well up until this weekend I was running 3 BenQ GL2760H 27-inch monitors {photo of the setup} and this was my setup for quite some time (since April lolz). I also have a 4K Samsung monitor in that photo. I'm getting rid of the monitors because most games do not support triple monitors and I'm tired of the UI issues...some games are completely unplayable with 3 monitors (like Shadow of Mordor).
Right now, I'm in the middle of dumping my monitors and getting a new one. I'm in the process of selling one of the BenQ's to teeREKT and another was just sold on Amazon. I might be considering selling my last one (my only concern is trying to console game on my new monitor with it's aspect ratio of 21:9).
My new monitor (which is coming on Wednesday) is the Acer XR341CK. 34" Ultrawide curved IPS 3440x1440 resolution, 4ms response time, AMD FreeSync (range from 35Hz? to 75Hz...FreeSync/G Sync is a new technology where the monitor has a variable refresh rate and works with your GPU; whatever FPS your GPU is putting out is matched by the Hz of the monitor. This means if my FPS drops down to 40 from 60, I shouldn't see any issue (input lag/screen tearing) and theoretically I could have VSync on without any issues...with VSync on, dropping down to just 59 FPS on a 60Hz monitor would mean that it locks your FPS to 30 or 45 (a multiple of your monitor's refresh rate) so that it can be sure that there's no screen tearing...but this increases input lag usually). If there isn't a battlestation thread on Wednesday, I'll post images of my new setup and start one.
EDIT: As for your monitor, I personally find 60Hz to be fine but it's the mantra of PCMasterRace that anything not 144Hz is garbage. IPS is great colors and viewing angles, but are notorious for light bleed issues (only a problem if you game without lights on and play/watch content that has a lot of blacks, or you need true color representation across every inch of the panel). TN panels are going to be cheaper and you can get 144Hz fairly reasonable; 1440p at 144Hz is fairly expensive still (hard to refresh that many pixels that quickly) so if you want that sweet sweet 144Hz in your budget, you'll have to stick with 1080p more than likely. 5ms or less is the recommended sweet spot for response time; 1ms is only needed for the competitive side IMO. There's another type of panel (like APV or something like that) which is generally better but it's new? and better so the price is higher. G Sync is going to be out of your price range right now. Flickerless is a good benefit to have; less eye-strain. I would also recommend a monitor that has a 'low blue light' mode if you're going to game at night a lot; blue light affects our body, telling it that the sun is out so we need to be awake (reduces the melatonin generated by your body at night).
Just some general thoughts on monitor shopping. BenQ is kinda the gaming standard right now, but specs are more important than brand.
starting to realize I have a lot of random info in my brain that I never get to use lol
Bought that exact one. It is very nice, performed well. If you are getting it solely for the show, don't. If you have other games you want to play on (FPS or something that can utilize 1ms) it's one of the best affordable monitors. I would take a look at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IZBIMLK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 if you are going for just the show
