Ultra-widescreen gaming monitors and FFXIV

[Silverbane]

My spouse's old GTX 1080 died, so we bought an RTX 3070 to replace it, since the Core i7-6700K system the old GPU was in could accommodate that.

The store had a great deal on a Samsung CRG9 Dual QHD (5120x1440) 49" curved 120Hz FreeSync monitor, so we figured we'd give it a try, as an upgrade from the 32" GSync monitor currently attached to the system.

My spouse is ecstatic over the result. The game runs fast, and between the high frame rates (with almost all the eye candy turned to max) and the monitor covering the entire field of view when seated in front of it, the level of immersion is addicting.

My spouse says the new setup creates a new appreciation for the hard work and artistry that the designers have put into the game: just flying around, the vistas that are encountered are much more breathtaking, and the increased visibility is advantageous in combat as well.

The only time the game doesn't accommodate the ultra-wide view is in scripted cut scenes, which are presented in a 16 by 9 ratio (versus the monitor's 32 by 9) with black bars on left and right.

So if you asked my spouse whether you should get an ultra-wide gaming monitor to play FFXIV on, the answer would be an enthusiastic "Yes!"

[Silverbane]

Oh, just a note that I agree with my spouse's assessment, and would gladly embrace widescreen nirvana, but for various reasons I can't replace any of the monitors on my system with a 49" widescreen one.

[Eraden]

I run FFXIV on an Asus ROG Strix XG438 monitor. I think it's around 42 inches-ish. I can honestly say from my own experience that your spouse must be having quite a happy time! Good show there!

[Ilisidi]

I also only have one of the 42 wide inches and that's already awesome. Unfortunately my setup wouldn't have been able to handle the 49, I was eyeing it so hard.

My better graphic card also means I was able to up the draw distance and now see so much background and it's all so ridiculously pretty. (Like the Eden Leviathan fight. Previously it was just a platform in a void, now there's all the stuff in the background.

The game is ridiculously pretty.

Congratulations on that beauty of a monitor.

[Sebazy]

FFXIV works a treat on ultrawides for sure. Also of note, it's useful for raiding as it increases your field of view, allows for an easier task of keeping tabs on things happening to the side.

Just be sure to put some time into the UI though, you'll want to push things such as the party frame more towards the centre ideally.

[Rhea_]

I use a gigabyte 32” 16:9 monitor with build in kvm as I work from home with 2 pc.

But I’ve been thinking to pick up their M34WQ model which is a 21:9 monitor.

Unfortunately there isn’t many monitors on the market with kvm, I believe acer sells a few models but those are in the 1000+ price range