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Maerit
08-15-2017, 01:54 PM
I'm looking to change out my setup in my "office". I've moved my console to the living room, and game on the PS4 Pro on a 4k TV because it doesn't operate at higher than 30hz or 60hz anyway. Right now I have a 40" samsung 4k TV as my main monitor in the office, and it does work well.

I have been considering a different option, and thinking about going with a more "gaming" monitor over a TV, but I can't really say I'll notice the difference. So, I was hoping to see if the community has had any experience with this discussion before.

When talking monitors under 30", 4k seems excessive and unnecessary. 1440 resolution seems to be the new PC gaming standard, if you can get 144hz on the monitor (or at least 120hz?). For what I'm looking to spend, I could get a decent 27" 1440 monitor.

For the same amount (actually slightly less), I could get a 43" 4k TV that runs @ 120hz. Of course, 120hz is not true frames. TVs use a frame substitution mechanism to help smooth out motion, but at times this mechanic can also cause strange distortion as the TV is actually creating the frames. That being said, it's comparable. Though, TVs don't (generally) have DisplayPort inputs - everything would have to run through HDMI.

So - pros and cons?

Pros for the monitor - smaller viewing space actually means I can sit closer easier (desk style gaming) and see the entire display. It has better refresh / hz for better motion and reaction.
Cons - lower resolution, this is a soft con because lower resolution also means less processing power and potentially higher FPS for PC games. It also is smaller, so I would fit less on screen (multi-tasking goes down).

Pros for the TV - bigger TV with 4x resolution means I can basically split the TV into 4 monitors at 1920x1080 resolution - which is great for multi-tasking. Higher resolution to make games look crisper.
Cons - reduced refresh and motion tracking, which could impact twitch gaming (though I'm no pro). It's bigger, so I need to sit further away to see the entire screen.


I don't have a great video card or gaming rig at the moment, but that's next year's project. Getting the monitor out of the way could help the transition.

Alternatively, I could put the money towards something entirely different. I looked into video cards to upgrade, but 4k gfx cards seem too pricey at this point, and I could wait until next year when the prices start to scale down.

Androidpk
08-15-2017, 03:15 PM
Acer and Asus have 4k displays coming out next year that will run at 144hz supposedly and have Gsync too I believe. If you don't have the GPU necessary to run 4k games now then I suggest waiting for these new monitors to come out. I'd also wait for the Nvidia consumer line of Volta cards to come out and then snag one of those or a 1080Ti when (if) they become cheaper.

Taernath
08-15-2017, 03:38 PM
For reference, I'm using an ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q 27" (1440p) as my gaming monitor with a 1080 ti, and a 55" 4k Roku in the other room and both are absolutely amazing (the TV apps suck, though).

You're going to have to make a choice on how close you want to sit to game. Anything above 30" for a traditional sitting-a-foot-away PC setup is something of a waste. I will say that depending on the panel you get you absolutely will notice a difference between 1080 and 1440, and 1440 and 4k. 4k on a monitor is still a little prohibitively expensive though, particularly if you need to upgrade your setup, but good 4k TVs can run as low as $500.

Androidpk
08-15-2017, 03:40 PM
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/asus-4k-hdr-144hz-display,34692.html

Ashliana
08-15-2017, 03:51 PM
For reference, I'm using an ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q 27" (1440p) as my gaming monitor with a 1080 ti

I've got the same monitor. I am also a big fan of it, but there was definitely a huge performance hit compared to using a 1920x1080 display. I'm using a non-TI Geforce 1080.

Primary reason I got the monitor is that it's an IPS monitor, has G-sync and was big enough. The 165hz refresh rate was just a bonus I don't really care about. If they made it in a 1080p standard, I'd probably go for that one, as the difference in "quality" is not even remotely worth the performance hit.

Whatever you do, don't get a TN panel. Ugh. I came from using a BenQ 3D display - the reviews said all it was the "best TN panel they ever reviewed," but it had all the major weaknesses of TN panels, so that doesn't say much.

Maerit
08-15-2017, 04:32 PM
So, I was looking to spend between $350-500, and I am restricted (as this is a gift card situation) to a specific site.

Options being:

1. 27" 1440p monitor w/ G-Sync ($489)
2. 43" 4k ROKU TV 120hz / HDR ($389)
3. Upgrade my gtx 960 w/ 2GB DDR5 to a GTX 1070 w/ 8GB DDR5 ($429)

Starting to lean more towards the gfx card. I already have 2x 4k TVs in my home. If I do the gfx card upgrade, I could likely run 4k on my 40" Samsung TV more easily with less FPS loss, but it's still a TV, so the refresh, response time and frames are gonna suck (plus I think this TV only does 60hz @ 4k res).

Taernath
08-15-2017, 04:59 PM
Yeah, you're going to want to up the graphics card before you do anything else.

Just for curiosities sake, what's the brand and model of that monitor?

Maerit
08-15-2017, 05:02 PM
Dell - S2716DG. Decent specs for a gaming monitor, but it's a TN panel...

Taernath
08-15-2017, 05:15 PM
Dell - S2716DG. Decent specs for a gaming monitor, but it's a TN panel...

IPS panels are worth the extra cost, imo.