1080P on a 1440P monitor

nheather · 10 Mar 2022 at 18:29

Hi,

I need to buy a new monitor - I was using two Dell 23” UltraSharp ISP, both quite old now and one has recently died.

As a replacement, I have decided that I need to move forward rather than buy another 1080P so I have my eye on an MSI 27” 1440P 165Hz ISP.

I know that my PC is not really powerful, it’s okay with a Ryzen 5 and a 1660 Ti graphics card, but I suspect that will struggle with gaming at 1440P.

I play a lot of strategy games and they will be fine but I do also do some action games like Horizon Zero Dawn and Tomb Raider. I have been more than happy at 1080P for these which leads me to my question.

When I play a game, I will try at 1440P, but if it struggles I will switch to 1080P. In that case, what does 1080P full-screen look like on a 1440P? Does it work okay or does it look weird.

mickyflinn · 10 Mar 2022 at 18:54

Depends how big the monitor is as pixels are stretch to fill the screen but should be ok.

https://cybersided.com/1080p-on-1440p-monitor/

nheather · 10 Mar 2022 at 19:20

If you have a game that is a struggle is it best to play at 1440P with lower settings or play it at 1080P with higher settings?

Cheers,

Nigel

mickyflinn · 11 Mar 2022 at 10:45

nheather said:
If you have a game that is a struggle is it best to play at 1440P with lower settings or play it at 1080P with higher settings?

Cheers,

Nigel

For me it's about smooth gameplay so whatever gives me that without dropping to much below 60fps , but you have to decide which you prefer.

nheather · 11 Mar 2022 at 11:06

mickyflinn said:
For me it's about smooth gameplay so whatever gives me that without dropping to much below 60fps , but you have to decide which you prefer.

Yes that is what is worrying me - a game that I can play at 75 fps at 1080P but drops down to 45 fps at 1440P.

Not something I can really know without buying the monitor.

mickyflinn · 11 Mar 2022 at 11:12

nheather said:
Yes that is what is worrying me - a game that I can play at 75 fps at 1080P but drops down to 45 fps at 1440P.

Not something I can really know without buying the monitor.

I would still buy the 1440p monitor sure you mite have to make some compromises but it may push you on to get a better gpu when prices are lower.

The 1660ti is no slouch but the 3060ti is about 60% faster at 1440p as a point of refrence.

nheather · 11 Mar 2022 at 11:57

mickyflinn said:
I would still buy the 1440p monitor sure you mite have to make some compromises but it may push you on to get a better gpu when prices are lower.

The 1660ti is no slouch but the 3060ti is about 60% faster at 1440p as a point of refrence.

Thanks, that is probably the right thing to do. Will have to put it on hold for a little to buy. I’ve never spent more than £200 on a monitor so it took a bit of deliberating to accept the £450 for the MSI monitor that had been recommended and by the time I decided to buy it is back up to £500. So will hang on a little longer.

mickyflinn · 11 Mar 2022 at 12:11

nheather said:
Thanks, that is probably the right thing to do. Will have to put it on hold for a little to buy. I’ve never spent more than £200 on a monitor so it took a bit of deliberating to accept the £450 for the MSI monitor that had been recommended and by the time I decided to buy it is back up to £500. So will hang on a little longer.

Don't need to spend £450 monitor there's plenty of decent £300+ 1440p monitors unless ypur after something specific.

throwaway4372 · 11 Mar 2022 at 12:31

You're asking the right question. 720p goes into 1440p 4 times, so upscaling is a simple 4:1 pixel ratio. 1080p does not go into 1440p in a clean way, resulting in the image being blurred. In the context of multiple monitors, a change to the resolution on your main monitor will mess up the alignment of your other monitors too.

I've been on 1440p for a while, and often consider going back to 1920x1200. For productivity, the extra resolution from 1440p is a must-have (which is why I keep it). For gaming, 1440p requires a lot more horsepower than 1080p. I'm running a GTX 1080 and tend to play games in a 1920x1200 window for performance gain without losing image quality, but it's not a good experience for first person gaming. I would not call 1440p 'moving forward' for gaming, productivity yes, but not gaming.

In the context of today's prices. Is it really wise to commit yourself to needing a new gpu at this particular time? I don't think so.

In the context of your situation, you could use your remaining 1080p monitor as your primary monitor for gaming, then have a 1440p monitor as your second monitor. Even if it's just a temporary arrangement until you get a gpu.

In the context of monitors, new monitors are a metric buttload better than older monitors, so you'll probably throw away your 1080p monitor because the picture quality offends your eyes if you put it next to a new 1440p monitor.

nheather · 11 Mar 2022 at 12:37

I don’t know much about monitors. I have been used to IPS and an adjustable stand.

So I was recommended this one on here

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/msi-...nc-widescreen-led-backlit-gami-mo-015-ms.html

It was £450 when recommended.

Cheers,

Nigel

throwaway4372 · 11 Mar 2022 at 13:18

Looks like they've ended sales and put prices up. That's a good choice though.

Could have sworn I was seeing great monitors for £350 not long ago.

Rapster · 18 Mar 2022 at 15:34

Prices fluctuate, a lot. I've been looking for the last few months for monitors myself and have seen prices go up and down quicker than a stripper's knickers. As for your 1440p gaming dilemma, you can always lower either/or AA and shadows. I gave a friend of mine my older 1440p 32" and he's having a blast in Borderlands 3 (doesn't play much else beyond the Borderlands series) with his 1660Ti. You'll play games just fine on a 1440p monitor but you might have to lower one or two settings to get decent performance but unless you're a graphics whore you won't miss. If I were in your shoes; I'd buy.