Mixed-use monitor

jomala

jomala

jomala

Associate
Joined
8 Jul 2025
Posts
25
Location
London, UK
I'm about to build a new PC around a RX 9070 XT GPU and I need a new monitor. The monitor at least will be used about 50:50 for working-from-home and gaming. I'm going in circles about what to buy though. What's the opinion here?
  • The GPU probably isn't chunky enough for shooters at 4k, so 1440p seems right.
  • WFH requires reading text and risk of burn-in, which suggests OLEDs aren't the right option (which seems to match what I'm seeing on RTINGS.com, if that's reliable). Or at least not OLEDs over 27" or under 4k.
  • Discussion in the thread about my build here suggested that the sweet spot for gaming is 32" now, and VA would look poor next to fast-IPS, let alone OLED.
  • Specs.gg suggests pro-gamers are using 27" VA monitors still.
  • RTINGS.com thinks IPSs are the worst compromise between general gaming performance and text readability (though I've been happy with my Asus VC239 23" IPS for mixed use with my old PC).
Any opinions (other than upgrading to a monster GPU and a 4k OLED)? Is it just not sensible to expect to be able to optimise for both uses?
 
RTINGS are usually good but I strongly disagree with them in the regards you've mentioned.

VA monitors always suffer some level of ghosting, and once you see it you can't ignore it. IPS has bloom but better motion clarity, colour reproduction, and imo general smoothness. They offer deep blacks and that's their main selling point, I'd argue the case for a VA TV but not a monitor.

People take things differently, I use IPS for work and gaming without issue, I hate VA for the aforementioned. OLED might cause text clarity issues but your mileage may vary, I would recommend finding somewhere that lets you demo various panel technologies. Curry's and local computer stores generally have monitors on display for you to view, a quick chat with an enthusiastic sales person would probably result in them letting you see them under various use scenarios.

Are you a pro-gamer? Many use super low resolutions and low settings that make things look like poo for max FPS in some games. It's not something to get hung up on.
 
Last edited:
I’ve got a pretty run of the mill 1440/144hz ips monitor i use it for gaming,photo editing and a bit of Xero and it’s crossed my mind to replace it a few times. But it does everything i need and to my eye still looks great.
 
@Gray2233 - Thanks for the advice. I'm in no way a pro - just trying to steal their approach to try to get ahead!

@henry hoov3r - Suspect you're right that any game with any decent monitor will look better than the current set-up, just because it's 1440p and higher FPS. Thanks for the reassurance!
 
I work from home 5 days a week and also game on the same PC with a 6700XT. I have 2 x 1440p 160hz IPS monitors. Have no complaints with them and they were only £150 each.
 
IPS are absolutely fine, OLED may be better if the finish isn't reflective/glossy at all. Full disclosure though I've never used an OLED for work/gaming but I'm intending to get one at some point.

I've used IPS 7 days a week for over a decade, you're getting a big upgrade there IMHO!
 
The story so far, after about 8 hours of research :(
* Model alphanumeric names are driving me insane - so many near identical names with very different specs, prices and availabilities
* IPS and 1440p still seem right
* Widescreen IPS gaming seems to have been largely abandoned by manufacturers about 3 years ago, which is really sad because that feels a good fit for me
* I'm tempted to go for widescreen VA or OLED, which are both things, but I'm resisting because of their respective issues with colour/blur and text clarity
* For a non-widescreen 1440p model, most people seem to just sit close to a 27" for gaming, rather than going bigger
* In general, monitors get a little be better each year, except Alienware, where the quality nosedived in 2025
* https://www.rtings.com/monitor/tools/table has an amazing amount of information but can't hope to cover all the models out there
* The best filter I found was partpicker but missing data means you can't filter on response times
* I'm now getting scared about quality control reputations and short warranties.
 
Last edited:
I game at 4k on my 6900xt sure I'm pretty sure the 9070xt will be fine. Especially with FSR4 to help, if required.

I'd say take a break and come back with fresh eyes. Maybes make a top 3 that you like the look of and do a pros and cons list or share on here for feedback.

IPS definitely. I tried VA quite recently and sent it back due to the ghosting.

1440p I'd go for 27". I tried 32" at 1440p and the sharpness reduction due to the pixel ratio was noticeable. And of course yes, if mounted on an arm you can bring it closer or move it away.
 
Thanks, @Firegod , but not sure I can face rethinking completely!

Understand what you mean about 32" but the ultrawides at 34" and even 40" at 3440x1440 aren't as tall generally, so have a higher pixed density than the 32" at 2560x1440.

Might be getting this wrong, but it should at least look better than my 24" at 1080p!
 
No worries. Yeah the 34" UW at 1440p will have better PPI than 32" 1440p. What you got in mind or which ones you been looking at? Will you get on alright with an ultra wide for working from home? And will it be curved? I couldn't get away with curved but that might be down to my astigmatism. Found I couldn't focus. Flat panel only for me lol.
 
Last edited:
9070xt I'd say is overkill for 1440p

I run a 6800xt on my 1440 rig, and a 9070xt on my 4k rig.

If staying at 1440p I'd maybe get somehting a bit better than a 6800xt, but its still an excellent 1440p card.

Also, my unpopular opinion, curved UW screens suck...
 
I'm pretty flexible and, though my desk at home isn't wide, it is deep.

Three strategies I'm considering having done far too much research.
  1. Find a trusted supplier and pick one of their 3440x1440 IPS 1ms monitors.
  2. Find one of the monitor my research indicates is most suitable second hand on eBay and try it out for cheap, expecting it to fail sooner rather than later.
  3. Just pay more than I intended (i.e. ~£500) to Amazon for a 3440x1440 IPS 1ms monitor that looks modern, and stop faffing around trying to make the perfect choice.
Well
  1. leads to just one supplier and monitor - Scan and the MSI MAG401QR 40" - which is not for a lot of people but I think might work well for me
  2. feels a bit risky, though I've pinged a few sellers to see if any are low-mileage
  3. turns up basically nothing - they're all £1000, £200 or 5-year-old models
Decision first-thing tomorrow probably, unless someone here can convince me otherwise, but I think it'll be Option 1.
 
jomala said:
I'm pretty flexible and, though my desk at home isn't wide, it is deep.

Three strategies I'm considering having done far too much research.
  1. Find a trusted supplier and pick one of their 3440x1440 IPS 1ms monitors.
  2. Find one of the monitor my research indicates is most suitable second hand on eBay and try it out for cheap, expecting it to fail sooner rather than later.
  3. Just pay more than I intended (i.e. ~£500) to Amazon for a 3440x1440 IPS 1ms monitor that looks modern, and stop faffing around trying to make the perfect choice.
Well
  1. leads to just one supplier and monitor - Scan and the MSI MAG401QR 40" - which is not for a lot of people but I think might work well for me
  2. feels a bit risky, though I've pinged a few sellers to see if any are low-mileage
  3. turns up basically nothing - they're all £1000, £200 or 5-year-old models
Decision first-thing tomorrow probably, unless someone here can convince me otherwise, but I think it'll be Option 1.
Click to expand...

That monitor you are thinking of going for has the same pixel density as the 32inch 1440 monitors that you turned down. Second that monitor only has a 144hz refresh rate, 155hz if you overclock it. I am only mentioning that because gaming seems to be important to you and some of your decisions seem to be based on what Pro gamers are doing.

If you are going 40inch, I think it really needs to be 4k. Personally, I tried a 40 inch monitor and didn't like it. For some games it was fantastic, but, for work stuff, it was just too big.

The two sweet spots are 32 inch 4K monitor or 27 inch 1440P monitor. Widescreen is useful in some situations but can be a drag in some games. Just be prepared to tinker a bit to get some games looking right.

Look, I think you should rule out VA and just pick between OLED and IPS. And pick a max budget and stick to it. So let us know your budget and then maybe we might be able to recommend a monitor for you.
 
jomala said:
I'm about to build a new PC around a RX 9070 XT GPU and I need a new monitor. The monitor at least will be used about 50:50 for working-from-home and gaming.
Click to expand...

Why not have two monitors? One for gaming and one for work? Go Dell Ultrasharp for the latter.

jomala said:
The GPU probably isn't chunky enough for shooters at 4k, so 1440p seems right.
Click to expand...

Remember that you can run monitors at a lower resolution, and then there's upscaling. But the 9070XT should be okay for 4k gaming on all but the most demanding games.
 
Thanks, @melmac and @Quartz - suspect I may find I've got this wrong, in which case I'll be back to reread all the bits of advice I ignored this time around! Definitely two monitors might have made this easier, but for the moment though I wanted to try to find a single monitor that would work. And I'm hoping that a 40" 1440p 3ft from me (my preferred distance) has a similar resolution to a 27" 1440p at 2ft (which is how a lot of people work/play). I'll report back!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom