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2560x1440 120hz Hardware & Demanding Gaming Thoughts

Seyumi

Seyumi

Seyumi

Associate
Joined
7 Jul 2011
Posts
35
Location
Las Vegas, NV
We’re on the verge of 2560x1440 120hz monitors going a little more mainstream now incase you haven’t been keeping up. Even just single monitor gaming is going to need some serious horse power if you’re shooting for a constant 120FPS+. I honestly don’t believe that in my personal experience, even 4 GTX 680’s, 2 GTX 690’s, or 4 7970’s can even currently keep up with this requirement for the most demanding games. I currently have half a dozen games in my Steam library that I can’t even run at 2560x1440 with a constant 60FPS with 2 overclocked 4GB GTX 680’s (This would be in-game settings and nothing ridiculous like 20GB texture packs or enabling 64xAA in the Nvidia control panel or something. I’m even being modest and just enabling like 8xAA instead of 32x AA if there’s the option for it) This isn’t CPU limitation either or anything when I see my two GPUs running at 99% GPU usage and my FPS starts to dip below 60.

I’m the type of person who doesn’t "like" to play any games unless I can run them at full settings and 60 FPS. I haven’t finished/got far into games like: Crysis 1, Metro 2033, Arma II, Witcher 2 w/ Ubersampling, Shogun 2, etc. because my 2 GTX 680’s still can’t even meet the 60 FPS requirement with modest AA like 8x.

Even if you’re like me and have 2 GTX 680’s, getting another 2 of them won’t grant you a double of your FPS. Maybe 50% if you’re lucky depending on the game. Those 5 games I mentioned above, sure as hell won’t run at 120FPS 2560x1440 even with 4 overclocked GTX 680’s if I can’t get them to run at 60FPS with 2 overclocked GTX 680’s.

The question for you is:

(1) Spend thousands of dollars worth of GPUS (4) and be happy you’re playing demanding games above 60 FPS but never 120 FPS

(2) Wait until the next generation of GPU hardware for demanding games and spend the money / upgrade then and hopefully get a constant 120 FPS then

(3) Keep what you have and be happy you can at least play non-demanding games at 120 FPS but never 120 FPS for demanding ones

What's really boggling my mind is this: Even if money isn't much of a factor, should you bother spending thousands of dollars right now when you can't even reach that magical # of 120 anyway?

This thread isn’t for people who don’t care about 120hz or want to argue about its benefits or not. I just want to see what other people who are on the fence or currently own a 1440p 120hz monitor feel about this.
 
If the prices are right i'd blag myself a 120hz 1440p monitor, however i wouldn't run silly settings and i would turn down when necessary to keep at decent framerate (100+)
8xAA on a 2560x1440 monitor, to me...is unnecessary. Smooth gameplay > eyecandy.

From what i've read having 4GPUs is more hassle than it's worth so wouldn't go above 2 (maybe 3...if i had the right board for it)
 
Theres not much to go on this subject but i feel amd cards are more powerful as the resolution goes up. Anyhow heres one of the only reviews to go on and its most likely not representive of todays performance.

Scaling is pretty much all over the place from both teams.

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/gtx680_quad_sli_vs_hd7970_quad_crossfirex,22.html

I just get the feeling that amd swapped places with nvidia this round and brought a more powerful card to the game. Nvidia went backwards in bringing the gtx680 as in a lot of ways its inferior to the 7970. Bring up the core speeds of a 7970 (ie ghz edition) and take up the resolution nvidia can't match amd imo. It could be just me but as the resolution goes up and amd cards are overclocked nvidia starts to fall back because there cards were built on the cheap where as amd never.

Probably gonna get pelters for that comment but only because the gtx680 at stock was the winner but we overclock and that changes the results. 3gb v 2gb, more memory bandwidth, better at compute and to me showing in recent games a card with no major weaknesses.

If it had a nv badge on it i reckon there would not be any disagreements as all its strengths are usually nv's.
 
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Seyumi said:
We’re on the verge of 2560x1440 120hz monitors going a little more mainstream now incase you haven’t been keeping up.
Click to expand...

Which manufacturers are bringing out 2560x1440 120Hz monitors to make them a little more mainstream?

Links to articles/manufacturer product pages please (no competitors).
 
TheRealDeal said:
Theres not much to go on this subject but i feel amd cards are more powerful as the resolution goes up. Anyhow heres one of the only reviews to go on and its most likely not representive of todays performance.

Scaling is pretty much all over the place from both teams.

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/gtx680_quad_sli_vs_hd7970_quad_crossfirex,22.html

I just get the feeling that amd swapped places with nvidia this round and brought a more powerful card to the game. Nvidia went backwards in bringing the gtx680 as in a lot of ways its inferior to the 7970. Bring up the core speeds of a 7970 (ie ghz edition) and take up the resolution nvidia can't match amd imo. It could be just me but as the resolution goes up and amd cards are overclocked nvidia starts to fall back because there cards were built on the cheap where as amd never.

Probably gonna get pelters for that comment but only because the gtx680 at stock was the winner but we overclock and that changes the results. 3gb v 2gb, more memory bandwidth, better at compute and to me showing in recent games a card with no major weaknesses.

If it had a nv badge on it i reckon there would not be any disagreements as all its strengths are usually nv's.
Click to expand...

It's just incorrect that's all.

You would think AMD would be faster the nVidia at the top end due to 256 vs 384 bus but in reality they're about even depending on the game. What realistically happens is that 7970 performance drops off less sharply above 1080 but the 680 is faster at this resolution anyway.

1) the VRAM makes no difference - the problem at this resolution in GPU power to push 120 FPS
2) the 680 overclocks as well

But you (and me now) all completely off topic. While AMD may be faster depending on the game at 2560*1440 this is not what this thread is about. If 7970's could push 120 FPS at this resolution then fine. But they can't... And even if they are faster then the difference sure won't be the difference between less than 120 and 120 itself.

So keep it on topic and stop all that this brand is outright better than the other nonsense especially when it appears you haven't used either of the cards you're referring to. :)
 
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Surveyor said:
Which manufacturers are bringing out 2560x1440 120Hz monitors to make them a little more mainstream?

Links to articles/manufacturer product pages please (no competitors).
Click to expand...

This.

Sorry i have been keeping up but haven't noticed anything apart from the Korean import Catleap extreme monitor which you have to overclock, doesn't guarantee you a 120Hz monitor and is of varying quality.
 
I read somewhere about a well known maker Samsung, LG, etc, bringing out 2560x1440 120Hz monitors, but I can't remember where I saw it, or find the link.:(
Sure it was display at some trade show in the last few months.
 
Surveyor said:
Which manufacturers are bringing out 2560x1440 120Hz monitors to make them a little more mainstream?

Links to articles/manufacturer product pages please (no competitors).
Click to expand...

I haven't seen anyone saying they're bringing them out. I read one interview (i think) where some manufacturer said if there is demand they will start making them but demand is seriously minimal atm.

Rossi~ said:
This.

Sorry i have been keeping up but haven't noticed anything apart from the Korean import Catleap extreme monitor which you have to overclock, doesn't guarantee you a 120Hz monitor and is of varying quality.
Click to expand...

Same here, they're the only ones I've seen that go above 60fps and even then most hit their limit and 85-90hz. Also I've read contrasting reports that the monitors display interpolated so increasing the clock speed won't actually add to smoothness, similar to the "true" and normal 120hz monitor situation. Don't quote me on this though, I'm not that knowledgeable with monitors.

Nightglow said:
I read somewhere about a well known maker Samsung, LG, etc, bringing out 2560x1440 120Hz monitors, but I can't remember where I saw it, or find the link.:(
Sure it was display at some trade show in the last few months.
Click to expand...

I think that's what I read although considering the price of a Dell U2711, a 120hz model with similar grade screen would be near or into 4 figures I'd say.

The other issue is the bandwidth for such a display. IIRC DisplayPort 1.2 is not even or barely enough to manage it.
 
I am interested to see 120Hz 2560*1440 monitors. I feel games that run above 60 fps are plenty fast enough for my eyes and I couldn't tell the difference between say constant 60 and constant 120 tbh.
 
I would be very surprised if any mainstream manufacturer brought out 120hz screens at that resolution? The hardware to run such a monitor at 120 fps would restrict the market to the point where I don't see it been worth their while.

All we have is a few overclocked offerings and nothing more.
 
If you enable 8xmsaa at 2560x1600/1440 the performance drop is absolutely huge and really isn't worth it.
 
Rusty0611 said:
It's just incorrect that's all.

You would think AMD would be faster the nVidia at the top end due to 256 vs 384 bus but in reality they're about even depending on the game. What realistically happens is that 7970 performance drops off less sharply above 1080 but the 680 is faster at this resolution anyway.

1) the VRAM makes no difference - the problem at this resolution in GPU power to push 120 FPS
2) the 680 overclocks as well

But you (and me now) all completely off topic. While AMD may be faster depending on the game at 2560*1440 this is not what this thread is about. If 7970's could push 120 FPS at this resolution then fine. But they can't... And even if they are faster then the difference sure won't be the difference between less than 120 and 120 itself.

So keep it on topic and stop all that this brand is outright better than the other nonsense especially when it appears you haven't used either of the cards you're referring to. :)
Click to expand...


Lol i was far to drunk and think i only read the first few lines about resolution. Somehow i thought he wanted to know about 4 way gpu setups lol.

Note to self = no more drunk posting.

Anyhow this explains all i was trying to say. As resolution goes up gtx680 is held back by its weaker spec as it definitely has the gpu grunt.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_7970_GHz_Edition/28.html

As to the op 120fps was never an issue until 120hz monitors came out. 60 fps is still the normal benchmark and is as smooth as butter so getting a constant 120 fps is not needed although it would be nice.
 
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2560x1440p 120hz is not becoming mainstream at all. Apart from the problematic catleaps I don't see the main manufacturers flooding the market with them.

Not only do you need the gpu grunt to run them which then causes issues with driver scaling, micro stutter, screen tearing etc but then the cost of it all makes 1080p 120hz more affordable and mainstream imo of course ;)
 
out of interest, what connection does the 135hz 1440p catleap use? it's not mainstream but it is 135hz, 1440p, ips, and apparently very popular even despite dead pixel risks and difficult warranties. i'm sure big manufacturers are bound to follow. also more than 60fps was surely a thing back in the days of crt? it's only a matter of time before 120fps becomes mainstream, though perhaps not 1440p yet, as majnu says
 
TheRealDeal said:
Lol i was far to drunk and think i only read the first few lines about resolution. Somehow i thought he wanted to know about 4 way gpu setups lol.

Note to self = no more drunk posting.

Anyhow this explains all i was trying to say. As resolution goes up gtx680 is held back by its weaker spec as it definitely has the gpu grunt.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_7970_GHz_Edition/28.html

As to the op 120fps was never an issue until 120hz monitors came out. 60 fps is still the normal benchmark and is as smooth as butter so getting a constant 120 fps is not needed although it would be nice.
Click to expand...

Fair enough mate.

However, that is only one review. On these reviews where the 680 is shown under the 7970 (as opposed to level) their actual FPS results are far different to mine so I tend to treat with caution and average across all reviews.
 
PorkPieCat said:
out of interest, what connection does the 135hz 1440p catleap use? it's not mainstream but it is 135hz, 1440p, ips, and apparently very popular even despite dead pixel risks and difficult warranties. i'm sure big manufacturers are bound to follow. also more than 60fps was surely a thing back in the days of crt? it's only a matter of time before 120fps becomes mainstream, though perhaps not 1440p yet, as majnu says
Click to expand...

It all depends on what your rig is capable of and what kind of settings you are willing to use in the most demanding games. Some people like maximum detail and at extreme resolutions 120fps even on the best rigs is just not gonna happen.

Myself personally look for 60fps or above and will tailor my game settings to get that. Its been awhile though since i used the very best gpu money can buy as i don't game half as much as i used to.
 
Sorry for the confusion. I wasn't implying that a bunch of major companies like Dell are bringing out these monitors. The second batch of 120hz Korean Catleaps are starting to become on sale now and now a US-based company (overlord computer) is selling hundreds/thousands of 1440p 120hz monitors sometime in late October which are guaranteed overclocks before they ship out to you. Assuming everything works like it should, these monitors are definitely going to become more mainstream at least in the hardcore gaming department.
 
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