4K Monitor Advice - 1080p gaming on a 4k screen?

[tsomerville93]

Hi all,

My 27" 1440p Dell monitor recently died on me after 5 years of service. I'm using a cheap 1080p as a replacement for the time being, but having been used to 1440p for so long, the lack of definition is driving me nuts!

I want to pick up a new monitor that is going to last me a long while, and I've been reading up on 4k monitors and the potential for single next graphics cards to power games at this resolution. I do intend to upgrade my GPU in the next year or so.

Current I have a 280X, so my question basically is: should I pick up a decent 4k screen to future proof myself? If so, how does playing games at 1080p look on 4k screens (I know it won't look better, but is it comparable to playing it on a 1080p screen)? I've done some research, but haven't yet found anyone who's able to confirm an answer first hand.

 

[4K8KW10]

Hi,

The thing is the lack of integer upscaling for 1080p resolution on the 2160p screens.
Which means that when you set lower or different than the native resolution, some weird blurring and loss of image focus appears.

You can try this "phenomenon" on every modern TFT LCD or LED LCD, by lowering the native resolution to anything else.

Radeon R9 280X isn't that bad and you can try 4K gaming on it with some lowered settings.

My answer is yes, you should pick a decent 4K screen up.

You can read more about integer upscaling on this page: https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/4k-tv-but-game-at-1440p.18794558/

 

[faheemrazzaq]

1080P content will be sharper on a 1080P screen. On 4K screen, it will not be as crisp.

 

[4K8KW10]

1080P content will be sharper on a 1080P screen. On 4K screen, it will not be as crisp.

lol, you mix white and black, calling the white black and the black white.
A 1080p content on a 4K screen always look clearer and with higher quality because each individual pixel is so small, that compensates and makes the image look better.

Take a 4K TV screen and watch any content. You will not see the black mesh (dot pitch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot_pitch) between the pixels that is so obvious on any 1080p screen.

Type black space between pixels in google and read.

 

[faheemrazzaq]

lol, you mix white and black, calling the white black and the black white.
A 1080p content on a 4K screen always look clearer and with higher quality because each individual pixel is so small, that compensates and makes the image look better.

Take a 4K TV screen and watch any content. You will not see the black mesh (dot pitch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot_pitch) between the pixels that is so obvious on any 1080p screen.

Type black space between pixels in google and read.

TV's upscale, monitors don't. I am telling you from my own experience. I do appreciate your technical touch to the question but 4K is just taking one pixel and smudging it over 4, thus leaving a blurring effect. I doubt it if you have ever used a 4K monitor to watch 1080P content. (certainly you did but your eyes work different to mine). Please do not mix up things with 4K TVs as upscaling is a different story. A properly upscaled content on 4K TV may look as good.

 

[faheemrazzaq]

I suggest OP if possible go to a friend or a shop that has a 4K monitor (NOT a TV) on display and test the 1080P content. It will be useful to do it side by side with a 1080 monitor. You can judge for yourself what pleases you. I have seen conflicting views on this issue. If I am you, I will pick up a 4K monitor unless you are aiming for higher than 60hz refresh rates. It is a future proof option. You can always try to drop settings in 4K and try that first before dropping down to a lower resolution.

 

[LeMson]

You could maybe play them in a 1080p window and not fullscreen, if fullscreen looks funny, then move to fullscreen 4k, when you have a new gfx card

 

[james.miller]

all other things equal, displaying 1080p natively will always look better than upscaling it to any resolution. Even on a 3840x2160 panel, where all you have to do is double the pixels vertically and horrizontally, that upscaling will introduce a slight blur which wouldn't be present on a 1920x1080 panel. you might overcome it with some sharpening, but that could introduce it's own problems (ringing etc).

My opinion? go for the middle of the pack and buy a 3440x1440 ultrawide instead. 60% of the pixel count of the 4k screens, so easier on any gpu, same pixel density as your old 27" 2560x1440 panel but with that lovely UW goodness thrown in as well.

 

[Quartz]

If so, how does playing games at 1080p look on 4k screens (I know it won't look better, but is it comparable to playing it on a 1080p screen)?

I wonder if any of the above posters actually have a 4K monitor? Because I have two and what they've written is not my experience. I have a 27" 4k monitor and a 24" 4K monitor. Gaming at 1080p on the 24" monitor is just fine, but gaming on the 27" is just like gaming at 1080p on a 27" 1080p monitor - the pixel density is too low.

 

[james.miller]

I wonder if any of the above posters actually have a 4K monitor? Because I have two and what they've written is not my experience.

gaming on the 27" is just like gaming at 1080p on a 27" 1080p monitor - the pixel density is too low.

That is what people are saying. I bet it isnt as bad as a 27" 1920x1080 panel though. They are pretty terrible.

 

[Quartz]

That is what people are saying.

Really? I could have sworn people were talking a lot of rubbish about scaling.

I bet it isnt as bad as a 27" 1920x1080 panel though. They are pretty terrible.

Sorry, it was, IME, pretty much the same. Instead of 1x1 pixel blocks you get 2x2 pixel blocks.

 

[james.miller]

Really? I could have sworn people were talking a lot of rubbish about scaling.

no.

 

[4K8KW10]

Sorry, guys, but the holy grail of display tehnnology is a display with dot pitch equals 0.
Even a 17 inch 1080p screen looks extraordinarily grainy and dull to sit in front, I threw several 1080p 22 inch and 24 inch screens (one LG, one BenQ, and one AOC) away directly to the trash.

Good to know that 4K at 24 inch is better than 4K at 27 inch.
Even though, I connected my 50 inch 4K Panasonic to my computer and it was fine at 1000ishp.

 

[MatTheCat]

lol, you mix white and black, calling the white black and the black white.
A 1080p content on a 4K screen always look clearer and with higher quality because each individual pixel is so small, that compensates and makes the image look better.

Take a 4K TV screen and watch any content. You will not see the black mesh (dot pitch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot_pitch) between the pixels that is so obvious on any 1080p screen.

Type black space between pixels in google and read.

WRONG!

I have just taken the plunge on a good 4K gaming TV, and I can tell, whilst the few games I can run at a solid maxed 4K at 60fps with my RTX 2080, look a lot nicer than they did running at 1080p on my old screen, the games I have to run at 1080p on the 4K screen, look considerably worse. Blurry, jaggy, and out of focus.

Prior to buying my 4K TV, I was always hearing that once you make the transition to 4K, you cannot go back to 1080p. For one, this just isn't true as the WOW factor going from 4K to 1080p (in a gaming context) isn't so great as it was going from SD to FHD; and secondly, the hardware just isn't there yet for 4K screens. Even a 2080 Ti (retailing at around £1400 thankyouverymuchhaveanicedaysir!), will slump to 30-40 fps in more graphically demanding titles.

If you are happy with your current 1080p screen and the performance you are getting on it, I would recommend leaving it that way........if you game on a TV as I do and need to get a new screen for whatever reason. then you don't really have much choice but to go with 4K, but even with the highest end PC, you are going to be revisiting the days of being a broke student or whatever and having to spend time choosing what compromises you are going to make for what will be a less than satisfactory gaming experience.

 

[Legend]

Even a 2080 Ti (retailing at around £1400 thankyouverymuchhaveanicedaysir!), will slump to 30-40 fps in more graphically demanding titles.

That's not common at all... and any games that struggle to this much of a degree are terribly optimised. For games such as Tomb Raider which can struggle to break 60 maxed out at 4K, there are guides online on how to tweak settings enabling you to squeeze out far better performance but with hardly any noticeable visual hit.

I saw a difference going from 1440p to 4K, so to say 1080p to 4K isn't that impressive doesn't at all ring true to me personally. You can also down-res to 1440p you know, you don't have to jump all the way back down to 1080p.

 

[azazl187]

lol, you mix white and black, calling the white black and the black white.
A 1080p content on a 4K screen always look clearer and with higher quality because each individual pixel is so small, that compensates and makes the image look better.

Take a 4K TV screen and watch any content. You will not see the black mesh (dot pitch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot_pitch) between the pixels that is so obvious on any 1080p screen.

Type black space between pixels in google and read.

This is incorrect. I have a 4k screen and if i downscale to 1440p or 1080p it looks worse then a monitor that runs with native 1080p. In my opinion you should only use the res that the Monitor is setup as and nothing else.

 

[azazl187]

TV's upscale, monitors don't. I am telling you from my own experience. I do appreciate your technical touch to the question but 4K is just taking one pixel and smudging it over 4, thus leaving a blurring effect. I doubt it if you have ever used a 4K monitor to watch 1080P content. (certainly you did but your eyes work different to mine). Please do not mix up things with 4K TVs as upscaling is a different story. A properly upscaled content on 4K TV may look as good.

This is my experience as well. If you use 4 pixels to create one when runnign a game on a 4k screen at 1080p then you get a washed out blurry filter like affect on the screen. I know this because i have a 4k screen and ive done it.

 

[james.miller]

well, monitors do upscale. They have to - you'd have black boarders if they didnt.

 

[Quartz]

This is my experience as well. If you use 4 pixels to create one when runnign a game on a 4k screen at 1080p then you get a washed out blurry filter like affect on the screen. I know this because i have a 4k screen and ive done it.

That depends upon the size of the monitor. If you use a 28" 4K monitor then you will get a pixellated effect from the 2x2 pixel blocks because they are large enough to discern, just like single pixels on a 28" 1080p monitor. If you use a 24" 4K monitor you will get the same 2x2 pixel blocks but you will not be able to discern the; they will, be like single pixels on a 24" 1080p monitor. I have both sizes of 4K monitor.

 

[Sasahara]

There are 2 options of upscaling on a 4K TV/Monitor.

Output a 1080p (or other res) signal and let the TV/Monitor upscale it. If you do this on a TV it's best to turn off any picture enhancing options as they are design to smooth things out which make it less sharp, but even with all the options off and gaming mode enabled the upscaling will certainly add some extra lag. Monitors generally won't have these options so you don't have to worry about them if your are using a 4K monitor.

Or Output a 4K Signal with just the game set to 1080p, this means it's the PC that is upscaling the picture, not the TV/Monitor. Generally this is the better option, sharper with less lag (if any). Some games won't work like this as they will force the display output to the resolution set, but most will be fine (may also depend on the GPU).

None of these options will be as good as running the game in 4k of course.