Widescreen Gaming Forum

Just finished building a new computer, and I need new screens to make it shine.
I've used three HP LP1965 screens via a TripleHead2Go since 2007, and have been wide gaming before it became somewhat mainstream since 2001.
As you can see, I'm in a dire need of upgrading.

My computer has been rebuilt, as shown below:
Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor
MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2800 Memory
Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X OC Video Card

When I first bought the setup, the idea was to go 5x1 portrait in Eyefinity, otherwise would have gone nVidia. However, after wracking my head with numbers and screen real estate, I've decided just to go with 3 screens like I have for years to avoid the 2 added bezel lines. I also bought these components so I can swap in a second GPU whenever I feel like I need it. Haven't had the need to OC yet.

Typical use is lots of Excel, Skyrim heavily modded (300+ mods), minecraft from time to time.

I am going to purchase one screen within the end of the week, but ultimately I am toying with the idea of three 4k screens. Before I invest a bunch of money into screens I won't be able to handle, I would like to know what hurdles I would run into, especially regarding bandwidth, GPU ram, etc. Is it even possible to 4k x3 yet, or is the tech not quite there yet? Would I be better off with 2k screens?

Well you're hurt, because the r9 290 only has a single display port. You're going to need a 295x2, 970, 980, or Titan X with at least 3 display ports to run 3x4K at 60Hz. However the 290 can run 3 x 2K screens.

AMD GPU's tend to do better with higher resolutions, although with the 300 series coming around june / july, it may be better to wait and see what the performance is.

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System Core: | Intel Core i5-2500K + ASUS P8Z68-V + 16GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1333 MHz | Win7 x64 | MSI R7970 Lightning 3GB [1105/1400] |
Display: | 3 x Dell Ultrasharp 3007WFP-HC @ 7680x1600 | Dell u3011 |

Not sure I want to wait for the 300 series, not to mention the price tag for being the guinea pig testing the latest hardware isn't something I want repeat again. Is there a 2k screen review chart, or any 2015 2k screen reviews I should consider? I could just google a thousand reviews, but very few people besides this forum cares about things like bezel size, etc.

TFTcentral is the way to go for Monitor reviews.

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We gonna send it to outa space!

Appreciate the tip about the website. It was grossly more information than I ever could have wanted. It mad me realize I was a 3rd grader trying to take a Masters course.

It also helped me look seriously at at a few screens though.
$600 SAMSUNG SD850 S27D850T
$600 BenQ XL2730Z
$550 Dell UltraSharp U2715H
$450 Asus PB278Q
$400 Dell UltraSharp U2515H

I am leaning more towards the BenQ. The reviews are mixed though, as it is the first Freesync screen available, and the drivers for Freesync apparently aren't all there just yet. It does however have a lot of gaming-centric features that sounds great on paper though. Price is higher than I'd like, but I do intend on keeping the screens for a decade.
I've decided $600 is the absolute maximum I'll spend on a screen, but I'd love to hear good reasons to use one of the lower priced screens, or another screen I didn't look at.

i'd prefet blur reduction over Free/G-sync.

http://www.blurbusters.com/

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We gonna send it to outa space!

I'm not sure what you mean...the BenQ XL2730Z has blur reduction.

jep, most new G-sync monitors have an ULMB mode, yet you cannot use G-sync and ULMB at the same time!

So even if you look at non G-sync monitors BenQ is the only manufacturer who has a built in anti motion blur method that works.
(Except the Eizo Foris FG2421 with the 240hz mode)
But yeah, they're expensive Monitors. But cheaper ones don't fulfill these features.

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We gonna send it to outa space!

A lot of it will also be personal choice. To me the best two on the list you are are the Samsung and the Asus. The BenQ is actually great but it has a large bezel and a TN panel which is too big of a flaw for me personally. The Samsung and the Asus both have very nice PLS panels. The Asus has huge bezels though. So I would go with the Samsung myself. To be honest The Dell U2715H is a great monitor, perhaps the best on your list. I was hesitant to say so because I don't approve of Dell or their Business practices. I actually got 12 of those for my lab and they are great and everyone loves them. All of the Monitors on you list have great stands so that is good, and all of the I/O is relatively the same. So after that random train of thought I'll say you can't really go wrong with any of those. I personally tend to gravitate towards the Samsung option it has a PLS panel, a Matte finish, Every I/O option capable of pushing 2K, and they went ahead and just cut the garbage 1W speakers out instead of adding them for old time sake. Good Luck

I understand why large bezels is a negative. My current screens never had the thinnest. They are about the width of my pointer finger.
However, regarding the TN, PLS, and I believe I read something called IPS panels, I'm a little in the dark on. I've read on TFTcentral about what I could about it, but honestly, a lot of the tech is above me.
Also, another question is regarding the refresh rate. All screens have a 60 Mhz refresh rate except the BenQ, with a 144. Does that matter for gaming purposes?

Lastly, will one Displayport run three 2k screens via daisy chaining, or will I require two GPUs?