49" Odyssey QD-OLED G9 (G95SD) Dual QHD 240Hz 0.03ms G-Sync Compatible Curved Gaming Monitor with Glare Free and Smart Features

TLDR; had many monitors over the years, looking for my next upgrade from the Ark 55". Thinking LG 45 5K2K, Samsung G9 49", or Samsung G9 Neo 57". 60% productivity, 30% gaming, 10% photo editing. Bonus if the setup can KVM well to eliminate the need for another desk setup for work. $5K budget. 4090 + i9-13900K. Main games - WoW, Apex, Fortnite, PUBG, Arc Raiders, Runescape, COD Warzone, Battlefield Redsec. In 2020 I upgraded to the G95T 49" VA 1440p 32:9, and added 2x 27" G5 1440p monitors above it. I loved the 32:9, but was irritated I could never get the bezels to line up right. Cut to 2022, and the Ark 55" comes out. I bought it instantly thinking it was pretty much what I already had, except with seamless integration. Used that for 3+ years and then a buddy pointed out how the Ark has ridiculously low PPI, I never game in 16:9, and at 32:9 or 21:9 it's basically 1080p. I have been gaming at 3840 x 1080p for the last 3 years and didn't know it. So now I'm on the search for what's next. I love how wide the Ark is, but I don't care for how tall it is. I'd like to gain a pickup in PPI, perhaps try out new panel tech (OLED? Higher refresh rate? Dual refresh rate?), as well as reduce the physical form factor if possible - while also gaining more productivity. I think this should be easily accomplishable since the Ark is only 80 PPI and 3840 x 2160 res. LG 45 5K2K OLED (pro and con - burn in, less brightness, beautiful picture quality) Awkward size, makes it difficult to add other monitors for multi tasking Most expensive option and highest chance of failure? Opportunity for fastest refresh rate when downscaled Best for gaming, worst for productivity? Samsung 49" G95SD / Samsung 49" G95C OLED or VA QLED options 240hz Size and aspect ratio I've already used and love If I got one, I'd get a pair of them and stack them (defeats my goal of getting a smaller setup) Smallest upgrade in terms of PPI 2nd best for gaming, 2nd best for productivity? Samsung G9 57" Neo VA + Mini LED (no worries about burn in, better in bright rooms) Ridiculous resolution that my 4090 won't be effective to drive in games Potential for KVM for work? A bit taller and wider than the 49", both of which are appreciated. Best for productivity, worst for gaming? I initially wanted the LG 45 5K2K most, thinking it to be the best gaming monitor. But I do find the height a bit tall (39" wide x 18" tall) comparing to when I use 3840 x 1600p on the Ark, which is a physical size of 48" wide x 20" tall. 21:9 instead of 32:9 is also a bummer. Because of the awkward size, it makes adding extra monitors for multi tasking (youtube, discord, email, monitoring security cams, etc.) difficult. I've seen people add 32" or 27" monitors to the side, but I dislike vertical monitors. I've seen people add 34" and 38" UW above it, but then it gets taller than my Ark 55". The best option seems to be using the "portable" 16.5" monitors below it and angled up. With the 49" OLED, I feel like I'm going back to something I've already done. 49" 32:9. The gain is the improved refresh rate and OLED/QLED, vs the 6 year old VA panel. In order to multi task with this setup, I would get two of them stacked vertically. It's a familiar option, that feels more like a step backwards than forwards. It doesn't help with my issue of feeling like 30" tall worth of monitors is too much. It also generally places the bezel right in the middle of my view. With the 57", I think I would appreciate the extra height, but am a bit worried about the extra width. The resolution is too hard to push in most games, so I may be restricted to 21:9 or 16:9, or using lower resolutions - which sort of defeats the purpose of this monitor. It appears to have the most opportunity for future proofing, if/when Nvidia 6 series cards come out. It is clearly the best monitor for productivity. The height makes it perfect for ergonomic viewing at eye level. Anyone who has used these (and preferably used multiple of them) what're your thoughts? Anything I might not be considering in my search? Monitor setups in order, left to right: 2x 24" 1080p 2x 24" 1080p + 27" 1080p 2x 27" 1440p 3x 27" 1440p 3x 27" 1440p 40" 4K 34" 1440p + 40" 4K 2x 34" 1440p + 40" 4K 3x 27" 1440p 2x 27" 1440p + 49" 1440p 55" Ark 4K 2x 27" 1440p + 34" 1440p

Eh, I just like trying stuff out. Resale value on computer stuff (especially now) is really good, so for trying all this stuff out I lost very minimal money. Generally swap setups every 2-4 years which seems about normal. The Ark 55" has been the only bad purchase, and the only one I'll lose significantly on. Day 1 adopter issues.

Mostly it’s just to be able to constantly see things instead of alt tabbing. On the ARK 55” for play I usually divide it into 3 or 4 quadrants depending if I’m gaming or not. If I’m gaming, I play 3840x1080p across the entire bottom half and then I essentially have 2x 27” 1080p monitor worth of space up top for discord, YouTube, game maps, security cameras, OBS or streaming stuff, etc. on my work setup (2x 34” landscape monitors stacked vertically), I divide it also into 4 quadrants with chrome, outlook, teams, and excel.

I preferred the option directly above it simply for uniformity and aesthetics. I wouldn't stack a 27" 16:9 on top of a 34" 21:9 again. You could do two 34"s landscape stacked vertically, and a 27" in portrait next to it. Otherwise a 49" with 2 27s is great for productivity if you can stand the bezel/alignment gap.

Certainly not a need, and reducing vertical height is one of my goals. The thing is, if you have a 49” (which is great for gaming) it looks silly to put anything other than 2x 27 or another 49 on top of it. So in some situations you’re getting much more screen real estate than needed simply for balancing/aesthetics. At the same time, one single 49” monitor doesn’t allow for any effective multitasking while gaming full screen, which creates the necessity for some sort of multi monitor setup.

That setup looks clean! My first thought though is that it seems very high. How far is the gap from the desk to the bottom of the first monitor? A 34" + 29" should be 25" of vertical monitor which is essentially as tall as the 55" Ark. I can already tell that setup would give me major neck issues if I put anything that I was viewing regularly on the 29". I've found that left/right head movement isn't nearly as strenuous as up/down, which is why I'm interested in wider format ultrawides at a more reasonable height. And/or side monitors or potentially a bottom monitor angled up, which I've never tried.

Specifically for work, all my research has said the OLED is WORSE image quality in terms of text rendering. For gaming, I'd tend to agree OLED should be superior. If I could safely get 5 years of usage out of OLED with relative guarantee, it'd be a no brainer. But plenty of posts in this group show OLED burn in on these monitors less than 24 months, with less usage and static items than I would have.

Ah man, that was peak gaming back in 2016. Playing battlefield on 3x 27" portrait monitors that we DIY debezeled and held together with electrical tape. It was beautiful. To this day I've never had a more immersive gaming experience on PC. But it was super awful to try and do any sort of productivity stuff on.

if the 2nd isn't OLED, does the difference bother you? I thought about running dual OLED 49s for continuity, but knowing that one would be solely dedicated to productivity and static UI seemed like a poor decision. On the other hand, mixing OLED/VA seems like it would be visually annoying.

You have the Ark 55"? Man that sounds awful for gaming lol. Your 4K at fullscreen is the same as my 1080p in windowed, so I'm seeing the same image quality you are. It's 80 PPI across the screen no matter which windows you use. Between the low PPI and insane height, this monitor isn't enjoyable for me at all to game on anything larger than 3840x1600 (21:). Had I known what I know now about all this stuff, I would've never purchased it. And certainly not for the $3500 I paid.