Summary
What I Liked About Ultrawide Monitors
I bought my first ultrawide monitor back in February 2018. It was a game changer for me. I went from two 27-inch 16:9 monitors to one 34-inch 21:9 andabsolutely loved it.
I was able to havealmostthe same screen real estate as two separate monitors, but with no line down the middle for the bezel. I loved that. And it was great for gaming, too.
The ultrawide ratio allowed me to see more at once when it came to doing things like video editing and when playing certain games.
Having a single ultrawide monitor on my desk also cuts down on the clutter of two monitors. I didn’t have two monitor stands, two display cables, two power cables, and two huge slabs of screen on my desk. It was just one, and that was a nice change of pace from the cluttered setup that was two screens before going ultrawide.
The Downsides of Ultrawide Monitors
While I loved my ultrawide setup, it wasn’t without its flaws.
Most things worked great at the 21:9 ultrawide ration, but not everything loved it. When it came to gaming, I was pushingsignificantlymore pixels than a standard 16:9 screen. A normal 1440p 16:9 monitor has 3,686,400 pixels, while a 1440p 21:9 monitor clocks in at 4,953,600 pixels. For comparison, 4K at 16:9 is around 8,294,400 pixels, which is the equivalent of running both a 21:9 and 16:9 1440p monitor at the same time.
This is about a 30% increase in the number of pixels your GPU has to drive. Which, in normal tasks, isn’t a problem. However, when it comes to gaming, if your GPU isn’t powerful, it could result in a significant drop in frames.
However, it wasn’t just the performance hit that was a downside to me when gaming. Not all game have full native support for the 21:9 aspect ratio. Some games do, but others will simply stretch the UI and in-game elements to fill the screen. This doesn’t make for a great experience.
When I first got my ultrawide, this was much more of an issue than it is today.Most gamesdosupport the 21:9(or even 32:9) ratio natively. However, not all games with official support do it well. So, keep that in mind.
Why I Chose to Go Back to 16:9
Ultimately, I chose to go back to a 16:9 monitor at my desk. I began using the 16:9 gaming monitor I already had, which was a27-inch 1440p 240Hz screen from Porsche Design.
Using this monitor showed me that 16:9 actually improved my workflow, and it worked better for the tasks I do. Making Obsidian (my writing app of choice) full screen on an ultrawide monitor was quite something, with it taking up the entire 21:9 ratio and me just typing in the middle. There was tons of wasted space. I don’t have that problem with 16:9.
A 16:9 monitor also just looks, well, more proper to me (if that’s even the right way to say it.) Gaming felt right again, video editing felt right again, photo editing felt right again. Everything just felt right again. I’m not sure how else to put it, but I didn’t realize how much I missed 16:9 until I went back to it.
Ultimately, my workflowbenefitedby going from a single 21:9 monitor down to a single 16:9 monitor.
Why a 32" 16:9 Monitor is a Great Alternative
While I really did like the Porsche Design monitor, the fact that I couldn’t VESA mount it like I could my ultrawide drove me to find something else. And that’s when I found a 32-inch 4K 144Hz monitor on Facebook Marketplace for an unbeatable price.
Once I swapped over to the 32-inch 4K screen at 16:9, I knew I was home. I had taken a slight hit in overall screen real estate when I dropped from 21:9 to 16:9 at 1440p, but going 4K (and more inches) really made up for that.
After using a 32-inch 4K monitor for several weeks now, I honestly don’t see myself going back. If anything, I see myself picking up a second 32-inch 4K monitor and going back to dual 16:9’s. Why? Well, I can thenchoosewhether I want to span my game across both (which is possible), or just game at 16:9 and use the other for something else. I have the choice then of whether I want to have more things open or not. And that’s what I really want: choice.
If you’ve tried going from a 34-inch ultrawide down to a 27-inch standard monitor before, and went back to ultrawide, I suggest you try a 32-inch screen. It’s really been what sealed the deal for me, and the main reason I’ll be sticking 16:9 from now into the foreseeable future.
Gigabyte M32U
The GIGABYTE M32U 4K 144Hz monitor is perfect for any gaming or productivity setup. The larger 32-inch form-factor pairs well with the 4K resolution to provide ample screen real estate while not being overbearing. Its 144Hz refresh rate delivers smooth visuals and makes it ideal for gamers particularly. With 10-bit color and a 123% sRBG coverage, alongside VESA DIsplayHDR 400 certification, this monitor is also great for content creation. Add to that the built-in USB-C KVM and USB 3.0 hub, alongside the dual HDMI 2.1 ports and DisplayPort 1.4 and you have a solid all-around monitor.
