Monitor advice

[Bando]

I got some money to spend and I'd like to spend it on the way the graphics are presented.

I have an I5 processor and a Radeon HD7800 running BO* and ROF on a 24 inch Medion monitor.

I run at high, play SP only and have trouble keeping the enemy in sight. I do have TIR 5.

 

I want to upgrade the video card to Nvidea 980 and a big monitor. I'm looking at UHD at 32 - 40 inch.

 

Do I need a special monitor or can I use UHD TV's for this.

Do I need to go curved or not.

 

At the moment there are so many options, I don't know what to look for and the money can only be spent once.

 

Please advice, thanks in advance. 

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

I'm running a 42" Sharp LCD 60 hrz TV. 1920x1080 native resolution with TiR5. It works flawlessly.

Edited November 26, 2015 by [LBS]HerrMurf

[SharpeXB]

BoS looks great in UHD. The extra sharpness is very worthwhile in a flight sim.

 

For HDTV make sure the TV has an HDMI 2.0 connection since you'll need that for 2160p/60 Hz

Some older or less expensive models may only have HDMI 1.4 which is limited to 30Hz

 

The TV should have a "game mode" that eliminates extra video processing and potential lag when gaming although I never noticed that using a console on one.

 

For UHD monitors you need either the HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.2 in order to get 60Hz

 

For graphics cards you will need a very powerful one like the 980ti. 4K is very tough. The challenge here depends on what other types of games you want to run. BoS handles 4K well. Some games like typical graphics intensive titles Crysis, Far Cry etc will need two very strong GPUs to handle 4K at high settings. There will be new graphics cards in about 6 months that will be much better able to deal with 4K though. Since you said "the money can only be spent once" you might consider waiting for the new lineup. Probably they will launch in the first half of 2016.

 

Curved vs Flat? I think the chief benefit of curved screens is to eliminate reflections. If the room you're using has the potential for that then it might be worth using. Otherwise the flat ones are probably cheaper.

 

If you're considering this upgrade, go for it. You'll be amazed playing these on a bigger UHD screen compared to 24" 1080p :-D

Edited November 26, 2015 by SharpeXB

[JG27_Chivas]

I would wait a few months until the Vive and Rift come out to see if they are good enough for flight sims.   If they are, a VR headset like the Rift will be much cheaper than a highend TV/Monitor and give you far more immersion.   The cheaper VR headset would also give you more money to buy the best of the new GPU's coming out in a few months.

 

 

 

 

[LLv44_Mprhead]

Are people using 3440 x 1440 ultrawide 21:9 monitors? I am considering getting one of those and any experiences would be welcome.

[SCG_Tzigy]

IMHO, still should consider high res computer monitor, also...

 

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=225-4429

 

have 2 of these, they are awesome...and little easier in your GPU..

[SharpeXB]

If I was in the market for a new monitor, I would only look at 4K/UHD. Anything else is old tech. It's also probably worth waiting for the next line of GPUs as well so if you can sit tight for 6 months and wait, things will be much easier and probably cheaper. I did this upgrade back in Aplril, if I was considering it now, knowing what's coming with graphics cards. I'd wait. I couldn't make myself wait 6 months ago and it cost $$$ :-(

[Bando]

I'm lazy and probably could search the net, but what is coming that's worth the wait?

I do not believe the rift and all the devices like it will change the simworld all at once, it'll take a bit longer than that.

So I defo want a 4K screen, as big as possible, but the GPU to match it is 6 months away?

[SharpeXB]

I'm lazy and probably could search the net, but what is coming that's worth the wait?

I do not believe the rift and all the devices like it will change the simworld all at once, it'll take a bit longer than that.

So I defo want a 4K screen, as big as possible, but the GPU to match it is 6 months away?

What's coming is just the next generation of graphics cards. With Nvidia it's called "Pascal"

Basically a totally new chip. It's something like 10x as powerful as the GTX Titan or whatever.

There are GPUs which can handle 4K today but notice I made that plural... In order to run ultra graphics at 60fps on the top games it will take a pair of 980ti cards. It just depends on your willingness to throw money at your PC. In 6 months that will just cost a lot less. I hope.

I'm running 2x Titan X 12GB cards and the summer map in 4K Ultra runs them up to about 80% each. It's gorgeous though. :-D

The new cards will be in the range of 16-32GB

[LLv44_Mprhead]

I have perfectly nice 2560x1440 monitor atm and everything is good. The problem is, that at the moment those ultra wide screen monitors look really nice too But yes, the smart thing (for me) to do is wait till next year.

[Dakpilot]

What's coming is just the next generation of graphics cards. With Nvidia it's called "Pascal"

Basically a totally new chip. It's something like 10x as powerful as the GTX Titan or whatever.

The new cards will be in the range of 16-32GB

 

Whilst I have also read the "10 times as powerful" quite a few times, it has been said that this is possible in a few technical points/synthetic benchmarks,

 

but it is not expected to give that amount of total increase in real world gaming performance..

 

Not to say I am not hopeful for the future or not looking forward to reviews

 

Cheers Dakpilot

[Bando]

Thanks Sharpe.

 

I'll wait a bit. 

[VR-DriftaholiC]

Higher res is nice but seriously look at something with G-Sync, it's a serious game changer especially with flight sims since they tend to have such varying fps. 

[TG-55Panthercules]

Coincidentally, my monitor just went on the fritz rather unexpectedly late last week.  Given my space constraints with my current desk setup, I can't really go very big or do any super wide screen stuff (then again, I do have my projector and a 100" diagonal wall/screen for when I want to go big ), so I wound up having to actually drop down from the 24" 16:10 (1920x1200) one I had to a 24" 16:9 (1920x1080) one (couldn't find any monitors still using 16:10 at this point).  Slightly smaller screen area, but much better specs than my last one and one that I was able to mount with a different type bracket and get down low enough to give me a better eye-line and solve an ergonomic problem I was having with looking up at my other one, so on balance it's been a good trade-off.  Couldn't find any sort of G-Sync or 4K monitor here locally, at least not at a price I was willing to pay, so I just got a relatively cheap one that had higher refresh rate capability (144 vs 60) and faster response time (1 vs 5-ish) and was supposed to good at reducing motion blur/ghosting or whatever, and so far so good.

 

Maybe when all the fancy next gen stuff gets here in the next 6-12 months I'll pass this one down to one of the kids and do an upgrade on both the monitor and the graphics card at that point.

Edited December 3, 2015 by TG-55Panthercules

[Elem]

I have just bought one of these...

 

Iiyama X4071UHSU-B1 (Same as the Philips BDM4065UC/00)

 

to replace my triple DELL 22" Eye-finity setup.

 

PC is similar spec to yours Bando. Looking forward to the huge area without any bezels in the way!

[Bando]

I'm curious Elem, about the experience you have with the monitor.

It looks like something I'd buy. What GPU are you are using?

Please let me know what you think of it, once you been simming on it.

[Elem]

I'm curious Elem, about the experience you have with the monitor.

It looks like something I'd buy. What GPU are you are using?

Please let me know what you think of it, once you been simming on it.

Bando, my system is in my signature below! The new monitor has apparently just arrived today, but I probably won't get a chance to set it up until the weekend. All the reports I have read of it are glowing, otherwise I would not have bought it. Will come back with feedback when I have.

[Bando]

Ok, thanks.

I mistook the GPU you have as not being able to cope with UHD. Hence the GPU question.

I'm curious how the card you have will perform on this monitor.

[VO101_MMaister]

Are people using 3440 x 1440 ultrawide 21:9 monitors? I am considering getting one of those and any experiences would be welcome.

 

That is exactly what I upgraded to. I bought a 34" Samsung curved one.

I am very happy with the extra peripherical view and the higher resolution. The resolution is just fine at this size, I can`t see the pixels anymore while it is not that demanding towards the graphic card as 4K.

The curvature from this short distance gives a bit of depth immersion, the wide screen surrounds you.

Absolutely recommended for simming.

Edited December 9, 2015 by VO101_MMaister

[Bando]

Wow Maister, looking good.

What GPU do you use?

Are those Slaw pedals?

[VO101_MMaister]

Wow Maister, looking good.

What GPU do you use?

Are those Slaw pedals?

 

I have a single 970. It handles the resolution very well in BoS and DCS. In CloD I had to tune a few things down to medium on the ground.

The pedals are selfmade ones:)

[reddog=11blueleader*]

Nice set up!

[Elem]

Bando,

 

I can report back that my new Iiyama X4071UHSU-B1 Monitor if fabulous. My GPU pushes those pixels without issue, the colours are amazing, the deep rich blacks I have never seen on any other monitor! And the area of view is superb. My only critique is the built in speakers which are crap for gaming sound, but I will use my Creative Gigaworks T40 speakers anyway which really bring the engines to life. Very highly recommended.

Edited December 11, 2015 by Elem

[Bando]

Thanks Elem. Speakers are no issue to me, as I fly with headphone anyway.

Enjoy the setup, I'm still contemplating what to do. 

A monitor like yours is probably coming soon, just hesitating on the GPU.

I have a Radeon HD 7800 and I seriously doubt the abilities of that card against the needed pixel drain for such a monitor.

 

I'm not there yet, but thanks for the info.  

 

Edit: You should adjust your sig, my friend. Be proud to show it  

Edited December 11, 2015 by Bando

[Bando]

Well, Elem, I took the plunge and went to buy a 40 inch curved samsung UHD screen.

It is awesome indeed, but my GPU is not capable of producing the pixels needed for 4096x2160 in game. Not even in SP QM with me being the only plane.

It'll fly alright, but the TIR laggs about a quarter of a second (this is much more annoying then I thought it would be), the motions are just a bit to slow and when I tried to add a second plane, the stutters came with it.

I'm downscaling it to somewhat more manageable pixel streams for the poor card.

 

In due time I will purchase a new gpu as suggested above.

 

The screen itself is a dream to look at. Never new it could have such an impact.

It's crystal clear and .... well... huge! I'm enjoying myself with the sim.  

[Elem]

That a bit of a shame Bando. This hobby does require regular updates of hardware as well as software. My whole rig is getting a bit past it but still delvers the goods right now. Have you considered a little careful overclocking of both CPU and GPU? Both of yours can be pushed quite comfortably using the AMD software or something like Sapphire TRIXX. As you are going to replace the GPU at sometime anyway it would not matter if you cooked it, but so long as you check the temps you should be fine.

[SYN_Vorlander]

I could not resist the temptation. Receiving a Samsung 34 curved tomorrow.

 

http://www.samsung.com/za/consumer/it/monitor/curved-monitor/LS34E790CNS/EN

 

 

[Bando]

You won't regret it Vorlander.

 

Does anyone know what the difference is between the different brands.

I can find a Nvidea 980Ti from MSI for €1050 and another one for €650. They all have 6Gb mem.

In between those prices there's a whole range of different brands and looks, but are the 980 Ti's not basically all the same?

 

I'm thinking of purchasing the €650 one and in about a year I will see whether I should update again.

[SYN_Vorlander]

Hi Bando,

 

If you could get any 980TI for 650 its fantastic. Good luck with the new setup

[SYN_Vorlander]

Received the new samsung monitor. Lots of information to get use to. Going to take some sorties. Great monitor.

Edited December 14, 2015 by SYN_Vorlander

[Toxin1]

Received the new samsung monitor. Lots of information to get use to. Going tou take sown sorties. Great monitor.

Congrats on the new monitor.  I am curious about how it compares to your ROG SWIFT with G-Sync?

[ER*Wumme]

Hi v101 m maister,

congratulations to your wonderful setup.

Im flying  on an Eizo FS 2434 or -much better -  ultrashort distance Beamer/projector from phillips ( 60 inches) 1980x1020 .  the view from outside is phantastic and i do not need a highend graphic Card.

 

btw  how do you build your Joystick ,  selfmade ??

[Boomerang]

Hi Bando, as with all new tec these days it can become a bit pri$ey.

The Windows 10 holographic headset looked impressive, regarding custom sizing of screens and all, but haven't seen anything about the performance or when this is to be released yet.

I currently use a Philips BDM4065UC 40in 4K UHD Monitor, it's okay, you need to check out the ms of each monitor, especially if used for gaming. For example: 1ms is better than 2ms and so on.

With graphics cards, it's always been the same with the higher prices on release. The only thing that's different at that time, from what I can gather, are the stickers. As the release time passes,  manufactures add their own fans, heat sinks, etc.

At the moment, I've been keeping an eye on Radeons HBM memory cards, as the bandwidth aids in performance as well. Old school was always about the Bit rate, and theses cards are using HBM. I found NVidia  cards to be much quieter, and fantastic cards, it's just a matter of personal preference.

Some people run two cards, like my self, it's good on the GPU level, when needed, but you only end up using one of the cards ram. And the power supply needs to be worthy, something with Japanese capacitors, and ample watts. In the end it all adds up.

Here is a site that's okay for a quick reference. They test hardware out quite regularly, Tom's hardware is also a good site, for everything.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/

http://www.tomshardware.com/

Hope this helps in some way

[SYN_Vorlander]

Hi Toxin,

 

The ROG SWIFT g-sync monitor is a much better option for BOS and Rise of Flight. The Samsung 34 does not have the same image quality and sharpness during game play  I'm able to see a lot more detail on the SWIFT monitor.

 

I will use the Samsung 34 for my second PC.

[Bando]

Hi Boomerang.

Thanks, will keep an eye out on those benchmarks.

Did I read you correct? You say the different brands are basically the same, with different ways of dissipating heat.

The price differences are huge (€650 - €1050)

 

I think I'll play the sim on 2560x1440 at the moment on this monitor and I'll wait to upgrade the rig as a whole until spring.

[VO101_MMaister]

Hi v101 m maister,

congratulations to your wonderful setup.

Im flying  on an Eizo FS 2434 or -much better -  ultrashort distance Beamer/projector from phillips ( 60 inches) 1980x1020 .  the view from outside is phantastic and i do not need a highend graphic Card.

 

btw  how do you build your Joystick ,  selfmade ??

 

Thank you Propfan,

 

yepp the stick and the pedals are selfmade. Check my signature.

Edited December 16, 2015 by VO101_MMaister

[Boomerang]

 

 

the different brands are basically the same

Yep from what I can gather, on the release of the new the "Reference" graphic cards, (reference cards only, are always the first to be released).

After that time passes, each company adds there own fan's heat sinks, cooling pipes/water cooling inlets, capacitors, PCB's, etc. The GPU's remain always as either AMD or Nvidia tho. 

Prices will differ more greatly, after release. This is all about the cooling, etc, etc..
Oh and, stay away from the early AMD water cooled cards. There where problems with the Cool Master pumps.

[Boomerang]

 

 

The ROG SWIFT g-sync monitor

Great Monitor!

[Boomerang]

I think I'll play the sim on 2560x1440 at the moment on this monitor and I'll wait to upgrade the rig as a whole until spring.

 

Yeah a wise choice

Like when the 1151 pin boards where released, A couple of buddies and I agreed the 2011 pin was still the go. 2011 X99 has also been around for a while now.

I really liked this board: http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/X99E-ITXac/Drool, drool, nearly bought one

​

Edited December 16, 2015 by Boomerang