1440 vs 4K

sybaris · 3 Jul 2021 at 00:39

My next project is a new monitor.

Am I better off with a 4K screen at 60 hz or a 1440 screen at 144 hz

Would 144hz be smoother even though its at a lower resolution?

I know it depends on the GPU but hypothetically lets say I have a 4k compatible card
for future proofing but I also have a lot of legacy games too.

drichardb · 3 Jul 2021 at 01:17

Would 144hz 1440p be smoother? TLDR answer is a yes from me.

Higher resolution generally results in less Anti-Aliasing being required, so smoother in a manner of speaking, just not motion!

I run a 1440p 60hz panel at the moment and my brother in law runs 2 x 1080p 144hz screens. I can say categorically that his panels produce much smoother motion than mine. Which do I prefer? Mine of course! Reason being mine is 32" and his are 24" so I have a generally better experience when watching TV/Films and games are more immersive.

As for are you better off, well that depends on what your priorites are. Do you want the smoothest images or do you want the absolute best image quality? If it's smooth you want, then depending on your budget you will generally get more bang for your bucks at 1440p. If its image quality your chasing then 4k is the path for you but don't expect to find many high refresh 4k panels on the market and you will have to pay a lot more for the privelege, not to mention making sure your gpu can deliver decent frame rates at 4k.

azazl187 · 3 Jul 2021 at 01:23

I played at 1080p 144 for a long time. Went to 4k 60 and never looked back. I prefer texture resolution above refresh rate though

BallistixOnZ490 · 3 Jul 2021 at 03:06

You also need much better hardware to maintain the same settings at higher resolutions.

Also theres 21:9 monitors now, its arguable which out of 4x and 5120x1440 provides the better gaming experience.

sybaris · 3 Jul 2021 at 11:43

I just ordered a 4K card so will have to get a 4K screen which is at 60hz. The 4k 144hz are about £3K so they are out of the question.

GMac11 · 3 Jul 2021 at 11:47

azazl187 said:
I played at 1080p 144 for a long time. Went to 4k 60 and never looked back. I prefer texture resolution above refresh rate though

As is your want however I’d have to say I’m the total opposite.
I had a 4K monitor briefly but once I reverted to 1440p @ 144hz it was like night and day. Purely for gaming I will always go for refresh rate over resolution. Can depend on the games I guess as well.

GMac11 · 3 Jul 2021 at 11:48

sybaris said:
I just ordered a 4K card so will have to get a 4K screen which is at 60hz. The 4k 144hz are about £3K so they are out of the question.

What do you mean by a 4K card? Any modern gpu can output at 4K.

sybaris · 3 Jul 2021 at 11:54

What I meant was that I have a card coming that can process 4K much better than my old card.
My old card had issues with pixelated dark background with streaming and that was at 1080 and 1440. Maybe it was on its way out.
Anyway I am now more confused 4K 60hz or HD at 144hz.

GMac11 · 3 Jul 2021 at 12:12

sybaris said:
What I meant was that I have a card coming that can process 4K much better than my old card.
My old card had issues with pixelated dark background with streaming and that was at 1080 and 1440. Maybe it was on its way out.
Anyway I am now more confused 4K 60hz or HD at 144hz.

Yeah it sounds like a potential issue with the card. My old 970 did 4K but obviously not very good for gaming. My current 1080 on the other hand output 4K @ 60fps no problem - admittedly on Medium settings for most games.
The problem with your conundrum is that both 4K and high refresh rates are two things that you can only appreciate yourself when observed in person.
As you have seen there are polar opposite opinions on the matter.
Personally I find 1440p plenty sharp but only on either a traditional 27 inch 16:9 monitor or a 34 inch 21:9 ultrawide. Anything bigger than that and the pixel density definitely suffers.
If you can (or have no issue in doing so) order one of each and then return whichever one you don’t want. It’s honestly the only way to make an informed decision.

EsaT · 3 Jul 2021 at 12:30

sybaris said:
Anyway I am now more confused 4K 60hz or HD at 144hz.

There are 144Hz capable 4K monitors.
LG has had 27" model out since last year.
It also has proper contrast for IPS instead of 2560x1440 (first-gen?) Nano-IPS panel's low contrast.

In 32" size there should be AU Optronics very wide gamut panel based models coming both from Asus (PG32UQ) and Viewsonic (XG320U) in next months and few others based on other panels.

sybaris · 3 Jul 2021 at 12:49

Could use one of these .... if only
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus...backlit-widescreen-gaming-moni-mo-0bf-as.html

EsaT · 3 Jul 2021 at 12:56

sybaris said:
Could use one of these .... if only
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus...backlit-widescreen-gaming-moni-mo-0bf-as.html

Way too expensive for having like only 1% of amount of backlight zones needed to actually avoid blooming and approach proper true HDR contrast like in OLEDs.

varkanoid · 3 Jul 2021 at 17:19

sybaris said:
I just ordered a 4K card so will have to get a 4K screen which is at 60hz. The 4k 144hz are about £3K so they are out of the question.

1440p all the way with a decent refresh rate. Only time I will go 4k again is if the 144mhz panels come down to under £500 and by that time we should have better 4k GPU's to drive them.

sybaris · 4 Jul 2021 at 00:00

I think I am going to look for 4K with HDR and see whats about

Joxeon · 4 Jul 2021 at 00:04

varkanoid said:
1440p all the way with a decent refresh rate. Only time I will go 4k again is if the 144mhz panels come down to under £500 and by that time we should have better 4k GPU's to drive them.

Yeah even the current top end cards can't hit 144hz @1440P with stuff like raytracing turned on so it will be a couple of generations yet before cards are hitting this at 4K.

sybaris · 4 Jul 2021 at 09:36

I want to stream 4K movies so it looks like I have to go this route

sybaris · 4 Jul 2021 at 14:33

Update.
To stream 4K from netflix this screen the monitor needs HDCP Highband Digital Copy Protection 2.2 on it. This is gettin more involved than I first thought

efish · 4 Jul 2021 at 15:04

sybaris said:
Update.
To stream 4K from netflix this screen the monitor needs HDCP Highband Digital Copy Protection 2.2 on it. This is gettin more involved than I first thought

I think its to stop copying. Windows 10 and software rather than the monitor. 4k Roku/ firestick etc. is the comprimise. So extra expense unless you have one, also the hassle of switching between imputs.

I stuck a roku into the back of my older display as it was spare and I like the interface and remote for watching t.v. Ended up never using it as switching from one to the other, simply too lazy.

sybaris · 4 Jul 2021 at 15:16

yep, to use the various streaming services in 4K you need HDCP 2.2 on the monitor, which is a pain.

777GE90 · 4 Jul 2021 at 16:06

A 3090 GPU (which is pretty much around the best GPU you can get) struggles to run some games at 144 Hz at 1440p. That to me is enough reason not to go for 4K.

If you are into FPS games then you definitely want 144 Hz at a minimum.