Will 2560x1440p resolution ever be hugely popular, or is it just a step before making a full jump to 4K?

[RTX2060Owner]

Hey. I have a 1440p widescreen monitor. It's called MSI G27CQ4. I got it some 4 months ago, and I am quite satisfied. The 1440p resolution is definitely an upgrade over 1080p. Usually, I don't even need to keep apps (aside from games) full screen, as there are so many pixels on the screen that 2/3rds is more than enough to see everything I need.

 

But come to think of it, this resolution is pretty "weird", in a way,  Bear with me. Movies don't use it, they are either in 1080p (either the 1920 or the 2048 version) or 4K (again, either 3840 or 4096). While 1440p is a less than 2x of an increase over Full HD (2 million pixels vs 3,5), 4K is MORE THAN TWICE the 1440p resolution (3,5 vs 8). 

 

So while, as I said, the additional 1,5 million pixels DO in fact make a difference - would that be enough to warrant a full-blown, industry-wide jump to 1440p? Especially since it's an "unorthodox" resolution, because movies and TV's don't use it? 

 

Maybe the next standard is going to be 2160p, and 1440p will be "jumped over" in a way?

 

 

[Sorenson]

Its only really popular with DIY PC/desktop PC which is a pretty small subset of users. Laptops have mainly jumped to 4k 120hz, if they aren't 1080p, since I imagine it looks better on a spec sheet. Currently, 1440p is used by about 8.5% of steam users. That number might go up as graphics cards become more powerful since the demand for 1080p monitors will presumably decrease. Also, 1440p monitors have gotten substantially cheaper in the past 2-3 years. I personally think 1440p is the sweet spot and like that the Xbox supports it for non-tv users. 

[tishous]

I think 1440p will be the next standard. The vast majority of monitors are under 32", and at these screen sizes there really isn't much difference between 1440p and 4k, whilst being twice as demanding to run games. Screen sizes likely won't change since 32" monitors and above are pretty uncomfortable to look at unless you're 2+ feet away.

 

4k is definitely a better media consumption resolution, which is why TVs went straight from 1080p to 4k, but TVs have a different purpose to most monitors so it's not really comparable.

[GuiltySpark_]

The problem is you're comparing cinema standards to desktop PC displays and you can't really compare the two. 

 

2560x1440 is a 16:9 aspect ratio so all your 1080p and 2160p can be played on it just fine.

 

I moved past 1080p in 2010 with the 2560x1600 Dell 3008WFP which is a 16:10 display. 

[BondiBlue]

1440p is already a common resolution. All 27" Apple iMacs have had 1440p displays, and the 5K models still scale the UI to 1440p. I personally find it to be a great resolution for a 27" display, and I don't see the need to go to 4K yet. 

[GuiltySpark_]

To expand on this, lets break this into the two very different spaces you're talking about.

 

Digital Cinema standards and desktop PC resolutions. This are different worlds, if that gets the point across.

 

In the desktop PC space, there really is no "standard" until you decide on what is governing this "standard". If you want to use the Steam hardware survey as your governing body, in 2021, 1920x1080 is still the overwhelming majority at 67.2% usage. I personally use a 3440x1440 21:9 display and have since 2017. You can do whatever you want in this space.

 

Then you have digital cinema where "4K" is dominant. 

[YoungBlade]

First, a lot of movies don't have a resolution. Film is still a thing. Yes, digital is used in the majority of productions, but not always. And if we're using cinema trends, why are you ignoring aspect ratio? Less and less movies are using the old 1.85:1 (close to 16:9) and more are using 2.35:1 (close to 21:9). Does that mean that ultrawides are the future for computers?

 

Second, why does it matter what resolution TVs use? Sure, that determines the resolution of Blu-Ray discs and TV broadcasts, but most TV is still 1080i. Netflix and YouTube and other streaming services already support 1440p, so what's the issue with consuming professional media on your 1440p monitor? Is watching an upscaled 1080p or downscaled 4K Blu-Ray on your monitor really that common? (I'm genuinely asking. I've never done that, but maybe I'm an outlier.)

[GuiltySpark_]

1 minute ago, YoungBlade said:

so what's the issue with consuming professional media on your 1440p monitor?

This is the point I was making, the OP is confusing digital media standards with the PC monitor resolution space. They don't interact at all.

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

It'll all depend on price. 1080p still is and will continue to remain the standard until the prices for 1440p and 4K displays really come down. Like how most people buying a new TV these days will go 4K, because the prices have come down to what a descent 1080P one costed years ago. 

[Middcore]

It will never be popular because there are no (or very few) 1440p TV's.

[YoungBlade]

1 minute ago, Middcore said:

It will never be popular because there are no (or very few) 1440p TV's.

But why does that matter? Most TVs don't have adaptive sync either. Does that mean adaptive sync is going away?

 

The only thing that TV resolutions definitely determine is the resolutions of content made to be consumed on TVs - TV broadcasts and Blu-Rays. Streaming content doesn't count, as those already support a myriad of resolutions, including 1440p.

 

Am I really the only person that never consumes TV content on his computer monitor? Are TV Tuner cards in desktops common these days? Most photos of towers I see online don't even show a DVD drive, let alone a Blu-Ray one, but I guess that could just be sample bias. Or does everyone have a PS4 hooked up to the HDMI port and I'm the lone loser with just a computer?

[RTX2060Owner]

So it's Okay if I use 2560x1440p? It's not unorthodox because of movies not using it? Or weird? Or will I be looking at myself 20 years from now, thinking "Jesus Christ, was I really using such a weird resolution back then?"?

 

 

P.S. Yeah I know some movies are on film, but you have to create a Digital Intemediate so the consumer can watch it

[BondiBlue]

1 minute ago, RTX2060Owner said:

So it's Okay if I use 2560x1440p? It's not unorthodox because of movies not using it? Or weird? Or will I be looking at myself 20 years from now, thinking "Jesus Christ, was I really using such a weird resolution back then?"?

 

 

P.S. Yeah I know some movies are on film, but you have to create a Digital Intemediate so the consumer can watch it

Uhh, no? 1440p is not a weird resolution. IMO it's a great resolution for something like a 27" display for desktop use. 

[Amias]

2 hours ago, RTX2060Owner said:

Hey. I have a 1440p widescreen monitor. It's called MSI G27CQ4. I got it some 4 months ago, and I am quite satisfied. The 1440p resolution is definitely an upgrade over 1080p. Usually, I don't even need to keep apps (aside from games) full screen, as there are so many pixels on the screen that 2/3rds is more than enough to see everything I need.

 

But come to think of it, this resolution is pretty "weird", in a way,  Bear with me. Movies don't use it, they are either in 1080p (either the 1920 or the 2048 version) or 4K (again, either 3840 or 4096). While 1440p is a less than 2x of an increase over Full HD (2 million pixels vs 3,5), 4K is MORE THAN TWICE the 1440p resolution (3,5 vs 8). 

 

So while, as I said, the additional 1,5 million pixels DO in fact make a difference - would that be enough to warrant a full-blown, industry-wide jump to 1440p? Especially since it's an "unorthodox" resolution, because movies and TV's don't use it? 

 

Maybe the next standard is going to be 2160p, and 1440p will be "jumped over" in a way?

 

 

 

What even is this thread? Is 2560x1440 going away? No. Is it supported by every PC? Yes. Do manufactures make great monitors in this resolution ... yes?

 

I've been gaming on 2560x1440p for years and years ... it's super popular. It offers the best compromise between resolution and frame rate. 

[Coastqr]

2 hours ago, Sorenson said:

Its only really popular with DIY PC/desktop PC which is a pretty small subset of users. Laptops have mainly jumped to 4k 120hz, if they aren't 1080p, since I imagine it looks better on a spec sheet. Currently, 1440p is used by about 8.5% of steam users. That number might go up as graphics cards become more powerful since the demand for 1080p monitors will presumably decrease. Also, 1440p monitors have gotten substantially cheaper in the past 2-3 years. I personally think 1440p is the sweet spot and like that the Xbox supports it for non-tv users. 

yeah my Odyssey G7 looks great and its 240hz!

[RejZoR]

4K is stupid because most 4K monitors are already super affordable these days, but people forget you need to plug them into graphic cards that cost 1500€ to get actually playable framerates on them. And even that is not a guarantee. 1440p is a good middle step. It's denser than 1080p but still not too dense to require insane amounts of compute power.

[Middcore]

2 hours ago, YoungBlade said:

But why does that matter? Most TVs don't have adaptive sync either. Does that mean adaptive sync is going away?

 

1. Media consumption drives resolution standards and most media consumption (TV and movies) is still done on TV's.

 

2. I never said 1440p is going away. I just said it will never be a popular standard, at least compared to 1080p and 4k.

 

1 hour ago, RTX2060Owner said:

So it's Okay if I use 2560x1440p?

 

No, you should be burned at the stake, you deviant. What even is this question? 

 

Quote

Or will I be looking at myself 20 years from now, thinking "Jesus Christ, was I really using such a weird resolution back then?"?

 

We should all be so lucky to have this be our biggest regret in 20 years.

 

1440p is a perfectly fine resolution for PC depending on your hardware. I use it myself. The question was if it will ever be popular. The answer is, relatively speaking, no. 

[RTX2060Owner]

On 8/2/2021 at 11:09 PM, Middcore said:

 

1. Media consumption drives resolution standards and most media consumption (TV and movies) is still done on TV's.

 

2. I never said 1440p is going away. I just said it will never be a popular standard, at least compared to 1080p and 4k.

 

 

No, you should be burned at the stake, you deviant. What even is this question? 

 

 

We should all be so lucky to have this be our biggest regret in 20 years.

 

1440p is a perfectly fine resolution for PC depending on your hardware. I use it myself. The question was if it will ever be popular. The answer is, relatively speaking, no. 

 

 

But, say, 1680x1050 used to be an actual resolution, but nobody uses it anymore, and it seems a little bit weird, looking back at it. Will the same happen to 1440p?

[Middcore]

4 minutes ago, RTX2060Owner said:

 

 

But, say, 1680x1050 used to be an actual resolution, but nobody uses it anymore, and it seems a little bit weird, looking back at it. Will the same happen to 1440p?

 

 

1050p was an effective resolution for some people's needs at the time. 1440p is an effective resolution for some people's needs now. Why does it matter what anybody thinks of it in 15 years? 

[RTX2060Owner]

2 hours ago, Middcore said:

 

 

1050p was an effective resolution for some people's needs at the time. 1440p is an effective resolution for some people's needs now. Why does it matter what anybody thinks of it in 15 years? 

 

Do you think I can keep on using my monitor for the next 10 years and only ever upgrade the PC, then?

[Middcore]

7 minutes ago, RTX2060Owner said:

 

Do you think I can keep on using my monitor for the next 10 years and only ever upgrade the PC, then?

Who's going to stop you?

[Man]

1080p is where the real fun at!

 

Don't know about anyone but I, for one, stop caring about image quality once I hit solid 60 or 75FPS with vsync. I'm not fortunate enough to possess the latest and greatest hardware hence I played an AWFUL lot of games at just 720p60 on my 1080p monitor and honestly, I enjoyed every single minute of it, even though I'd the option to run them at locked 1080p30 or even 37.5FPS (being a 75Hz monitor). 

 

I've no intentions to upgrade my 1080p75 monitor anytime soon and when I do, I'll most definitely be getting a 1080p120 monitor with VRR, as opposed to 1440p60. 

[Stahlmann]

I personally see a lot more people asking for a 1440p monitor these days than 1080p. The reason 1080p is still dominant (for example in the steam statistics) is because it was the go-to option for desktop use for a long time. I see 1440p overtaking 1080p in the long run, with 1080p falling where 720p is now. The budget class for very low-performance hardware. (For example PC's that use CPU integrated graphics) 4K is becoming more affordable in terms of buying a monitor, but you will still scrafice A LOT of fps and you will likely need a much more powerful GPU. And 1440p is only a little more performance heavy than 1080p, while giving a much better image at the size of 27", which is pretty much the size sweet-spot. Not too big, not too small.

 

13 hours ago, Man said:

1080p is where the real fun at!

 

Don't know about anyone but I, for one, stop caring about image quality once I hit solid 60 or 75FPS with vsync. I'm not fortunate enough to possess the latest and greatest hardware hence I played an AWFUL lot of games at just 720p60 on my 1080p monitor and honestly, I enjoyed every single minute of it, even though I'd the option to run them at locked 1080p30 or even 37.5FPS (being a 75Hz monitor). 

 

I've no intentions to upgrade my 1080p75 monitor anytime soon and when I do, I'll most definitely be getting a 1080p120 monitor with VRR, as opposed to 1440p60. 

I agree with your second point, always go for the high refresh rate first, then up the resolution. The refresh rate is a much more noticeable improvement. If i'd had to choose between 1080p 144Hz and 1440p 60Hz i'd always go for the 1080p option here.

 

But i kind of envy you in that you're able to enjoy games at 720p 60Hz or 1080p 30Hz. I'm so spoiled with the displays i used in the last few years that anything under 1440p is a blurry mess to my eyes (when talking about screens >=27") and even 60Hz feels kind of stuttery to me. Basically 1440p 90Hz and up is what i'd want to really enjoy games. But you can save a lot of money if you're happy with lower resolution and refresh rates.

[Man]

On 8/5/2021 at 1:07 PM, Stahlmann said:

But i kind of envy you in that you're able to enjoy games at 720p 60Hz or 1080p 30Hz.

720p60 is absolutely 100% enjoyable, especially in fast paced FPS titles. 1080p30, on the other hand, is just... meh! Honestly, I've literally no idea how console users manage to play FPS titles at 30FPS. Even 37.5FPS is an ENORMOUS improvement over 30FPS and Digital Foundry's team of experts seem to confirm it:

 

 

[tierwelder]

1440p monitors are already starting to outsell 1080p monitors in some categories, i think 1440p is going to be major for a few years.