LG - 38GL950G-B

I really do think an OLED at 45 inches in a 21:9 aspect ratio and 5k resolution is the ultimate end game monitor for both productivity and gaming. I've been using a 38 inch LG ultrawide IPS (38GL950) for the past 4 years in my home office setup and although it's an awesome monitor, during heavy coding sessions I've had this urge for more screen real estate to better fit my development environment and documentations. Gaming on it is nice due to the immersiveness of 21:9, especially playing MMOs like World of Warcraft, but the lower brightness and contrast of IPS makes images not as vibrant. I've also been using a 47 inch LG tv (47LA7400) as a dedicated computer monitor on my bedroom setup for the past 12 years. With over 60,000 hours of use on it, it is still working perfectly. I love LG and their quality. At a mere 1080p resolution though, I can see the pixels in text, which can cause eye fatigue during coding tasks after a while. Gaming on it is quite immersive, mostly due to the size, but without a curvature, things on the left and right of the screen feel as if they're farther away, which can take away from the immersion. I also have an LG CX OLED tv which I've tried gaming on and although images are absolutely stunning due to the vibrant colors and clarity, the aspect ratio doesn't make gaming as immersive. I considered going the 32:9 route but didn't want to sacrifice screen height and knew that most games didn't support this aspect ratio. I've been constantly searching Google and Reddit for the past 3 years wondering when LG would release a 45 inch 21:9 OLED with at least 110 pixels per inch and 120hz refresh rate. It's finally here and I'm so excited.

I got an LG 38GL950G, love this thing, wish they would come out with a 38" OLED 4k. The 39" Lg currently offers has too much curve and is only 2k res unfortunately.

I'm a little bias. But there have been three big jumps in Ultrawide. The first 3440x1440p monitor \~2014 [LG 34UC97](https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-34UC97-S-ultrawide-monitor) 38" 3840x1600 144hz IPS \~2019 [38GL950G](https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-38gl950g-b-gaming-monitor) 45" OLED 5k2k \~2025 [lg45gx950a](https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-45gx950a-b-gaming-monitor) There was a huge gap where Oleds started to come out but not in the great 38" 3840x1600. So you had to sacrifice for OLED. Now you're getting a jump in PPI, jump in refresh rate, jump in screen size and resolution. This is what the ultrawide early adopter crowds has been waiting *years* for.

I have the Alienware 3225qf. At times I wish it were brighter and an UW (I do appreciate the glossy oled though). My favorite display resolution was 3840x1600 on my old lg 38GL950G-B. I was perfectly fine without oled and regret the switch. Sadly it’s a discontinued model and the current variant 38wr85qcw is too distracting. The white bezel stands out and the “dimming zones” are distracting. I’ve see the 5k2k in stores and the semi gloss display doesn’t seem bad but the oled brightness still feels lacking.

I’d like to share some information about my new favorite monitor in case there is someone who will benefit from my experience. # Background I’m a professional Mac & iOS software engineer, amateur video editor, and avid PC gamer. I spend 70% of my time on my MacBook Pro using Xcode, productivity tools, and Final Cut. The remaining 30% of my time is spent gaming on the PC. I prefer games like Tomb Raider, The Talos Principle, Half-Life 2, Defense Grid, Portal, Stray, Command & Conquer, Battlefield, Deliver Us the Moon, and Kingdom Rush. In other words, I play 1st-person adventure, 3rd-person adventure, RTS, tower defense, and FPS games. # Monitor Priorities These have always been my top priorities for picking a monitor: * Ultrawide * As big as possible * The highest pixel density possible (PPI) * Good for coding, productivity, and video editing on the Mac * Good for non-competitive gaming on the PC * Frame rates above 100, preferably around 120 or more * Very clear text * G-SYNC compatible          * No burn-in issues (unless the monitor is so amazing that it's worth it) # Acer Predator X34 I started with the Acer Predator X34 in 2015. This was a great monitor for the time! It was a 34-inch IPS display with a resolution of 3440 x 1440. It had a fast pixel response time of 4ms (fast for 2015), and it refreshed at 100 Hz. I loved that monitor for PC gaming, and the text was super crisp for coding and productivity. However, I wanted more vertical space for coding. # LG 38GL950G Later on, I upgraded to the LG 38GL950G. This was a 38” monitor. It had a resolution of 3840 x 1600. It was basically like my previous X34, except it was larger, had more space for productivity apps, supported HDR for gaming, and had a faster refresh rate (144 Hz) for gaming. It was better than my old monitor in every way (both for gaming and productivity). # LG 40WP95C Then in 2023, I got the LG 40WP95C for productivity use only, and kept the LG 38GL950G for gaming. This was a great combination. The older LG 38GL950G was great for gaming because of its large size, fast refresh rate, fast pixel response, and HDR. Meanwhile, the newer LG 40WP95C was perfect for productivity. It had a large 40-inch display, and it was a 5K2K monitor. This means it had a resolution of 5120 x 2160. It was essentially a 4K display that had extra space on the sides to make it an ultrawide. It was perfect for coding and productivity, and it had a much higher pixel density than all of my previous displays. Text was nice and crisp! Unfortunately, the 40WP95C wasn’t good for gaming at all. Its max refresh rate was 72 Hz. It was just a productivity monitor. That’s why I kept the 38GL950G for gaming. # LG 45GX950A Ever since I got the LG 40WP95C, I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for a 5K2K gaming monitor that would double as a productivity monitor. It was a long wait, but LG finally announced the 45GX950A at CES last year. Whoa! It looked amazing! It was a 45-inch monitor with 5K2K resolution! The 45-inch size sounded amazing, and it had the high pixel density that I was hoping for. It had a high refresh rate for gaming, and it was an OLED, so I knew the colors and brightness would blow me away. I was starting to wonder if this would be my ultimate monitor! Well, I bought one, used it for a few days, and… I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s too big! I always wondered if I would reach a size limit where a monitor felt uncomfortably large, and this monitor definitely did. Here are my thoughts after using this monitor for several days… First, here are the pros: * Gaming is super-immersive and engaging. * It almost makes games feel 3D, and it takes up most of your field of view. * It’s similar to wearing a high-resolution VR headset. * It makes games intense, beautiful, and brilliant! * This was my first OLED display, and damn…it’s impressive compared to IPS displays for gaming. Here are the cons: * It’s way too much immersion for productivity use. * It requires much side-to-side head movement to see everything. * It requires much up-and-down head movement to see everything. * I don’t feel comfortable when it’s 24” from my face (my typical viewing distance). I wanted to move it at least 30” from my face for productivity apps. * It has an aggressive curve, so straight lines appear very curved. * Using it for a few hours made my eyes feel tired, and even gave me a hint of motion sickness. There was another problem with this monitor on the Mac: Text was too small when using the native resolution of 5120 x 2160. I ended up changing the Mac to a lower resolution of 3840 x 1620. That made the text large and very sharp, which was great. However, it meant this monitor had the same usable space as my old LG 38GL950G. Hmm…so I had the urge to push this monitor further away from me, and it had the same usable space as my 38” display. What did that mean? The monitor was too big for me! I thought about it for a few days, spent a lot of time comparing it to my other monitors, and eventually returned it. I was sad to do so, because I loved it for gaming. However, it just wasn’t comfortable when using productivity apps. # Dell U4025QW Now that I ruled out the LG 45GX950A, what was left as a possible upgrade? The Dell U4025QW looked very appealing. It’s a 40-inch 5K2K display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, supports G-SYNC, has HDR, and it’s an IPS display. This monitor sounded perfect for my needs of mixing productivity with gaming. I also knew from experience that I would like the 40-inch size. Well, I just bought it a few days ago, and I’m loving it! This is the ultimate ultrawide monitor for a mix of productivity and gaming! Here is what I like about it: * 40” is the perfect size. I wouldn’t want anything larger. * It has a very subtle curve. It’s almost flat. * I can see all 4 corners with minimal head turning. * It has a 5K2K resolution. * On the Mac I use a scaled resolution of 3840 x 1620. It’s the same usable space as my 38”, but everything is much sharper. * This is the best PC gaming experience I’ve ever had on an IPS display. It’s much better than the 38”. * The built-in KVM switch is lovely. I have my MacBook Pro and gaming PC connected. It switches seamlessly between them. It handles switching for the video input, keyboard, mouse, speakers, and headphones. With all that connected, I still have 3 available USB ports. * There is no power brick. * Color uniformity is great. There are only a couple of cons: * This monitor is no match for the super vibrant and immersive gaming of the LG 45GX950A. I’ll miss that intense gaming experience. * All 5K2K monitors require a beefy video card. Gaming performance is good if you're running a 5090. In short, if you need a large, high-resolution, high-quality, ultrawide monitor that is good for productivity and gaming, the Dell U4025QW sits right in the sweet spot. I would highly recommend it. The LG 45GX950A is great, but only for gaming. **Regarding pixel response time**: I saw many comments and reviews online that slammed the Dell U4025QW for having a slow pixel response time. That was my biggest concern when purchasing the monitor. However, I don’t notice it at all. I suppose it’s because I play non-competitive 1st-person adventure, 3rd-person adventure, RTS, tower defense, and FPS games. I frequently have the quality maxed out, and even have some motion blur enabled. Pixel response times don’t seem to be an issue with those settings. # What's Next? Now I want something just like the Dell U4025QW, but as an OLED (or maybe a MicroLED one day)! That would be a powerful combination!

I'm currently on an IPS LG 38GL950G which is 1600p because I refuse to downgrade to 1440p, and the brightness comparison seems disheartening.... https://www.rtings.com/monitor/tools/compare/lg-38gl950g-b-vs-lg-45gx950a-b/4449/83695

I bought the LG 38GL950G-B 38 Inch 5 years ago. There has been nothing on the market since then that I was interested in. With the 45GX950A-B, I figured Id give it a try...like I said the curve is to aggressive for literally everything.

If youre going ultrawide for the sake of actually having a large screen to work with, your best choice would be to go for a 38in because they scale better and have 3840x1600 resolution. And their color accuracy is usually top notch. There's no real good reason to use 34in UW outside of gaming when 38in exists and is a better resolution size for scaling. I have the MSI MEG 38inch, but previously had the LG38G nanoIPS. Same panels in both monitors, my LG just got killed by a brown out.

Salut, les incurvés IPS c'est très rare, 99% du marché c'est du VA ou de l'OLED. Le seul IPS incurvé que j'ai eu fut le Ultragear de LG en 38 pouces. D'ailleurs par 2K, tu veux un 2560x1440 en 34 pouces ultrawide? La résolution standard pour ces écrans c'est 3440x1440.

I had a 38inch lg before, 3840*1600 on a 5080 OC. Now the 5k2k. In cyberpunk I noticed a 20 FPS drop, but still above 120 FPS in basically everything. I didn't run any before and after benchmarks. I wanted a bigger screen and resolution as well as oled. So any drop is acceptable to me. Also yes, I run dlss and FG as so far I have not noticed any artifacts myself. I guess it really depends on how picky you are and if you tend to "look for" those frame differences or artifacts.