Buildapc Fester • 6mo ago • 100%

Monitor advice: UWQHD Curved 144hz VA vs. QHD 240hz IPS

I’m in the market for a new monitor. It’ll be used for gaming and browsing, but also light graphic design/video editing and lots of email- and document-writing, some spreadsheets, etc. My graphics work is not very color sensitive, and I have a “normal” $100 IPS monitor on the side to compare. The two options that caught my eye so far: BenQ Mobiuz EX3410R - 34” 21:9 1440p 144hz VA with 1000R curve (450 USD) BenQ Mobiuz EX270QM - 27” 16:9 1440p 240hz IPS (570 USD) I’m upgrading from a 24” Acer Predator XB253Q GX 1080p 240hz IPS, which I chose because I had a 90’s desk with a hutch that limited monitor size. I’ve been fairly happy with it despite a few quirks and low PPI, but that desk is going to the curb soon so it’s time for something bigger. My PC is Ryzen 5800X3D, 32G RAM, RTX 4700 Ti. I predict my usual games will hover around 180-200 fps in QHD, and 120-140 in UWQHD. I know I’d be happy with what would be a direct upgrade to a 27” 1440p version of my current monitor, but I’m feeling the pull toward the novelty of UW and curved. I've only had 16:9 and a few 16:10 flat monitors. Here are my concerns about going UW curved: 1) Since I’m doing some WFH text and graphics, I want to make sure I won’t regret the leap. I think I’d get used to the curve, but I’ve heard that some VA panels can get a bit wonky with text. 2) While my graphics work is not very color sensitive, it sometimes is a little bit… I can’t be giving people jaundice, I mean. The Acer isn’t exactly perfect either, but it’s good enough. And I always check photos on my side monitor and my phone. 3) Whatever I choose will be my daily driver for probably 7+ years. I’m concerned that there will always be adjustments and compromises if I go curved. Meanwhile, flat 16:9 is fool-proof, but I’ll always suffer from grass-is-greener syndrome. 4) I know both of these options run the risk of backlight bleed - the VA because it’s large and curved, and the IPS because it’s IPS. The “IPS glow” doesn’t really bother me too much, but edge bleed would. I got lucky with my Acer - it’s pretty much solid black. I don’t know which would be more risky for developing backlight bleed. 5) The EX270QM is brighter and has much better color - bother a wider gamut and more accurate. I’m not sure if the curve and extra width will be a worthy trade-off, even if I love 21:9 curved. So, again, a different grass is greener problem. 6) I really enjoyed 240hz G-Sync smoothness, but I don’t play serious competitive stuff and I could downgrade to 144hz, as long as the other benefits are worth the trade-off. I also think QHD will hover around 180fps in my current games, and UWQHD around 140 maybe. I’d probably only get the full benefit of 240hz QHD in older games. Do any of you own either of these or similar monitors? And even if not, please alleviate any of my concerns or try to sway me one way or another. If you have other recommendations in the $450-600 range, I’d welcome them too. Edit - TL;DR: I’m torn and indecisive between 21:9 1440p curved VA and 16:9 1440p flat IPS. Color and quality are important, but so is gaming immersion. I yearn for something new from my 16:9 past, but I’m afraid I’ll fight with regret. I seek to learn from wisdom and experience. Please help.

Apple Watch Fester • 1y ago • 100%

Anyone experiencing random crash/restarts? (Series 9)

This has been happening the past few weeks. I’ll look at my watch and see that it’s locked even though I haven’t taken it off, and sometimes I’ll catch it on the logo screen restarting. I can’t seem to find any rhyme or reason for it. My wife has a series 7 on OS 10 and isn’t having this problem. Anyone else having this issue on series 9 or other watch?

Dogs Fester • 1y ago • 91%

Advice/Rant: That one house on the walking route

For the past several months I’ve been walking my dog (Cocker Spaniel) at least twice a day. We usually get about 2 total miles in. My neighborhood is an old racetrack and it’s a nice walking route. I’ve also been using the time to train her to behave when strangers and other dogs pass us, and overall she’s been responding very well. She is scrappy like Spaniels tend to be, but she’s improved a lot - I can hold her attention and reward her with praise and a treat when we pass people and dogs and she doesn’t bark or growl, which is now most of the time - often even when there’s another dog that is reacting badly. But there’s this one house… They have two medium/small dogs that are almost always left unattended in a fenced yard. They start barking at us before we turn the corner onto their road. The dogs are up against the fence, barking and snarling and nipping at each other. They are extremely loud and relentless. When the owners are present, it’s 50/50 if they scream at the dogs to stop or not, and even then it’s with mixed results. But lately they are just letting it go. I am getting the impression they are upset that someone dares to walk on the street past their house. This is the only time I lose control of my dog. She behaves fine until we’re right at the fence, then she reacts by growling and lunging toward the fence, and eventually starts barking back. It was so bad a few days ago that I picked her up and faced her away, but she wriggled out of her harness and jumped off me. An Amazon truck had to stop to avoid hitting her, which I couldn’t even hear coming behind us because the other dogs were barking so loud. I was livid and embarrassed at the whole situation. I’ve tried everything I can think of passing this house - stopping and holding tight till my dog stops reacting, which she does only until we start moving again, or holding the treat in front of her face to try to hold her attention, which doesn’t work. I’ve even thrown the treat away in front of her while she’s barking, which only makes me feel bad. The obvious solution is to avoid walking past this house, but that would mean I can’t walk the loop. And at this point I don’t want to give the owners the satisfaction of intimidating me and other dog walkers away from walking on their street. What other training methods can I use to help my dog ignore them? I’m afraid it’s just too much for her. Should I bother making a complaint? Any and all advice is appreciated.