Opinions on monitor choice

[Bartus]

Hi, 

 

I would like to know your opinions on this choice.

 

Asus TUF Gaming [ 1920x1080, 165Hz, 1ms, FreeSync Premium, Curved ]

(https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-Gaming-VG24VQE-Curved-Monitor/dp/B08C7HH22B/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=Asus%2B1080p%2Bmonitor%23&qid=1622915482&s=computers&sr=1-5&th=1)

or

Asus VG278QR [ 1920x1080, 165Hz, 0.5ms, FreeSync ]

(https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-27-inch-Monitor-FreeSync-Certified/dp/B07KKBDQCL/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=55978659514&dchild=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwtpGGBhBJEiwAyRZX2udJGFDJVUU1rvlYx31fKcHkoLqjQAYyOOdFI3xrEIBvBEjz_FslNxoCXUwQAvD_BwE&hvadid=259029593715&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1006959&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8915513255144039739&hvtargid=kwd-305471886616&hydadcr=4392_1795138&keywords=asus%2Bvg278q&qid=1623501818&sr=8-1&th=1)

 

I'm running RTX 2060 graphics. Is FreeSync Premium competitive with G-Sync? Or would a G-Sync monitor be a worthwhile investment over the cheaper FreeSync variations?

 

Other monitor recommendations are also welcome. 

 

Thanks,

[YoungBlade]

Honestly, at 27", I'd recommend a 1440p monitor. My second monitor is 1080p 25" and I notice a slight "screen door" effect on it, which is only going to be worse at 27". My older 1080p 24" monitor actually looked a bit better in that respect, so if you want to go 1080p, I'd say stick to 24" rather than 27". The 1080p 144Hz ASUS TUF Gaming VG249Q and 1080p 165Hz ViewSonic VX2418-P-MHD would be options for 24" monitors.

 

My primary monitor is a 1440p 170Hz Gigabyte M27Q, and I'm very happy with it, but that is much more expensive in the UK for some reason. I got mine for $320, which works out to only £226, but instead it's £340 right now on Amazon UK. There's also the 1440p 144Hz AOC Gaming CQ27G2 that I've heard good things about, which is £268 on Amazon UK, and the 1440p 144Hz ViewSonic VX2758-2KP-MHD, which should come in similarly priced to the AOC one, but seems to be sold out on Amazon UK.

 

If you want some general monitor buying advice, I'd recommend this video by Tim from Hardware Unboxed from a few months ago: Best Gaming Monitors You Can Actually Buy Right Now [Feb 2021]

[Bartus]

1 hour ago, YoungBlade said:

Honestly, at 27", I'd recommend a 1440p monitor. My second monitor is 1080p 25" and I notice a slight "screen door" effect on it, which is only going to be worse at 27". My older 1080p 24" monitor actually looked a bit better in that respect, so if you want to go 1080p, I'd say stick to 24" rather than 27". The 1080p 144Hz ASUS TUF Gaming VG249Q and 1080p 165Hz ViewSonic VX2418-P-MHD would be options for 24" monitors.

 

My primary monitor is a 1440p 170Hz Gigabyte M27Q, and I'm very happy with it, but that is much more expensive in the UK for some reason. I got mine for $320, which works out to only £226, but instead it's £340 right now on Amazon UK. There's also the 1440p 144Hz AOC Gaming CQ27G2 that I've heard good things about, which is £268 on Amazon UK, and the 1440p 144Hz ViewSonic VX2758-2KP-MHD, which should come in similarly priced to the AOC one, but seems to be sold out on Amazon UK.

 

If you want some general monitor buying advice, I'd recommend this video by Tim from Hardware Unboxed from a few months ago: Best Gaming Monitors You Can Actually Buy Right Now [Feb 2021]

Hi, thanks for the very informative advice, it's highly appreciated.

Keeping in mind that I've got a RTX 2060, would you personally prefer in my scenario to do 1440p gaming at lower graphics presets rather than smoother higher graphic preset 1080p gaming?

[YoungBlade]

5 minutes ago, Bartus said:

Hi, thanks for the very informative advice, it's highly appreciated.

Keeping in mind that I've got a RTX 2060, would you personally prefer in my scenario to do 1440p gaming at lower graphics presets rather than smoother higher graphic preset 1080p gaming?

It would depend on what types of games you play and what sort of gaming experience you prefer. I like the higher resolution more than the fps in most games, but I play mostly single-player, story-driven games like Control, Tomb Raider, Alan Wake, Abzu, etc. If you play competitive games, then the higher fps is probably what you're looking for.

 

I have an RTX 2060 Super, which is better, but not by a huge margin. (HUB found it to be 9% faster on average at 1440p) I can play at 1440p High in any game I've tried, but this depends on your framerate target. In single player games with raytracing, I'm okay with 60-80fps. DLSS is needed to do that, but it does work. You could probably do the same with just a few settings turned down to medium. For a lot of older games, I have no trouble staying above 144fps at even Ultra settings, and I wouldn't be surprised if you could do that, too.

 

The 6GB of VRAM might crop up as an issue in some newer titles at 1440p. The only game I play that comes close to 6GB at 1440p is Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition, which uses around 5.5GB even with DLSS on in Balanced mode. It also uses nearly 16GB of system RAM. So while today's titles should be fine, in a couple of years, some newer games might force you back to 1080p (assuming you don't just upgrade the graphics card at that point). A 1440p monitor can be set to 1080p, so you do have that freedom, and if you play older games, it will never be an issue. (Alan Wake and Tomb Raider both never go above 3GB of VRAM at 1440p, even with max settings, and usually sit closer to 2GB)

[Bartus]

51 minutes ago, YoungBlade said:

It would depend on what types of games you play and what sort of gaming experience you prefer. I like the higher resolution more than the fps in most games, but I play mostly single-player, story-driven games like Control, Tomb Raider, Alan Wake, Abzu, etc. If you play competitive games, then the higher fps is probably what you're looking for.

 

I have an RTX 2060 Super, which is better, but not by a huge margin. (HUB found it to be 9% faster on average at 1440p) I can play at 1440p High in any game I've tried, but this depends on your framerate target. In single player games with raytracing, I'm okay with 60-80fps. DLSS is needed to do that, but it does work. You could probably do the same with just a few settings turned down to medium. For a lot of older games, I have no trouble staying above 144fps at even Ultra settings, and I wouldn't be surprised if you could do that, too.

 

The 6GB of VRAM might crop up as an issue in some newer titles at 1440p. The only game I play that comes close to 6GB at 1440p is Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition, which uses around 5.5GB even with DLSS on in Balanced mode. It also uses nearly 16GB of system RAM. So while today's titles should be fine, in a couple of years, some newer games might force you back to 1080p (assuming you don't just upgrade the graphics card at that point). A 1440p monitor can be set to 1080p, so you do have that freedom, and if you play older games, it will never be an issue. (Alan Wake and Tomb Raider both never go above 3GB of VRAM at 1440p, even with max settings, and usually sit closer to 2GB)

Alright, thanks again. I'll take a longer ponder between 1080p and 1440p