Discussion To curve or not to curve... Curved monitor opinions

[ubern00b]

I've seen some discussions regarding curved monitors where some people will argue that they can take some time to get used to, you shouldn't go for a curved monitor under 1440p ie: 1080p etc, it should be at least 27"+ etc etc I just wanted to guage some opinions on the matter as I bought a 24" 1080p Acer ED242QR some 6 months or so ago, this was my first foray into a curved screen and I will admit there was a learning curve to get used to it though nothing like some people are reporting or have stated, it looked odd for the first hour or 2, after that, I can't seem to even notice the curve whilst I'm using unless I purposely try to look for it, even then, all I see in front of me is a normal 16:9/10 (W/E resolution scale 1080p is) monitor in front of me, it's like the curve has dissappeared or my eyes have completely gotten used to it and have adjusted so that my brain sees what it should be seeing. I haven't really had any interest in curved monitors before I bought this one and that was because for a short time on Ebuyer.com it went down to a crazy £80 price and it was purely an impulse purchase, even now you'd be hard stretched to find a 22" 1080p monitor @60hz with a standard flat screen at that price new, nevermind 24" curved, white monitor from Acer @75hz and with freesync, you're easily looking at the £150 mark for a monitor with those specs, hence I pulled the trigger straight away. I've had 0 regrets, it looks completely normal to me when using it whether that's gaming, browsing or anything else, so what's your opinion? Curved monitors? is it a novelty? do you own one? what's your opinion on using one for everyday use?

 

[Ajay]

I just bought a 27” 1440p monitor. I was just noticing today that if I went up in size; I would likely go with a curved screen. The corners seem just a bit too far out of sight.

 

[Muadib]

I can't make up my mind when it comes to the curve. I haven't seen a monitor yet, but I recall the curve tv Samsung had. I hated it, and returned it.
I guess I need to do the same with a monitor.

 

[Ajay]

Well, when the screen is 6+ feet away, the curve doesn’t matter. It only matters when you are close. I wish some folks who’ve had both would chime in.

 

[ubern00b]

Well, when the screen is 6+ feet away, the curve doesn’t matter. It only matters when you are close. I wish some folks who’ve had both would chime in.

I sit probably 1.5ft-2ft away from my monitor and the curve isn't noticeable any more or at least my eyes have adjusted to it to the point I dont see one

 

[Shamrock]

If all you do is game, get the curved. If you all you do is productivity (such as Photoshop or Architecture) get the flat.

If it is a "do it all" monitor, get the flat. I have an LG Ultra wide, and I love it for gaming, but anything else, and it distorts the picture (like trying to draw a straight line in AutoCAD).

 

[Jaskalas]

If you do any productivity you'll want flat.

 

[sandorski]

Have a 24" Samsung curved monitor. It's fine, but the curve seems pointless.

 

[nOOky]

I have a curved monitor. Being a 34" ultrawide 21:9 I think the curve suits it nicely. I sit about 2.5 feet away from it. I don't notice the curve much when gaming, or really even in Windows for that matter. I also have a 25" 21:9 next to me on another PC, and it is not curved, and I think it's just fine for the size. I would not buy a curved monitor unless I needed it to be a certain size, aspect ratio, and resolution.

I am going to buy a 65" television, and from 10 feet away I don't want a curved model. I also sometimes watch from the side while eating dinner in the kitchen and the curve would screw that up.

 

[Juiblex]

I like my 21:9 curved.

 

[JEDIYoda]

personally I have a Samsung 65 in. curved in the bedroom and I just love it!
I also have a Samsung 65 in. flat screen in the living room They both have their place!!

 

[FedericoUY]

I have a 24'' dell 2417dg (1440p 165hz), but I'm really considering going 3440x1440 on a curved screen with at least 120hz. Any suggestions?

 

[owdi]

I have dual curved 27" monitors on one computer and a single flat 27" on another. For one monitor it's a wash, but with dual screens the curve is nice. Easier to see everything.

 

[topslop1]

31'' curved 1440p monitor here.

Wish I would've stayed 27'', flat, 1080p. Just too much horsepower required to feed games, and monitor is too big for the desk/ needs to be far away.

If I could've gone 24'' or 27'' with a 240hz gaming monitor, I'd have gone that direction. Live and learn.

 

[The Alias]

34inch 21:9 curved for coding. Effing awesome for productivity. I can have 2 windows open side by side and it looks normal and it keeps side scrolling to a minimum. Thinking about converting from triple flat 24 inch monitors to triple curved 27 inch monitors. Will report back if I do.

 

[FedericoUY]

31'' curved 1440p monitor here.

Wish I would've stayed 27'', flat, 1080p. Just too much horsepower required to feed games, and monitor is too big for the desk/ needs to be far away.

If I could've gone 24'' or 27'' with a 240hz gaming monitor, I'd have gone that direction. Live and learn.

Shame to see that. How are you going with a freesync monitor on a geforce?

 

[Muadib]

It ain't cheap, but I think I'm in love... Meet the Acer Predator X35 bmiphzx You can pre order it now from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Acer-X35-bmi...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5QRAK42JM8C11JTTTY3B

 

[bigboxes]

I have a 34" curved Dell. 3440x1440. I don't game much, but it's fun when I do. It took some getting used to at first. It's like a wall of light. I have it mounted on a monitor arm sitting about 2 1/2 feet away from me. I usually set Windows to half the screen. I can have productivity on one half and a browser on the other half. It's like two monitors side by side in one monitor. With so much real estate, there's a lot of vertical space that is essential for productivity.

 

[zinfamous]

Well, when the screen is 6+ feet away, the curve doesn’t matter. It only matters when you are close. I wish some folks who’ve had both would chime in.

this. I never owned a curved TV because it made no sense--I did sit down and watch at a friend's house, once, but it really provided no benefit.

I have a 35" curved 3440x1440p display, and it would be terrible if it wasn't curved. I have it on an adjustable arm attached to the rear desk corner (Amazon) and keep it planted maybe 1.5 feet from my face, and ~1 foot off the surface of the desk.
My previous 27" 1080p was fine, but did take a little getting used-to when I first got it, going up from my ~23"? display at that time.

I think 27-30" might be the limit for a non-curved desktop display for me.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Curved monitors started as a marketing gimmick based on curved TV's, which were a marketing gimmick based on high end curved movie projection screen surfaces. The curve in a projection screen had actual functional use as it solved a problem of focal distance differences across the screen's surface as the distance from the projector to the screen surface is longer the farther you get from the point on the screen surface perpendicular to the projector (usually the middle in a properly setup system). By curving the screen surface in towards the projector, you shrink the difference in focal length, and ideally create an equidistant surface from the projector, giving perfect focus across the entire screen.

TV's picked up on it as a marketing idea to sell new TV's to people who didn't need new TV's as TV sales shrank because most people had upgraded to HD TV's.

Computer monitor manufacturers picked up on it as well for the same reason as they saw TV's sales get a boost from the introduction. Now, computer monitors did have an ever so niche technical reason for the feature, as with cheaper TN panels with bad off angle viewing could see a performance increase when used on a large curved monitor (for the same reasons of focal length on projector screens, the edges farther away from the middle of the monitor would suffer color shift and other problems on TN panels due to the extremely poor off angle viewing). But no one buys a TN panel anymore except in extreme use cases. IPS and *VA panels don't suffer these problems in the angle ranges we are talking about unless you have something like a 40" monitor sitting a foot from your face. So for the most part, it is entirely a marketing gimmick for a curved monitor.

 

[potato masher]

As somebody who has only uses flat screens.. I vote curved. Or course you can curve it too much. Which is getting in to a separate question of "how much curve is too much."

But in the specific case of ultra-wide gaming monitors used up close... I would prefer a curve. All else being equal.

 

[rstrohkirch]

I feel curved is unnecessary at 27". If you went up a size or two to 31 or 34/35 then you'll be on curved anyway. Doesn't sound like that's your intention though from a price stand point.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

I have a 24'' dell 2417dg (1440p 165hz), but I'm really considering going 3440x1440 on a curved screen with at least 120hz. Any suggestions?

Offtopic but what do you think of that monitor? I’ve been looking at one but some reviews mention crushed blacks being s problem.

 

[aigomorla]

where i think it really helps out is the glare especially on a matted screen...
I notice less of a glare because things are sort of out of focus on a curved then it would on a flat.

Other then that, some say the light bleed is less noticeable on a curved on the edges, but my honest take is that its noticeable regardless, as i have 2 curved and one has terrible light bleed while the other doesn't.

 

[Shamrock]

I too have a curved and flat monitor. Light bleed is just as bad on either.