Well 2K is actually 2048x1080 and 4K is 4096x2160. They're cinema resolutions.OP or anybody else wondering: avoid using the term '2K', because it is lazy and often used incorrectly by people who fail at maths. And manufacturers who spread this incorrect rubbish. There was no such things as '2K' as a term before '4K' came along. The 'K' refers to a slightly rounded up version of the horizontal component of resolution:
- 3840 x 2160 is generally referred to as '4K' (or more correctly UHD) because 3840 is close to '4K'.
- 1920 x 1080 has half the horizontal (and vertical) resolution components, so by the logic used above for '4K' this is actually '2K'.
- 2560 x 1440 should be referred to as '2.5K' if anything, although it is commonly (misleadingly) referred to as '2K'.
And yes, as James Miller said above, the use of 'P' is entirely redundant. It is something that should really have been confined to old TVs, certainly not used to describe a monitor only resolution of 2560 x 1440. '1440p' indeed.
1080p 24inch to 27 inch 2 k monitor is there much change in detail for gaming?
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The 'p' suffix seems perfectly useful to me to denote vertical pixel number and is easy to grasp. Sure we could all go longform every time we type or speak but it is more convenient to use 2160p/1440p/1080p than 4096x2160/ 2560x1440/ 1920x1080. I think the historical origin of the 'p' is irrelevant. I struggle to see how it can confuse people to any real degree - beyond inappropriate use (yes I get the irony), but that is true of any term. HD, FHD, WQHD, UHD are more obscure, get plenty of blank faces and require lengthy explanations in my experience.
Soldato
3440x1440 vs 2560x1440. both of them have the same number of pixel rows (1440), one of them has 34% more pixels than the other and a completely difference aspect ratio.
When talking about things like 1440p, that isnt the number of vertical pixels you are talking about - it's the number of vertical rows of pixels and that distinction is important because the number of pixels per row changes with the aspect ratio, meaning the number of pixels on a 16:9 panel with 1440 rows is not the same as the 1440 rows 16:10 or 21:9 panel or any other aspect that might be out there. knowing the number of rows of pixels might be important if you absolutely have to have a minimum, but it tells you nothing else about the panel.
That's exactly why i dont use them unless i have to. 3440x1440 tells me everything i need to know about the resolution. (1440) tells me something largely irrelevant and (p) tells me nothing at all because nobody drives a modern panel with an interlaced (i) signal.
I thought maybe we should start talking megapixels instead but to be honest thats no better. 21:9 4.9mp tells you less than 21:9 3440x1440 does. At least when talking vertical by horizontal you can tack the refresh on the end - 3440x1440/60 or 2560x1080/100. So much more useful than '1440p'.
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Soldato
True it is limited info, and for some more detailed and technical discussions greater clarity is needed, but since there are so many resolution combinations out there it is useful to be able to quickly categorize by the number or vertical rows. The default reference being to the most common resolution used as a standard starting point.
The meaning of the 'p' has changed. It simply lets the reader/listener know that that number relates to a display resolution metric and not something else that coincidentally has the same characters. E.g. imaginary monitor model Samdellacersung XT1440MP with its 1440nit 1920x1080 display or the new 1440 (GPU) you want to buy to replace your 1050 and are asking if it can power your (1680x)1050 monitor.
For this purpose the number of columns or total pixels is unnecessary information. We could use 'ph' (pixels high), some other suffix or none at all and just roll with it, but the 'p' alone does the job just fine. Imagine the chaos if for shorthand people just used 1440, 3840, 3440, 2880, 2160, 1680, 1800, 1080, 1280, 1200, 1600, 1050. Many of those could be either horizontal or vertical. Addition of a single letter brings a great deal of clarity and at just 1 additional character.
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Soldato
QHD is even shorter (as is WQHD) than 1440p and describes the same resolution.
Just to clarify you have all blown my mind with all the information LOL, have learnt a lot with all your input so big thanks there still thinking what the best move is. 
Agreed
I much prefer QHD to 1440P. The same goes for FHD, UHD UWQHD and so on. There's no ambiguity around what resolution is being discussed. I hate the whole #K thing because of how loose people are with it. There's numerous resolutions that would come under the very loose usage people are exhibiting.
Unless you have no idea what these letters stand for, and what resolutions they equate to. I'd prefer to stick with numbers.
It's become evident that some people have no idea what the numbers stand for either.
They are specific but also obscure. Newcomer/layman has no choice but to know or lookup the specific term to relate it to a specific resolution for it to be useful, then forget it, get confused by later seeing WQXGA, WUXGA, QXGA, WQHD and then promptly drop usage as its too much bother, acknowledge the 3 odd and seemingly important terms when it comes to looking at screens the few times they ever do (FHD, 1080p, 4k), perhaps have a moment noting that 2 appear to refer to the same thing, one might be 4 times the other rounded and leave it at that.
Definitely. Horizontal by vertical is far preferable to letters.
I still maintain the 'p' is not redundant, call it lazy sure, but it's useful adapted jargon.
Soldato
None of it makes much sense unless you go looking for the names. How is anybody supposed to know what UWQHD+ means without having to look it up? Seems pointless.