4k with lower settings or 1440p on Ultra?

[mapegl]

So I don't care much for AA. That is something out of the way. Also the highest demanding game I play is Battlefield 4.

 

I tried running it a 200% scaling (which is basically 4k since twice the width and twice the height, or am I wrong here?) and with mostly high settings I was able to run it pretty well with only my single R9 290.

 

I am a great fan of high resolution and have been thinking about switching my 1080p monitor for something nicer. A Pb278Q 1440p monitor is around 450 bucks, but a Samsung U28D590D 4K monitor is actually sometimes even 20 bucks cheaper.....

 

What would you do? Scale every one in a while or turn down settings to enjoy the resolution? Or go 1440p and enjoy all the effects there are?

[GhostWindGamer]

Personally I'd go for 1440p

[Sexy Vanilla Freshness]

1440p all day

 

The Samsung is cheap because it's a TN panel, the ASUS is a nice PLS panel, get that.

 

Buying a 4K TN monitor is like buying a beautiful car with no wheels.

[MegaDave91]

Higher resolution with lower settings > lower resolution with higher settings

 

My 4k monitor should be here tomorrow. I'm content with having to lower the settings to achieve playable framerates, and because of the raw ppi of 4k it will look gorgeous regardless.

 

EDIT: I wouldn't run 4k with a single 290

[-TesseracT-]

Definitely 1440p

[eLucid]

What's the point of 4k if you can't enjoy the beauty of ultra details? Purchase a 1440p display or tough it out with a 1080p display until 4k becomes viable.

[Shaqo_Wyn]

So I don't care much for AA. That is something out of the way. Also the highest demanding game I play is Battlefield 4.

 

I tried running it a 200% scaling (which is basically 4k since twice the width and twice the height, or am I wrong here?) and with mostly high settings I was able to run it pretty well with only my single R9 290.

 

I am a great fan of high resolution and have been thinking about switching my 1080p monitor for something nicer. A Pb278Q 1440p monitor is around 450 bucks, but a Samsung U28D590D 4K monitor is actually sometimes even 20 bucks cheaper.....

 

What would you do? Scale every one in a while or turn down settings to enjoy the resolution? Or go 1440p and enjoy all the effects there are?

 

I think you're going to be disappointed if you're looking at this purely from a monitor price point of view. If one is doing 4K he owes it to himself to do it well and pushing a 4K monitor with a single R9 290 doesn't sound like a good idea to me. 

 

You'll probably be plenty happy with a PB278Q + 2x MSAA (helps, no need for more than that).

[Guest]

Sure, you might get a higher resolution with the samsung, but you will be stuck with a TN panel. A 28'' monitor with a TN panel will actually show noticeable colour shift, even if you look straight at it. Not to mention that you will have worse colours and that it would be way harder to drive. A single 290 is excellent for 1440p gaming, but 4k is still extremely taxing. I also have a problem with 28'' 4k monitors because text is actually pretty hard to read if you don't scale it. 27'' 1440p monitors really hit the sweet spot for this IMO.

[Geekazoid]

Sure, you might get a higher resolution with the samsung, but you will be stuck with a TN panel. A 28'' monitor with a TN panel will actually show noticeable colour shift, even if you look straight at it. Not to mention that you will have worse colours and that it would be way harder to drive. A single 290 is excellent for 1440p gaming, but 4k is still extremely taxing. I also have a problem with 28'' 4k monitors because text is actually pretty hard to read if you don't scale it. 27'' 1440p monitors really hit the sweet spot for this IMO.

Well said mate. I's gonna say a similar thing.

[Geekazoid]

So I don't care much for AA. That is something out of the way. Also the highest demanding game I play is Battlefield 4.

 

I tried running it a 200% scaling (which is basically 4k since twice the width and twice the height, or am I wrong here?) and with mostly high settings I was able to run it pretty well with only my single R9 290.

 

I am a great fan of high resolution and have been thinking about switching my 1080p monitor for something nicer. A Pb278Q 1440p monitor is around 450 bucks, but a Samsung U28D590D 4K monitor is actually sometimes even 20 bucks cheaper.....

 

What would you do? Scale every one in a while or turn down settings to enjoy the resolution? Or go 1440p and enjoy all the effects there are?

I'd go for the ASUS PB278Q. It's an extremely popular monitor and would knock any TN panel equipped monitor out of the water.

[MegaDave91]

You guys are way too quick to judge monitors equipped with TN panels. My monitor is IPS so I'm aware of the benefits, but that doesn't mean all TN panels pale in comparison. 

[UnknownEngineer]

I would go 1440p. I am pretty sure that I would only notice the details more at a higher resolution, I would just be putting the lower details under a magnifying glass IMO. That and 1440p is more functional anyway. Easier to drive and cheaper, also I wouldn't need to settle for a lower quality panel on the affordable ones.

[mapegl]

Well Linus did test the Samsung 4k monitor and he did like it a lot. Just concerning the TN, he said that colors were quite good.

 

That doesn't defeat any argument about losing high quality setting though.

 

Also the Samsung is supposed to work really well with 1440p and 1080p inputs and scaling those images.

[CatCloud]

 

 

Buying a 4K TN monitor is like buying a beautiful car with Shitty paint job and terrible engine

Fixed.

[mapegl]

Ah you guys suck! ......nah just kidding. I would really like a 4k panel (really you guys should watch Linus' video about the Samsung, it is actually a pretty good TN-monitor). But I see your point. And you are probabaly right, 1440p is better with my crappy slow 290.

 

But I guess it is understandable that I don't want to buy a 1440p monitor now, upgrade my system next year to skylake (or whenever and whatever the name) and add a more powerful or a second GPU and then be like: "Oh well, should have bought the 4k monitor...."

 

I can't fully agree with the people saying a 4k TN panel is crap, I mean I have used my surrent Samsung TN for gaming for about 5 years now, it is far from awesome, but I don't mind that much that it is not super color-accurate. It is like headphones, I care for good sound, but I can't hear the super hifi stuff anyways, same with my eyes I guess, or I just don't care enough. AND Linus says the TN panel on the Samsung is a very good TN panel, not IPS quality, but very good.

 

Another thing about the details, while I get what you are saying about getting a 4k monitor and really having to push it then, you should just think about all the people having a single r9 270 and using a 1080p monitor. Should they only be playing at 720p to get full details? Just a thought. Again, not really saying you are wrong, but it is not that black and white I guess.  I mean I had an HD5770 when I started playing battlefield 4 on my 1080p monitor. That is worse than a 290 with a 4k monitor.

[Guest]

1440p ultra imho gotta make stuff look good right, i see no point in 4k atm maybe some time soon though

[Tiazmat]

4k. Undoubtedly. Speaking from experience. 

I love my new 4k monitor. Heck, I only have a 7950, but you just have to be realistic. I KNOW that I can't run anything on ultra, and most things I can't run great unless they're fairly low, but man it looks absolutely STUNNING. So many people are still stuck on recommending 1440p monitors since 4k isn't easy to drive, but if you have realistic expectations, then it truly is a fantastic experience. And it honestly surprises me that I can run some things very well. Dark Souls 2 is a consistent 60 fps at 4k. Heavily texture modded Fallout New Vegas (not able to handle ENB, sadly) runs at 60 all day. Even Bioshock infinite runs from 40-50 if you turn down SSAO and leave everything else at ultra.

And you guys who claim that just because a panel is TN means it's complete rubbish really need to see the panel that the samsung and asus 4k monitors use. Yes, it's TN. Yes, it has color shift. But it actually looks incredible for a TN panel. I would say that it's on-par with my Asus PB238Q, except the samsung 4k I have now has almost no motion blur, whereas the PB238Q wasn't the prettiest choice for gaming because it was distracting when you turned.
 

The benefits of having 8 million pixels compared to a measly 3.5 million is hugely noticeable. The thought of playing something at 1080p or 1440p is just shocking. It honestly feels like games were meant to be played at 4k. It is a completely different graphical experience.

[MegaDave91]

4k. Undoubtedly. Speaking from experience. 

I love my new 4k monitor. Heck, I only have a 7950, but you just have to be realistic. I KNOW that I can't run anything on ultra, and most things I can't run great unless they're fairly low, but man it looks absolutely STUNNING. So many people are still stuck on recommending 1440p monitors since 4k isn't easy to drive, but if you have realistic expectations, then it truly is a fantastic experience. And it honestly surprises me that I can run some things very well. Dark Souls 2 is a consistent 60 fps at 4k. Heavily texture modded Fallout New Vegas (not able to handle ENB, sadly) runs at 60 all day. Even Bioshock infinite runs from 40-50 if you turn down SSAO and leave everything else at ultra.

And you guys who claim that just because a panel is TN means it's complete rubbish really need to see the panel that the samsung and asus 4k monitors use. Yes, it's TN. Yes, it has color shift. But it actually looks incredible for a TN panel. I would say that it's on-par with my Asus PB238Q, except the samsung 4k I have now has almost no motion blur, whereas the PB238Q wasn't the prettiest choice for gaming because it was distracting when you turned.

 

The benefits of having 8 million pixels compared to a measly 3.5 million is hugely noticeable. The thought of playing something at 1080p or 1440p is just shocking. It honestly feels like games were meant to be played at 4k. It is a completely different graphical experience.

Well said

 

Which monitor did you go with?

[Tiazmat]

The Samsung U28D590. The Asus is the better monitor, but I got the Samsung on sale, and the only real difference is the stand (which is fairly significant, but still, $100 more for a better stand? Nah...), since they use the same panel. Give it a few months and there will be better options available for better prices, but I don't regret getting one now.

[eLucid]

I'm disregarding the fact that it's a tn panel. The problem is properly driving a 4K monitor. At this present moment, it's pretty stupid to even consider a 4k monitor because the graphics cards aren't able to keep up. When a single card is able to deliver 50 fps on ultra, on the most demanding titles, then 4k becomes a great investment. 

 

Be patient, 4K will have its time in the spotlight. By that time, prices on 4k tn panels will be much cheaper too.

Edited September 17, 2014 by eLucid

[AlwaysFSX]

I'm disregarding the fact that it's a tn panel. The problem is properly driving a 4K monitor. At this present moment, it's pretty stupid to even consider a 4k monitor because the graphics cards aren't able to keep up. When a single card is able to deliver 50 fps on ultra, on the most demanding titles, then 4k becomes a great investment. 

 

Be patient, 4K will have its time in the spotlight. By that time, prices on 4k tn panels will be much cheaper too.

You don't need to always play at the highest details settings to enjoy a game?

[MegaDave91]

I'm disregarding the fact that it's a tn panel. The problem is properly driving a 4K monitor. At this present moment, it's pretty stupid to even consider a 4k monitor because the graphics cards aren't able to keep up. When a single card is able to deliver 50 fps on ultra, on the most demanding titles, then 4k becomes a great investment. 

 

Be patient, 4K will have its time in the spotlight. By that time, prices on 4k tn panels will be much cheaper too.

780 SLI/290 Xfire are very much capable of 4k, albeit not at maximum settings however.

[eLucid]

You don't need to always play at the highest details settings to enjoy a game?

Of course not. It all comes down to preference in the end. As a pc enthusiast, I can't stand it any other way.

[AlwaysFSX]

Of course not. It all comes down to preference in the end. As a pc enthusiast, I can't stand it any other way.

As someone that has grown up with never being able to run games at 60 fps or good graphics, I'll take the frame rate at least. :lol:

[Hazorazor]

I really recommend you don't go 4K with a single 290, I'm trying it at the moment and whilst it looks crisp the lesser details needed to achieve 60fps with one 290 is medium mostly and that doesn't look quite as nice except for the sharpness. I really love my 4K for desktop use and games I can play on 4K but otherwise I really need to go buy a 1080p monitor or 1440p one for fps gaming and games where lots of GPU horsepower is needed, unless for some reason 900 series is super cheap or next gen AMD comes out and smashes 4K. I haven't got my hopes up though.