set to a trigonometric ratio (three squares). theorem).
In this case, if only the results are shown, 21:9 is 34-inch and 32:9 is 49-inch. As mentioned above, even if a 16:9 27-inch screen is widened to 32:9, it does not become a “double 54-inch screen.”
Below is a table that shows how many inches it will be when you make it ultra wide based on the inch size of the 16: 9 screen, so please use it.
| 16:9 screen size (inch) | Vertical side length of screen (cm) | 21:9 screen size (inch) | 32:9 screen size (inch) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 29.9 | 30 | 43 |
| 27 | 33.6 | 34 | 49 |
| 32 | 39.8 | 40 | 58 |
| 36 | 44.8 | 45 | 65 |
To summarize the points for choosing a screen size, it is better not to choose an ultra-wide screen that is shorter than the 16:9 vertical side length that is commonly used.
For example, even if you were interested in a 32:9 43-inch monitor, if you were using a 16:9 27-inch monitor until then, the screen size itself has increased from 27-inch to 43-inch. , it is equivalent to a 16:9 24-inch monitor converted to 32:9, so even if the screen expands horizontally, the experience becomes narrower in the vertical direction.
In other words, if “a user who used a 16:9 27-inch monitor” chooses 32:9, 49-inch is desirable, and if 21:9, 34-inch is desirable.
Of course, if you have a 21:9 40-inch or a 32:9 58-inch (although 57-inch is actually on the market), you can feel that the screen is wider not only horizontally but also vertically, so I am satisfied. the degree will be even higher.
The maximum screen size of the 32:9 model is currently the 57-inch model of Samsung’s “Odyssey Neo G9” (G95NC). With this, you can get an immersive feeling like expanding the 32-inch 16: 9 screen to 32: 9. Unfortunately, it is not released in Japan. Samsung, please release it officially in Japan!
As for the resolution, when playing games, you should choose it according to the gaming performance of your PC.
If it means that “the game will work without problems if it is full HD resolution”, it would be safer to choose around 2,560 x 1,080 dots at 21:9.
If you say, “Even with WQHD 2,560 x 1,440 dots, you can run the game normally at a high frame rate,” you may be able to go up to 3,840 x 1,080 dots at 32:9 or 3,440 x 1,440 dots at 21:9.
If you say, “I can afford 4K resolution at all!”, you should go around 5,120 x 2,160 dots at 21:9 and 5,120 x 1,440 dots at 32:9.
I think that it will change depending on the game title to be moved, but let’s show something like a rough “Guidelines for correspondence between GPU models and ultra-wide resolutions” in the table below.
| Approximate GPU and resolution | ||
|---|---|---|
| 21:9/2,560×1,080 dots | GeForce GTX 1070 or higher | GPU with FP32 theoretical performance of 4 to 8 TFLOPS class |
| GeForce GTX 1660 or higher | ||
| Radeon RX 570 or higher | ||
| Radeon RX 5600 or higher | ||
| 21:9/3,440×1,440 dots | GeForce RTX 2070 and above | GPU with FP32 theoretical performance around 10TFLOPS |
| 32:9/3,840×1,080 dots | GeForce RTX 3060 or higher | |
| Radeon RX Vega 56 or higher | ||
| Radeon RX 6600 or higher | ||
| 21:9/3,840×1,600 dots | GeForce RTX 2080 or higher | GPU with FP32 theoretical performance of 15 TFLOPS or more |
| 32:9/5,120×1,440 dots | GeForce RTX 3070 or higher | |
| 21:9/5,120×2,160 dots | GeForce RTX 4070 and above | |
| Radeon RX 6800 or higher | ||
| Radeon RX 7900 or higher |
In the case of PC games, if the performance is insufficient, all you have to do is lower the image quality setting or screen resolution, and a high-resolution monitor is more convenient for normal PC work.
For example, on a 32:9 5,120 x 1,440 dot product, this would require a high-end class GPU to run the game at a constant 60fps. However, a medium-sized GPU is enough to run the game at 3,840 x 1,080 dots.
On the other hand, for normal PC work, there is no problem using 5,120 x 1,440 dots even with the CPU’s built-in GPU. Therefore, I think it’s totally possible to choose an ultra-wide monitor after considering the resolution for games and general work separately.
I tried using Iris Ohyama’s super cheap 32:9 monitor
The author regularly uses ultra-wide monitor products on his YouTube channel to play games, but during that time, viewers often say, “A cheap 32:9 monitor product from Iris Ohyama. I’m out, but what about that?”
in particular”ILD-AUW43FHDS-BFortunately, I was able to borrow from Iris Ohyama this time, so I would like to deliver this review at the end of this article.
In fact, I have introduced how the game is played on this machine on my YouTube channel, so please refer to the video below to see how it works. Since it is distributed in HDR, I think that the atmosphere will be conveyed even better if you watch it on an HDR compatible device.
Now, the screen size of the ILD-AUW43FHDS-B is a 43-inch 32:9 aspect ratio model, which is the smallest screen size among the 32:9 models.
In addition, I received information that “WR44-PLUS” sold by Innocn is the same model as Iris Ohyama’s “ILD-AUW43FHDS-B”. I want you to refer to it.
According to the above “What type (inch) 16:9 model is equivalent to the ultra-wide model?”
The resolution is 3,840 x 1,080 dots. In other words, to put it more simply, it is equivalent to a screen configuration in which two 24-inch full HD (1,920 x 1,080 dot) resolution screens are arranged side by side.
The image panel is a non-glossy ADS liquid crystal panel. The ADS liquid crystal panel is positioned as a variation of the IPS type liquid crystal panel manufactured by BOE in China. The maximum refresh rate is 120Hz.
30x optical micrograph
Optical 300x photomicrograph.The blurred image is due to the anti-glare (non-glossy) processing.
Unusually for a 32:9 aspect ratio ultrawide monitor product, the screen has a completely flat design and is not curved.
This is a negative point for users who are “mainly for games that emphasize immersion”, but on the contrary, it may work positively in design work where it is necessary to pay attention to “orthogonality and parallelism between line segments”. .
The size including the stand is width 1,089 x height 527 x depth 274mm, and the weight including the stand is about 11.5kg. It’s not light, but it’s heavy enough to be installed and moved by one person.
The stand supports a swivel mechanism of ±15 degrees left and right, tilt adjustment of 15 degrees up and 5 degrees down, and also supports height adjustment of about 10 cm.
The area occupied by the stand is actually W495 x D274 (mm), so if the screen is allowed to protrude, it can be placed on a stand of this size.
The input terminals are equipped with one HDMI 2.0, one HDMI 1.4, and one DisplayPort 1.2. HDR display and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz can be achieved with both HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2.
In addition, the HDMI 1.4 terminal has an upper limit of 60Hz and does not support HDR display.
There is also a USB Type-C input terminal, which supports DisplayPort Alternate Mode. It can be converted to DisplayPort with a conversion adapter, but in any case the maximum refresh rate when connected to USB Type-C is 60Hz. It’s also not HDR compatible.
This machine also has a full two-screen function. Of the four input systems, it supports a two-screen display function that combines any two input systems. There are two modes for the two-screen display function. One is the “PIP” (PIP: Picture in Picture) mode that displays a small screen on a large screen, and the second is the “PBP” (Picture by Picture) mode that displays two screens side by side.
In PBP mode, two PCs, or a combination of a PC and a game machine, can display full HD screens from two devices dot-by-dot without scaling. be. However, please note that the HDR mode is disabled when the dual screen display function is enabled.
PBP display of PC screen on the left and PS5 screen on the right
There are 4 input systems.Also has a headphone jack
It also has a USB 3.0 hub function equivalent to 3 distribution. In addition to DisplayPort, USB Type-C supports PD power delivery (Power Delivery) of up to 65W (only when using a 5A cable. Up to 60W when using a 3A cable).
The backlight is edge type and does not support area drive. Also, although it has not acquired VESA DisplayHDR certification, as far as I played the PC version of “BIOHAZARD RE: 4” and “The Last of Us Part I” in HDR mode, in self-luminous expressions such as flames and electric lights, It was drawn with a high brightness that was clearly different from the surroundings, and I was able to feel a certain HDR feeling (≒ strong contrast feeling). According to the manufacturer, the maximum brightness is 450nit.
Since it is not curved, the left and right edges of the screen when viewed from the center of the screen look a little far away. In addition, when viewed from the center, the left and right edges of the screen are viewed substantially obliquely, so the gradation expression unique to liquid crystals appears pale. Assuming that you will play the game, I would have liked it to be curved.
Considering the price, the color development was quite good. The color volume was created so that the colors are not lost even in dark scenes as well as in bright scenes.
Below is the color spectrum of white light in the image quality mode “Standard”, and the separation of the red, green and blue peaks is excellent. Since a double peak is seen in the red spectrum, it seems that the KSF phosphor is used as the red phosphor.
KSF phosphor is often used in high-definition monitors for design purposes, and you can feel the commitment to the color development performance of this unit.
spectrum of white light. The RGB spectrum peaks are moderately sharp and the separation is good.
Regarding the input delay, which is important to gaming fans, it was 4.1 ms at a refresh rate of 60 Hz and 0.8 ms at a refresh rate of 120 Hz, regardless of the screen resolution.
In terms of frame rate conversion, there is a 0.24 frame delay at 60 Hz and a 0.1 frame delay at 120 Hz, so it seems that the necessary and sufficient performance is given for gaming purposes.
Also, the input delay when using PBP of the dual screen function is 24.3 ms at 60 Hz and 16.2 ms at 120 Hz, so it is about 1.5 frame delay and about 1.9 frame delay respectively in frame conversion. Although the delay will increase more than usual, if it is about this level, it seems that you can play games with low real-time characteristics even in two-screen mode.
Input delay measurement scene
While many cheap monitor products do not have speakers, this unit is equipped with small-diameter stereo speakers, although the specifications are unknown, so you can play sound by itself without using headphones.
The sound quality is about the same as the built-in speaker of a notebook PC, so it’s hard to say that it’s high quality, but I think it’s definitely useful for casually enjoying videos and games without headphones.
The OSD menu can be operated by operating the switch group at the bottom of the main unit, but remote control is also possible from the attached small remote control. This remote control is small and easy to use. Thanks to this remote control, I managed to master the two-screen function of the complicated and advanced operation system.
Attached remote control.There is also a direct call button for gaming related functions
In summary, the price setting of about 80,000 yen is a great bargain in terms of function and image quality. In fact, I don’t think it’s bad as a 32:9 ultrawide entry-level machine.
Personally, if there is a next model, if there is a screen curvature of about 1800R … I think.
Next time, as the final installment of this series, I would like to introduce support software and websites for enjoying ultrawide gaming.
Next time, if I can borrow one from the manufacturer, I’d like to do a mini-review of an ultrawide monitor.
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