Ultrawide monitors offer an alternative to triple monitors or VR headsets for sim racers that are looking to upgrade their sim rigs from a single standard widescreen monitor to something that will increase race performance.
The best ultrawide monitors for sim racing are:
These monitors all have a few things in common.
- Minimum 100Hz Refresh Rate
- 1440p or greater resolution
- Minimal response time
In my opinion, if you are going to spend the money on the advantages of a widescreen, don’t lose other features that are needed in the process. Features like high refresh rates and resolution and low response times are highly desirable in a sim-racing ultrawide monitor.
I would honestly rather have a regular widescreen monitor with these features than an ultrawide one without them.
Keep that in mind if you choose to purchase something that isn’t on this list. Make sure they have the above-mentioned features, and you will be on the right path to a good monitor.
The debate between ultrawide and triple monitors is a strong one, with many pros and cons for both. I wrote another article on that very subject if you’re having a difficult time making a decision, I highly recommend you check it out.
With all that said, let’s have a quick look at some of the standout specs of each of the recommended monitors.
1. Samsung Business CH890 34
Samsung Business CH890 Series 34 inch WQHD 3440×1440 Ultrawide
$506.26
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01/27/2023 09:27 pm GMT
Don’t mind the ‘Business’ label; the Samsung Business CH890 will do a great job for all your gaming needs. It ticks all the boxes that we’re looking for in a good sim racing ultrawide monitor, including:
- 1440p Resolution
- 100Hz Refresh rate
- 4ms Response time
Ideally, I would prefer to have a 144Hz refresh rate, but at the price that this monitor is going for, I’m willing to forgo the higher refresh rate.
There isn’t really anything that is a super standout for this monitor, to be perfectly honest, but it’s a really good middle-of-the-pack monitor that does an excellent job and is priced really well for what you’re getting out of it.
2. LG 34GN850-B 34
LG 38GL950G-B 38 Inch UltraGear
$999.99
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01/27/2023 11:40 am GMT
I really like the LG 34GN850-B, and it would probably be my pick of monitors as a good middle ground between the super cheap and the ultra-expensive ultrawides.
A quick look at the specs reveals that it’s exactly what we’re looking for in good sim racing monitors:
- 144Hz Refresh Rate
- 1440p Resolution
- 1ms Response time
On top of those fantastic specs, the monitor also offers G-Sync which means your races will potentially be even smoother than on monitors without them. This is a really great bonus to have and something that I would really like to have on any monitors that I purchase in the future.
You will usually end up paying a bit more for monitors that have G-Sync (or Freesync; more on that later), but it’s something that you should really consider if you can afford the extra for a monitor with this feature.
Overall, this is a super nice monitor on paper with really great reviews. Priced slightly higher than a lot of other ultrawides but nothing outrageous or something that would surprise me for an ultrawide (unlike some of the other monitors to come)
3. LG 38GL950G-B 38
LG 38GL950G-B 38 Inch UltraGear
$999.99
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01/27/2023 11:40 am GMT
The big brother of the LG 34GN850-B, the LG 38GL950G-B comes with some increased specs but a drastically increased price tag. I’d only suggest you look at this monitor if you’ve got money to spend.
Price aside, let’s have a look at the specs
- 3840 x 1600 Resolution
- 144Hz refresh rate (With 200Hz possible via overclocking)
- 1ms ms refresh rate
- G-Sync
Don’t get me wrong, this is a fantastic monitor with incredible specs, but personally, the price tag keeps me well away from this monitor.
Now, if price wasn’t an issue and I could have my pick of any ultrawide to run on my rig, then this would be the one. It is small enough to still fit on my rig in the area where I live, yet it also has some really impressive specs. The extra resolution is a really nice bonus as well.
4. AOC CU34G2X 34
AOC CU34G2X 34″ Curved Frameless Immersive Gaming Monitor
$469.00
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01/27/2023 11:58 am GMT
Finally, an ultrawide that isn’t in the $1000 range. The AOC CU34G2X is the ‘budget’ monitor on this list, but it still provides all the specs (and more) that we are looking for and is half the price of some of the other ultrawides that are out there.
- 1440p Resolution
- 144Hz Refresh Rate
- 1ms ms response time
Similarly to some of the other monitors on this list offering G-Sync, the AOC CU34G2X offers Freesync which solves the same problems as G-Sync does.
If you’re looking to spend closer to the $500 mark than the $1000 mark, then this is the monitor for you. Honestly, it’s really impressive, considering how much it cost. I really like it.
5. Samsung CHG90 49″
Samsung 49-Inch CHG90 144Hz Curved Gaming Monitor
$710.62
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01/27/2023, 08:52 pm GMT
The Samsung CHG90 is by far the largest monitor on the list and one of the largest ultrawides currently available on the market.
- 5120 x 1440 resolution
- 4 ms response time
- 120Hz refresh rate.
It’s large, it’s obnoxious, and it’s expensive… and I love it.
The specs might not be quite as good as the LG 38GL950G-B but you’re getting an extra 10 inches of screen real estate. It will be a personal choice if that’s worth more to you than the increase in refresh rate and slower response times.
One thing to consider when purchasing this monitor is its size. It’s really wide. With all ultrawides, you will obviously have to think about having enough space, but for this one, that is particularly important.
Personally, I don’t have the room to be able to run this monitor on my rig in its current location, so it’s not an option for me. Double check to make sure that you’ve got the room for this monitor because, as I said, it’s really wide.
Wrap Up
Do you have money to burn and a larger space for your monitor? Then the LG 38GL950G-B 38 or the Samsung CHG90 49 are your picks.
If you are looking for something that is just a good all-around monitor without making too much of a dent in your bank account, then I would be looking at the AOC CU34G2X 34″.
If you’re going to do more research on other available monitors, just remember to look for a few key things:
- High refresh rate (100Hz minimum)
- Higher Resolution (greater than 1080p)
- Low Response Times (Ideally, 1ms, but up to 5ms can be fine.)
And, as a bonus, I really like my sim racing monitors to have either G-Sync or Freesync available on them in order to get as smooth of a racer with as few noticeable frame stutters as possible.
One thing to consider when moving from a single widescreen to an ultrawide is the capabilities of your computer. If you’re already pushing the limits of your computer on a regular widescreen monitor, then adding a widescreen to the mix may potentially put too much strain on your computer, and you may lose frames.
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