3-Monitor vs. Single Widescreen (21:9)

[Les Parson 99]

Greetings,

 

I read with great interest the topic 'Dell Ultrasharp U3514W 34" Curved Monitor' on this forum. I have been a FSX 3-monitor NV surround user with 3x21 Asus monitors and a Jetline i7, GTX680 for three years. While the expanded field of view is immersive and enjoyable, the blasted bezel issue that never goes away is a constant nuisance. I get tired of  setting VC's considerably off center to avoid two 1/2 inch bezels splitting thru a G1000 screen. Moreover, I feel other respected add-ons like Track-IR and EZDOK become more difficult to set-up with the three monitors.

 

I have to admit the reviews and comments from the aforementioned topic are quite tempting and tantalizing to say the least. That said, I am considering defecting to the other side - the world of  the single widescreen monitor.

 

I would like to hear from other "defectors" to the single monitor and those that have lived in both worlds (3-monitor & single widescreen)

 

My apologies in advance if this is considered a worn-out topic, but I've not been able to locate a great deal of discussion.

 

 

Les Parson

 

 

[Bob Scott 7,712]

I went from a multi-monitor config to a single 30" 16:10 (2560x1600) SHD monitor a few years ago.  I prefer the height of the 16:10 view to the wider 21:9, although the 34-inch 21:9 monitors are just 5" wider than my 30-inch 16:10 view.  The simplicity alone is good for a 30mm drop in blood pressure!

 

I use a Logitech M600 20-button gaming mouse and a G13 game controller to do view panning, and it's so second nature that panning the view is as natural as turning my head.  With multi-mon, the panning never felt natural because of the bezel always getting in the way.

 

I think a multi-monitor approach to a dedicated outside view (i.e. with a hardware cockpit or panel on separate dedicated monitor(s)) makes sense, since you wouldn't be panning the view and there would be window frames breaking up the view anyway.  But for general VC use, a single monitor is just so much simpler and hassle-free I'd never consider going back to multiple monitors again, especially with the affordable availability of the new ultra-wides as a solid compromise option.

 

Cheers

[vp49p3 216]

I went from a single TV at 1920X1080, to 3X27" at 5760X1080, to 6X27" three over three at 5760X2160. I use trackir. Although sometimes the 1/2" thick bezels are annoying, the immersion at that resolution is night and day better than 5760X1080. I used to use a secondary monitor for instruments, but I no longer need that, because everything in the VC is now visible with minimum head turns. If I was to ditch the whole system (which I won't for now because of the $$)then a 3840X2160 curved monitor would perhaps be just as good. The smaller field of view possibly being an equal trade-off for no bezels. I can't say enough good things, though, about the VC immersion at 5760X2160, especially with V3 for overall smoothness.

[Les Parson 99]

I went from a single TV at 1920X1080, to 3X27" at 5760X1080, to 6X27" three over three at 5760X2160. I use trackir. Although sometimes the 1/2" thick bezels are annoying, the immersion at that resolution is night and day better than 5760X1080. I used to use a secondary monitor for instruments, but I no longer need that, because everything in the VC is now visible with minimum head turns. If I was to ditch the whole system (which I won't for now because of the $$)then a 3840X2160 curved monitor would perhaps be just as good. The smaller field of view possibly being an equal trade-off for no bezels. I can't say enough good things, though, about the VC immersion at 5760X2160, especially with V3 for overall smoothness.

Which graphics card do you have? My GTX680 has no problem with my 3x21 @ 5760X1080. If I get a single widescreen, I will have three extra monitors I could consider for outside views provided the 680 has enough horsepower. Thanks very much for your input.

I went from a multi-monitor config to a single 30" 16:10 (2560x1600) SHD monitor a few years ago.  I prefer the height of the 16:10 view to the wider 21:9, although the 34-inch 21:9 monitors are just 5" wider than my 30-inch 16:10 view.  The simplicity alone is good for a 30mm drop in blood pressure!

 

I use a Logitech M600 20-button gaming mouse and a G13 game controller to do view panning, and it's so second nature that panning the view is as natural as turning my head.  With multi-mon, the panning never felt natural because of the bezel always getting in the way.

 

I think a multi-monitor approach to a dedicated outside view (i.e. with a hardware cockpit or panel on separate dedicated monitor(s)) makes sense, since you wouldn't be panning the view and there would be window frames breaking up the view anyway.  But for general VC use, a single monitor is just so much simpler and hassle-free I'd never consider going back to multiple monitors again, especially with the affordable availability of the new ultra-wides as a solid compromise option.

 

Cheers

Thanks for the great input.

[vp49p3 216]

I started the six (used) screens with an NVidia 670 with 4 gigs memory and an NVidia 570 with one gig. That worked OK, and then I bought two used first generation NVidia Titan blacks. They work great. If you can get the better cards used at a good price, it's definitely worth the investment. It's also tricky setting up the six screens because you can't use NVidia surround with two cards. You have to have some of the screens physically overlap each other at the edges, but it works fine when the adjustments are made. The other difficulty is getting all six monitors to have the same hues of color. That took some doing, also. So, if you don't want to go to all that bother and fuss, then the single monitor at 2560 X 1600 with the three at 5760X1080 is the way to go. When the industry comes out with a curved monitor at 5760X2160 and the price goes from astronomical to merely ridiculous, maybe I'll consider switching Until then, I'm staying with the six.

[TurboKen 221]

I went from a single TV at 1920X1080, to 3X27" at 5760X1080, to 6X27" three over three at 5760X2160. I use trackir. Although sometimes the 1/2" thick bezels are annoying, the immersion at that resolution is night and day better than 5760X1080. I used to use a secondary monitor for instruments, but I no longer need that, because everything in the VC is now visible with minimum head turns. If I was to ditch the whole system (which I won't for now because of the $$)then a 3840X2160 curved monitor would perhaps be just as good. The smaller field of view possibly being an equal trade-off for no bezels. I can't say enough good things, though, about the VC immersion at 5760X2160, especially with V3 for overall smoothness.

6x 27" screens. Any pics? I would love to see that.

 

I'm using 3x 24" 5760 x 1200.

[Steve Cannell 4]

I have had 3 screen setups and personally now much prefer large 3840 x 2160 curved screen TV's.

I find height just as important and with TrackIR and an immersive viewing distance, this setup is awesome.  :smile:​ 

[VeryBumpy 272]

6x 27" screens. Any pics? I would love to see that.

 

Agree, wonder what this looks like.

[GSalden 4,653]

I like 3 because of the width...

 

[Mike_CFII_MEL 788]

Hi Guys,

 

I'm running three 75" 4K's from Samsung at a res of 11520x2160.

 

[wwdavis 44]

Have you considered a wrap-around screen with projectors?

[Mike_CFII_MEL 788]

Hi,

 

I have, projectors would reduce my resolution by four. I may move that route in a few years when the projectors catch up, need to add an addition to the house for my sim first. That's not planned for a few years, my pool is up next.

[angeli662 43]

Hi,

 

I have, projectors would reduce my resolution by four. I may move that route in a few years when the projectors catch up, need to add an addition to the house for my sim first. That's not planned for a few years, my pool is up next.

FYI  4K Projectors was out way  before TVs :smile:

[Mike_CFII_MEL 788]

Hi,

You have any idea what one of these short throw projectors cost?... Top end $27,000.00 / Mid range $7,000.00 add on top of that the cost of the wrap, another $7-$8K. Money that can and has been put to better use, in the future when prices come down into the three grand range then I'll make the jump.

[Les Parson 99]

Does anybody know of any good YouTube videos for comparisons?