I have a dirty secret

beany_bot · 15 Apr 2018 at 16:54

OK well, I changed my mind lol.

Im 35 now and realised I don't play that many FPS games. And never competitively. I use my computer for mainly consuming content and a bit of video editing and casual gaming.
I tried a 144hz monitor (running at 120FPS+) and yes it felt smooth. but not hugely. to me, 60FPS looks smooth. If I got a 144HZ monitor I would constantly be chasing 144HZ, even though it wouldn't make a difference to me.

All this said. I decided sexy visuals was best for me. as such I have just ordered a ElectriQ 32" 4K FreeSync IPS, 60Hz, Monitor for £255. It has a 12ms response time, but I'm sure for me that will be fine. Plus 4K and IPS will hopefully look stunning. And that price is basically nothing compared to the other options.
I checked and my GTX1080 should play nearly all older games maxed out, and newer ones on High with a few tweaks.

Cant wait.

Dicehunter · 16 Apr 2018 at 14:46

Have fun with that, Beware though you will now be chasing the 4K dragon

beany_bot · 16 Apr 2018 at 15:21

Dicehunter said:
Have fun with that, Beware though you will now be chasing the 4K dragon

Haha ain't that the truth! But that is PC enthusiasm for you. A lot of content I consume is avalible in 4k. So that will be great. As for games. I'm sure I'll get on fine. Gives me something to save for too. I'm sure the 1180Ti will smash 4K 60hz.

beany_bot · 16 Apr 2018 at 22:06

Stunning consuming 4k content.

Interesting experience in games. Some games. Doom, GTAV, I can run at 4k cranked up and it's fine, others like far cry 5 and rust and hopeless, even on lowest!

Far cry 5 is just weird. On Ultra everything in getting minimums of 38fps. Whereas on LOWEST everything I'm getting 45pfs minimum. And it looks like garbage at that setting. What's that all about. How can it be so close to ultra??

EDIT: I am going to return the monitor. The main reason is its just too damn big. Maybe I would get used to it but it just seems ridiculously big on my desk.
Also (And yes I knew my cards limitations going in) some games just straight up won't run at 4K. In games like Farcry 5 and RUST and I can't even get 60FPS with every single setting on lowest. And in those cases the games look like absolute junk.

I just think that 27" will be a better size for me, and at that size 1440p will look about as nice as 4k anyway.

Slightly weird thing I didn't expect. In games like GTAV, the resolution is so high at 4K, and the sharpness so good, it actually made the game look cartoony, kinda hard to explain but yeah, it made it look just odd, and less realistic. Had a sort of fortnight or sea of theives feel. I mean stunning, but less "real".

Also I can't watch Amazon prime in 4k on it. I thought I could. You need a supported TV.

Anyway, its just too damn big so will swap for 1440p, 27", 144hz. (when prices are reasonable).

beany_bot · 18 Apr 2018 at 10:28

So just to update anyone who cares (probably no one)

Last night I got a ROG swift. PG278Q for £300 off flumtree.

So far delighted with it. Smooth and crisp. Decent enough backs and colours for a TN.

Happy with this decision.

I can tell its not as sharp as the 4k. But simple fact is I couldn't run the 4k in many games. This one I can. And gsync seems to work well. It's in perfect condition, no dead pixels and no BLB.

In an ideal world I would keep the 4k IPS too for consuming content on. But space and money you know.

So yeah. 1440p 144hz is a very sweet spot for me.

RUST still refuses to get 60FPS at "2k". But I guess that's just unity for you. Everything else I'm getting over 80fps. Doom I am getting over 144fps!

dancook · 20 Apr 2018 at 09:47

willhub said:
4K, IPS, 144HZ, G-Sync, the lot! 32" also. You will never leave.

That doesn't exist right?

Closest I can find is
ROG Swift PG27UQ Gaming Monitor – 27” 4K (3840 x 2160), 144Hz, HDR, G-SYNC™

oldbanana · 20 Apr 2018 at 15:11

You go 144hz+ ofcourse, I even got a 144hz/gsync screen as my secondary monitor, since whenever I used to turn it on I wanted to vomit, at the 60hz it was running at.

LeMson · 24 Apr 2018 at 00:34

dancook said:
That doesn't exist right?

Closest I can find is
ROG Swift PG27UQ Gaming Monitor – 27” 4K (3840 x 2160), 144Hz, HDR, G-SYNC™

I don't think so yet, but they are coming. Should be a good buy, monitors last ages, just wait

southernorth · 24 Apr 2018 at 00:45

UK prices aren't known yet, but European prices have been shown for Acer X27 & ASUS PG27UQ to be ~ €2500

LeMson · 25 Apr 2018 at 00:18

Mind changed, won't be a good buy at that sort of price lol

southernorth · 25 Apr 2018 at 00:43

LeMson said:
Mind changed, won't be a good buy at that sort of price lol

Who knows, there might be special release prices of 'only' £2k in the UK.

LeMson · 25 Apr 2018 at 10:02

southernorth said:
Who knows, there might be special release prices of 'only' £2k in the UK.

Half that and you would have my interest :E

WantoN · 25 Apr 2018 at 13:50

It sounds like you want to buy a 1440p IPS monitor with high refresh rate... but have an unrealistic expectation of cost.

Monitors last a lot longer than graphics card, and you’ve happily dropped a fortune on your 1080.

If you can afford it just get the monitor mate. If you can’t just enjoy the fact that your 1080 will suit your monitor at max settings for a very long time

Never understood people saying ‘overkill for 1080p’; it won’t be forever, the card will just have a longer lifespan.

chaparral · 25 Apr 2018 at 20:10

beany_bot said:
So just to update anyone who cares (probably no one)

Last night I got a ROG swift. PG278Q for £300 off flumtree.

So far delighted with it. Smooth and crisp. Decent enough backs and colours for a TN.

Happy with this decision.

I can tell its not as sharp as the 4k. But simple fact is I couldn't run the 4k in many games. This one I can. And gsync seems to work well. It's in perfect condition, no dead pixels and no BLB.

In an ideal world I would keep the 4k IPS too for consuming content on. But space and money you know.

So yeah. 1440p 144hz is a very sweet spot for me.

RUST still refuses to get 60FPS at "2k". But I guess that's just unity for you. Everything else I'm getting over 80fps. Doom I am getting over 144fps!

Well done..

Yes it far better having a 1440p monitor then a 4k monitor as the GPU's available these days are just not fast enough for gaming at 4k

My GTX 1080 struggles with my 3440x1440 monitor less alone a 4k one..

Liamz51 · 25 Apr 2018 at 23:15

beany_bot said:
I am gaming (and have been for years) on a 1080p, 60Hz, TN, cheap dell 23” monitor.

I've got an i7 8700k and an EVGA 1070 FTW (I would have bought a 1080Ti but I'm waiting for the next gen). I'm on a 27" 1080p 60Hz monitor and to be honest I don't care. I wanted the power for VR and will upgrade the GPU when the next gen lands for that purpose only.

I often take an old Core 2 Duo Laptop with me whenever I go away, I remember after a 4 week holiday coming home and firing up my old 24" 1080p monitor as it was then. I'd had that monitor for years, but on that day it looked mind blowingly amazing.

That's kind of what I expect 1440p or 4k to look like. No doubt it will be amazing for the first few weeks, then it will just become normal.

Ask anyone at those resolutions if they'll ever go back, they always say no. Perhaps ignorance truly is bliss. I think 1080p looks amazing, why would I ever want to ruin that?

Robi_uk · 26 Apr 2018 at 15:04

After reading through all the posts I think I will stick to my 10 year old 1080p monitor for a bit longer, its almost at its end of life though, the power button has broken and gone inside, need to use my little finger and press on a certain coner to switch it on and off! but other then that it is working fine. Am able to play everything I got installed at the mo on settings set to hghest and getting very high fps.
When it does die for good though I think I will opt for a 1440p 27" monitor, dont think my PC desk can handle anything bigger. Although I might even try plugging it into a 4k tv soon, they seem cheaper then the monitors!

southernorth · 26 Apr 2018 at 17:21

Robi_uk said:
After reading through all the posts I think I will stick to my 10 year old 1080p monitor for a bit longer, its almost at its end of life though, the power button has broken and gone inside, need to use my little finger and press on a certain coner to switch it on and off! but other then that it is working fine. Am able to play everything I got installed at the mo on settings set to hghest and getting very high fps.
When it does die for good though I think I will opt for a 1440p 27" monitor, dont think my PC desk can handle anything bigger. Although I might even try plugging it into a 4k tv soon, they seem cheaper then the monitors!

Monitor choice depends on your use-case. You mention getting 'very high fps' in games, so a 144hz+ monitor may be a good buy for you. For gaming, 144hz is a very noticable improvement over 60hz panels. 1080p/144hz monitors can regularly be found for under £200 now, so it isn't a huge outlay either.

Pocah · 27 Apr 2018 at 19:29

People will argue this and that but what makes it difficult to decide is that monitors are a very personal choice.
Ultra-wide really isn't that good until you hit 34" then in my opinion you have the perfect monitor screen for a PC for both work and play. IPS really is worth it, the colours are breathtaking ( you dont get colour shifting when you move about ). Most serious gamers who play shooters would rate refresh rate highly, but a less than serious gamer would not. So personally I would go for a 34" IPS 60Hz monitor. Your GTX1080 is fine with that and the huge vista will knock your socks off. As for curved, well, I am not a curved monitor person and I would strongly suggest you see one before you buy one, they are not to everyone's taste. Curved is by no means essential even up to 34" so if you can't see one, don't buy one.