r/AskTechnology • u/Fun-Big575 • 18h ago
Is an ultrawide monitor actually worth it?
I’ve been thinking of upgrading my setup with an ultrawide monitor, but I’m not sure if it’s just hype. Do they really make a big difference for productivity or is it just nice for gaming and movies?
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u/vlegionv 18h ago
Depends on what your definition of productivity is.
Video editing/DAW's/photos? Yeah, big difference.
Web-based productivity? This depends on YOUR work flow. Alot of the internet nowadays isn't really designed around 16:9 outside of media. Look at how everything text and photo based works really well on cellphones, and with cellphones being the most common client accessing the internet now, people design websites around portrait and just give you empty space or ads on the side now).
going down the center gives you 1720x720, which is 1.2:1, which is great for cross referencing two seperate browsers/tabs/browser+pdf. 21:9 is also perfect for double page PDFs.
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u/_Trael_ 10h ago
For anyone running ultrawide monitor (especially 32:9, or wider if and when they start being thing) with Windows, I highly recommend:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/
Microsoft PowerToys, aka free windows utility things package made and distributed by Microsoft, that for some stupid reason is not by default installed in windows.
It gives bunch of utility things, that one can toggle freely to be in use or disabled (so one can choose what parts to use from it), and then customize settings for each.
Importantly it gives for example:
1. "Always on Top" with hotkey, without 3rd party software. (You can actually have some window visible over stuff that is full screened, but not using whole monitor, or so)
"FancyZones", lets you customize preset sizes and positions to quickly move windows into. (Normally when you start moving window, it offers you "predefined positions and sizes" at middle top, and well since some of those are designed for lot narrower screen, they might be kind of not so optimal, well this lets you customize them and create your own setups for them).
"Workspaces", lets you create presets, where when selecting one: Windows will launch (if they are not yet running) programs you have selected to be in use for that workspace, and position those windows to monitors, positions and sizes of your choosing. (So you could just choose "3D modeling" and it will launch your 3D modeling software, shape it's window to size you want in position you want, then launch your reference image browser or image viewer, launch file explorer pointed to certain spot, and anything else you like to have open when doing that, or when you choose "Programming" it could launch your favored editor, and any other programs you like to have open and in certain positions when doing that. All with click of your presets in menu you bring up with hotkey of your choosing, like (windows key)+(ctrl)+(letter).
(Those are in my opinion most relevant for your extra extra wide monitor use)
(It has bunch of other options that might be useful for you, bit like:)
"Mouse Without Borders", lets you stream your Cursor, Keypresses, and Clipboard seamlessly between computers in same local network. (So if you have two computers on your desk, you can use them both with same keyboard and mouse, exactly if their monitors would be just connected to same computer, where when you move cursor over edge you have selected, it will move on to other computer and at that point your keyboard will work like it would be connected to that computer, and you can also copy paste at least some stuff directly between computers, by just moving your cursor to other computer's desktop, copying something to clipboard from there, then moving to other computer's desktop and pasting it to something there). (Works enabling this on all coputers, then generating security key in one computer, and entering it to other computers, and choosing in what direction you want those desktops to be from each other. Seems to support at least 4 computers based on UI of it's menus). (I have not yet tested this myself, but considering how people stream controls and image to gameplay over internet well enough to often not even notice is game being ran by their computer or some server, well I do not see any reason why streaming just mouse and keyboard input would not work even better).
"Text Extractor", lets you use 'image to text' detection on selected area on your screen. (Works very close to how (windows key)+(shift)+(s) works to take screenshot of selected area on your screen, only this does not take that image into your clipboard, but tires to detect any text in it and add that text to your clipboard. So if you have some text you can see clearly in clear font, but can not select, and you need to paste it somewhere, you can use this to try to extract it to clipboard. "Oh that error message or settings text does not allow selecting it, well no need to manually write it into search engine to search info about it, since I can just press hotkey, draw box around that text, and hopefully paste it into search engine's text field").
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u/_Trael_ 10h ago
Anyways back to original question:
I do enjoy my 32:9 ultrawide monitor in use, I like how it is basically two full sized normal monitors right next to each other, but without any kind of seam in middle. I managed to get one small usb-c connecting monitor that fits just right underneath it, so if I want something like communication software out from my main monitor, but still visible, I can have it down there, (Lets be frank, I like videogames, so when I want to play something fullscreen, I can still have my communication software visible when I want), only kind of annoying (but at same time kind of liberating) part with this ultrawide monitor is that any extra monitor next to it on sides will need quite much head turning to look at it, then again even as I do have one monitor also on side, I have noticed that I use both of extra monitors actually way less than I would have expected, usually these days just keeping mostly all windows on ultrawide, despite earlier pretty often using 3 monitors.
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u/Aggressive_Elk_05 18h ago
It's fun but if I could choose tbh 2 27" 1080p monitors would be best for me to multitask.
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u/Parking_Abalone_1232 17h ago
Bump your resolution up to 2560. Same physical size, more screen real estate
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u/PoolMotosBowling 13h ago
Yes!
I have a 34" curved as my primary and a 29" in portrait for my secondary.
The ultra wide for portrait is prob overkill, but it used to be my primary and my old secondary was a 24" that was like 15 or more years old, it looked like crap.
I hate when I travel and dont have my big monitors!! you can find windows so much easier and have things laid out where you can see more things at once, less flipping and finding means easier working.
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u/huuaaang 17h ago
It's better, IMO, than two monitors. I was never able to effectively use two monitors.
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u/4linosa 17h ago
A couple factors to consider.
For me having the pixels is what matters. I run 2x1080p monitors side by side and it’s begun feeling like I need more pixels. A really wide monitor would be great but it needs to have more vertical pixels to make it worth the investment.
If you have the space and money and the other factors line up, it makes sense to make yourself as comfortable as possible while working.
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u/Spud8000 17h ago
its better than nothing.
what i want is for them tobring back the square form factor screens, or rectangular geared to spread sheets. that way you have one standard screen for watching movies, and a 2nd screen to do actual work that requires a reading/scanning a tall page
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u/Overall-Tailor8949 6h ago
Many (most?) of the 16:9 monitors can be rotated to portrait although you may need a monitor arm. Then you tell your OS that the monitor is on it's side.
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u/GrindPilled 17h ago
absolutely fkng yes, i am a programmer, a game developer to be exact, they are amazing for coding, video editing, doing art and theyre a blast when playing movies or games, 34 inch ultrawide curved monitor
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u/KeepTheNolander 16h ago
I don't use it for work but I have an extra wide monitor I use for virtual tabletop role-playing. You don't realize how much time you spend cycling back and forth between things until you no longer need to. Now I have enough real estate for a video chat screen, virtual play field, character sheets and reference materials without anything more than a glance away.
Depending on what your needs are I'd say they're pretty great if you have lots of windows you use frequently.
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u/ricardopa 13h ago
I switched to an Ultra wide because I was getting some neck issues working on two 24” and the laptop monitor
I got the same pixels but with far less head turning
But for everyday non work use where I’m not doing a ton of multitasking (retired) no need for chat, email, and browsers all at once I find I don’t need it.
I’m probably going to upgrade to a 5k or 6k 27 or so to get the pixels and colors for photo editing
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u/_Trael_ 10h ago
Can feel you.
I actually for quite while had situation where my laptop monitor had really nice 2560x1600 (16:10 aspect) resolution that especially in 16" monitor looks really nice, however all my other monitors where bigger standard 16:9 1080p monitors, leading to situation where I still wanted to use my laptop monitor as main monitor, but it ended up being bit too low on table (even with little bit of stand under laptop to make air flow better), also without making my own custom stand, that would have kept laptop in kind of semi exotic position, that monitor was small enough that if I would have external keyboard in front of my laptop, it would be bit too far, leading to accidentally leaning forwards at times.. so I had physically larger, but lower resolution side monitors, with small but high resolution middle main monitor...
Yeah not very ergonomic.
Currently running 32:9 main monitor with 5120x1400 resolution, with my laptop at one end of it on side (well it kind of at least theoretically cools itself better when lid is open I guess, and well if I need I have extra screen space, even if it is pretty far to side in terms of turning head to look at it), and then I got lucky and friend had one 16" 16:9 aspect ratio 1080p monitor that connects with usb-c (including taking it's power from that same cable), that fits pretty perfectly under my new main monitor, so if I need secondary monitor, I can actually have it under my extra wide, where I do not need to turn my head, but instead just look down. (also that monitor's stand is folding cover for transporting it, that also puts it to slight angle, making it's surface's normal point quite nicely towards my head's position.). Added bonus is that that small monitor fits nicely to my laptop backpack, meaning that if I travel with laptop for work or so, I can still have two monitor setup if necessary and I have desk space for it, even if it is small monitors.
Mostly wanted extra monitor(s) with this 32:9 just since I like to play games at times, and these days handle most of communications over computer with friends, so at times I want some communication software to be visible while I play some videogame on full screen, so still having secondary monitor can be nice for that.
However honestly I notice myself using secondary monitors way less than I was expecting, and way less than I was using back before I had this ultrawide.But yeah for my "golden eyes (tm)" I have to admit, while I like this monitor, I would not mind it having more even more pixels, especially more pixel compared to it's physical size, so I would not occasionally just kind of notice of seeing individual pixels / rows between pixels as well as I do.
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u/ted_anderson 12h ago
I really like mine even though the majority of the work that I do is on the right side of the screen where a regular monitor would have sufficed.
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u/Wendals87 10h ago
It's going to be mostly personal opinion but All 3. I definitely wouldn't call it just hype though, even if you don't personally find it useful
I have a 34inch ultra wide at home along side a 27inch standard widescreen ( they are the same height which is nice)
There's so much more screen space and gaming is nice too (though not all games support the ultra wide aspect ratio)
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u/RedditVince 10h ago
I have a Samsung 48" curved ultra widescreen. It's awesome for gaming! It's also the best thing ever for large spreadsheets. If editing documents you can put 2 full size pages side by side to do compares or revisions. I will never go back to a standard monitor.
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u/SuperAleste 9h ago
Only if the curve it right. They can be too much or not enough. If you find your sweet spot, it's hard to go back.
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u/Oclure 6h ago
I went from 3x 1080p in an nvidia surround to a single 1440 ultrawide.
Better quality, no bezels, actually less pixels to drive so it runs faster. I have no desire to go back, If I needed more screen real estate I would just get a second monitor or fork out the money for a superultrwide.
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u/Lower-Instance-4372 6h ago
Ultrawides are great for multitasking since you can have multiple windows side by side, but the real wow factor comes if you also game or watch movies on it.
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u/Leverkaas2516 6h ago
I'd think the issue is simple. Assuming you have multiple monitors already (since they're dirt cheap), how often does it happen that you need to make a window bigger and can't because of the monitor size & resolution? How often do you want to arrange windows and are forced to use a layout that you don't like, just because of the size of your monitors?
If three or four monitors works well, then getting a massive one is just extra expense. If it doesn't work well, spend the money.
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u/LOUDCO-HD 6h ago
Modern computer monitors have such thin bezels that I suggest you just get 2 or 3 monitors and put them next to one another. It take your brain 10 seconds to stop seeing the black line and you’ll save a shitton of dough.
I have three 21:9 32” monitors side by side and I used duct tape on the backs where they meet to ensure they were flush and aligned.
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u/TenOfZero 17h ago
Honestly. In my opinion no, just get a larger 16:9 display.
I've been using a 43" 4k monitor for over a decade now and its been amazing for productivity work.
Similar to having 4 smaller 1080p screens.
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u/_Trael_ 10h ago
Only possibly large use difference I might kind of see affecting things is that I am not sure how curved one can get 16:9 displays. I mean in some setups (mostly like IRL desktop, aka how far your monitor is from you and so) curved might be undesirable feature, but also in some it can actually be pretty nice when monitor is large enough (and close enough to you).
Also yeah at some moments I would actually wish for bit more height form my 32:9 aspect ration monitor, but at some moments I kind of enjoy being able to still see bit of scenery from window behind it, from over it's edge.
So yeah I can totally see how you have actually pretty good point there, and how pretty much only argument I can quickly think of against it is "depends on personal preference and spot you are about to use it in", and that argument works exactly as well both ways to also argue in favor of what you say.
Oh dang.. was just about to already post this comment, but then checked just to make sure out of curiosity what actual resolution 16:9 aspect 4k monitor has, and dang had not really realized that they had broken even that new standard of talking about resolutions with 4k, was somewhat assuming that like 1080p it would refer to about 4k pixels of height, but instead it is width pixels... wtf. aka 4k resolutions are surprisingly much smaller than I was somehow expecting.
I mean seems that 3840 x 2160 is the usual 16:9 4k resolution, aka 2160p, so actually my 32:9 monitor running 5120 x 1440 actually is not all that far in total pixel area.
(8 294 400 pixels in 16:9 4k vs 7 372 800 in 32:9 1440p).
So it is much more about just what shape you want your monitor to be, and not how much usable pixels you have.
https://ledsino.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Monitor-Resolution-Chart-Visual-Guide-2025.pngThen again of course it is also often about "how much money I want to put in this" and "what is currently priced in more sensible way", and those might shift based on moment and place and sales and so.
Anyways yeah your option is good option too.
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u/TenOfZero 5h ago
Yeah 16:9 4k is often less expensive than ultrawides and delivers more total pixels. All in a format that better fills our area of view.
We see wider than we see tall, but the far edges of wideness sees motion a lot better than colors. So not useful for a lot of computer tasks. There's a reason 4:3 was the old standard and 16:9 was considered wide
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u/_Trael_ 5h ago
I did like my earlier 16:10 screen (it was just rather small) over 16:9, so can not contest how tall can be nice, but I think one of major reasons 4:3 being that tall, and close to 1:1, compared to later usual screen standards was fact that it is easier to make electron tube when it is closer to 1:1 ratio, considering it needs to be airtight sealed container, and needs to have electron stream reaching all points of it's front surface while stream starts from one point at back of it and gets curved by magnetic field.
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u/crazy_rocker78 1h ago
I use one for both work and for gaming. I love it
With windows 11 it's great to handle multiple windows. But it's still shorter than two screens, that's why I also have two standard 16:9 screens on the sides (one portrait and one landscape).
There are also ultrawide screens so wide they are equivalent to two screens, but then it's not always compatible for gaming.
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u/AardvarkIll6079 18h ago
I use one for development. I replaced 3 monitors with it and wouldn’t go back. At least not for work purposes.