Go 4K? 1440p? or simply not worth upgrading

Spud387 · July 17, 2018

So I feel like I have read everything under the sun, but that has now made me question my choices and I'd like some opinions on what you would do in my position. I currently have a Dell 2412M (24", IPS, 1920X1200). I have a kid now and my gaming time has fallen off a cliff. The time I do have for gaming is currently spent on my Xbox playing Halo & Destiny. The primary uses I have for my PC is for personal IT stuff & working from home. In an ideal world I would buy the best monitor out there with 4K/144Hz/Gsync/etc, but I don't have that kind of budget. I want something larger with more screen real estate as I only have space for a single monitor setup.

Current PC:

i7-4770K
16GB Memory
256GB SSD
EVGA GTX 980 SC

Monitor Must Haves:

IPS Panel
27" or larger
1440p or higher

How I Spend Time on my PC:

75%: Productivity (Teleworking, Schooling, IT tasks)
15%: Media (Movies, Netflix, Youtube, Twitch, etc)
10%: Games (Battlefield, Diablo, Lots of smaller indie titles)

I have a strict budget of $600CAD ($700 if from Dell as I have a credit I can use). I am leaning towards 4K over 1440p because 4K is the more common resolution out there and will scale nicely if I watch 4K Netflix or use an Xbox One X or PS4 Pro with it. I know I'll have to scale 4K on a 27" screen, but so far I haven't encountered issues with my laptop when doing this. 21:9, Gsync, Freesync, 120/144Hz, HDR10 would all be great to have, but they add a significant bump to the price and would force me to sacrifice one of my must haves when gaming is no longer my main use. I like having "pretty monitors that pop" so I personally lean towards great, colourful IPS panels over high performing, washed out panels. A great 21:9 monitor sounds like it is what would serve me best, but all of those with a 1440x3440 resolution are out of my price range.

The primary monitors I am considering:

Dell U2718Q (4K, IPS) = $629+tax
Dell U2717D (1440p, IPS) = $513+tax

I am open to suggestions and would love to hear people's thoughts on what they would do.

July 17, 2018

I would also say get the 4k monitor, but maybe a bit larger than 27 inch.

MilitantCro · July 17, 2018

For your use case go for 4k

Froody129 · July 17, 2018

Main advantage of 1440p is that it is a lot easier to run than 4k, and still is a crisp resolution. Typically a high-end gamer would be looking at 4k60 or 1440p144. In your use case I would go with the 4k screen. Just avoid the crap TN ones like the plague