Are Ultrawide 21:9 Monitors the Future of PC Gaming?

Installation

I currently run an Iiyama G-Master GB2888UHSU 4K monitor for my day to day work and gaming. This system is running an Intel Core i5-4690K with an Inno3D GeForce GTX 1080 4x iChill graphics card, so it’s no slouch and has more than enough grunt for ultrawide gaming. As you can see, the monitor takes up quite a bit of space here, clocking in at 28″, it’s the biggest monitor in the world, but it’s still quite large compared to what a lot of desktop gamers use. Let’s get the put to one side, and see just how much bigger the 34-inch monster looks!

Well, this is crazy, it’s almost as wide as my entire desk, stands just as tall as my 4K monitor does, and the freaking huge stand and the curved display means it’s much closer to my viewing position… the hidden cost of 21:9 is about to hit me, I think I will be needing a bigger desk.

My desk measures 60cm deep, and ideally I think an 80cm minimum is what is needed, but 90cm would be the sweet spot for leaving plenty of free space to get the right viewing distance.

There are two problems I’m facing here. The first is that the monitor doesn’t actually fit on the desk, as you can see the back leg is hanging off the rear, but don’t worry, it’s been triple checked and feels stable. I’m only having this monitor here for a few hours, so it’ll be fine for now. The other is that my soundbar doesn’t properly fit. It balances nicely on the stand, but that was more a happy accident. These problems are ones you may face yourself when investing in a freaking huge monitor, so be careful. One way you could mitigate these are by using VESA wall mounts or arms to mount the display, but that’s up to you.