Need advice on GPU vs 2k/4k for gaming

[rrivera]

Long story short, I'm being spoiled by a long-time-no-see father, and I don't want to abuse the budget (and I don't know what the budget is, tbh.)

 

The rest of the specs will be listed below, but right now I am currently running a GTX 980 that a friend gave to me a while back (hindsight I should have let the father decide on buying me a new one), but now the father is insisting I get a 4k monitor (I'm currently using some budget Samsung SyncMaster P2370HD).

 

So I KNOW anything and everything thrown at me will be an upgrade, but I want to try and maximize price vs performance, so please advise.

 

I will be mostly gaming, anything/everything Blizzard (mostly Destiny 2 right now, though, and finally going to play Witcher 3 soon, and Steam games that consoles would port to PC.)

From what I understand (and please correct me if I'm wrong,) higher resolution = lower frames with video card. Also, I keep seeing "1ms response" and 144hz refresh for monitors... but all that is beyond me as well.

 

So, TL;DR questions: what monitor should I get for gaming, should I bother with 4k, how much farther should I upgrade the videocard? Please give suggestions, like I said, I don't know the budget and I don't want to abuse the generosity.

 

Here's what I have now, (just going down the long receipt my father paid in cash (!!!??!)) This is a hell of an upgrade for me, my old pc was kind of trash to today's standards.

mobo: ASUS TUF Z370

gpu: Nvidia GTX 980 (a friend gave me long ago, IN A TITAN X BOX)

cpu: i7 8700k

ram: 16gb ddr4 3200 vengeance rgb pro

ssd: Samsung 970 evo + some old 7200 I have

os: windows 10 home

cooler?:  Corsair Hydro Dual 120mm 240mm Radiator

Power?: P&C Silence 80+Plat 1050w

Case: Enermax Equilence Mid w/ Panoramic Glass,, Insulation Panel

xtra Fan: SilenX 140x140x25mm

 

+ whatever warranty and build cost Fry's Electronics threw at us....

$1800ish! 

 

Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance.

 

[boey]

Yes, Higher resolution means lower fps as gpu has to work harder.

Monitor response time is useless unless you’re aspiring to be a pro esports player. 1ms vs 4-6ms is not noticeable

 

I would suggest 4K only if you play AAA games that have very nice graphics, and to hit above 60fps on those games at ultra you would need a 2080Ti, which right now is pretty expensive.

Considering you don’t want to abuse the generosity too much, I’d feel a 1440p 144Hz monitor + RTX 2080 is a good suit. I think 1080 Ti’s are a little hard to find now, and RTX 2080’s are about the same price(if not cheaper), at basically the exact same performance. Also, your 980 still performs decently. I feel that it wouldn’t be worth it to spend all that money upgrading to a better GPU unless it performs like a 1080 Ti or better

 

Also, don’t get TN panel monitors. The colours on those are atrocious. Get IPS instead, you get more vibrant colours at the expense of a few ms response time, which is not noticeable at all.

 

I would recommend something like this: https://www.amazon.com/PG279Q-2560x1440-G-SYNC-Gaming-Monitor/dp/B017EVR2VM/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1541201597&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=1440p+144Hz+Gsync+IPS&dpPl=1&dpID=41wwdyPexEL&ref=plSrch

 

 

EDIT: Forgot to mention about 144Hz. It is amazing. Ever since I switched to 144Hz I can’t go back to 60, it irritates the hell out of me in my coding class at school when the monitor is only 60Hz, feels like a broken monitor.

 

 

 

[mayonnaiseblackhole]

That's a sweet build you got there. 1ms means that the lag between an input and the shown is only that much. You really don't have to care much about that. What does matter is the refresh rate. That is how many frames per second that the screen can display. It looks really nice especially when you are big into 1st person shooters. I don't think that 4K is a huge difference from 1440p. I think the sweet spot for you is the 1440p 144 herts with a RTX 2080 

[mayonnaiseblackhole]

4 minutes ago, _d0nut said:

Yes, Higher resolution means lower fps as gpu has to work harder.

Monitor response time is useless unless you’re aspiring to be a pro esports player. 1ms vs 4-6ms is not noticeable

 

I would suggest 4K only if you play AAA games that have very nice graphics, and to hit above 60fps on those games at ultra you would need a 2080Ti, which right now is pretty expensive.

Considering you don’t want to abuse the generosity too much, I’d feel a 1440p 144Hz monitor + RTX 2080 is a good suit. I think 1080 Ti’s are a little hard to find now, and RTX 2080’s are about the same price(if not cheaper), at basically the exact same performance. 

 

Also, don’t get TN panel monitors. The colours on those are atrocious. Get IPS instead, you get more vibrant colours at the expense of a few ms response time, which is not noticeable at all.

 

I would recommend something like this: https://www.amazon.com/PG279Q-2560x1440-G-SYNC-Gaming-Monitor/dp/B017EVR2VM/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1541201597&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=1440p+144Hz+Gsync+IPS&dpPl=1&dpID=41wwdyPexEL&ref=plSrch

 

 

EDIT: Forgot to mention about 144Hz. It is amazing. Ever since I switched to 144Hz I can’t go back to 60, it irritates the hell out of me in my coding class at school when the monitor is only 60Hz, feels like a broken monitor.

 

 

 

Dang that is an expensive monitor. Maybe research a bit to see if you think you will mind a TN panel because some higher quality models don't look so bad.

[boey]

4 minutes ago, DustierDolphin said:

Dang that is an expensive monitor. Maybe research a bit to see if you think you will mind a TN panel because some higher quality models don't look so bad.

Yeah, it’s IPS, GSync and 165Hz at 1440p.One of the best monitors you can get rn(besides the 4K version) Imo, if you’re going to go into 1440p/4K, a TN panel would ruin the experience with it’s colours. I would usually only recommend TN to people on a tight budget or people who are going to play esports only.

[Cereal5]

27 minutes ago, DustierDolphin said:

That's a sweet build you got there. 1ms means that the lag between an input and the shown is only that much. You really don't have to care much about that. What does matter is the refresh rate. That is how many frames per second that the screen can display. It looks really nice especially when you are big into 1st person shooters. I don't think that 4K is a huge difference from 1440p. I think the sweet spot for you is the 1440p 144 herts with a RTX 2080 

This is incorrect. 1ms is the pixel response time. It defines the time it takes for a pixel to change from grey, to color, and back to grey. Input lag is what you described and completely different, and something that most modern hardware doesn’t deal with anymore

21 minutes ago, _d0nut said:

Yeah, it’s IPS, GSync and 165Hz at 1440p.One of the best monitors you can get rn(besides the 4K version) Imo, if you’re going to go into 1440p/4K, a TN panel would ruin the experience with it’s colours. I would usually only recommend TN to people on a tight budget or people who are going to play esports only.

A good TN panel is good. Granted, a good IPS panel is way better. But the colors in my PG278Q are good. I still prefer IPS though.

 

OP I would try to go for a 1440p monitor and a GPU upgrade if that fits your budget. Your experience gaming in 4K on a 980 will be pretty sub par, and just a GPU upgrade will be somewhat worthless since you already have a good 1080p card. So if you can do both then that would be most likely the best bet. Also, I like 1440p more than 4K for whatever reason

[rrivera]

Thank you for the quick responses guys!

 

I was leaning towards 1440p gaming too, maybe wait out a few years and then upgrade both higher end card + 4k after a few years or so- since my rig now runs 60fps Destiny2 on... whatever settings it defaulted to (lots of highs it seems).

 

Quick addendum, he linked me these earlier, so I guess that gives an idea on price range, at the very least.  Plus, what do you guys think of these monitors anyway?

We're thinking BlackFriday/CyberMonday might have some good pickings too, though I think these monitors are on early sale or something.

 

Dell 28 Ultra HD 4k Monitor - S2817Q

LG 22" HD 4k 22MD4KA

Dell 24 Gaming S2417DG

 

Also, checked out that ASUS ROG that _d0nut linked, looks pretty good.  I'll show it to the father and see what he thinks.

[mayonnaiseblackhole]

1 hour ago, rrivera said:

Thank you for the quick responses guys!

 

I was leaning towards 1440p gaming too, maybe wait out a few years and then upgrade both higher end card + 4k after a few years or so- since my rig now runs 60fps Destiny2 on... whatever settings it defaulted to (lots of highs it seems).

 

Quick addendum, he linked me these earlier, so I guess that gives an idea on price range, at the very least.  Plus, what do you guys think of these monitors anyway?

We're thinking BlackFriday/CyberMonday might have some good pickings too, though I think these monitors are on early sale or something.

 

Dell 28 Ultra HD 4k Monitor - S2817Q

LG 22" HD 4k 22MD4KA

Dell 24 Gaming S2417DG

 

Also, checked out that ASUS ROG that _d0nut linked, looks pretty good.  I'll show it to the father and see what he thinks.

We were suggesting both 1440p and 144 frames per second which will give you the best of both worlds. maybe go to say a Best Buy and look at the different types of monitors to see which type you like. I personally can't tell the difference between 1440p and 4K unless I really try (Even though I am using a 1080p 60fps and it looks fine).

[boey]

1 hour ago, rrivera said:

Thank you for the quick responses guys!

 

I was leaning towards 1440p gaming too, maybe wait out a few years and then upgrade both higher end card + 4k after a few years or so- since my rig now runs 60fps Destiny2 on... whatever settings it defaulted to (lots of highs it seems).

 

Quick addendum, he linked me these earlier, so I guess that gives an idea on price range, at the very least.  Plus, what do you guys think of these monitors anyway?

We're thinking BlackFriday/CyberMonday might have some good pickings too, though I think these monitors are on early sale or something.

 

Dell 28 Ultra HD 4k Monitor - S2817Q

LG 22" HD 4k 22MD4KA

Dell 24 Gaming S2417DG

 

Also, checked out that ASUS ROG that _d0nut linked, looks pretty good.  I'll show it to the father and see what he thinks.

For 4K, I would say minimum 27”. If you get something like a 22” one, the pixel density will be through the roof(although that will make picture quality seem higher), which will cause games that don’t scale well to have UI issues. I think GTA V doesn’t have an option to increase UI size/chat size, so if you were to play that on a 4K 22” monitor everything would be tiny. The S2817Q looks good.

[boey]

3 minutes ago, DustierDolphin said:

We were suggesting both 1440p and 144 frames per second which will give you the best of both worlds. maybe go to say a Best Buy and look at the different types of monitors to see which type you like. I personally can't tell the difference between 1440p and 4K unless I really try (Even though I am using a 1080p 60fps and it looks fine).

Yeah, the 144Hz makes a world of a difference. I would take 1440p 144Hz over 4K 60Hz anyday. It just makes everything much more pleasant to play.

[rrivera]

I'm looking at this one, specs look like it'll be good and lines up with what you guys recommend. I'm thinking about holding off on a new GPU and get the monitor for now, given that my GTX980 will perform well with this monitor:

 

Acer Nitro Gaming Series VG270UP

 

Edit: just saw something about Radeon freesync, I imagine it's the ATI counterpart for the GSync.  Does it matter?

[boey]

3 hours ago, rrivera said:

I'm looking at this one, specs look like it'll be good and lines up with what you guys recommend. I'm thinking about holding off on a new GPU and get the monitor for now, given that my GTX980 will perform well with this monitor:

 

Acer Nitro Gaming Series VG270UP

 

Edit: just saw something about Radeon freesync, I imagine it's the ATI counterpart for the GSync.  Does it matter?

Yes. If I’m not wrong it syncs up the frames with the monitor’s refresh rate, reducing screen tearing. It makes stuff look much smoother as well. If you’re not going for a high end card(1080Ti, 2080Ti etc) you can usually find an AMD card for similar performance and price, at the benefit of having cheaper monitor options as freesync monitors are far cheaper than gsync minitors. 

[boey]

3 hours ago, rrivera said:

I'm looking at this one, specs look like it'll be good and lines up with what you guys recommend. I'm thinking about holding off on a new GPU and get the monitor for now, given that my GTX980 will perform well with this monitor:

 

Acer Nitro Gaming Series VG270UP

 

Edit: just saw something about Radeon freesync, I imagine it's the ATI counterpart for the GSync.  Does it matter?

Good monitor choice though. It shouldn’t matter too much if you have a Nvidia card and are buying a freesync monitor. Personally I would prefer having Nvidia GPU and Gsync monitor/AMD GPU + Freesync monitor, but you already have 144Hz so gameplay will still be very very fluid. Since you already own a 980 there is no point going out of your way to change that to an AMD GPU just for freesync

[rrivera]

4 minutes ago, _d0nut said:

Good monitor choice though. It shouldn’t matter too much if you have a Nvidia card and are buying a freesync monitor. Personally I would prefer having Nvidia GPU and Gsync monitor/AMD GPU + Freesync monitor, but you already have 144Hz so gameplay will still be very very fluid. Since you already own a 980 there is no point going out of your way to change that to an AMD GPU just for freesync

it looks like... any of these "fit" the vague budget.

 

asus rog pg279q (I think that's the one you linked)

acer predator xb271hu (TN or IPS, though sounds like IPS is preferred)

 

Do you think the 980 will perform okay with a 1440p though?  I feel bad asking for a GPU upgrade now if he's dishing out this much for just a monitor.

[boey]

1 minute ago, rrivera said:

it looks like... any of these "fit" the vague budget.

 

asus rog pg279q (I think that's the one you linked)

acer predator xb271hu (TN or IPS, though sounds like IPS is preferred)

 

Do you think the 980 will perform okay with a 1440p though?  I feel bad asking for a GPU upgrade now if he's dishing out this much for just a monitor.

There are other cheaper options for the monitor though, companies like AOC or Pixio make quite decent monitors at cheaper prices than Dell or Asus.

 

A 980 performs like a gtx 1060, so it would probably barely hit 60fps on 1440p low-medium. 

[rrivera]

D'oh.  Well I hope Black Friday has some good deals on a 1080 or something XD

Now I wonder if I should wait out for a deal and get both vidcard and monitor under 1000 together 

 

I never knew upgrading and making things work together can get so complicated

[boey]

5 minutes ago, rrivera said:

  I feel bad asking for a GPU upgrade now if he's dishing out this much for just a monitor.

Well, you could probably sacrifice the gsync and IPS for TN and it would drop down significantly in price. It would still be very pleasant to use, as gsync won’t make a night and day difference at 144/165Hz. As for the TN panel, I think dealing with the more muted colours could be fine if you don’t regularly use other IPS panels.

[boey]

1 minute ago, rrivera said:

D'oh.  Well I hope Black Friday has some good deals on a 1080 or something XD

Now I wonder if I should wait out for a deal and get both vidcard and monitor under 1000 together 

1080 at 1440p is pretty good. My 1070 gets about 70-90 fps at high-ultra on gta v at 1440p, so a 1080 should get 110-120. 

You should probably wait until black friday/cyber monday, heard there are really really good deals. Especially since Nvidia has over a million 10 series cards in stock, there will probably be a decent sale on them to get rid of them. I think you could probably snag a 1080Ti and 1440p 144/165Hz TN Panel for under $1000. 

[rrivera]

I've never experienced IPS panels, though tbh it sounds really appealing and might both look & feel like an upgrade.  THEN AGAIN I've never had a 144hz either sooo... But thanks for the ideas, I'll throw them his way and maybe we can figure something out that'll work.

[ShoshinUK]

Get the monitor first mate,

 

i would recommend searching these:

 

144hz 1440p 27 VA monitor

 

That IMO is still the sweet spot for gaming for all sorts of reasons and is the middle ground between 1080p and 4k.

[rrivera]

4 minutes ago, ShoshinUK said:

Get the monitor first mate,

 

i would recommend searching these:

 

144hz 1440p 27 VA monitor

 

That IMO is still the sweet spot for gaming for all sorts of reasons and is the middle ground between 1080p and 4k.

Yeah i watched Linus' spiel on TN, VA, IPS, I was leaning towards the IPS.  Definitely 144-165hz 1440p though.  I think I'll wait it out until sales next month and see if I can't land a good deal on both vidcard and monitor.

 

Question just came up- Is there any benefit for getting a 27" 4k and then running 1440p resolution on it?  or is that just backwards and... nonproductive?

[ShoshinUK]

3 hours ago, rrivera said:

Question just came up- Is there any benefit for getting a 27" 4k and then running 1440p resolution on it?  or is that just backwards and... nonproductive?

Personally if your going 4K then I would suggest a 30+ inch monitor.

 

For 1440p a 27 is just the job.

Then you will not need to use windows scaling re the txt size.